Raja Ampat 2017 trip - need you advice

[pbalves 19]

Hi Folks

 

Next March Me and a group of friends are travelling to Raja Ampat for a week dive trip.

 

We are going to stay at homestay.

 

It seems that on that area they do no dive on Sundays

 

Any advices for which dives we can not miss?

 

And the visit to Piaynemo? It is a must, right? And the dives there, are they good? Or should we use the Sunday to visit that place, do not dive there, do the hike till the top of the hill, appreciate the view, and do some snorkelling?

 

Thanks in advance

[Thrawn 0]

I am planning a visit there in a few months as well. My understanding is that on Sundays the home stays have no boat trips.. which basically means no diving. A trip to Piaynemo would be even more unlikely on Sunday as it takes a whole day

 

You should plan a trip to Piaynemo on Sunday. There's a famous dive site called Melissa's Garden near there. And there's usually a second dive somewhere else in the way. Maybe Manta Sandy near Arborek.

 

On Sunday.. I would try to do unguided house reef dives amongst yourself.

[christanto 0]

Hi,

Just join the forum.

Hope I can help.

Pianemo area is one of the best area to dive at Raja Ampat.

If you stay at waisai island it takes 2 hour to go there by fast boat.

So if your home stay don't have boat trip to the area on sunday, i think you better stay around the island.

You can snorkeling also in the waisai island.

If you go to pianemo area, you can dive and also hiking to the top of pianemo hill.

There 3 hill around pianemo, the Pianemo Hill, Star Hill, Manta Hill. Usually people go to Pianemo Hill and Star Hill.

 

The recommended dive site :

Blue Magic, Melissa Garden, Manta Point, Cape Kri, Mioskon, and Sardine Reef.

Also you have to try dive at the arborek jetty. There thousand schooling fish who can make you feel amazing.

 

cheers,

chis.

[victoriano 0]

Hello

My wife and I have just returned from a month in Indonesia. We spent 10days in Raja Ampat specifically to dive and we planned to stay in a home stay on Gam Island and organise diving from there. The dive operator I contacted was very vague about prices until I pushed for further details, the price they advertise is not the final price, as we were not at a homestay next to their center there were many additional cost for pickups and extra fuel charges even extra for tanks. So we arrived at Gam and luckily found Biodiversity was on the next beach along, in fact we ended up moving there as their accommodation with dive packages, including the great food they serve worked out much better than the homestay and using another operator. They have a fabulous location right on the Dampier straight and we dived all the top dive sites all within 25 mins of the resort. They dive every day and even offer a day trip to Piaynemo with diving Fam Slope and Melissa's Garden, it was an amazing day. All the dives were excellent picking the top sites is difficult so we would recommend trying to dive, Fam Slope, Melissa's Garden, Mikes point, blue magic, chicken reef, Sardines, Friwen wall and garden. We can't recommend Biodiversity enough and we felt so lucky we stumbled upon them as they really made the trip to Raja Ampat everything we dreamed it would be.

Hope it helps

[pbalves 19]

Thanks for this valuable insights.

More suggestions?

[Dcesilo80 0]

I am not familiar with that.

[xiaohuang7 0]

chicken reef is good. sardine has suffered a lot of damage from boats and divers, most the fan coral is gone now, but the pinnicales are cool. mioskon is damaged also, i think tour boats go there and unload 100s of snorkelers. cape kri is off an on, when its on, it can be fabulous, as can sardine & blue magic. drift dive at south mansuar is nice, once i saw 300 - 500 orange tailed surgeon fish there. fam sites are nice, keep in mind the coral is deep. citrus ridge when sunny is tops for the orange soft coral. we stay at kri eco - no hassels, a lot of diving. unless u must, i wouldnt recommend homestay diving, its a bit sketchy. there are stories, leave it at that. unless of course u base in the fam islands, then no choice.

 

bring a reef hook.

 

we're planning on staying at pulau pef next time, to do more northern sites.

 

john

[Hulkster 3]

Yendebabo Homestay (Gam)...Mathias. Has own dive center

Delvin Homestay (Kir)...Danny. Dive center next door

 

Recommend both.

 

 

[echo2600 9]

Like John, above, I've stayed at Kri Eco Resort... I cannot say enough good things about them. Quick access to excellent dives sites, with possibility to do at least 4 dives a day, dive guides that actually care about the dive sites, great hospitality staff, 24 hour electricity and hot showers. Just thinking about them, makes me want to plan another trip there!

