Your Opinions on Comparing First Timer Coral Triangle Destinations?

[Centrals]

You make that sound so attractive

I did not make that up.
There are lot of trip reports on line.
I certainly won't pay minimum around US$2,500.00 for 7-8 days LoB to R4.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Centrals


I'm sure it is true, just not the vacation most of us would choose to take.

I have a house in SE Florida and use many local operators to do my diving. I do not expect visitors to have the same choices and flexibility that I have to make their visit a success.

 

[Centrals]

Hi @Centrals


I'm sure it is true, just not the vacation most of us would choose to take.

I have a house in SE Florida and use many local operators to do my diving. I do not expect visitors to have the same choices and flexibility that I have to make their visit a success.

Most of us are looking for practical/useful information.
Remind me of the old days when I first travelled without any guide book and then bowled over by Lonely Planet.

 

[drrich2]

No (AC, running water, flushing toilet, hot water etc etc). Not an issue for most seasoned travellers/tourists.
I know Richard won't be interested but some others might.

I hadn't thought much about that, but you have a point. We get the occasional 'backpacker' type poster, seeking an extended stay in an interesting foreign destination (at which point Utila seems a popular choice). When I was in the Galapagos on San Cristobal Island, I was surprised to see hostel offerings. The Galapagos is an expensive dive destination, and yet...

I would caution such adventurous, hardy souls to also review the thread Indonesian Bathroom Hygiene Practices?, and one of the other threads on coping with mosquitos in some Indonesian areas. (I thought the Lonely Planet book for Bonaire was quite good, back in the day).

That said, it's a minority of Americans for sure. I could go without hot water and a flushing toilet is more a preference, but the tropics without air conditioning? Nope.

 

[Centrals]

That said, it's a minority of Americans for sure. I could go without hot water and a flushing toilet is more a preference, but the tropics without air conditioning? Nope.

I tended to meet a lot more of your northern neighbours on my travelling day!
Once you get used to AC it is extremely difficult to adapt without it. I was not brought up with the luxury of AC and have been living without it all my life except in the office. All I need is a well screened and ventilated room with a small fan.
We are all different.

 

[Dan]

@Dan Actually, it is just speculation that nutrients are transported by or enriched by or even much affected by the ITF. Your reference to Wikipedia (which never mentions nutrients) is all about the physical transport of water and heat...which definitely exists but is actually a rather small volume in the overall scheme of things, 15 Sv is not large (for comparison, the Gulf Stream is about 10 times larger than that and flows through a smaller area, so the currents are much stronger), and most of it is west of Sulawesi, with only a fraction through RA.

One review paper from 2020 concluded that "studies on marinebiogeochemistry within the Indonesian Seas are quite limited due to less observed data compared to the physical parameters." In fact, mut of the biogeochemisty concerns have been the effect of the ITF on the Indian Ocean, not on the Indonesian area itself. One of those papers from 2014 even says, "Finally, we have addressed the question of the rate at which nutrients exit the Indonesian Seas but have not asked the equally interesting question as to their origin. Are the nutrients primarily flow-through from the western Pacific, or might a substantial portion originate from depth in the Indonesian Seas, brought to the surface by upwelling and strong mixing?" and "The origin of nutrients exiting the ITF is left as a topic for future studies." That paper shows a figure with very high surface nutrients in RA but is moot on why they are there.

How do you think the high surface nutrients in RA get there, if it’s not due to being transported or induced by the current?

 

[CJS]

From your list I have dived Raja Ampat (Misool), Solomon Islands (Uepi) and Bali (all over).. Both Raja Ampat and Solomon Islands were up there with the best diving I have ever done and I would love to do either of them by Liveaboard. RA had everything from seahorses the size of a grain of rice to Manta rays.
Bali diving is fun, but it is not at the same level.

