Your packing & general liveaboarding tips for upcoming Raja Ampat LoB

[outofofficebrb]

Thanks all! @peeweediver, I hear you about the med kit bags always growing. I have collected so many things over my travels in the past. My biggest concern is, what are the restrictions (if any) on meds when transitting through Indonesian airports?

Noted on less clothing, I vaguely remember that from my last liveaboard.

Sunscreen recommendations? I've tried a variety of the reef safe types so far, but they take so long to apply and I can easily spend an entire SI trying to reapply the white sticky dry stuff

I can't speak to prescription drugs, but over the counter including Sudafed (pseudoephederine) is fine in Indonesia.

Stream2Sea makes a tinted sunscreen version. Just remember you need to apply a lot less and in a different manner than chemical sunscreens. (I dab small spots over the entire area I am applying to and then blend/rub in, kind of like makeup.) I've actually been really digging the All Good tinted sunscreen as well - I think the tint is more flattering for my skin tone and more people in general and it is easier to apply in that it is creamier, yet it still dries pretty matte.

 

[scubaNYC16]

Hey folks, thanks much for the thoughts and advice from a few months ago when I asked which op to go with for a Raja Ampat trip (and for giving me advice to take a longer trip than the 6D/5N one I'd been looking at ). oining the Blue Manta durin their 9D/8N trip, and looking forward to it!

Although I'm not new to boat diving, I haven't dived many LoBs. I've historically travelled with people who prefer land, but this time I'm able to go

Hey folks, thanks much for the thoughts and advice from a few months ago when I asked which op to go with for a Raja Ampat trip (and for giving me advice to take a longer trip than the 6D/5N one I'd been looking at ). I'll be joining the Blue Manta during the holidays for their 9D/8N trip, and looking forward to it!

Although I'm not new to boat diving, I haven't dived many LoBs. I've historically travelled with people who prefer land, but this time I'm able to go off on my own My last was a 4D/3N Coral Sea LoB in 2015. I'm a bit of a planner/mental preparer when it comes to these things, so I'd love your tips, tricks, and other insights for how to best pack and prepare for my upcoming trip! Particularly:

- What should I pack, both dive and non-dive items?
- What should I leave at home?
- What thing(s) did you not think of before you went on a LoB and now make sure to always take with you/do?
- Since I'm traveling solo, what's the best way to ensure I look out for myself, without being a demanding patron? My biggest worry is getting auto-buddied with someone who's less cautious than me or doesn't speak my language so that we can't communicate our plan at the surface, but feeling awkward about how to raise the issue to the coordinator. I truly enjoy diving and am extremely good on air; that said, I fall into the conservative diver category (*especially* if I'm doing multi diving days or diving in a new/current-heavy region), and I don't like to push limits. On one-off dives, I've been buddied with people who wanted to push our limits or couldn't understand the dive plan and just went about their business; but in those cases I could just walk away after the one dive...

Add'l details that might help: Female diver, will be renting BCD/reg (though have a mouthpiece to swap in), get cold easily so def. have multiple hoods already in my bag

Thanks!

Awesome boat and crew, you are going to love Blue Manta! I did a week in Komodo the end of August on and booked Raja for Xmas 2020. Here are some tips about the boat:

Ask for a top deck cabin if still available, no extra charge and you'll have an exterior door and large windows.

Bring some extra large round laundry clips to hang your stuff to dry.

Don't bring too many clothes, they do laundry on board and it's cheap, $5 for a small basket.

Groups are small, 4 divers max per DM so just speak to Egoi the cruise director when you get on board and he will pair you up properly.

Get Nitrox certified if you're not as most of the divers will be and will help with repetitive diving.

Have fun!

 

[fluff_astrid]

Thanks all!

@scubaNYC16 luckily I’m getting my Nitrox cert as part of the trip . And thanks for the boat tips! I didn’t realize laundry was cheap so that makes it....probably just 2 pairs each of shirts and shorts needed in my book, plus my very warm Speedo hooded fleece for between dive warmth sounds like you enjoyed your trip!

For folks very familiar with RA dive sites, since I’m likely to be less experienced than the others on this trip, which ones are the best current-intense ones for me to sit out? I don’t mind admitting when something’s too advanced for my skill set and I think a new moon is on the calendar for the middle of my trip, which I imagine will make things...fun. I’ve done some ripping drifts in Thailand, Fiji, and Coral Sea but not up/down drafts (unless you count dealing with washing machine surge), and would want less hectic dives to practice my hooking/unhooking skills on before even considering the kind that might be crazy hard.

