Curious, why is no one mentioning the Arenui?
Raja Ampat Liveaboard Recommendations
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Dan
Contributor
I guess those, who have been on it, haven’t read this thread. I haven’t been on it, so I can’t say much other than it’s a boutique liveaboard so you’ll be paying $1200-$1500 more for similar trips on similar Phinisi boat like Amira.
I was very happy to be on Amira, diving 3-4 times / day, eating delicious Indonesian food, sleeping on comfortable bed & repeating the activities for 11 days. No need to be pampered.
Blackcrusader
Contributor
drrich2
Contributor
I've heard that name, so did a quick forum search. I take it it's a luxury higher end option? I see posts with sales, guest slots available, trips planned on it...evidently it's prestigious.
2019 Chris kipper Post #2: "The Arenui 13 day greater Raja Ampat itinerary in January You will not regret it. People cried when we had to get off" - now that's high praise!
2018 Rose Sear Post #16: "We just dove Komodo a few weeks ago on the Arenui. We like it so much we are booking Raja Ampat for 2020. Service was beyond exceptional. Food was consistently terrific. The beds were very comfortable. All of the crew were extremely helpful and pleasant. There is absolutely nothing I can say negative. My 2 year old BC failed and they even had a really nice BC to rent to me for $8/day."
2018 DarrinR Post #18: "The Arenui is outstanding!!!" @DarrinR care to comment more?
2017 Looks like Cali_diver Post #21 preferred the Damai: "The Damai is top notch and you get warm dry towels after each dive
I have been on the boats approx. 7 times and have never been disappointed. Many of the guests are repeaters and I have never had a language problem. If you have any specific questions ask away. I have also been on the Arenui and the Dewi Nusantara. Have fun!" Same thread Post #23 by Nudisusie "I'd go with Damai, but then I'm biased as i just started working with them! I've been on board as a guest and booked a charter with them also prior to starting employment so I already knew the company was extremely good. The crew are excellent and the guides highly experienced. Good balance between professionalism and laid back fun. Massages, a la carte meals, shaded decks and a crew of 18 put Damai high up on the service level," and "I've dived several times on Indo Siren as well and she's a great boat and the crew are also lovely so if you want something a little lower in budget that could be a good option." Darnold9999 Post #26 "Damai I was the most expensive and probably the best overall experience. Huge rooms, excellent food, excellent guides and an overall attention to details that I have never experienced on any other boat. Dewi Nusantara was a close second, a much bigger boat with many more divers on the boat, but still a very "luxury" oriented experience. Really the difference was in the details, overall an excellent experience. The third boat Ondina was significantly cheaper and the dive experience was still excellent - food was much simpler, the accommodation less luxurious - everything about the boat was just a bit worn. Serviceable but tired. I would do any one of the three again in a second." Divr56 Post #35 was chartering a trip on the Arenui and noted "Many of the same group are repeat customers of the Arenui and travelled with me to Komodo in 2015. When I reached out to them about the trip, the response was a resounding "count me in!" A true testament to the quality of the vessel, crew, food and service provided by the Arenui. If you are looking for a LOB experience aboard a traditional Indonesian Phinisi, the Arenui is the best!"
2019 Chris kipper Post #2: "The Arenui 13 day greater Raja Ampat itinerary in January You will not regret it. People cried when we had to get off" - now that's high praise!
2018 Rose Sear Post #16: "We just dove Komodo a few weeks ago on the Arenui. We like it so much we are booking Raja Ampat for 2020. Service was beyond exceptional. Food was consistently terrific. The beds were very comfortable. All of the crew were extremely helpful and pleasant. There is absolutely nothing I can say negative. My 2 year old BC failed and they even had a really nice BC to rent to me for $8/day."
