Raja Ampat Liveaboard Advice Request

[borisphotosafari]

Dan_T, you will enjoy Amira. Great boat great crew. Lots and lots of space on the boat. Very well designed dive deck.

Don't need anti malarials in Raja. They also screw you up for diving.

 

[scubafanatic]

Dan_T, you will enjoy Amira. Great boat great crew. Lots and lots of space on the boat. Very well designed dive deck.

Don't need anti malarials in Raja. They also screw you up for diving.

Can you be more specific about the anti-malarials screwing one up for diving?

 

[borisphotosafari]

Anti malarials have very strong side effects. And from what I've heard and experienced it was not recommended to dive on them.
I have seen people have serious adverse reactions to them.
While in India, I had terrible headaches, insomnia and general unwellness, which ended when I stop taking anti malerials in the middle of the trip.

 

[Scott from LongIsland]

Anti malarials have very strong side effects. And from what I've heard and experienced it was not recommended to dive on them.
I have seen people have serious adverse reactions to them.
While in India, I had terrible headaches, insomnia and general unwellness, which ended when I stop taking anti malerials in the middle of the trip.

When was this? They have changed the malaria medications over the years. Lariam used to give lots of people wacky dreams and had bad side effects but that is no longer used for malaria. Curious what meds you are referring to as the meds that are given these days do not have strong side effects like you are referencing

 

[charlier]

Regarding anit-malarial meds. Most docs have little experience with the region and needlessly prescribe meds that are not needed. If possible, find a tropical infectious disease doc. I stopped taking such meds about 10 years ago, mostly working on remote Indonesian atolls studying earthquakes and tsunamis. Here, I use netting and spray to mitigate tramsmission. Personally, I have never used anti-malarial meds in Raja Ampat and adjacent regions.

 

[komodotravel]

Some Raja Ampat Liveaboard : Best Raja Ampat Liveaboard Charter Indonesia Destination

 

[aleem.k713]

Just dd a 12 day trip with Calico Jack and hands down the best trip of my life, highly recommended

 

[Cali_diver]

I have never used anti-malarial drugs in my many trips to Indonesia. Mosquitos really aren't an issue on the boats and on land I use protection.

 

[Adelaar Cruises]

Whether or not to take the anti malaria drugs is up to you. While working on boats in Raja Ampat, a colleague contracted the disease twice in one working season but no other staff members or guests ever got sick. I have myself not taken any preventive drugs for this in the six years that I have been living in Indonesia (Flores, Papua, Bali) and have never gotten malaria (or dengue). My choice was to stay off the drugs and protect myself around "mosquito prime time". Whatever you decide, have a lovely trip in Raja Ampat!

 

[chillyinCanada]

Adelaar, it is my understanding that once a person has had a bout of malaria, the illness can recur again and again. If this is true, then is it possible that your friend had only contracted it once? Small comfort in that, I'd suppose.