Raja Ampat has an Airport now

[matts1w]

If we take Ambon for instance, where they have glorious diving along with a quite good airport, great flight connections, more than 20 flights a week from Jakarta, planning to get regular flights from Singapore... Is Ambon seeing more diving visitors... uh... within a year at least I haven't seen any changes. There's one upmarket dive operator with regular divers and the other less expensive one which is struggling (reason why, I dunno, marketing issue maybe...).

You make a great point with Ambon not becoming too packed, but I don't really think it has the tourism potential as RA. Muck diving is a special niche for a special kind of diver. When one talks to the instructors in Lembeh about the clientele, it is 95% very experienced divers armed with above average cameras. However, instructors teach OW and AOW all the time on Bunaken. New/casual divers don't want to spend thousands to hover above sand and rocks (and trash) to see a hairy frogfish. Even websites selling dive travel only recommend a maximum of five or six days around Ambon. To contrast, RA offers tons of big fish: many sharks, mantas, bumpheads, travelli, etc... in addition to massive sites dense with pristine coral. It is, quite simply, National Geographic diving meshed National Geographic landscapes such as The Passage. Of course I do not think RA will explode like Bali...but could it become much more like Bunaken? Absolutely.

If/when that airport opens up to flights from Denpasar and Singapore, I expect to see things changing out there... although I truly hope you are more right than me.

 

[Luko]

Muck diving is a special niche for a special kind of diver.When one talks to the instructors in Lembeh about the clientele, it is 95% very experienced divers armed with above average cameras.

I do agree with you, Matt, meanwhile Lembeh has developped hugely in the 10 last years : I can remember my first dives in Lembeh when there were no other operators than KBR and Divers' Lodge at Pulisan.
A few months ago I was diving Ambon then Lembeh, each for a week, personally I enjoy more Ambon, maybe because I don't have to handle other divers on my boat or if any, that I would be the only one with a dSLR.
Build a Lembeh Resort, a Lembeh Hills resort and a Black Sands resort in Ambon, I am sure the Ambon diving frequentation will skyrocket... that's what I am assuming when I speak about "offer driven" market.

For instance, I know some upmarket dive resort further than Ambon who's doing well, though it's a pain in the neck to get to (little known in SB because they are european aimed). I never could get an availability when I'm getting there, always full. Again, marketing wins over transports ease.

Even websites selling dive travel only recommend a maximum of five or six days around Ambon.

Are you speaking about those sort of dive travel websites which don't even know where Bangka is located between Lembeh and Bunaken?
Hahaha... oh well... I'll keep my mouth shut and hope nobody will know what's Lease islands diving is about.
Hopefully nobody will browse my photos on coral dives in Maluku.

 

[Magrone]

If/when that airport opens up to flights from Denpasar and Singapore, I expect to see things changing out there... although I truly hope you are more right than me.

I agree, I don't think there's anything to worry about until it goes international, or possibly via Jakarta or Denpasar. If it does, well, I'm glad I already went.

 

[gee13]

For some reason I think Bali will generally remain a popular destination for tourists and learners, Lombok will always attract the backpackers, Komodo/Lembeh/Wakatobi/Raja/Ambon will attract the more serious divers and photographers - no matter what direct route is available.