 

[fluff_astrid]

Operators in Raja generally do not allow you to plan your own dive and dive your own plan with your buddy. They are guided 4 divers to 1 guide ratio. Depending on the conditions permitting, some ops will let you and your buddy surface together with a DSMB if one of you is low on air while some may insist that you come up together. Again, that might be dictated by conditions. If you are concerned about language or communication barriers, feel free to e-mail the op or the agency you booked your op through and they can communicate your concerns to them. I have good air consumption and usually outdive many people so I always ensure when I am traveling alone or don't have my usual buddy with me, I give them a heads up and ask them to pair me with someone accordingly ahead of time to avoid an awkward situation on the boat or to spend dives figuring this out.

Bring enough swimsuits for 4 dives a day so that you can change out of wet swimwear between dives and still have a new dry one. I like to bring 5 so if I get lazy and forget to hang one up to dry, I have a backup. By the time the next morning comes, suit 1 is dry again. Bring a lot less clothing than you think you will need. You probably won't be wearing socks on the boat. There is no shame in wearing the same thing every night....I brought 4 shirts and 4 bottoms including pajama tops/bottoms for a 33 day trip recently. That's technically 16 outfits!

Bring earplugs for a snoring roomie and an eyemask in case you have differing schedules or for anchor/generator/general boat noises. No open water crossings in Raja but there are sometimes rougher days and if you have motion sickness pills ready, that is always nice to have. Some boats have some but it may not be the kind you know you react well to. Leave towels at home unless it is a microfiber one for your camera. I bring towel clips (4) for my swimsuits/rash guards so that they dry on the railings. No tying and losing items on deck. I bring a dry bag or a reusable grocery bag/tote which is nice to carry things around the boat while I keep one hand available to hold onto railings especially while we are underway. I also travel with an international voltage power strip since some boats don't have great outlets where I want them but I have a ton of camera gear.

Bring a reef hook and muck stick for Raja Ampat. I've been there 2X by liveaboard and have had to do many hook-ins and have had some safety stops requiring a reef hook. Bring any medications (over counter) that you may possibly need. I'm allergic to generic Neosporin so that's something I definitely carry for myself. I also bring amoxicillin since I used to be susceptible to UTIs but it is a nice broader antibiotic that will cover many issues such as skin and other things. Ensure you are updated on your shots, especially tetanus.

I always bring reef safe toiletries and sunscreen - Stream2Sea. They are tested in a 3rd party lab to be safe for fresh and saltwater fish and coral. They biodegrade in 28 days or less to 100%. It isn't just marketing - they actually have 3rd party testing for it for the complete product, not just raw ingredients.

I have a camera and sometimes there is not enough space on tables or in camera rinse tanks for everyone. I bring my own AO cooler for rinse/storage. It makes for an awesome cooler for convenience store runs and off-days from diving or a backup bag for check in on the return home because too many souvenirs or damp wetsuits.

Thanks for the sunscreen recommendation! And the cooler...that’s pretty top notch!

 

[chillyinCanada]

Thanks all!

@scubaNYC16 luckily I’m getting my Nitrox cert as part of the trip . And thanks for the boat tips! I didn’t realize laundry was cheap so that makes it....probably just 2 pairs each of shirts and shorts needed in my book, plus my very warm Speedo hooded fleece for between dive warmth sounds like you enjoyed your trip!

For folks very familiar with RA dive sites, since I’m likely to be less experienced than the others on this trip, which ones are the best current-intense ones for me to sit out? I don’t mind admitting when something’s too advanced for my skill set and I think a new moon is on the calendar for the middle of my trip, which I imagine will make things...fun. I’ve done some ripping drifts in Thailand, Fiji, and Coral Sea but not up/down drafts (unless you count dealing with washing machine surge), and would want less hectic dives to practice my hooking/unhooking skills on before even considering the kind that might be crazy hard.

Don't worry about that. You'll want to learn to dive those anyway and as you said, you've already done some ripping currents.

My 3 trips led me to believe that all sites are not current filled at all times. I've only had trouble on a couple of dives on my first trip. Since then, no real issues. Of course, I'm a much better diver now and I carry a reef hook and a strong pointer, so that helps in a pinch.

