Trip Report Raja Ampat Jan 2020 Trip Report

[Dan]

Lovely jubbley!! Great report!
So in comparison to the other boats you have been on what impressed you about the Amira?

Action pack! We had 8 night dives. I love night diving. Also I like manta diving. The Cruise Director managed to get 2 dives in Magic Mountain.

Having very experience DMs who have plenty of tricks to bring fish / critters to you or take you to the right place at the right time. Do you see what makes schooling fusiliers swimming around me or a Napoleon Snake Eel comes out of its hole?

Having good weather & smooth sailing also help to get good night sleep / nap / snooze between dives. I made all 35 dives as a result.

Lastly, I enjoyed the food, especially the Indonesian breakfast. I rotated my breakfast pick among nasi goreng with egg sunny side up or mie goreng with egg sunny side up or mie kuah (noodle soup). They just know how to make the breakfast to my liking. Of course, there were plenty of fruits came with the meals. I need to have good meal & good rest to do 4 dives / day & to not miss any of the 35 dives.

 

[AlMitch]

Sounds like all the stars aligned for you on this trip!! Lucky lucky boy!!

 

[Wisnu]

Hi Dan
Thanks for great report, as usual - 35 dives in an amazing trip!!
you always success to make everybody here jealous

 

[Dan]

Hi Dan
Thanks for great report, as usual - 35 dives in an amazing trip!!
you always success to make everybody here jealous

Thanks for the compliment.

We are talking about Raja Ampat, the most biodiverse marine life in the world. I didn’t want to miss any chance of diving there. As a result I had quite a lot of cool video clips & still pictures to choose from.

The sum of the above video clips is about an hour, out of say 35 hours of video clips, assuming the average dive is about an hour (my shortest dive was 51 minutes and the longest one was 67 minutes).

Those videos & still pictures were taken with just a cheap GoPro & point and shoot Sea & Sea DX-6G. Just image the results if you took them with your fancy camera.

 

[Dan]

Sounds like all the stars aligned for you on this trip!! Lucky lucky boy!!

Thank goodness it did.

I like their daily schedule. The one in post #1 is based on my memory. Later on I found the posted one on the briefing room:

They are very consistent & discipline like the Swiss watch (no joke).

Having sufficient surface interval, plenty of rest, and good & healthy meal between dives are the perfect recipe of making all the dives. After spending 30-hour flights (one way), 2 week of vacation and thousands of hard earned dollars for this trip, you certainly want to make the best out of this trip.

 

[seaseadee]

Good Stuff @Dan I can't wait to go back... unfortunately it will be a while for me

 

[Dan]

Good Stuff @Dan I can't wait to go back... unfortunately it will be a while for me

Thanks!

We all are on the same boat with what’s happening currently. I lucked out & missed the initial wave of COVID-19 by may be a day on the way home, with only 90 minute layover in Taipei on 25 January.

 

[diveUAE]

Look amazing! Love R4, hopefully will get back there one day.

Fantastic you saw so many (Pygmy) seahorses- and even go a video - do you use a filter/dome for your GoPro? Also impressed by the number of orangutan crabs

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Dan]

Look amazing! Love R4, hopefully will get back there one day.

Fantastic you saw so many (Pygmy) seahorses- and even go a video - do you use a filter/dome for your GoPro? Also impressed by the number of orangutan crabs

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for your kind words!

Yes, we lucked out in seeing Pontohi, Bargibanti, Denise & Raja Ampat Pygmy seahorses. Plenty of orangutan crab in just about every other dives.

I just need to fine tune my skill in taking those tiny animals with my new camera (Sea & Sea DX-6G). The 1cm Macro button & built-in ring flash help.

For close up video I just add Flip micro lense over the GoPro. No filter.

Here is my camera setup (w/o Flip micro).

 

[KPD]

Great report, Dan.