Fiji in October is the dry season with good visibility, cooler water temps and can be windy. I was in Fiji in March/April 2024 and stayed on two islands, Taveuni and Viti Levu. It was the tail end of rainy season and Taveuni got a lot of rain, while Viti Levu had no rain during my stay. The only liveaboard in Fiji is the Naia, which hit the reef a couple of months ago and sustained damage. YMMV, if that matters in your consideration of safety on a liveaboard and the subsequent handling of it by the company.
October and November are good months for Raja Ampat with warm waters and low rainfall. Viz can be lower with lots of nutrients in the water, which brings in all the great fish and manta rays, but I found it acceptable when I was there in November/December 2023. I did a combo land-based resort first then a liveaboard. Bring a reef hook for the strong currents.
Just my personal opinion...based on my own research, PNG is too sketchy for me. It's a dangerous country with a high rate of crime, kidnapping, rape and murder. Port Moresby is especially bad, and I understand you have to fly there to transit to the land-based resort. Machete attacks are common. I know someone who went there and was attacked with a machete in 2022. He survived, but was badly injured. A couple of months ago, there was a catastrophic landslide in the country, however, I don't know where geographically that was in relation to where you go diving.
October and November are good months for Raja Ampat with warm waters and low rainfall. Viz can be lower with lots of nutrients in the water, which brings in all the great fish and manta rays, but I found it acceptable when I was there in November/December 2023. I did a combo land-based resort first then a liveaboard. Bring a reef hook for the strong currents.
Just my personal opinion...based on my own research, PNG is too sketchy for me. It's a dangerous country with a high rate of crime, kidnapping, rape and murder. Port Moresby is especially bad, and I understand you have to fly there to transit to the land-based resort. Machete attacks are common. I know someone who went there and was attacked with a machete in 2022. He survived, but was badly injured. A couple of months ago, there was a catastrophic landslide in the country, however, I don't know where geographically that was in relation to where you go diving.
