reubencahn
Contributor
Just returned from 3 weeks of diving in Raja aboard the Tambora and at Papua Paradise. The entire trip was a 9 night northern RA cruise on the Tambora followed by 4 nights at Papua Paradise on Birie (off the coast of Batanta) followed by another 11 night cruise on Tambora. Our plan was spurred by a prior October Ternate to Sorong trip onboard Tambora led by Simon Pridmore Simon Pridmore Author - HOME and Tim Rock Double Blue Images . On that trip, bad weather made for poor conditions and kept us stuck longer than expected doing exploratory diving on North Halmahera. We arrived in Raja Ampat with only two days left for diving. Yet despite the bad weather elsewhere, we found the Dampier Strait filled with clear blue water. Visibility was double what it usually is in the high season. Simon followed up with Uwe Guenther, Tambora’s owner and cruise director, who informed him that June/July/August was the best time to find a repeat of such conditions. Once every three years, Tambora stays in RA through the summer months running trips to the northernmost islands of Wayag, Kawe and the Equator Islands. 2015 was the year for Tambora’s RA summer, so Simon and Tim scheduled another trip. We decided to extend our time and do a second cruise on Tambora.
Tambora is a medium-sized, solid, comfortable Pinisi schooner. It is not a luxury boat like Damai or Arenui, but is solidly in the mid-range in terms of price and amenities. Rooms are decent sized and comfortable. There is lots of space for lounging. Food is very good—though more non-shellfish seafood would have been a plus (I have a shellfish allergy). The only negative is a relatively small camera room. Uwe, the boat’s owner, is on the boat for all cruises, and this helps to make sure things run properly. Uwe’s wife Uchi and nearly three year old son Felix are also on board, and it’s a pleasure to see them when they emerge. The crew is superlative. (I regularly read this comment in reviews of boats but don’t always find it to be accurate. Only once or twice before would I have said this of other boats I have been on.) Always helpful. Nearly always on top of every detail. Every one of the four divemasters is a pleasure to dive with. The crew, and Uwe’s attention, make the Tambora an exceptional boat—worth the return visit.
Diving on this trip was excellent but, as is often the case, weather was not entirely cooperative. During June and July, all of Indonesia experienced unusual weather. Apparently the worst was in Bali and Komodo where high waves all but cancelled diving. However, Raja did not escape entirely. So on our first cruise, while the Dampier Strait had near perfect conditions with clear blue water and abundant life, rough seas prevented us from travelling farther north than Yangeffo and Aljui Bay. Penemu, Kawe, and Wayag were unreachable. Still, the diving in the Dampier Strait, Gam/Yangeffo, and Aljui Bay was excellent, so we weren’t disappointed by our inability to reach those spots. With one exception, we dove all these same sites on the second trip as well, and I discuss these in more detail below so won’t bother here. But one dive we made only on the first cruise was the Passage. This is a narrow channel between Waigeo and Gam that appears as a river. (When Wallace first entered it, he believed he was in a river and that Kabui Bay, at the far end, was actually a huge inland lake.) I’ve read many descriptions of this dive which laud it as both unusual and exceptional in quality. It is certainly unusual. And I’m glad I finally made the dive. But I don’t think it’s up to the quality of other diving in RA. The topside scenery is, however, spectacular.
Between our two cruises on the Tambora, we spent 4 nights at Papua Paradise on Birie off the coast of Batanta. Uwe dropped us there after the last dives of the first cruise. The resort is fantastic, everything the website shows it to be. Large bungalows sit on stilts over the water facing the sunset. Reef fish and baby blacktip sharks can be seen in the lagoon below the balconies. There is 24 hour electricity and hot water, and the food is varied and excellent, quite an accomplishment for a place that sits at the end of the supply chain. We had three dive days at Papua Paradise. The first was spent on the reefs north and west of the island. Corals were beautiful but there were fewer schools of fish than in the northern Dampier Strait. A night dive on the resort’s second house reef, which sits behind the island, was very good. The second day, we crossed the Dampier Strait and dove the northern corner of Mansuar finishing the dive at Yenbuba jetty, followed by a fringing reef at Sawandarek, and then Arborek jetty. The reef dives were beautiful and fish if slightly lower voltage than Cape Kri and Sardines. Arborek jetty housed a huge school of scad with trevally patrolling below it and making occasional runs at the school. On our final day, we did pure macro dives behind the island of Birie. Bantanta is known for macro, and these did not disappoint. They were not up to the level of Lembeh or Ambon but were close behind.
