Trip Report. Raja Ampat Aggressor November 16

[rickcavanaugh]

Raja Ampat Aggressor 7 day trip of central Raja Ampat

Raja Amat, Indonesia on the Aggressor - Scuba Trip Reviews

 

[billt4sf]

Nice and detailed report!

 

[drrich2]

Nice! Good to see some critical examination, not just glowing praise. The limited viz. you accepted as part of that destination, at least at that time, might frustrate someone who went on a 'once in a life-time bucket list' trip to the legendary Raja Ampat unconsciously assuming the viz. would be like Cozumel predominantly. Tailoring expectations to the realities of a destination, good and bad, helps people get the most out of it, and decide whether it's for them.

Richard.

 

[rickcavanaugh]

Nice! Good to see some critical examination, not just glowing praise. The limited viz. you accepted as part of that destination, at least at that time, might frustrate someone who went on a 'once in a life-time bucket list' trip to the legendary Raja Ampat unconsciously assuming the viz. would be like Cozumel predominantly. Tailoring expectations to the realities of a destination, good and bad, helps people get the most out of it, and decide whether it's for them.

Richard.

Traveling from the east coast of the USA, Raja Ampat is a VERY long and expensive trip. The limited vis was a bit of a shocker / bummer for me, I was unaware of this until I got there.. Average vis was in the 40-50 foot range not terrible but not pristine. But these conditions also bring in more schools of fish for feeding. I wish I knew this before I went. If I knew this, I still would have done the trip but I would have had different expectations.

We stopped off in the North Sulawesi area on the way to Raja Ampat and another diver there was extremely upset with the diving. He read on the internet that there are Mantas in the Manado / Bunaken area and he did not see any on the 3 dives he did. When I told him that the area is not known for Mantas, he corrected me. He read on the internet that there were Mantas there. I could not convince him that the area IS NOT known for Mantas.

So your statement of "Tailoring expectations to the realities of a destination, good and bad, helps people get the most out of it, and decide whether it's for them." is very true

 

[rickcavanaugh]

Raja Ampat in November

 

[drrich2]

The limited vis was a bit of a shocker / bummer for me, I was unaware of this until I got there.. Average vis was in the 40-50 foot range not terrible but not pristine. But these conditions also bring in more schools of fish for feeding. I wish I knew this before I went. If I knew this, I still would have done the trip but I would have had different expectations.

Some years back, I saw another Raja Amat-related post indicating the viz. wasn't as good as some other popular tropical destinations, leading me to wonder if that's an all year thing or seasonal and if so, to what extent. Reviews like yours set more realistic expectations and people will have a better time.

Somewhat analogously, in the U.S. region, I read the occasional 'less impressed' review about Cozumel or Bonaire. Some places are very popular and much loved by divers, who focus on what's great about them. The reputation draws in tourists who get a little disappointed with the lack of larger life in Bonaire, the difficulty trying to hover in place for macrophotography on a Cozumel drift dive, etc...

Like reading product reviews shopping on Amazon; even if the product's highly rated, it can be informative to read some 3 or 4 star reviews.

Richard.

 

[dirtfarmer]

My problem with the vis in Raja Ampat was that at some sites I couldn't see the beautiful reef thru all those damn fish.

 

[Luko]

My problem with the vis in Raja Ampat was that at some sites I couldn't see the beautiful reef thru all those damn fish.

So true...



My other problem is that I couldn't see the second layer of fish concealing the coral behind the first layer of fish.

 

[bqualls]

Well said, Luko & Dirtfarmer.

 

[rickcavanaugh]

video of a couple of dives