Trip Report Raja Ampat - 2 weeks Papua Explorers & Carpe Diem liveaboard Dec 2022
- Thread starter jjmochi
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
SaltyWombat
Contributor
Nice trip report. I recall seeing the Carpe Diem in December; I wonder if it was when you were on it!
I also did not have excellent dives around Misool in early December. Viz was terrible. Even if the viz had been OK, I just don't think there was much to see. The Dampier Straight was far better.
The islands themselves near Misool are interesting to see topside from the liveaboard, but the diving was mediocre.
Stories of angry villagers demanding payment are very common.
I also did not have excellent dives around Misool in early December. Viz was terrible. Even if the viz had been OK, I just don't think there was much to see. The Dampier Straight was far better.
The islands themselves near Misool are interesting to see topside from the liveaboard, but the diving was mediocre.
Stories of angry villagers demanding payment are very common.
Agreed - I was on Blue Manta (fantastic, roomy/stable boat with a great crew and good food) from Dec 23-Jan 2 and viz at the southern sites was mostly awful and reefs and marine life just did not seem to live up to all of the hype I had heard.
The crew and cruise director said the conditions were quite unsual for this time of year, but also that very warm water temps in the South over the last few years seem to also be taking a toll on the ecosystem there.
The central and Dampier Straits sites were much better - but still not fantastic viz and below the typical per the crew and other divers who have been to RA many times before. We also had very large astronomical tide swings during the daytime high/low tides so much stronger than normal currents on several sites (per crew and other repeat visit divers).
We also avoided one southern island area (forget the name) as the cruise director said the locals there were “troublesome”.
cozcharlie
Contributor
When I was there my land based op was having to negotiate with a local village. A film crew was half way through a month long shoot of a very specific research subject when the locals started demanding money to dive there. From the dive operator’s standpoint the park fee was supposed to cover things like this , but I think like almost all park fees in the world the money trickles up the political food chain—not down to the villagers. SNAFU
Not criminals. Just local villagers. We were diving in waters that belonged to the village I guess. We had to pay other village fees on top of the 1m idr marine park fee but very small amounts so think this was out of ordinary.
I'm on this trip: December 29 2023 - January 9 2024
outofofficebrb
HARRO HUNNAYYY
Great trip report! I’ve been to Raja Ampat many times and went land based for the first time at Papua Explorers in April 2022 for 14 days. I coupled it with 1 week in Lembeh and 1 week in Bangka. I also had Apri as my guide for the entire duration I was at Papua Explorers and he was so awesome.
Barring the transit time on the speedboats vs the convenience of a liveaboard, I actually preferred land based at Papua Explorers over a liveaboard. Being able to pick sites based on conditions without being committed to a schedule made each dive better because it meant dive sites were dived at the optimum conditions and times. Groups and dive plans/sites were not limited by the lowest common denominator on a boat but determined by your group which was usually well paired. Groups could scatter to many different dive sites as appropriate. My reef hook got an amazing work out.
Papua Explorers definitely had mosquitos but far fewer than one would expect. I’m highly sensitive to them and usually attract them. I only managed a few bites but that was due to not having spray/being covered and thinking I’d just walk fast. I am usually one that requires AC and the first night was a big adjustment but the table fan within the netting and the room fan helps a lot. Being over the water also really helps. Opening the veranda door to sleep to let in some breeze was also a treat. Mosquitos generally not over the water or in or around rooms but definitely along the path to the rooms and the resto.
On the day of my departure, we had to do a rescue mission to the Coralia to deliver a part so we took a detour before getting me back to Sorong. I was offered breakfast and got a tour of the boat. It’s beautiful! Unfortunately their schedule never aligns with mine.
I’d definitely return to Papua Explorers.
Barring the transit time on the speedboats vs the convenience of a liveaboard, I actually preferred land based at Papua Explorers over a liveaboard. Being able to pick sites based on conditions without being committed to a schedule made each dive better because it meant dive sites were dived at the optimum conditions and times. Groups and dive plans/sites were not limited by the lowest common denominator on a boat but determined by your group which was usually well paired. Groups could scatter to many different dive sites as appropriate. My reef hook got an amazing work out.
Papua Explorers definitely had mosquitos but far fewer than one would expect. I’m highly sensitive to them and usually attract them. I only managed a few bites but that was due to not having spray/being covered and thinking I’d just walk fast. I am usually one that requires AC and the first night was a big adjustment but the table fan within the netting and the room fan helps a lot. Being over the water also really helps. Opening the veranda door to sleep to let in some breeze was also a treat. Mosquitos generally not over the water or in or around rooms but definitely along the path to the rooms and the resto.
On the day of my departure, we had to do a rescue mission to the Coralia to deliver a part so we took a detour before getting me back to Sorong. I was offered breakfast and got a tour of the boat. It’s beautiful! Unfortunately their schedule never aligns with mine.
I’d definitely return to Papua Explorers.
Similar threads
