Raja Ampat and Lembeh Straits Live-Aboard / Trip Recommendations

I am planing a liveaboard trip with 2-4 others where I was hoping to dive both Raja Ampat and the Lembeh Straits in early to mid 2010 timeframe (we are US based). I have been online looking at the plethora of liveaboards out there, trying to sort out their schedules, etc., and it seems like some recommendations / experiences from other wetpixel members would could be very helpful. Any words of wisdom of who is running a nice high end comfortable ship with excessive diving, reliable Nitrox, and plenty of room for cameras would be appreciated. Also, it sure seems like it might be easier to hop on someone elses planned adventure so I don't have to hassle with all of the logistics so if you know of any groups going around that time, I would sure appreciate that information as well.

I have one that matches your requirements - Ocean Rover.

But they only do one place at a time........

Google "18 59 74:26 (1:15), the Perfect Combination? Part 1" for a very recent trip report.

I could have linked, but felt a little guilty as it's on another site.

There are several live-aboards out in Raja Ampat. They range in price and fanciness. You would be best served doing the live-aboard in Raja Ampat, then heading back to Manado and diving Lembeh from one of the resorts on land there. They range in price and fanciness as well. You could fly ot to Sorong and do your live-aboard trip, then fly back to Manado and dive Lembeh. For high-end live-aboards, you might try the Archipelago Adventurer, Paradise Explorer, Dive Damai -- I'm sure there are others. When I go, I use Ondina, and find it to be appointed well enough. However, I could understand someone not calling it "luxurious". You might try Kasawiri or Lembeh Resort there if you want more creature comforts.

It's true Raja Empat is now spoiled for choice in terms of boats. The 7 Seas boat (which Wetpixel just used for a month in March), Ocean Rover and the Archipelago Adventurer II, amongst the others have mentioned, are all very nice boats.

But I think what's as (if not more) important if you want the best out of the trip, is the knowledge of the area. The Ocean Rover is a nice boat (I've been on it many times in Thailand), but this is their first season in Raja Empat. Same for the MY Damai (and a few other boats are in the sophomore year in the area too). Not to knock them at all, but the nuances of dive sites doesn't come easy, and even the most experienced boats mess up from time to time on some sites.

How important is knowledge of the area? For example, Burt Jones and Maureen Shimlock spent a few trips earlier this year searching for new dive sites in the area to alleviate traffic on the premier sites under the direction of CI. Some of the sites they found are top notch (and they will share it with all dive boats). That sort of knowledge of the area is more important than whether I get cappuccino or macchiato or if the bed is a Hastens or not ( and no, none of the liveaboards have Hasten beds! ).

Since I know quite a few of the boat owners personally, I won't endorse any one in particular. I will say my next charter (next month) is with the 7 Seas because the cruise director, Mark Heighes, is knowledgeable in a particular area I wanted to explore. It's not THE most luxurious phinisi around (that I think goes to the Silolona, which is not dedicated dive boat), but it's up there. If it's good enough for Prince Albert of Monaco, it's good enough for most. My following charter will also be with them because of their knowledge of another area I want to do.

The one distinct feature the Ocean Rover has going for it is that it is a designed as a dive boat with a rear dive deck. I'd choose a boat like that over a phinisi anytime but then again, for me knowledge is very important. And I've used it in Thailand when it was there.

Organized photog trips are great and you have quite a few choices with that as well. Many professional photogs, including our own Alex Mustard, regularly are tied into the dive trips in the area. I suggest you search the archives for reports on the photog trips, especially those in Raja Empat.

For Lembeh, Kungkungan Bay (KBR) and Lembeh Resort are nice. The newer Kasawari has its own dedicated followers. None of them are the Aman or Como, but are as good as it gets in Lembeh. For Lembeh, the guides are important and most of them will have had training from or worked at KBR at one point since KBR was the first major resort in Lembeh and many dive guides were trained by the late Larry Smith, the "grand daddy" of muck diving.

I'd pay more attention to lunar cycles and time of year for Lembeh as there are parts of the month and year where it's just flat.

Don't forget, there are a few land-based resorts as well with some of the most experienced guides in the whole of the Raja Ampat.

Well I would say this, wouldn't I, but I agree with other posts on Lembeh Straits diving: a live-aboard is a bit pointless. From KBR all the dive sites are between 5 and at the very most 20 minute boat ride from the resort.

I've been on board the Archipelago Adventurer II, Pindito, and Ondina through various parts of Indonesia, and they're all very nice liveaboard vessels. AAII is the largest of these, and has the most space allotted for camera gear. But, as Drew mentioned, having a knowledgeable captain/crew is a very important factor to consider... which makes Pindito a great boat to be on, since it is usually graced with the presence of one of Raja Ampat's pioneers - Edi Frommenweiler. It's safe to say that he knows just about as much as is possible to know about diving that region.

