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RedFishBlueFish

Registered
Messages
65
Reaction score
34
Location
New York
# of dives
50 - 99
Greetings fellow bubble makers! My husband and I just finished a 12 day/11night trip to Raja Ampat aboard the Calico Jack. Our trip was from 3/24-4/4/19. This is our second liveaboard experience. The first liveaboard we experienced was in Tubbataha aboard the Sakura in 2018 and it was like camping on the ocean next to a floating toilet bowl. So, needless to say, anything would’ve been better than that experience.

Pick-up: we were picked up by a staff member holding up a sign with our name clearly marked along with the Calico Jack name so there was no confusion. We were then brought to the port and brought by fast boat to the ship. We were provided a welcome coconut drink on arrival and then given a tour of the boat and safety briefing by the cruise director.

Ship: Beautiful Phinisi ship with hand carved detailing all over the boat. Main deck with dive deck on rear of ship, every diver gets a basket with their name on it to place your equipment. There is a shower head and rinse station for gear at the very back of the boat as well as hot water shower & toilet on the rear dive deck. Front of the main deck is the open air dining area and is always covered overhead. In front of the dining area is more seating and there are also bean bags at the very front of the ship. There is space to hang your clothes to dry as well as clothespins all along the main deck. On the upper deck is more seating, loungers & bean bags.

Rooms: 5 cabins, all below deck. 10 divers maximum so ample room aboard ship for everyone. Our particular trip was a small group. We were 5 divers & 1 snorkler. Each cabin has A/C as well as small fans. A/C is turned off some time during the night but with the small fans, the portholes which could be opened, and the top of the cabin which has a large removable square hatch, there’s plenty of ventilation. There were two closets in our cabin with drawers under the bed as well. Multiple sockets/outlets in our cabin. All cabins are en-suite with hot water shower, sink & electric marine toilet. Bed was comfortable and towels for diving and showering were changed every few days or when asked. Shampoo, soap, and toothpaste provided. Room was cleaned after every morning dive.

Staff/Crew: Outstanding crew who went above and beyond to make our trip exceptional. Julie, the cruise director was fabulous and so knowledgeable about Raja
Ampat.

Food: Delicious. The chef is amazing. You will never go hungry aboard this vessel. Pre- morning dive you’re provided cereals and coffee, tea, juice. After the morning dive you’re given a full breakfast which was eggs prepared in various ways, fresh bread, crepes or pancakes, fresh fruit, juices, coffee of the day. After the second dive you’re given a full lunch which was usually salad, chicken dish, fish dish and sometimes pasta. Then a snack after the third dive. Followed by dinner which had a different soup every day along with a salad, meat dish, fish dish and dessert. The crew also held a beach BBQ while we were anchored near a small island complete with decorations, bean bags from the ship to sit on, a huge bonfire. It was a lot of work for the crew to set up and then take apart to bring it all back to the shop but they made it look effortless.

Diving: Our trip covered North, Central, and South Raja Ampat. Absolutely mind blowing diving. Very healthy reefs with amazing biodiversity. Visibility varied. We saw reef & oceanic mantas, black tip & white tip reef sharks, sea turtles, sting rays, eels, wobbegong sharks, octopus, and too many other fish to mention. We also saw a lot of macro critters. Before every dive we were given a dive briefing by Julie the cruise director who would accompany us as well on most dives. We were 5 divers & split into two groups, each with a dive guide. We also had two fast boats to bring us to the dive sites. Some of the dives had mild to moderate current. Reef hooks were provided free of charge. We brought our own gear but those who rented didn’t have any issue with equipment.

Miscellaneous: we visited the lookout point on Pianyemo and took the fast boat out to see the small islands. While anchored, you could kayak to the small islands and beaches nearby.

Final Thoughts: After researching so many liveaboards with trips to Raja Ampat, I am so happy we picked Calico Jack. We wanted a reasonably priced liveaboard that covered North, Central & South Raja Ampat and their itinerary was perfect. We were also fortunate to have no rain the entire trip. They offer other itineraries in Indonesia and I would definitely book another trip with them in the future. I highly recommend them!!!
 
Thanks for the report. RA is fantastic and it's hard not to gain weight on those trips with the great chefs.

<< it was like camping on the ocean next to a floating toilet bowl>> Hilarious description of a terrible situation, However, I'm wondering whether the toilet bowl part references the ocean or the boat? Did you mean "it was like camping in a toilet bowl"?
 
Thanks for the report. RA is fantastic and it's hard not to gain weight on those trips with the great chefs.

<< it was like camping on the ocean next to a floating toilet bowl>> Hilarious description of a terrible situation, However, I'm wondering whether the toilet bowl part references the ocean or the boat? Did you mean "it was like camping in a toilet bowl"?

The toilet bowl was most definitely the liveaboard. We were twelve divers on board a trimaran with only a single shower head at the rear of the boat and two manual marine toilets which hardly anyone knew how to properly flush so it would either overflow or there were always “presents” left for you whenever nature called. And the toilet seats kept falling off. Towards the end of the trip I just peed in the ocean whenever I had to go because it was better than going in the toilet honestly.
 
Glad you had a great trip and posted a fine trip report! I'm jealous! What were the water temp.s? Did the long flights there & back get to you? Was travel much of a hassle coming & going?
A/C is turned off some time during the night but with the small fans, the portholes which could be opened, and the top of the cabin which has a large removable square hatch, there’s plenty of ventilation.
Plenty of ventilation, but what about plenty of cold?!?!? Wonder what the nighttime room temp.s got up to?
Some of us insulated folks take AC seriously...

Richard.
 
Water
Glad you had a great trip and posted a fine trip report! I'm jealous! What were the water temp.s? Did the long flights there & back get to you? Was travel much of a hassle coming & going?

Plenty of ventilation, but what about plenty of cold?!?!? Wonder what the nighttime room temp.s got up to?
Some of us insulated folks take AC seriously...

Richard.
Water temps were averaging 80-82 degrees Fahrenheit. I wore a 3mm long suit and still got cold some times but I always get cold easily. The other male divers wore shorties and we’re fine. Getting there was really long. It took 4 flights to get to Sorong which with layovers was about 38 hours. Then once on the boat we sailed south to Misool which was about 12 hours. The A/C not being on at night then might get warm for you. The men in the front most cabin said their A/C wasn’t cooking their room effectively enough so they mostly slept on the upper deck which was cool for them that they needed blankets.
 
Excellent report, thanks so much!!
 
I'd really like to know why Calico Jack turned off the A/C at night.
 
I think the cruise director said to not only save power but to also give some quiet time. When the A/C was on in the cabins, the fans are on the main deck and generate heat and do make noise.
 
I'd rather have a little white noise
 
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