2018 DarrinR Post #18: "The Arenui is outstanding!!!" @DarrinR care to comment more?
2017 Looks like Cali_diver Post #21 preferred the Damai: "The Damai is top notch and you get warm dry towels after each dive
I have been on the boats approx. 7 times and have never been disappointed. Many of the guests are repeaters and I have never had a language problem. If you have any specific questions ask away. I have also been on the Arenui and the Dewi Nusantara. Have fun!" Same thread Post #23 by Nudisusie "I'd go with Damai, but then I'm biased as i just started working with them! I've been on board as a guest and booked a charter with them also prior to starting employment so I already knew the company was extremely good. The crew are excellent and the guides highly experienced. Good balance between professionalism and laid back fun. Massages, a la carte meals, shaded decks and a crew of 18 put Damai high up on the service level," and "I've dived several times on Indo Siren as well and she's a great boat and the crew are also lovely so if you want something a little lower in budget that could be a good option." Darnold9999 Post #26 "Damai I was the most expensive and probably the best overall experience. Huge rooms, excellent food, excellent guides and an overall attention to details that I have never experienced on any other boat. Dewi Nusantara was a close second, a much bigger boat with many more divers on the boat, but still a very "luxury" oriented experience. Really the difference was in the details, overall an excellent experience. The third boat Ondina was significantly cheaper and the dive experience was still excellent - food was much simpler, the accommodation less luxurious - everything about the boat was just a bit worn. Serviceable but tired. I would do any one of the three again in a second." Divr56 Post #35 was chartering a trip on the Arenui and noted "Many of the same group are repeat customers of the Arenui and travelled with me to Komodo in 2015. When I reached out to them about the trip, the response was a resounding "count me in!" A true testament to the quality of the vessel, crew, food and service provided by the Arenui. If you are looking for a LOB experience aboard a traditional Indonesian Phinisi, the Arenui is the best!"
drrich2
Contributor
Stumbled across another, from Damselfish Post #1: "We did the Arenui earlier in 2018 and while it was an awesome trip, we didn't like the dive deck layout and procedures so much. You dressed and waited on the "dive deck" near the bow, but main gear was kept elsewhere after initial setup, inaccessible unless you asked a crew member to bring it to you or get something. (Which they were happy to do, but it was a nuisance and sometimes a problem.) Otherwise you never saw it the entire trip except on the tender. To get to the tenders, we had to cut through the dining room with it's lovely wooden floor, a constant slipping hazard with crew always laying towels on the floor and mopping up the water. Along with this, there was no reasonable way to analyze your own Nitrox tanks. We gave up on that idea and decided to trust our DM - yeah I know but he was good and there's only 4 divers per DM."
Darnold9999
Contributor
Know a couple people who have been on Arenui and raved about how good it was. Would definitely be on my list of possibles if $ was no object.
Dan
Contributor
In some liveaboards, you need to get off the skiff with your gears on and walk to your docking station in their dive deck. Although on those liveaboards, the dive deck are on the stern of the boat with just 2-4 stairs steps up from the loading platform (Scuba Sceen, Blue Manta, etc.)
It’s unusual to see a port side dive loading platform, which would be the tallest part of the boat to get on from a skiff.
Darnold9999
Contributor
The Siren boat in the Philippines has a side loading platform that you have to navigate wearing tanks. They are really good at assisting you down the stairs and into the skiff, but not a pleasant experience particularly in weather of any kind. There were a number of minor falls and close calls on the last step into the skiff.
Cert1967
Contributor
The Arenui? We sailed on a Komodo trip - May 2015. Their promo materials reflect improvements since our trip.
Boat? Layout - a little quirky. Pretty boat. Round bottom - rolls a bit, quite noticeable on the top level. Good crew. We liked the food.
Diving - you board a skiff by gangway/stairs amidships. Cylinders are filled on the fantail. No easy access to your gear, which most folks were happy with. Big currents on our trip.
We had a fall trip booked this year.
Folks voting with their pocketbooks? Bookings - at top dollar - look solid to me. A few dates for 2025 show booked up on their schedule.
Their website shows space available for a 22DEC2020 Raja trip. January 2021 trips are posted as of this writing. Optimistic, hey?
Boat? Layout - a little quirky. Pretty boat. Round bottom - rolls a bit, quite noticeable on the top level. Good crew. We liked the food.
Diving - you board a skiff by gangway/stairs amidships. Cylinders are filled on the fantail. No easy access to your gear, which most folks were happy with. Big currents on our trip.
We had a fall trip booked this year.
Folks voting with their pocketbooks? Bookings - at top dollar - look solid to me. A few dates for 2025 show booked up on their schedule.
Their website shows space available for a 22DEC2020 Raja trip. January 2021 trips are posted as of this writing. Optimistic, hey?
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