Keri

For Raja Ampat we loved the Peter Hughes Paradise Dancer. Done a few live-aboards and this one sets the standard. Great crew, nice camera room and the crew understands dealing with photogs. Lembeh we liked and are going back to Lembeh Resort. There are slide shows, galleries and trip reports for both at our site. Well hope to have the Raja report up shortly.

Hello,

I have a few questions regarding liveaboards/diving Raja Ampat(sorry, didn't want to create a separate thread). From what I've read in this thread, MV Ondina is a reasonable choice. My buddy and I are looking to do a 7 day liveaboard trip(due to time contraints, in January-March 2010), maybe a 10 day max. Since I've only dived Thailand/Burma so far, getting to Raja Ampat will be an experience. We're looking to just do a liveaboard and then fly back.

Are there any other reasonable liveaboards out there besides the ones I see on this link?

http://www.divetheworldliveaboards.com/liv...ondina-main.php

Do most people fly to Sorong from Singapore/Manado or somewhere else? Would we have to spend a day in Sorong? What would be a good hotel there? I've searched for tickets but most airlines show they are flying from Europe, which is strange(we're based in Florida).

MV Felicia lists the only 7 day trip but only shows "Raja Ampat" as destination. Does anyone know where they go exactly? I can see the rest of liveaboards cover " Raja Ampat, Mansuar, Misool, Kofiau and Koon etc.." What is the advantage going to the other islands? ( I assume more diverse diving, but does that worth the extra $$$?)

At last, any recommendations how to materialize this trip without severely braking the bank(if possible)?

Any info would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks,

Blueline

Hello,

 

I have a few questions regarding liveaboards/diving Raja Ampat(sorry, didn't want to create a separate thread). From what I've read in this thread, MV Ondina is a reasonable choice. My buddy and I are looking to do a 7 day liveaboard trip(due to time contraints, in January-March 2010), maybe a 10 day max. Since I've only dived Thailand/Burma so far, getting to Raja Ampat will be an experience. We're looking to just do a liveaboard and then fly back.

 

Are there any other reasonable liveaboards out there besides the ones I see on this link?

 

http://www.divetheworldliveaboards.com/liv...ondina-main.php

 

Do most people fly to Sorong from Singapore/Manado or somewhere else? Would we have to spend a day in Sorong? What would be a good hotel there? I've searched for tickets but most airlines show they are flying from Europe, which is strange(we're based in Florida).

 

MV Felicia lists the only 7 day trip but only shows "Raja Ampat" as destination. Does anyone know where they go exactly? I can see the rest of liveaboards cover " Raja Ampat, Mansuar, Misool, Kofiau and Koon etc.." What is the advantage going to the other islands? ( I assume more diverse diving, but does that worth the extra $$$?)

 

At last, any recommendations how to materialize this trip without severely braking the bank(if possible)?

 

Any info would greatly be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Blueline

Best advice i can give you is to find an agent, or liveaboard operator, that can help you with the booking. Indonesian airlines can be hard to work with remotely due to lack of online ticketing, language barriers and schedules that can change on a monent's notice based on weather, religious holidays, etc. A good agent, or liveaboard operator will make suer your flights line up with each other, that you get a decent hotel and make sure that you have appropriate transportation to/from hotels and to/from the boat. you can work through one of the bigger agents in the U.S. (e.g. Reef and Rainforest, Island Dreams, etc. -- they can also help with the international flights) or a local agent (one agent I can recommend to help with internal flights and transfers through Manado is Jeremy at Safari Tours). Having people on the ground in Indonesia helping you is a great advantage if anything goes awry! Raja Ampat trips do go in and out of Sorong. You get there from Manado or other Indonesian cities via internal airlines that are likely not to show up on the online ticketing engines. you may have to overnight in Manado to get the flight to Sorong to line up -- unless you arrive before the liveaboard is ready for you, you shouldn't have to stay in Sorong. If you do, the best bet is the Meridien, which is across the street from the airport and pretty decent. Sorry, but I'm not an expert on all the liveaboards out there now. I also cannot validate the legitimacy of the site you linked to. One thing I can say is that I've seen Shakti and Felicia from the outside and I am surprised that they lump Ondina in the same class as them -- Ondina seems much nicer. But then again, I've been on Ondina 5 times (sixth coming up in a month) so maybe I'm a bit biased. And missing from the page you linked are any of the Grand Komodo boats (http://www.komodoalordive.com/), which many people find to be a good value (that being said, I will not use them because they drove their boat (seeminlgy on purpose) over the top of some or surfacing divers a while back). I do know that there are some more "budget-friendly" than the others but if you really don't have much knowledge of the area, perhaps it is best to pose the question to an agent familiar with the choices.