Raja Ampat, Palau, or Maldives

[fearlessdiver]

We are a group of six divers from California with 60 to 175 dives. Currently we are planning for our May 2011 trip and are looking in to Raja Ampat, Palau, and Maldives. Having done,
California Coast
Greece
Hawaii
Mexico
Belize
Bonaire
Turks & Caicos
Thailand
Curacao

I have come across some contradictory information about Raja Ampat, Palau, and Maldives and need some help.
Could you please provide some info. if you have recently traveled to any of these destinations.
I am trying to stay away from live-aboard if possible. I get seasick and don't think I could handle 7 days on the boat.
A great plus besides the diving is good/luxury accomidations.


I do apreciate your input.

thx

 

[Scuba Dive Asia]

Hi!

What is it you would like to see?

These three areas can be easy dived from land.
Check out these links Palau, Indonesia and The Maldives and do not hesitate to contact me for specific information; we have dive all three destinations and we really like them even though very different both above and underwater.

Best!

 

[Shasta_man]

RA and Palau require liveaboards IMHO. There are a few resorts in RA but they tend to be pricey and you stay in that area, incredible area though it is. Ask TravelnSJ for comments about his favorite RA resort (he doesn't do liveaboards usually) However RA is very spread out, so a liveaboard is best to get the whole range of diving. The Paradise Dancer is one of the biggest liveaboards there is (soimething like 175 feet; most are 100 feet) and from my trip, there was astonishingly little movement. It had a low center of gravity and we really had little movement. THe rooms were huge and it was quite luxurious. The commanders cabin is the biggest I've ever seen, probably four normal liveaboard cabins put together. Bigger than most NYC apartments. The dive guides were great. I think, while it doesn't have the sharks of Palau or the whale sharks of the Maldives, the diving was best in RA. I guarantee RA will blow away all the places you list above. There is also a lot to do in Indonesia on the way out. Komodo is another great dive place.

Travel time to the dive sites in Palau is the problem there. It's an hour out and an hour back for diving from land, plus your SI is somewhere. You have almost no problem with seasickness on liveaboards in Palau because they all, except maybe the Ocean Hunter, anchor in Rock islands for most of the trip, with dive sites in all 360 degrees. Just put on your suit, get in the skiff, enjoy the incredible views, dive, come back, eat, repeat. There is a trip to Peleliu, but that it typically straightforward as well and the diving is so great there that you just focus on your diving.

Why do we have these travel agent solicitations in our discussion forums?

 

[Shasta_man]

Typical liveaboard trips in RA are 11-12 days. Due to the increased cost to get there it makes sense to spend more time and usually you're just getting into the rhythm after 4 days of diving, and then you have to go home.

 

[Mossman]

Why do we have these travel agent solicitations in our discussion forums?

That's an excellent question. Can you imagine what would happen if every travel agent on the web-connected planet currently booking dive trips posted in response to every travel-related question here? Servers would be overloaded and likely explode. Fortunately that hasn't happened yet as many/most TAs apparently refrain from taking advantage of the "free" advertising, but it's a slippery slope.

 

[highdesert]

I thought the "plan" at Scubaboard was that a TA could post as long as they were simply giving information, but not plugging their business. Then they could provide a link in their sig line to their business. I've contacted the moderators before about this, but it seems like that has gone by the wayside, with increasingly more free "ads" posted as "information," and it's time to contact them again. Anyone want to volunteer?

 

[fearlessdiver]

RA and Palau require liveaboards IMHO. There are a few resorts in RA but they tend to be pricey and you stay in that area, incredible area though it is. Ask TravelnSJ for comments about his favorite RA resort (he doesn't do liveaboards usually) However RA is very spread out, so a liveaboard is best to get the whole range of diving. The Paradise Dancer is one of the biggest liveaboards there is (soimething like 175 feet; most are 100 feet) and from my trip, there was astonishingly little movement. It had a low center of gravity and we really had little movement. THe rooms were huge and it was quite luxurious. The commanders cabin is the biggest I've ever seen, probably four normal liveaboard cabins put together. Bigger than most NYC apartments. The dive guides were great. I think, while it doesn't have the sharks of Palau or the whale sharks of the Maldives, the diving was best in RA. I guarantee RA will blow away all the places you list above. There is also a lot to do in Indonesia on the way out. Komodo is another great dive place.

