Trip Report Raja Ampat, Live Report, Nov. 7-Dec. 7, 2023

[matts1w]

The no-gloves rule is just silly and contradicts the most basic safety principle everyone should adhere to: preventing problems before they happen- avoiding stingy stuff, fishing hooks in mooring lines, getting a reef hook in well, pushing a moon jellyfish away from an unaware new diver's head... The risk/benefit ratio clearly shows gloves do far more good than harm. Besides, if someone is going to be the kind of person who touches everything, not having gloves isn't going to change their character. A-holes are gonna a-hole.

If dive ops really wanted to ensure their guests don't go around touching, breaking and manipulating the marine environment, they would ban cameras, not gloves.

 

[JonnieB]

I did not feel any less safe not wearing gloves. In the event of a life threatening situation, I wouldn't worry about tearing up my hands if needed.

For the Dive Ops, it's far easier to just have a no gloves rule if they choose to than it is to try to police and penalize non-compliant divers - normally, you really don't need them.

I think you hit the fish on the head...it's "easier" for the operator. There are many other reasons (I've listed before) why gloves are an important part of a diver's gear. And almost all the irresponsible divers I see picking up objects or touching the reef are ungloved so the policy doesn't even work.

 

[living4experiences]

Did you dive with schooling sweetlips in Cape Kri? They are usually packed like sardines around 130’ (40m) depth. A must see if you are in the neighborhood.

Didn't have to go that deep to see them. There were lots at the 60-70 foot range.

 

[living4experiences]

Nice report. Sounds like a nice LOB and great crew...if a bit pricey. The fuel surcharge is a bit curious as Indo is a big oil producer and I calculate local fuel prices are about 30% lower than the world market (at least in Bali).

Since the owner was on the boat after the accident, I asked him about the fuel fees and he said he has to pay "commercial" prices and the cost per barrel has gone up. There's a formula in their T&C's that I read before the trip that lays out the incremental increase of the fuel fee as the price per barrel goes up. I still think it's a scam and just an add-on for profit. I don't have to pay more for jet fuel when I take a flight, so why isn't the cost of fuel part of my liveaboard fare? A rhetorical but curious question.

 

[living4experiences]

I'm pretty sure that we were were told on Blue Manta that gloves were not allowed - folks used carefully-placed reef hooks, pointers or bare hands in high current areas. No one wore gloves and no one tore up their hands (should be avoiding live coral and jaggies even if using gloves - same for hooks and pointers).

However, we never got caught in a bad down current that required clinging to a wall and or climbing it but, barring that type of dangerous occurrence, I don't really see a need for gloves and understand the "ban".

The thing is, you don't know you're in a dangerous occurrence until you're actually in it. If you're already wearing gloves as an aid to save your life, then you're properly prepared for a dangerous situation. If you actually do have to hang on for your life and then surface with bloodied hands and cuts, then you're at risk of infection with a open wound while you continue diving through the rest of the trip.

On my trip, two people clung to the wall and one didn't survive. The one that survived had many cuts and punctures on his hands that were then bandaged up for the rest of the trip and he continued diving.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I don't like to wear gloves when I dive. Yes, in the described scenario, they'd have been good to have.

I wear them when diving Crystal Bay when looking for Mola or any other time when Bali dives are running colder than usual.

And anywhere that has lots of stingers in the water.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Steel pointer stick/muck stick to pull you along. You still shouldn't need to use your hands. Rock bouldering needn't be necessary.

I agree...I've spent many, many days diving in RA (and Alor and Komodo which can also have really strong current) and a muck stick and reef hook have been sufficient, even in downcurrent on the wall.

Is this a debit card and you fund the wise account from your bank account prior to the trip?

Edit: If so does the Wise Debit Card give you more IDR in the ATMs than a US based bank Debit Card?

Yes, and you can fund it before or during. The funding is instantaneous and you can even do it right before you walk up to the ATM machine.

No to the second question. Deposit withdrawal limits are set by the bank that owns the ATM, not the card being used (or the withdrawal limit set by the card owner).

It's a combination of both. The ATM will have a limit per transaction and your withdrawal limit will also be set with the bank of the debit card you're using. So the solution is to just do however many transactions you need to get what you need while also staying below your bank limit. In Indonesia, the ATM limits are often 1,000,000 IDR or 1,500,000 for each transaction.

 

[FishWatcher747]

Yes, and you can fund it before or during. The funding is instantaneous and you can even do it right before you walk up to the ATM machine.

I think for my next trip I am going to go the crispy new USD $100 bills and go to the money exchanger at CDG and call it good. It will be a fat wad of IDR to carry around though.

On the other hand if I find out my land based host will take Wise I will do that.

Edit: Screw the Indo ATMs.