 

[ojo]

I should elaborate on why a 11-day/10-night liveaboard Raja Ampat. It’s a a pretty big area, 8,034.44 km2 (3,102.11 sq mi), Raja Ampat Islands - Wikipedia. So for a lifetime trip diving in Raja Ampat and seeing the best of the best of Raja Ampat has to offer, you need to spend enough time there, in the central, south & north of Raja Ampat. Diving 4 times / day, including night dives (yes, you don’t want to miss the night dives, some of the best dives I had in Raja Ampat were done at night).

Two-week vacation there fits perfectly for that trip as you would lose 3 days for traveling from USA and a day of recovering from jetlag before boarding the 11-day / 10-night liveaboard.

Here’s a latest trip video I put together for my 8th visit there. My 9th visit there will be in January 2023. My 10th visit there will be in February 2024.

Dan, I've just recently joined and have so appreciated your posts and videos! Not starting a new thread here because this is related - and in part directed to you. I have about 100 dives under my belt over many years, AOWater and Nitrox cert., and am also one who might only be able to afford one trip to Indonesia (did Bali), and from your msgs and others, it seems Raja is the place to start. Above all, I want to dive with the oceanic mantas again; if that were all I did, I'd be happy! October is looking like my best month to be away. But it seems that's a little early for Sarong-Sarong? I notice that many of the boats don't do that trip until November. I'd love advice about where to go. Reading Liveaboard reviews, I came across the Carpe Diem, which looks good and includes equipment! Their still-available Oct. trips, though, are Wasai-Wasai and short. Also the brand new Jelajahi Laut looks appealing. I imagine doing a combo of boat and resort (where I might be happy with amazing snorkeling, as I hear is the case at Misool). Unlikely to do a homestay, as I like a warm shower. Thanks!

 

[Dan]

Dan, I've just recently joined and have so appreciated your posts and videos! Not starting a new thread here because this is related - and in part directed to you. I have about 100 dives under my belt over many years, AOWater and Nitrox cert., and am also one who might only be able to afford one trip to Indonesia (did Bali), and from your msgs and others, it seems Raja is the place to start. Above all, I want to dive with the oceanic mantas again; if that were all I did, I'd be happy! October is looking like my best month to be away. But it seems that's a little early for Sarong-Sarong? I notice that many of the boats don't do that trip until November. I'd love advice about where to go. Reading Liveaboard reviews, I came across the Carpe Diem, which looks good and includes equipment! Their still-available Oct. trips, though, are Wasai-Wasai and short. Also the brand new Jelajahi Laut looks appealing. I imagine doing a combo of boat and resort (where I might be happy with amazing snorkeling, as I hear is the case at Misool). Unlikely to do a homestay, as I like a warm shower. Thanks!

Welcome to Scubaboard!

If you just want to see Oceanic Manta, you don’t need to go all the way, half around the world, 30-hr+ flight time one way, spending 3-4 days on just the travel time (both ways). Just go to Socorro. The probability to see them there is 99% (100% for me on 3 trips to Socorro). Check out one of my Socorro trips on Oceanic Manta, below. While in Raja Ampat, it was about 67% chance in my 8 trips to RA. They may hangout in Blue Magic & Magic Mountain. If you are not going to those 2 dive sites, your chances to see them would be even lower.



I have been to RA, mostly in December, once or twice in November, January, February, March and May. I have never been there in October. So I have no data to say about how the diving there then.

 

[Dan]

I have never been on Carpe Diem, nor on Jelajahi Laut. So, I can’t tell you much about them. I have been on Amira, Temukira, Pearl of Papua, La Galigo, Blue Manta & Mermaid1. I’ll be on Mermaid2 on December 4-12, 2022.

Most of the boats there would be fine as Raja Ampat are surrounded by many islands for protection from bad weather. The worse open water crossing part would be from Sorong to Misool. If you make it there, then the rest of the trip would be fine.

If you are planning to go to Banda Sea, then, that’s different story. You need a big, strong boat with plenty of horse power to plow through the bad weather situation or pray for good weather in Banda Sea. I’ve been on a small Phinisi boat there and was lucky to survive it (didn’t make it to Bandaneira & had to turn around or sink).