Travel time to the dive sites in Palau is the problem there. It's an hour out and an hour back for diving from land, plus your SI is somewhere. You have almost no problem with seasickness on liveaboards in Palau because they all, except maybe the Ocean Hunter, anchor in Rock islands for most of the trip, with dive sites in all 360 degrees. Just put on your suit, get in the skiff, enjoy the incredible views, dive, come back, eat, repeat. There is a trip to Peleliu, but that it typically straightforward as well and the diving is so great there that you just focus on your diving.

Why do we have these travel agent solicitations in our discussion forums?

Shasta_man, thank you very much for your informative input. I think I need to contact the live-aboard operators directly and get some statistics on the number of divers getting seasick on the boat and find out my chances of getting sick on a 7 to 10 day trip. Two years ago @ ambergris caye (Belize) I was barfing during the dive. Not a greatest feeling and I don't recommend it.



Looking at what we have done so far do you have any other destinations you could recommend that is easier to get to from the States and unique in the sense of diving and location?

 

[fearlessdiver]

I thought the "plan" at Scubaboard was that a TA could post as long as they were simply giving information, but not plugging their business. Then they could provide a link in their sig line to their business. I've contacted the moderators before about this, but it seems like that has gone by the wayside, with increasingly more free "ads" posted as "information," and it's time to contact them again. Anyone want to volunteer?

You are absolutely right. Finding reliable first hand information is the main reason people like me come to diving forums. Otherwise, we know most operators always say the same thing over and ovber.
Personally I don't pay much attention to them and don't consider them as source of information. But thanks to you guys watching out and for spotting an advertisement right away and warning others even when moderators our silent.

 

[Damselfish]

I think I need to contact the live-aboard operators directly and get some statistics on the number of divers getting seasick on the boat and find out my chances of getting sick on a 7 to 10 day trip. Two years ago @ ambergris caye (Belize) I was barfing during the dive. Not a greatest feeling and I don't recommend it.

I doubt they have this type of statistic or that it would be very meaningful for any one person on any given trip. And I'm not sure it's the sort of thing you want to rely on statistics for anyway.

Different conditions or movements bother different people. For example, I have one friend that is very prone to seasickness, yet finds he quickly gets used to the motion on the typical liveaboard and is just fine after a bit. My husband can't deal with boats of any sort using anything but the Scop patch, but with that he's perfectly fine. I have another friend that seems to handle rougher conditions better than gentle rocking motions, and has learned the hard way that pills like Dramamine you really need to take ahead of time, not once you're already sick. (She's also discovered the patch works well for her - but only if she cuts it in half, a full dosage actually makes her nauseous, and I have heard that from other people.) Lots of people seem to have problems on a boat but are fine once they hit the water, which sounds opposite of you.

So if you haven't explored the various seasickness remedies and the right ways to use them, and understand what sorts of things bother you, it is something I'd suggest working through if at all possible. Avoiding boats and liveaboards really does limit your (and your groups) dive possibilities but may be quite easily solvable.

Don't automatically assume a liveaboard is a bad idea if you have problems with seasickness. especially if you are comparing against dayboats. Remember that liveaboards are much larger and any movement, for better or worse, is going to be different than a dayboat. While it may seem counter intuitive, you might very well prefer a liveaboard in some places. For example as mentioned, the waters where they cruise and anchor in Palau are pretty calm. The Aggressor is especially stable as it's a cat. You might find living on a cat floating in a bathtub with short trips on a skiff much more palatable than the long trips on the dayboats there.

 

[Mossman]

Looking at what we have done so far do you have any other destinations you could recommend that is easier to get to from the States and unique in the sense of diving and location?

Two places besides Hawaii don't require crossing the entire Pacific: Fiji and Rangiroa (or Fakarava) are both easier to get to from California than the other locales you listed with direct flights to Nadi or Tahiti from LAX and easy connections from there. Fiji has liveaboards but also plenty of land-based diving resorts all over the cost spectrum. Rangiroa and the other diveable French Polynesian islands are all only land-based nowadays since the Tahiti Aggressor pulled out (but note that the diving had been deemed, at least by Aggressor, worthy of basing a liveaboard there).

Also there are plenty of spots in Indonesia that don't require liveaboards to dive. Lembeh, Bali/Lombok, and Wakatobi come immediately to mind.