Travelnsj
Contributor
Raja Ampat: Stayed at Sorido resort again. As in my other reports this is an exceptional resort in the middle of nowhere. The meals, accommodations, people, diving, nature etc make this a wonderful place. This year leaving Sorong to Kri Island I was lucky to have calm waters and an Express boat. Only a little over an hour trip! Usually a 2+ hour trip.
This was my fourth visit in three years and the first time I found the resort to be full. I believe Max gave up his room as he was using the employees housing as Kri was also full. There was a Russian group filming a movie and they Have some very very serious Cool camera equipment. One couple on my dive boat was Frits Meyst and Jillian Macdonald who live in Cappadocia, Turkey. They do stories for various magazines around the world and were there doing a story on Indonesia and Max Ammer. There was also a man Norbert Probst and Johanna Beloch on my dive boat. Norbert also had also some very serious camera equipment! I goggled him .wholly crap! I had no idea who I was diving with! He was one of the nicest people and when diving with him you never knew he was around. It was interesting watching him take photos, he had a way of getting very close to a Manta that normally would chase the Manta away. Plus a family from Switzerland and a group staying between Kri and Sorido were from National Geographic doing rebreathers filming a movie. When I arrived I was walking down the pier and Max came to greet me .He was looking at my lower leg that had gotten infected from scratching bug bites and before he shook my hand .I got a lecture about taking care of the infection .about an hour later Dr. Max was administrating first aid to my swollen leg.
The Diving: 7 dive days only 15 dives. Again this is some of the finest diving in the world. One dive at Sardines reef, I saw Tuna, two types of schools of Barracuda, Wobbegongs, Bumphead Parrotfish, Spanish Mackerels, Nudibranchs, clouds of Fusiliers & Jacks etc etc .I was using my reef hook on that dive and the dive guide signaled for me to come down and he showed me a Pigmy seahorse!!??...LOL. The description of this dive is indicative of many dives I did. Just seeing and being in all that diversity and amounts of colorful corals and marine life that is there it is worth every minute it takes to get to Raja.
After the third day of diving I felt a scratchy throat, the next day Thursday my ears were giving me some problems equalizing. On Friday three people came in from Conservation International. They were taking a day off and invited me to go diving on their cool dive boat. I got 12 down and thought my left eardrum was going to pop! No more diving for me! Tried again Sunday morning no luck. Missed 6 or so dives! That was the spoiler to come all that distance and miss a third of your dives.
Arrived in Singapore on Monday still having problems with my ears not fun flying! Again spent 2 days in one of the great cities of the world. Went to the new fifty four stories, three tower Marina Sands hotel that was being built when I was there last year. This place has a Casino, shopping center, and the Skypark (which costs $20.00) on top of the three towers. The Skypark looks like a massive cruise ship on top of the Hotel, with a pool, restaurants, observation deck etc etc. You look down on the Singapore wheel and just about everything else in Singapore, this is really something to see. The Casino compromises two massive floors but really nothing exceptional. Also went and had lunch at the Penny Black in the Boat quay, fun place to see the better sights of Singapore walking around!
Overall another great trip but that cold and losing those dives in Raja Ampat was a bit disappointing....So I am already planning my return for 2011!
This was my fourth visit in three years and the first time I found the resort to be full. I believe Max gave up his room as he was using the employees housing as Kri was also full. There was a Russian group filming a movie and they Have some very very serious Cool camera equipment. One couple on my dive boat was Frits Meyst and Jillian Macdonald who live in Cappadocia, Turkey. They do stories for various magazines around the world and were there doing a story on Indonesia and Max Ammer. There was also a man Norbert Probst and Johanna Beloch on my dive boat. Norbert also had also some very serious camera equipment! I goggled him .wholly crap! I had no idea who I was diving with! He was one of the nicest people and when diving with him you never knew he was around. It was interesting watching him take photos, he had a way of getting very close to a Manta that normally would chase the Manta away. Plus a family from Switzerland and a group staying between Kri and Sorido were from National Geographic doing rebreathers filming a movie. When I arrived I was walking down the pier and Max came to greet me .He was looking at my lower leg that had gotten infected from scratching bug bites and before he shook my hand .I got a lecture about taking care of the infection .about an hour later Dr. Max was administrating first aid to my swollen leg.
The Diving: 7 dive days only 15 dives. Again this is some of the finest diving in the world. One dive at Sardines reef, I saw Tuna, two types of schools of Barracuda, Wobbegongs, Bumphead Parrotfish, Spanish Mackerels, Nudibranchs, clouds of Fusiliers & Jacks etc etc .I was using my reef hook on that dive and the dive guide signaled for me to come down and he showed me a Pigmy seahorse!!??...LOL. The description of this dive is indicative of many dives I did. Just seeing and being in all that diversity and amounts of colorful corals and marine life that is there it is worth every minute it takes to get to Raja.
After the third day of diving I felt a scratchy throat, the next day Thursday my ears were giving me some problems equalizing. On Friday three people came in from Conservation International. They were taking a day off and invited me to go diving on their cool dive boat. I got 12 down and thought my left eardrum was going to pop! No more diving for me! Tried again Sunday morning no luck. Missed 6 or so dives! That was the spoiler to come all that distance and miss a third of your dives.
Arrived in Singapore on Monday still having problems with my ears not fun flying! Again spent 2 days in one of the great cities of the world. Went to the new fifty four stories, three tower Marina Sands hotel that was being built when I was there last year. This place has a Casino, shopping center, and the Skypark (which costs $20.00) on top of the three towers. The Skypark looks like a massive cruise ship on top of the Hotel, with a pool, restaurants, observation deck etc etc. You look down on the Singapore wheel and just about everything else in Singapore, this is really something to see. The Casino compromises two massive floors but really nothing exceptional. Also went and had lunch at the Penny Black in the Boat quay, fun place to see the better sights of Singapore walking around!
Overall another great trip but that cold and losing those dives in Raja Ampat was a bit disappointing....So I am already planning my return for 2011!
