Recommendations for Raja Ampat Liveaboard?

[TostitoBandito]

Hello all,

Never been to Indonesia and it's been on my list for a long time. I'd like to start with Raja Ampat as I think it's got the best combination of critters I'd like to see and the ease of diving (compared to say, Komodo).

Anyways, I haven't done a liveaboard in a number of years and have zero experience with them in Indonesia. Our budget is probably on the mid-high end. I'm familiar with the Aggressors since they're all over the world, but I know that some can be very good and others... not so much. I see that there's a number of other boats in Raja Ampat in the same price ballpark (or slightly higher) as well, so I'm open to any recommendations. Priorities for us are good staff and divemasters, good food/service, and ideally a smaller guest count (like under 20 for sure). Probably looking at a 7 night itinerary, sometime in the January-March 2026 timeframe.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Dan]

Whether you dive in Komodo or Raja Ampat or Alor, they are about the same, lots of currents (see the picture, below). So, get used to diving in the currents in Indonesia.

Currents would come from every direction, left, right, up, down. Experience guide would check tide table, the dive site current before dropping you on where and when. Some dive sites are just made for drift diving.

I have been on several liveaboards in Indonesia:
1. Temukira
2. Tarata
3. Pearl of Papua
4. Amira
5. Dewi 1
6. Pindito
7. La Galigo
8. Mermaid 1
9. Mermaid 2
10. Blue Manta
11. White Manta

The first 7 boats are Phinisi (wooden boat). The wooden boats are creaky, wobbly and slow. If you are light sleeper and have weak stomach, be prepared with good earplugs & take motion sickness medication.

The last 4 boats are metal boats that tend to be faster (bigger engines), less wobbly (fin stabilizer), and no creaking, hence more comfortable when cruising.

Diving experience wise, they are all outstanding with 4 divers / DM ratio. Have experienced guides to meet your type of diving.

 

[also_anon_dc]

I have been on Mermaid I and Scubaspa Zen and recommend them both. If you're more specific about what you want on a liveaboard maybe people can recommend a specific boat?

I preferred Scubaspa Zen because they are the only boat in Indonesia that has a dhoni (rather than inflatable zodiacs) and diving from a dhoni is so much more comfortable and easier. Things like whether you want to be above/below deck, have a massage or spa on board, have internet access the whole time etc. will also help narrow down boats.

 

[TostitoBandito]

Currents would come from every direction, left, right, up, down. Experience guide would check tide table, the dive site current before dropping you on where and when. Some dive sites are just made for drift diving.

Yeah I've got no issue with currents. My last couple Pacific trips have been to Fiji in areas with tides/current/drift dives all the time at basically 100% of sites, in some cases very strong. From what I've read Raja Ampat has a bit more variety at least, though yeah there will obviously be certain sites that have to be drifts or have lots of current due to their location/layout.

Thanks for the detailed liveaboard list as well, I'll check those out!

 

[TostitoBandito]

I have been on Mermaid I and Scubaspa Zen and recommend them both. If you're more specific about what you want on a liveaboard maybe people can recommend a specific boat?

I preferred Scubaspa Zen because they are the only boat in Indonesia that has a dhoni (rather than inflatable zodiacs) and diving from a dhoni is so much more comfortable and easier. Things like whether you want to be above/below deck, have a massage or spa on board, have internet access the whole time etc. will also help narrow down boats.

I did see the Scubaspa boat earlier when I was browsing and it looked quite nice. I agree about the bigger launch vs zodiacs.

More preferences, hmmmm. I don't really need a spa and all that, though my dive buddy may disagree, haha. Good food, good DM's, clean cabins, a newer boat in good shape that won't break or sink, etc... The basic stuff. Internet is nice to have but by no means mandatory for me. Bonus points if they have dedicated space for working on large camera rigs like mine. Don't really care about above or below deck cabins. Lots of dives obviously. The only other liveaboard I've been on was a 100 foot steel yacht with only 10 or 12 guests in Thailand and it was fantastic (MV Philkade, no longer around I don't think).

 

[rmorgan]

The Dewi Nusantara is worth a good look. Beautiful, large boat with a fantastic complement of personnel, excellent food, night dives every night and an excellent camera room with line smoothers and 220/110 service.

 

[also_anon_dc]

I did see the Scubaspa boat earlier when I was browsing and it looked quite nice. I agree about the bigger launch vs zodiacs.

More preferences, hmmmm. I don't really need a spa and all that, though my dive buddy may disagree, haha. Good food, good DM's, clean cabins, a newer boat in good shape that won't break or sink, etc... The basic stuff. Internet is nice to have but by no means mandatory for me. Bonus points if they have dedicated space for working on large camera rigs like mine. Don't really care about above or below deck cabins. Lots of dives obviously. The only other liveaboard I've been on was a 100 foot steel yacht with only 10 or 12 guests in Thailand and it was fantastic (MV Philkade, no longer around I don't think).

Scubaspa Zen has a really nice camera room. It is one of the more expensive boats in Indonesia though. I think it's just up to you in the cost is worth the additional amenities. I think what sets it apart is Starlink (extra cost), the dhoni, really nice large bathrooms with a totally separate shower (Mermaid I for example doesn't have this), a bar with a bartender and great cocktails and wine and a separate spa area. The diver to guide ratio is 4:1 and when I was on it there were 27 crew members so a high crew to guest ratio as well.

 

[Dan]

Starlink WiFi service has becoming more available in other liveaboards too, like Damai, Mermaids, White Manta & Blue Manta.

 

[Plutonist]

I preferred Scubaspa Zen because they are the only boat in Indonesia that has a dhoni (rather than inflatable zodiacs) and diving from a dhoni is so much more comfortable and easier.

Not sure whether this qualifies as a dhoni, but it isn't a RIB either:

https://www.komodoresort.com/komodo-liveaboard/

https://komodo-cdn.azureedge.net/siteimages/komodo-liveaboard/komodo-liveaboard-dony.JPG

Apparently, they even have the compressor on the side-boat.

 

[Darnold9999]

You pretty much get what you pay for in RA. The diving is very similar across the mid to high end boats, the difference is the amenities Room size, food, dive guide ratio etc.

I would suggest a longer trip than a week in RA. It takes so much time and treasure to get there and the area is so big that a week is just not enough.

Would disagree with Dan re the wooden boats. Don’t find them significantly different from the metal ones, the metal ones are faster (not particularly important in RA) and with far less charm. But I also own a fifty year old wooden boat.