Trip Report Raja Ampat 11d/10n on Akomo Isseki and highlight video

[outofofficebrb]

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This trip was my fiancee and my first real attempt to put together a trip video. With two of us, we were able to split wide and macro duties during the dives. I captured the wide footage with my Panasonic GH5 II and WWL-1 setup, while she captured most of the macro footage, usually with an Olympus TG-6. I know there’s room for us to improve and we’d appreciate any feedback. This is the first of several videos we will put together for the trip, so if you’d like to see more please consider subscribing on Youtube.

Footage was captured during an 11 day/10 night trip on the liveaboard Akomo Isseki. We couldn’t find more than a handful of brief reviews of this boat beforehand, and booked it entirely because of the price (~$2300 USD). We aren’t luxury travelers by any means, and in the end were satisfied with our decision. However, there are some aspects of the boat that may be non-starters for others:

• No AC and little ventilation in the cabins. This was a nuisance on about half the nights. There is a porthole in the ceiling and two very small fans in each room, but they weren’t sufficient on the warmest nights.
• Electricity for charging devices is powered by a generator that is located in the dining area. We were still able to keep our numerous batteries charged by making sure the generator was on whenever possible, but in practice the generator’s location meant that there was no power during meals and overnight.
• Very low ceilings, particularly in the dining area
• We ran into multiple technical issues during the trip. I do believe we were unlucky in this regard, but toilet and shower issues were frequent.

All that said, we don’t regret our decision and would recommend the boat to others who place relatively little value on comfort onboard. On the plus side, food was actually the best we’ve had on a liveaboard (especially considering our request for vegan dishes) and the crew was excellent.

We completed 25 dives over 9 diving days (only 2 dives on days transiting to/from Misool, and 3 dives on the other days), including 6 days in Misool and 3 days across the Dampier Strait. With only 7 of us on board (maximum capacity 8), dives did not feel crowded and we were able to tailor dive plans to our desires. We were worried about visibility in Misool after trip reports in the prior months painted a murky picture, but it does seem to have begun to clear up and only really hampered a few late afternoon dives. The itinerary was also supposed to include afternoon land visits on most days. We made a few beach visits and it was nice to have kayaks (two singles) available for this time as well. However, some visits were either skipped (weather) or impossible (closed hikes). Having also been to on a Raja Ampat liveaboard 4 years earlier, I did appreciate the variety offered by the land visits. Though if night dives are important to you, I wouldn’t recommend this specific boat.

Thanks for looking! We really appreciate any comments, and are happy to field any questions about the vessel, diving, footage, etc.

INCREDIBLE video. You guys did such a great job! I'm doing a return trip there with a group of friends who have never been there and I'm going to show them this video to get them amped. You captured RA in its glory and why I love it so much.

My previous time was on the Pearl of Papua. It was undoubtedly a nicer experience while onboard, but if I was going again and in a similar situation financially, I would actually opt to save ~$1k, have a similar underwater experience, and go with Akomo Isseki again. This is not to say that the decision would be the same for everybody! I gather (both from reactions and the relative dominance of pricier vessels) that I am in the clear minority here.

I actually have an interesting story about the Pearl of Papua. I was on it in 2019. Friends and I had the lower deck cabin against the engine and it smelled like diesel and engine fumes. We went for our check dive and I left my CO monitor in the room. When I came back, I saw that an alarm had gone off and it logged at 130 ppm. The 4 of us didn't spend a night in our cabins and we ended up sleeping in the restaurant instead. There were times when it got a little hazy in the room so we made the right decision. We ended up getting a partial refund for our trip as a result. The food was good on the boat and the crew were really nice.

Hopefully the issues have been fixed but at the very least, I caution people about taking those rooms, or the ones below deck. The upper deck rooms didn't have any issues. The guides were OK but it depended on who you got.

Yes, but a price difference of a couple grand vs. a mid-range liveaboard could be the difference in whether someone gets to go or not. The cheaper liveaboards may compete with some cheaper land-based options rather than mid- and upper-range liveaboards, so perhaps we should keep in mine what market niche they occupy.

It's like in cars...which is nicer, a Toyota Corolla or a Lexus? Okay, does it matter? Are people in the market for the one seriously weighing it against the other?

That said, I like these discussions where people such as you delineate the trade-offs to help others make informed decisions. As long as people know what they're getting into when they book, things should go well. It's when people blunder into nasty surprises and have a rude awakening that it gets ugly.

This 100%. Everyone has different priorities and budgets. If it means people get to experience something amazing than to never at all, that is what is most important. At the very least, someone searching for this vessel by name will now have a good breakdown and will be able to see if it's for them or not.

 

[simosub78]

Hello Two Nature Junkies
Please tell me in which month didi you visit Akomo Isseki liveaboard?How was the visibility?
Bye bye from Italy

 

[Two Nature Junkies]

Hello Two Nature Junkies
Please tell me in which month didi you visit Akomo Isseki liveaboard?How was the visibility?
Bye bye from Italy

Our trip was from January 24 to February 3. For us, visibility was generally better in the south than the north (with the exception of Penemu, where visibility was very good). In the south we usually had 10-20 m visibility, except for some afternoon dives where it was 5 m (apparently due to tides). In the north, it was generally 5-10 m.

 

[simosub78]

Our trip was from January 24 to February 3. For us, visibility was generally better in the south than the north (with the exception of Penemu, where visibility was very good). In the south we usually had 10-20 m visibility, except for some afternoon dives where it was 5 m (apparently due to tides). In the north, it was generally 5-10 m.

Thank you soo much!For you which is the best place for diving in Raja Ampat?Have a good day
Simona

 

[Two Nature Junkies]

Thank you soo much!For you which is the best place for diving in Raja Ampat?Have a good day
Simona

I think it depends on what you want to see most. Dampier strait was best for large schools of fish, reef sharks, and has some nice manta dive sites. South had more color, soft corals, and many wall dives. It would be best if you can see both!