cozcharlie
Contributor
Flew into Jakarta in early September 2022, left in early October. Stayed at Anara airport hotel at Jakarta airport on both the inbound and outbound. I never left the room , but it was a nice airport hotel attached to terminal 3 of CGK airport in Jakarta. You could access with what I think was the second level of terminal 3 (hotel calls it Mezzanine level or via the 3rd floor of the parking garage). There were some escalators up from the floor where you exited customs. The escalators mostly lead to a security checkpoint but you can get to the hotel without going through security (I actually went through the parking garage because it looked like the escalators were going to feed me straight into a security checkpoint the night I arrived) The hotel actually said the SkyTrain between terminals was closed when I flew out at midnight to Sorong on Batik from terminal 2. Actually grabbed a taxi from terminal 2 to terminal 3. Used the skytrain to get back to terminal 3 from terminal 2 when I came back mid-day on way home. I flew Batik business class to Sorong and back. Even with the extra weight allowance has to pay since I was over 30kg of checked luggage but I knew that was coming and I had already got cash from airport ATM. Batik was fine , business class was mostly empty going both directions. Seats has several controls (lumbar etc), but at least one control was broken in every seat.
When I got to Sorong/Raja Ampat area I first stayed 10 nights at Sorido Bay and then spent 11 nights on Damai I liveaboard. Both were great, though slightly different obviously.
Sorido Bay is part of the Papua Diving resorts company (they have a sister hotel Kri Eco Resort that is less expensive without air conditioning ). Since I was staying at Sorido Bay first, someone from Papua Diving met me at the airport , got me a ferry ticket and walked me all the way to my seat on the ferry to Waisai. For larger groups they run a boat straight to the resort but fuel etc is quite expensive to run for one person all the way from Sorong so they just coordinated my using the fast ferry (think it was 2 hours and change ). Everything went very smoothly. They had someone meet meet me in Waisai and then one of their boats took me to the resort. This particular boat didn’t have a cover so I put on a hat and a sun shirt. Most of their dive boats had cover , just not that boat on that day
The Sorido Bay bungalows were air conditioned and very nice. I stayed at one of the “smaller” bungalows meant for couples as opposed to families. It was actually quite large and well appointed. It also has a dedicated camera area with sink. The internet at the resort was quite good. They have have a soft daily data limit just to make sure teenagers aren’t downloading video or gaming 24 hours per day and bogging down the internet for everyone , but I used the internet quite extensively without a problem.
The lagoon was probably 30 feet from front porch of bungalow—snorkeled with some small sharks my first morning (think black tips , but memory not 100 percent ). Sorido does 3 dives a day plus the occasional night dive. House reef was awesome. They don’t do boat dives on Saturdays for religious reasons but I did two shore dives from their pier that were great. They had a bait ball off their pier and a giant clam like 50 feet from the pier. Dive guides were great at trying to find things. Dolphinus has been guiding a long time. He would adjust to changing conditions immediately and alter dive sites/plans (the other divers were quite impressed also ). Saw quite a few Mantas. Manta Sandy was good , but Manta Ridge was incredible (Sandy is beginner friendly but Manta Ridge is only for very experienced divers only—reef hook where current is trying to blow you off the reef and likely down ). At Manta Ridge they want you heading towards boat with 1,200 psi because the exit can be pretty hairy.
Spent 11 nights on the Damai I after Sorido Bay. The Damai and it’s crew were awesome. The cruise directors Josh and Amanda were great , the dive guides were great, the food was great—no complaints at all. The boat has a wifi system, but it only connects to the internet when it is within range of a cell tower. We probably had internet about 30 percent of the time including a 3 or 4 day gap with little or no internet. I gather they may also have some sort of satellite internet system, but it wasn’t working on our trip (and I’m not sure whether or not it is meant for passengers during normal times)
The Damai I headed south towards Misool at the start of the trip and then wound up back north near Sorido Bay/Cape Kri at the end of the trip. In general the dives down south were a bit fishier than the dives up north, but a “less fishy” dive in Raja has more fish the vast majority dive destinations. Puri Pinnacle was the best site of the trip. We did it twice. Lots of mobulas, but didn’t get that many pictures because giant schools of baitfish kept getting in the way
. Damai drove me to the Sorong airport when the trip ended.
