Question Raja Ampat First time

[Franek]

First time
Hi,
We have questions about Raja Ampat's dive in January.
We've read a lot about R4 in the forum and we're wondering about this place, our experiences are various dive spots in Central America and Egypt.
Our questions are initially as follows.

1. Whether this is the right date for diving with Liveabord, we are interested in Blue Manta 7/8 nights
2. We have both been diving for 7 months, we have +/- 45 dives is it a suitable place for divers with little experience?
3. We finished AOWD + Nitrox we are conservative dives only 2 + 1

Maria

 

[FT]

Very excited for you! Please come back and post a report afterwards

 

[EqualizingKing]

I haven't been to Indonesia yet, but I'm planning a trip right now. I can share some random thoughts.

I'll be on a 10 night charter with Scubaspa Zen. They require a minimum of 30 dives + AOW for Raja4. Their Komodo and Forgotten Islands charter requires a minimum of 50 dives.

Scubaspa is more luxurious than I would choose on my own, but a friend is planning this trip and the other passengers all seem really great. It's important for me to dive with people I'll like. If I were planning my own trip, I'd likely go with Blue Manta. I don't care much about luxury; I just want to be with serious and experienced divers and I think I'd find them on Blue Manta.

A seven night charter doesn't seem enough.

Since Raja4 is so far away, I also plan to book a week at a shore-based resort. My top choices are already booked up, sadly. If you want to do this, plan early.

Scheduling the transfers from Sorong to a land-based resort has been a hassle. The resort-blessed transfers only happen on certain days.

Many people advise me to only take Garuda Airlines. There are too many surprises on the discount airlines. Garuda flies to Sorong on M/W/F/Sat. Getting to Sorong a day early has been advised, because flights are often canceled. I hope to not get there too early though, as I hear Sorong is not charming.

Undercurrent has trustworthy reviews of LOBs and resorts: Indonesia Diving Guide. Much of their site requires a subscription.

Hey @SaltyWombat,

Sorry to revive this old thread. How was your trip with Scubaspa Zen? I am also considering their 10-night charter in Raja Ampat. It will be my first time in Indonesia.

Thank you!

 

[Franek]

Hey @SaltyWombat,

Sorry to revive this old thread. How was your trip with Scubaspa Zen? I am also considering their 10-night charter in Raja Ampat. It will be my first time in Indonesia.

Thank you!

We haven't been to ScubaSpa ZEN, but I know from friends that it is one of the best Liveaboards. They have great service and provide very good service.
Pay attention to the occupancy rate and the high price - this should give you a lot to think about.
It's expensive and the boat is practically always busy.
R4 is quite demanding dives in various conditions and the boats have practically similar requirements. AOWD is practically a basic requirement because there are dives deeper than 18m. Every boat manager wants to have a peaceful and stress-free dive.
If you don't have Nitrox, get some tests, you won't be less tired and you won't feel like sleeping.
There is one good thing in Indonesia - there is 1 guide for 4 divers, a great arrangement.
We had our own, there are additional costs but there is no stress.

Book and fly, you will be satisfied, the dives are great. In our opinion and that of our friends, this is the best Liveaboard (this is just our personal opinion)

 

[SaltyWombat]

Hey @SaltyWombat,

Sorry to revive this old thread. How was your trip with Scubaspa Zen? I am also considering their 10-night charter in Raja Ampat. It will be my first time in Indonesia.

I enjoyed it. Their killer feature is the dhoni, an idea they brought over from their operations in the Maldives. It's a large tender from which all diving happens. You keep your dive gear on the dhoni and simply walk over from the Zen before each dive.

The food and hospitality were excellent.

A tour of Zen's engine room and the dhoni's fill station convinced me they take maintenance seriously.

I personally prefer land-based resorts over liveaboards, but Zen was a great choice as far as liveaboards go. In my experience, the best Raja4 dives are along the Dampier Strait. These dives are easily accessible from resorts. However, Raja4 liveaboards get you to islands which are interesting to see topside, such as Wayag and Misool.

Visibility was lower than expected, especially in Misool. Fish life was greater than expected, especially in the Dampier Strait.

If you have detailed questions, I'm happy to take a phone call with you. Just DM me to set one up.

I also recommend checking Undercurrent.org.

 

[EqualizingKing]

Thank you for your feedback @Franek and @SaltyWombat!

My partner and I can only take 2-3 weeks off continuously at the same time once every few years, and so we want to make the most of it. None of us have dived in Southeast Asia and it seems like Raja is consistently among the highest bucket list destinations (we've dived across North, Central, and South America, Caribbean, Hawaii, and Egypt, and so are looking for something different and to maximize our time off).

How bumpy were the seas out there for both of you? Are there any long crossings or passages? We're looking to go either December or January. Our last liveaboard experience was in Antarctica (non-diving) on a 70ish ft monohull sailboat where we got terrible weather and were seasick most of the time. Not ideal and not something we hope to repeat (if only one could control the weather...)

SaltyWombat, how stable was the Zen? Also, just curious, why do you prefer land-based resorts? The forum requires a minimum number of posts before I can DM you. Hopefully soon...

 

[SaltyWombat]

How bumpy were the seas out there for both of you? Are there any long crossings or passages?

No storms when I went in late November and early December, 2022. There might have been two overnight crossings, but I don't recall exactly.

We're looking to go either December or January. Our last liveaboard experience was in Antarctica (non-diving) on a 70ish ft monohull sailboat where we got terrible weather and were seasick most of the time.

Large ships made from metal might be more stable. The White and Blue Manta come to mind, or the Velocean. I have no experience with either and there are probably others. You could ask a dive travel agent for more help. There is no additional fee, at least with Bluewater Dive Travel.

SaltyWombat, how stable was the Zen? Also, just curious, why do you prefer land-based resorts? The forum requires a minimum number of posts before I can DM you. Hopefully soon...

Zen is a traditional pinisi design. Some of the other Raja4 liveaboards looked like floating buckets. Some appeared top-heavy, presumably after a renovation. In comparison, Zen looked much better.

I prefer land-based resorts in Raja4 because they mostly reach the same dive sites in the Dampier Strait. That's where I found diving to be best. At a resort, you can get matched with a handful of divers with similar experience and go to a site that's appropriate for the group. On a liveaboard, you'll end up a site that all passengers can handle. That may not be ideal if you're experienced. Also, at resorts you can just get away from other people if you like. You can go for a walk. You can hang out at the beach. On a liveaboard, you can't just jump off the side of the boat and swim any time you want.

 

[Dan]

There might have been two overnight crossings, but I don't recall exactly.

That is about right. The overnight crossing is typically done when you are cruising from Sorong to Misool & from Misool to the central RA, as shown in my last RA trip on Mermaid 2 in December 2022, below.

I finally had a chance to finish editing the trip video as a preparation to go back to RA next week on Blue Manta and posted it here: Trip Report - Raja Ampat in December 2022