Lexion
Registered
I’m very impressed and very happy with my 9-day liveaboard trip on the Jelajahi Laut in Raja Ampat and Misool in February of 2025. I can recommend them highly, and I wanted to share my review. To give background on my perspectives, this was my eighth liveaboard. I’m an amateur underwater photographer with 600+ dives (all that means is that I’m very proficient in taking lots of bad underwater photos
). This was my third liveaboard in Raja Ampat, but the first on a Phinisi style boat.
Overall, the Jelajahi Laut delivered an outstanding experience, combining top-tier diving, excellent service, and a well-thought-out itinerary. The crew's professionalism and camaraderie created an atmosphere that felt both relaxed and well-organized. I would love to return to this boat for another trip!
I shared a cabin with a combined shower and bathroom. It was plenty large for resting and storing my luggage. There are also two slightly smaller cabins that share a bath/shower, and two large cabins with their own balcony.
By-and-large, everything was in good condition, with a few leaky air conditioning units that dropped water on the floor now and then. Things were kept very clean, cabins refreshed every day by David and Elin in housekeeping.
We didn’t hit really bad weather, but I still perceived the boat to be very stable. They had Starlink internet which worked great. Easy to Facetime.
I only have one meaningful issue with the boat. I would love them to improve on the limited space for camera equipment. There is a space for cameras in the common room where one can also charge batteries. This, however, does not provide a lot of space. On my trip It worked well as there were only two divers with large cameras. However, if there had been four of us, it would have been difficult. This is not easy given the space limitations of the boat, but I would encourage trying to address it.
There’s a shelf on the dive deck where one can keep cameras waiting for the dive. The camera rinse tank was big enough for one large camera, so we would normally not let it soak for too long, but it was more a dip and rinse. Again, this worked well.
Chef Burhan was always welcoming when you came into the galley. The same with Captain Arisman on the bridge. And he was also the lead guitarist with at the big concert when we heard Engineer Saldi sing Indonesian pop music! Everyone was welcoming and open.
And the love of diving was obvious. Cruise director Eric was often diving with us, and I asked why he didn’t stay on the boat to relax a bit. He said he loves diving and that’s how he relaxes.
By and large, the crew held to the posted schedule. The dive briefings were very good, covering the dive site, negative/positive entry, potential current, and what we might see. They had special optional sessions on specific topics like the use of a reef hook. I always felt well prepared, particularly with additional briefings by each dive guide.
The dive deck never felt cramped, and it was easy to get into the dinghies through a few steps down to the platform on the side of the boat. You could don your gear on the dive deck, or they would carry the cylinder into the dinghy and you could don it there. I found it easier to just don it on the dive deck and walk down. They would help with the camera if you wanted the help. Coming back I would normally take my BC off in the water and let them lift it into the dinghy and then carry it back to the dive station, but you could climb up yourself and walk with the equipment to the dive station if you wanted to. They would always rinse regs and the equipment with a hose after every dive.
They were making 31%-32% Nitrox and analyzed the gas before every dive. Due to a history of disappearing analyzers, they didn’t want guests to analyze themselves, but they encouraged us to watch while the dive guide analyzed. This worked well.
One thing that made the trip on the Jelajahi Laut extra fun, was that they had interspersed in a few outings in-between the packed diving schedule. A hike to see the Bird of Paradise. A trip up a freshwater river, having people float back out. A trip to Jellyfish Lake, swimming in a lake filled with non-stinging jellyfish (fantastic!), the mandatory Piaynemo viewpoint, a wonderful evening at a secluded beach, and a boat trip to see wonderful lagoons. All while averaging 3 dives a day.
Another example of how they thought through the itinerary was anchoring next to the Mioskon island for sunset. This island is well known as “bats and cats” and it was amazing to see all the bats, large as crows, leave the island as the sunset to go on their nightly hunt. Just a great experience.
). This was my third liveaboard in Raja Ampat, but the first on a Phinisi style boat.Overall, the Jelajahi Laut delivered an outstanding experience, combining top-tier diving, excellent service, and a well-thought-out itinerary. The crew's professionalism and camaraderie created an atmosphere that felt both relaxed and well-organized. I would love to return to this boat for another trip!
The Boat
Catering to only 12 guests, the relatively small but beautiful Jelajahi Laut (“Explore the Sea”) seems large. There’s plenty of space to relax between dives with the favorite place being just ahead of the bridge where ten of us easily fit under the shades. And with 14 crew members, there was constant good service.I shared a cabin with a combined shower and bathroom. It was plenty large for resting and storing my luggage. There are also two slightly smaller cabins that share a bath/shower, and two large cabins with their own balcony.