I will certainly be going back to both Sorido Bay and the Damai—only question is when. Forgot to mention that both were excellent when it comes to booking and logistics.
The photos through the 19th were shot from Sorido Bay, the 21st and after were shot from Damai I. I haven’t culled nearly as hard as I should since the gallery is more for me than anyone else (sorry there are so many photos )
[Raja Ampat 2022 - CozCharlie]
When I got to Sorong/Raja Ampat area I first stayed 10 nights at Sorido Bay and then spent 11 nights on Damai I liveaboard. Both were great, though slightly different obviously.
Sorido Bay is part of the Papua Diving resorts company (they have a sister hotel Kri Eco Resort that is less expensive without air conditioning ). Since I was staying at Sorido Bay first, someone from Papua Diving met me at the airport , got me a ferry ticket and walked me all the way to my seat on the ferry to Waisai. For larger groups they run a boat straight to the resort but fuel etc is quite expensive to run for one person all the way from Sorong so they just coordinated my using the fast ferry (think it was 2 hours and change ). Everything went very smoothly. They had someone meet meet me in Waisai and then one of their boats took me to the resort. This particular boat didn’t have a cover so I put on a hat and a sun shirt. Most of their dive boats had cover , just not that boat on that day
The Sorido Bay bungalows were air conditioned and very nice. I stayed at one of the “smaller” bungalows meant for couples as opposed to families. It was actually quite large and well appointed. It also has a dedicated camera area with sink. The internet at the resort was quite good. They have have a soft daily data limit just to make sure teenagers aren’t downloading video or gaming 24 hours per day and bogging down the internet for everyone , but I used the internet quite extensively without a problem.
The lagoon was probably 30 feet from front porch of bungalow—snorkeled with some small sharks my first morning (think black tips , but memory not 100 percent ). Sorido does 3 dives a day plus the occasional night dive. House reef was awesome. They don’t do boat dives on Saturdays for religious reasons but I did two shore dives from their pier that were great. They had a bait ball off their pier and a giant clam like 50 feet from the pier. Dive guides were great at trying to find things. Dolphinus has been guiding a long time. He would adjust to changing conditions immediately and alter dive sites/plans (the other divers were quite impressed also ). Saw quite a few Mantas. Manta Sandy was good , but Manta Ridge was incredible (Sandy is beginner friendly but Manta Ridge is only for very experienced divers only—reef hook where current is trying to blow you off the reef and likely down ). At Manta Ridge they want you heading towards boat with 1,200 psi because the exit can be pretty hairy.
Spent 11 nights on the Damai I after Sorido Bay. The Damai and it’s crew were awesome. The cruise directors Josh and Amanda were great , the dive guides were great, the food was great—no complaints at all. The boat has a wifi system, but it only connects to the internet when it is within range of a cell tower. We probably had internet about 30 percent of the time including a 3 or 4 day gap with little or no internet. I gather they may also have some sort of satellite internet system, but it wasn’t working on our trip (and I’m not sure whether or not it is meant for passengers during normal times)
The Damai I headed south towards Misool at the start of the trip and then wound up back north near Sorido Bay/Cape Kri at the end of the trip. In general the dives down south were a bit fishier than the dives up north, but a “less fishy” dive in Raja has more fish the vast majority dive destinations. Puri Pinnacle was the best site of the trip. We did it twice. Lots of mobulas, but didn’t get that many pictures because giant schools of baitfish kept getting in the way
. Damai drove me to the Sorong airport when the trip ended. I will certainly be going back to both Sorido Bay and the Damai—only question is when. Forgot to mention that both were excellent when it comes to booking and logistics.
The photos through the 19th were shot from Sorido Bay, the 21st and after were shot from Damai I. I haven’t culled nearly as hard as I should since the gallery is more for me than anyone else (sorry there are so many photos )
[Raja Ampat 2022 - CozCharlie]
. I went to Damai's website...it says 18 crew for 12 divers?!?!
