Trip Video - Banda Sea October 2019

[CWK]

Sharing my video as usual.

 

[Saldiac]

Great vid!
Really makes me want to book more trips to Indonesia haha. Maybe late 2020 or otherwise 2021 is the earliest I can do though

 

[Dan]

Nice video!

Your video confirmed our trip there 6 weeks earlier than yours on the bad visibility for schooling hammerheads. This year seems to be a bad year for that.

Real Time Blue Manta Review: Banda Sea 9 – 19 Sept 2019

What were the water temperatures?

I need to put my video clips together and share it here too.

 

[pennylane]

Your video is fantastic-- am headed on the Nov 17 Banda Sea crossing and hoping the hammerheads are still out and about.

But would also appreciate an update on the water temps as trying to decide which wetsuit/layers to pack!

 

[CWK]

Nice video!

Your video confirmed our trip there 6 weeks earlier than yours on the bad visibility for schooling hammerheads. This year seems to be a bad year for that.

Real Time Blue Manta Review: Banda Sea 9 – 19 Sept 2019

What were the water temperatures?

I need to put my video clips together and share it here too.

Looking forward to your videos!

Viz was worse this year than 2018. Perhaps the rough seas in early September had something to do with that.

Unless my Shearwater Cloud is incorrect, temps ranged from a low of 16 degrees C to a high of 30 this week on the Blue Manta. I imagine that the temperature for the previous week on the Samambaia would be similar. I’ll post my trip video for the Blue Manta trip when I get home later today.

 

[CWK]

Your video is fantastic-- am headed on the Nov 17 Banda Sea crossing and hoping the hammerheads are still out and about.

But would also appreciate an update on the water temps as trying to decide which wetsuit/layers to pack!

Hammerheads were still around on my Blue Manta trip. Look out for the trip video later today.

Temps ranged from 16 degrees C below the thermocline, to 30 degrees C at the surface. I was comfortable in my 3 mm wetsuit, but there were others using 5mm semi dry.

 

[CWK]

Great vid!
Really makes me want to book more trips to Indonesia haha. Maybe late 2020 or otherwise 2021 is the earliest I can do though

Indonesia is great. I’m sure you will have fun.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Looking forward to your videos!

Viz was worse this year than 2018. Perhaps the rough seas in early September had something to do with that.

Unless my Shearwater Cloud is incorrect, temps ranged from a low of 16 degrees C to a high of 30 this week on the Blue Manta. I imagine that the temperature for the previous week on the Samambaia would be similar. I’ll post my trip video for the Blue Manta trip when I get home later today.

Do you have any footage of the Samambaia itself and/or any comments on the boat?

(I almost missed this video of yours. Phew, that I ran across it tonight. You know how I enjoy them. Thanks as always for sharing)

 

[CWK]

Do you have any footage of the Samambaia itself and/or any comments on the boat?

(I almost missed this video of yours. Phew, that I ran across it tonight. You know how I enjoy them. Thanks as always for sharing)

The Samambnaia has a green dive team. Cruise director is new, I believe it was her second cruise on the Samambaia and I do not think she has any prior Indonesian LOB experience.

On my cruise, 2 of the 4 dive guides were freelancers, one of whom was not much good as a guide. Of the 2 Samambaia permanent staff dive guides, only 1 had been with the boat for more than 1 year (but less than 2).

I think it suffices to say that the dive organisation has room for improvement, and there was a sad lack of institutional knowledge of dive sites. Personally, I'd avoid the boat for a few years until their dive team gets bedded in.

You can always look for, and subscribe to, my YouTube channel (WK's Gone Diving). That way you won't miss any of the videos.

 

[chillyinCanada]

The Samambnaia has a green dive team. Cruise director is new, I believe it was her second cruise on the Samambaia and I do not think she has any prior Indonesian LOB experience.

On my cruise, 2 of the 4 dive guides were freelancers, one of whom was not much good as a guide. Of the 2 Samambaia permanent staff dive guides, only 1 had been with the boat for more than 1 year (but less than 2).

I think it suffices to say that the dive organisation has room for improvement, and there was a sad lack of institutional knowledge of dive sites. Personally, I'd avoid the boat for a few years until their dive team gets bedded in.

You can always look for, and subscribe to, my YouTube channel (WK's Gone Diving). That way you won't miss any of the videos.

Woohoo, will do, thanks!