Raja Ampat--Some Advice and Video

[Jon Tillinghast 0]

These are some lessons learned from an Oct., 2017 weekly-long trip to Raja Ampat.  Yes, it's two years' old, but I'm catching up on Wetpixel, and I don't think the meat of this post has changed much.

Raja Ampat:  I stayed at the Palau Explorers Resort, and boy do I recommend that option.  It's centrally-located in the middle of Dampier Straight--a 10-20 minute boat ride from several of Raja's premier dive sites.  Your diving on a site with 4-5 other resort residents in your own boat, rather than jumping in with the whole live-aboard cast.  The resort's lodging, food and ambience all favor this land-based option; and, you get a lot interaction with the locals, who built much of the lodge and are deeply entwined with it.

Dive site wise, please find the time to dive Melissa's Garden--far and away the most diverse and abundant site I've ever encountered in 37 years of diving.  Take a look at my video at: https://vimeo.com/manage/248019672/general   It's a full day's boat ride out of Dampier Strait, but worth the trip (and do take both dives at Melissa's--don't let them talk you into a "second dive" elsewhere).

On the other side, don't expect much at Manta Sandy.  The site is sandy (as the name implies), and the visibility in October was very poor (and hence no worthwhile pictures).  You're required to lay in the sand at a designated border, which puts a lot of grit between you and the mantas.  It's all necessary to protect the site, but I found it the one disappointment of my trip.  The snorkelers had a better view--you might try that option.

The video:  The video was taken with the Sony RX 100 IV, with the Nauticam housing.  The one noticeable flaw in the video is the insufficient lighting.  I used two Sola A Video 3800F lights at full power, and they didn't throw enough light in my opinion to capture the exquisite colours.  But the video will give you a flavor of the wonders of Melissa's Garden (the 1st half of the video is all of the Garden).

Happy diving.

[bremner 1]

Hi Jon;

Thanks for sharing, but I think we need a different link to watch the video; I get asked to login to vimeo.

 

[Jon Tillinghast 0]

Sorry.  Didn't think you'd need to log into Vimeo.  The only other sites I can think of to upload the video might also require sign in.  Any suggestions would be most welcomed, as I just posted a Galapagos video that I'm guessing will have the same problem.   The Internet can be a tough place for Boomers.

[bremner 1]

Hopefully someone who is more familar with vimeo will chime in. I have definitely watched videos there before, so I guess it is just a matter of finding the right URL to share.

[adamhanlon 0]

I would guess that your privacy settings for this video in Vimeo are set to private...it is the default.

Adam

[anthonygiorgio1@gmail.com 0]

I just rejoined Wet Pixel and was scrolling through the travel forum and noticed this article about diving in Raja Ampat, and specifically the Melissa Garden dive site.   I have been to Raja Ampat on two different dive trips, most recently in December of 2019.   Melissa Garden is one of my all-time favorite dive sites, due to the variety of beautiful fish at this site.  The last time I dove this site, the water was crystal clear and it was like diving in an aquarium with striking underwater scenes.