Raja Ampat liveboards

[Dogbowl]

Dewi is a very nice boat, $$$$. I also like Amira, not as $$$$ and lots of room

Haha I think you should add 2 more $$ to your $$$$ for the Dewi.

 

[borisphotosafari]

Hahahaha, very true. Even with a $1000 off, it's $$$$$$

 

[BDSC]

Last year when I went to DEMA I had a goal of booking an entire liveaboard to Raja Ampat. I can’t even tell you how many hours I put in reading review after review and looking at numerous boats on both their websites and on YouTube. I wanted a boat that was on the nicer side. It didn’t have to be the most luxurious but I didn’t want bare bones to save a buck here and there.

By the time I went to DEMA I had narrowed my choice to the DEWI, Damai II, and the Samambaia. The first two are high end boats with a price to match. From everything I could find, the Samambaia was also high end but significantly less expensive but still not cheap. After talking to all three at DEMA, I came away incredibly impressed with the owner of the Samambaia and booked with them. My trip is in January of 2020.

Since then, I have recommended the Samambaia to others and several folks here on SB have been on her and the reports are nothing short of spectacular. Another friend has also booked the entire boat for next February and he may have a few spots left. He is discounting the price by $500 per person I believe. Their regular price is already really good compared to those other boats but it won’t surprise me to see them raise their prices to those other levels as they become recognized as one of the premier boats in Raja Ampat.

You really should give them a look and if anyone is interested, I can give you my friends info who has the boat next year. They are the owners of Scuba Travel Ventures who I also highly recommend.

 

[bananas75]

I can highly recommend Blue Manta run by white manta diving, they have another boat as well but can't remember the name.

 

[nudisusie]

There dont seem to be any boats with their own websites - any leads?
Also any first hand recommendations for boats.
Thanks!

Arenui, Seven Seas and Siren Fleet are all on page 1 of google search for "indonesia liveaboard", go to page 2 you get Mermaid, Sea Safari, Wallacea, Waow. Unfortunately the operators' results get lost amongst the plethora of ads and websites that focus all of their attention on getting people to book with them like liveaboard.com or Padi Travel.

You could use those sites to search for trip options and research the boats in one place and then select a few and contact the boats directly.
The price an agent advertises will be the same as the liveaboard operator. They are not allowed to offer discounts unless they have taken a full charter or there is a general special offer which you would receive from the operator when booking direct anyway.
Some agencies know the destination in detail, others not so much as they cover boats worldwide so can be hit and miss. Agencies that handle your travel as well can be very useful and tend to know more about the destination than just website based booking sites.

I've been on Indo Siren* and Damai1* and Damai2*, all are excellent boats with experienced crews. Damai wins for me in terms of service, smaller groups and food (plated not buffet) but then that comes with a higher price tag.
I've booked onto the Samambaia for a trip in 2020 and think that boat has a good balance of service quality, cabin space, experienced crew and was lower price than Indo Siren (we got a deal at the BOOT show in Germany).


*I've been on as a guest but have also worked for those companies as cruise director

 

[Rose Sear]

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.

 

[Shasta_man]

With a $1000 off, Dewi would be in the ballpark but apparently I went before they were quite so $$$$. They did have a great crew and some of the best guides including Wendy and Yan.

Incidentally, they do list some $1000 off cruise specials.

 

[Land Fish]

Raja Ampat Liveaboard Scuba Diving, Indonesia | Aggressor Liveaboards. I've never been on this particular boat, but I would book a trip on any of their fleet without hesitation.

I went with them in early 2017 and can confirm the crew were great. They were friendly, helpful, and safety minded, and they genuinely wanted everyone to have a great time on board.

They were my first choice for Christmas this year. Unfortunately, my work schedule was all over the place, and by the time I sorted it out, they were fully booked. I understand the cruise director and most of the crew members are still there.