By-and-large, everything was in good condition, with a few leaky air conditioning units that dropped water on the floor now and then. Things were kept very clean, cabins refreshed every day by David and Elin in housekeeping.
We didn’t hit really bad weather, but I still perceived the boat to be very stable. They had Starlink internet which worked great. Easy to Facetime.
I only have one meaningful issue with the boat. I would love them to improve on the limited space for camera equipment. There is a space for cameras in the common room where one can also charge batteries. This, however, does not provide a lot of space. On my trip It worked well as there were only two divers with large cameras. However, if there had been four of us, it would have been difficult. This is not easy given the space limitations of the boat, but I would encourage trying to address it.
There’s a shelf on the dive deck where one can keep cameras waiting for the dive. The camera rinse tank was big enough for one large camera, so we would normally not let it soak for too long, but it was more a dip and rinse. Again, this worked well.
The Crew
I can’t complement the crew more highly. There was excellent service and attentiveness whenever there were issues to be addressed. Also, what I found particularly good was the special dynamic of the crew where you could see that they enjoyed what they were doing. Lead by cruise director Eric Cortez (with co-director Cam away for the week), they were professional throughout, but also allowed themselves to have fun, and to be themselves. This quickly rubbed off on the guests. Too often, I’ve encountered crews that tried to force a festive atmosphere with exaggerated antics. But this was never exaggerated and never antics. And it never came at the expense of guest service or attention to the dive operation. They just struck a wonderful balance.Chef Burhan was always welcoming when you came into the galley. The same with Captain Arisman on the bridge. And he was also the lead guitarist with at the big concert when we heard Engineer Saldi sing Indonesian pop music! Everyone was welcoming and open.
And the love of diving was obvious. Cruise director Eric was often diving with us, and I asked why he didn’t stay on the boat to relax a bit. He said he loves diving and that’s how he relaxes.
Dive Operations
The dive operations were tight and well-controlled. It’s always hard to strike a balance between giving experienced divers some flexibility underwater and having strict rules for safety. I think Eric and his team of dive guides did a great job in striking this balance. They matched divers with similar dive experience. With three dive guides, we were only four divers to a guide. We were assigned the same dive guide for the entire trip which worked very well. I had Abda as dive guide but would have been very happy with Hans or Sahril.By and large, the crew held to the posted schedule. The dive briefings were very good, covering the dive site, negative/positive entry, potential current, and what we might see. They had special optional sessions on specific topics like the use of a reef hook. I always felt well prepared, particularly with additional briefings by each dive guide.
The dive deck never felt cramped, and it was easy to get into the dinghies through a few steps down to the platform on the side of the boat. You could don your gear on the dive deck, or they would carry the cylinder into the dinghy and you could don it there. I found it easier to just don it on the dive deck and walk down. They would help with the camera if you wanted the help. Coming back I would normally take my BC off in the water and let them lift it into the dinghy and then carry it back to the dive station, but you could climb up yourself and walk with the equipment to the dive station if you wanted to. They would always rinse regs and the equipment with a hose after every dive.
They were making 31%-32% Nitrox and analyzed the gas before every dive. Due to a history of disappearing analyzers, they didn’t want guests to analyze themselves, but they encouraged us to watch while the dive guide analyzed. This worked well.
Food
The food was fantastic. I was continually impressed and surprised by the quality of food, and the new creations that chef Burhan presented with help of Kipli. Several guests had special dietary needs, and they felt equally well taken care of. Among my 8 liveaboards, this among the best on the food scale. I could go on, but it was simply great throughout.Itinerary and program
This trip combined Raja Ampat and Misool, and we hit well known dive sites. Thus, the diving was spectacular.One thing that made the trip on the Jelajahi Laut extra fun, was that they had interspersed in a few outings in-between the packed diving schedule. A hike to see the Bird of Paradise. A trip up a freshwater river, having people float back out. A trip to Jellyfish Lake, swimming in a lake filled with non-stinging jellyfish (fantastic!), the mandatory Piaynemo viewpoint, a wonderful evening at a secluded beach, and a boat trip to see wonderful lagoons. All while averaging 3 dives a day.
Another example of how they thought through the itinerary was anchoring next to the Mioskon island for sunset. This island is well known as “bats and cats” and it was amazing to see all the bats, large as crows, leave the island as the sunset to go on their nightly hunt. Just a great experience.