Looks like you already have a reef hook and some experience with using one. I suspect that you'll be just fine even though moon phase could make for an interesting experience.

 

[scubaNYC16]

Thanks all!

@scubaNYC16

For folks very familiar with RA dive sites, since I’m likely to be less experienced than the others on this trip, which ones are the best current-intense ones for me to sit out? I don’t mind admitting when something’s too advanced for my skill set and I think a new moon is on the calendar for the middle of my trip, which I imagine will make things...fun. I’ve done some ripping drifts in Thailand, Fiji, and Coral Sea but not up/down drafts (unless you count dealing with washing machine surge), and would want less hectic dives to practice my hooking/unhooking skills on before even considering the kind that might be crazy hard.

I wouldn’t worry about what dives you can’t do and you’ll probably be able to do all. Indonesia is known for currents and Komodo more than RA but they time the dives with the tides and you won’t be swimming against the current. The DMs are great and as long as you follow them, you shouldn’t have any issues. Hooking in is really easy and they’ll help you if you have any issues.

 

[Dan]

Hey folks, thanks much for the thoughts and advice from a few months ago when I asked which op to go with for a Raja Ampat trip (and for giving me advice to take a longer trip than the 6D/5N one I'd been looking at ). I'll be joining the Blue Manta during the holidays for their 9D/8N trip, and looking forward to it!

Although I'm not new to boat diving, I haven't dived many LoBs. I've historically travelled with people who prefer land, but this time I'm able to go off on my own My last was a 4D/3N Coral Sea LoB in 2015. I'm a bit of a planner/mental preparer when it comes to these things, so I'd love your tips, tricks, and other insights for how to best pack and prepare for my upcoming trip! Particularly:

- What should I pack, both dive and non-dive items?
- What should I leave at home?
- What thing(s) did you not think of before you went on a LoB and now make sure to always take with you/do?
- Since I'm traveling solo, what's the best way to ensure I look out for myself, without being a demanding patron? My biggest worry is getting auto-buddied with someone who's less cautious than me or doesn't speak my language so that we can't communicate our plan at the surface, but feeling awkward about how to raise the issue to the coordinator. I truly enjoy diving and am extremely good on air; that said, I fall into the conservative diver category (*especially* if I'm doing multi diving days or diving in a new/current-heavy region), and I don't like to push limits. On one-off dives, I've been buddied with people who wanted to push our limits or couldn't understand the dive plan and just went about their business; but in those cases I could just walk away after the one dive...

Add'l details that might help: Female diver, will be renting BCD/reg (though have a mouthpiece to swap in), get cold easily so def. have multiple hoods already in my bag

Thanks!

I think you have a very thorough tips from all of the previous responders. So, I won't repeat them here. I would just add a contrast between diving in Coral Sea vs. Raja Ampat.

I have been on Spoilsport LOB diving in Coral Sea, the style of diving there is more like you are on your own and would be paired with an instant buddy. I was paired with one of air hogger during a night dive. After some time he disappeared in the dark but I saw his light in a distant, so I chased him back to the boat. It turned out that he was low on gas and headed home on his own.

Raja Ampat (RA) is not like that (I've been to RA 7x & on Blue Manta once). You will be put in a group of 4 (maximum, could be less if you are lucky) of similar diving profile led by a DM. So listen to Egoi (CD) attentively during dive briefing and follow your guide closely. Basically your DM is your dive buddy. You are diving 5-some.

If there is some unmatching of dive style among 4 of you and you are not comfortable with the experience after the first dive, talk to Egoi about it. He'll be happy to put you in another group.

 

[Goingforsound]

That mix of vinegar and alcohol reccomended by the us navy.

Pseudoephedrine, I buy two boxes of it when I get in indonesia and use it for a day or two before diving.

 

[scubaNYC16]

Thanks all!

@scubaNYC16 luckily I’m getting my Nitrox cert as part of the trip .

I would do the Nitrox cert before you go, unless it's part of your package or much cheaper. When you do it at home, you can do the e-learning online and then just finish a quick test at local dive shop. On the boat, they'll give you a book to study and you'll probably have to use air for the first few dives until you complete the cert. There's no classroom time for either.

 

[fluff_astrid]

Great, thanks everyone! @scubaNYC16, I got Nitrox as part of the package, but I'll see if I can swap it out. Since it's only about a month til, I have a feeling I might find myself without extra time to do a cert locally, but we'll see!