All in all Papua Paradise was a great place to stay between cruises. I’d offer only two caveats. First, if you really want as much high voltage fish action as possible, it might be better to stay at a resort on the north side of the straight, closer to Kri and Mansuar. The ride across by speed boat took roughly 40 minutes and I imagine it could be difficult in rough weather. Second, the bungalows have no a/c. Fine in the dry windy times but might be uncomfortable during the rainy season. On the whole, I loved this resort and would recommend it highly. I would gladly go back.
After Papua Paradise, we returned to Tambora, and on this second cruise, weather was more cooperative. After a day in the Dampier Straits, again perfect conditions, we sailed for Kawe. We spent the next 3 days diving Kawe (Eagle and Black Rock, Weka’s Wow, One Tree Island), the Equator Islands (Batu Mandi, the Maze, West Ridge), and finally Changgo before inclement weather forced us to shelter in Aljui Bay. The diving in these spots is wonderful, the isolation and strong currents bring huge aggregations of fish including a substantial number of tuna, sharks, trevally, and bumphead parrotfish. Batu Mandi and Weka’s Wow are at the extreme. They are completely exposed and so swept by current that coral growth is low and uninteresting but fish life is plentiful. On the other hand, Black Rock and Eagle Rock have incredibly rich reefs, reminiscent at times of Rinca and Horseshoe Bay but without the cold, green water.
We spent a day and a half in Aljui bay which is known for macro. With the exception of the pearl farm jetty which was once exceptional and is now mediocre, the macro was very good. But Teardrop Corner and Intersection turned out to be great wide angle sites as well. Water in Aljui Bay was cold, two or three degrees colder than elsewhere, which itself was a couple of degrees colder than on my other visits to RA.
After the time in the bay, weather improved a bit, and we returned to Changgo for a fishy dive in ripping current, and then, as weather deteriorated again, ran for Wofoh where we dove Edi’s Black Forest twice. The site is aptly named, but the attraction this time was the glassfish that nearly blotted out the reef. To see anything beneath, I had to sweep my hand to clear the view. (Underneath, we found wobbegongs hiding in ambush for any fish foolish enough to come close.) The following day at Gam/Yangefo, we dove Mayhem, Mangrove Ridge, and Citrus Ridge before returning the Dampier Strait. With its bright orange soft corals, Citrus Ridge is the prettiest of these sites, though Mayhem may have been fishier. Mangrove Ridge was fine but not up to the level of these two other dives. Back in the Dampier Strait, diving was again exceptional with blue water and schools of fish, in particular, large snappers. Possibly, the only disappointment was Manta Sandy where there was lots of sand but no mantas, but we still had a nice dive on the surrounding bommies which were covered with glassfish and inhabited by wobbegongs.
In sum, fantastic trip, and I would highly recommend the Tambora, Papua Paradise, and RA at this time of year
.
Tambora is a medium-sized, solid, comfortable Pinisi schooner. It is not a luxury boat like Damai or Arenui, but is solidly in the mid-range in terms of price and amenities. Rooms are decent sized and comfortable. There is lots of space for lounging. Food is very good—though more non-shellfish seafood would have been a plus (I have a shellfish allergy). The only negative is a relatively small camera room. Uwe, the boat’s owner, is on the boat for all cruises, and this helps to make sure things run properly. Uwe’s wife Uchi and nearly three year old son Felix are also on board, and it’s a pleasure to see them when they emerge. The crew is superlative. (I regularly read this comment in reviews of boats but don’t always find it to be accurate. Only once or twice before would I have said this of other boats I have been on.) Always helpful. Nearly always on top of every detail. Every one of the four divemasters is a pleasure to dive with. The crew, and Uwe’s attention, make the Tambora an exceptional boat—worth the return visit.
Diving on this trip was excellent but, as is often the case, weather was not entirely cooperative. During June and July, all of Indonesia experienced unusual weather. Apparently the worst was in Bali and Komodo where high waves all but cancelled diving. However, Raja did not escape entirely. So on our first cruise, while the Dampier Strait had near perfect conditions with clear blue water and abundant life, rough seas prevented us from travelling farther north than Yangeffo and Aljui Bay. Penemu, Kawe, and Wayag were unreachable. Still, the diving in the Dampier Strait, Gam/Yangeffo, and Aljui Bay was excellent, so we weren’t disappointed by our inability to reach those spots. With one exception, we dove all these same sites on the second trip as well, and I discuss these in more detail below so won’t bother here. But one dive we made only on the first cruise was the Passage. This is a narrow channel between Waigeo and Gam that appears as a river. (When Wallace first entered it, he believed he was in a river and that Kabui Bay, at the far end, was actually a huge inland lake.) I’ve read many descriptions of this dive which laud it as both unusual and exceptional in quality. It is certainly unusual. And I’m glad I finally made the dive. But I don’t think it’s up to the quality of other diving in RA. The topside scenery is, however, spectacular.