[chilbal 11]

Hi

Do any know Cove Eco Resort on Yeben Island?
should be close to Pianemo Island. http://www.coveecoresort.com/

I consider a trip to them in February, so if any know something about diving in that area, I will be greratfull to hear your experiences

[flamebouyant 2]

Like John, above, I've stayed at Kri Eco Resort... I cannot say enough good things about them. Quick access to excellent dives sites, with possibility to do at least 4 dives a day, dive guides that actually care about the dive sites, great hospitality staff, 24 hour electricity and hot showers. Just thinking about them, makes me want to plan another trip there!

Do you mind me asking how much you paid roughly?? I just googled this place, but i couldnt find any prices....

 

Regards, Uri.

[echo2600 9]

I did one week there and it was 1970,00, including a single occupancy subsidy and all diving. It looks like current rate for that would be 1814,00 (rates page https://www.papua-diving.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/rates-2017-website_web_kri.pdf).I think that I paid for some extras, but I cannot recall the exact charges.

 

HTH

[makar0n 21]

Hi

Do any know Cove Eco Resort on Yeben Island?

should be close to Pianemo Island. http://www.coveecoresort.com/

 

I consider a trip to them in February, so if any know something about diving in that area, I will be greratfull to hear your experiences

 

 

a bit old topic, but wondering, did you go at the end chilbal ?

As looking at this resort as well but curious hows the diving works there as they are a bit far.

[Pajjpen 61]

Liveaboard seems cheaper and you would be able to visit many more sites. Does anyone know which route is the preferred one? Thinking of doing 7-10 days liveaboard folllowed by a week or so in tulamben in January/feb

Edited June 26, 2018 by Pajjpen

[makar0n 21]

Liveaboard seems cheaper and you would be able to visit many more sites. Does anyone know which route is the preferred one? Thinking of doing 7-10 days liveaboard folllowed by a week or so in tulamben in January/feb

 

Hmm not sure...the ones that does seem cheaper are usually 5-8 days....ones longer like 11+ are often round 4k+ anyway...and that's pretty much 2 week resort price...Visiting more sites is true..but then Raja is so big you never gonna visit it all in one trip....gotta keep coming back

Edited June 27, 2018 by makar0n

[chilbal 11]

 

 

a bit old topic, but wondering, did you go at the end chilbal ?

As looking at this resort as well but curious hows the diving works there as they are a bit far.

 

Yes we had one week at Yeben.

Nice resort, very good diving – and the best divemaster we ever had – and splendid food.

However it´s a new resort and the most visitors seem more to fulfill the dream of a Robinson Crusoe island than diving… When we said, we want 3 dives pr day – well that wasn’t use to that. Normally there guest takes one or 2 dives a single day and then have a day off. But we got them up in speed and have our 3 daily dives and it was great – and as I wrote best divemaster and food on our trip

Here is a link to a film - it´s both from Kri and Yeben

 

[chilbal 11]

 

Yes we had one week at Yeben.

Nice resort, very good diving – and the best divemaster we ever had – and splendid food.

However it´s a new resort and the most visitors seem more to fulfill the dream of a Robinson Crusoe island than diving… When we said, we want 3 dives pr day – well that wasn’t use to that. Normally there guest takes one or 2 dives a single day and then have a day off. But we got them up in speed and have our 3 daily dives and it was great – and as I wrote best divemaster and food on our trip

Here is a link to a film - it´s both from Kri and Yeben

 

And then my wife just remember me, that there´s also one big problem on Yeben Island… sand flies and there´s lot of them, and they bite J but can you live with that it´s a great place to visit

[makar0n 21]

 

Yes we had one week at Yeben.

Nice resort, very good diving – and the best divemaster we ever had – and splendid food.

However it´s a new resort and the most visitors seem more to fulfill the dream of a Robinson Crusoe island than diving… When we said, we want 3 dives pr day – well that wasn’t use to that. Normally there guest takes one or 2 dives a single day and then have a day off. But we got them up in speed and have our 3 daily dives and it was great – and as I wrote best divemaster and food on our trip

Here is a link to a film - it´s both from Kri and Yeben

 

 

Thanks for the info...and a nice movie

Diving wise, did you concentrate around Yeben or somewhere further ? As the further dive sites seems to be kind of a included but only in bigger packages and only a handful of times....otherwise the excursion prices are close to outrageous...(based on 2 people). Did you manage to go to Wayag archipelago ?

 

 

 

And then my wife just remember me, that there´s also one big problem on Yeben Island… sand flies and there´s lot of them, and they bite J but can you live with that it´s a great place to visit

 

 

Hehe no worries....gf attracts every living / biting thing in the vicinity, hence none are interested in me...just gotta stay close to her ...the ultimate insect repellent (or rather magnet )