Between our two cruises on the Tambora, we spent 4 nights at Papua Paradise on Birie off the coast of Batanta. Uwe dropped us there after the last dives of the first cruise. The resort is fantastic, everything the website shows it to be. Large bungalows sit on stilts over the water facing the sunset. Reef fish and baby blacktip sharks can be seen in the lagoon below the balconies. There is 24 hour electricity and hot water, and the food is varied and excellent, quite an accomplishment for a place that sits at the end of the supply chain. We had three dive days at Papua Paradise. The first was spent on the reefs north and west of the island. Corals were beautiful but there were fewer schools of fish than in the northern Dampier Strait. A night dive on the resort’s second house reef, which sits behind the island, was very good. The second day, we crossed the Dampier Strait and dove the northern corner of Mansuar finishing the dive at Yenbuba jetty, followed by a fringing reef at Sawandarek, and then Arborek jetty. The reef dives were beautiful and fish if slightly lower voltage than Cape Kri and Sardines. Arborek jetty housed a huge school of scad with trevally patrolling below it and making occasional runs at the school. On our final day, we did pure macro dives behind the island of Birie. Bantanta is known for macro, and these did not disappoint. They were not up to the level of Lembeh or Ambon but were close behind.
All in all Papua Paradise was a great place to stay between cruises. I’d offer only two caveats. First, if you really want as much high voltage fish action as possible, it might be better to stay at a resort on the north side of the straight, closer to Kri and Mansuar. The ride across by speed boat took roughly 40 minutes and I imagine it could be difficult in rough weather. Second, the bungalows have no a/c. Fine in the dry windy times but might be uncomfortable during the rainy season. On the whole, I loved this resort and would recommend it highly. I would gladly go back.
After Papua Paradise, we returned to Tambora, and on this second cruise, weather was more cooperative. After a day in the Dampier Straits, again perfect conditions, we sailed for Kawe. We spent the next 3 days diving Kawe (Eagle and Black Rock, Weka’s Wow, One Tree Island), the Equator Islands (Batu Mandi, the Maze, West Ridge), and finally Changgo before inclement weather forced us to shelter in Aljui Bay. The diving in these spots is wonderful, the isolation and strong currents bring huge aggregations of fish including a substantial number of tuna, sharks, trevally, and bumphead parrotfish. Batu Mandi and Weka’s Wow are at the extreme. They are completely exposed and so swept by current that coral growth is low and uninteresting but fish life is plentiful. On the other hand, Black Rock and Eagle Rock have incredibly rich reefs, reminiscent at times of Rinca and Horseshoe Bay but without the cold, green water.
We spent a day and a half in Aljui bay which is known for macro. With the exception of the pearl farm jetty which was once exceptional and is now mediocre, the macro was very good. But Teardrop Corner and Intersection turned out to be great wide angle sites as well. Water in Aljui Bay was cold, two or three degrees colder than elsewhere, which itself was a couple of degrees colder than on my other visits to RA.
After the time in the bay, weather improved a bit, and we returned to Changgo for a fishy dive in ripping current, and then, as weather deteriorated again, ran for Wofoh where we dove Edi’s Black Forest twice. The site is aptly named, but the attraction this time was the glassfish that nearly blotted out the reef. To see anything beneath, I had to sweep my hand to clear the view. (Underneath, we found wobbegongs hiding in ambush for any fish foolish enough to come close.) The following day at Gam/Yangefo, we dove Mayhem, Mangrove Ridge, and Citrus Ridge before returning the Dampier Strait. With its bright orange soft corals, Citrus Ridge is the prettiest of these sites, though Mayhem may have been fishier. Mangrove Ridge was fine but not up to the level of these two other dives. Back in the Dampier Strait, diving was again exceptional with blue water and schools of fish, in particular, large snappers. Possibly, the only disappointment was Manta Sandy where there was lots of sand but no mantas, but we still had a nice dive on the surrounding bommies which were covered with glassfish and inhabited by wobbegongs.
In sum, fantastic trip, and I would highly recommend the Tambora, Papua Paradise, and RA at this time of year
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