Bucket list alert!  Does anybody want to combine a dive trip in Raja Ampat with a snorkel with whales? sperm or killer?  How about we finish up in Ambon for some of their famous macro diving?  

That is up to us.  Probably 2-3 days.  It is usually reef dives in the morning and following the pods in the afternoon.  We will get close to the whales on small boats and roll off the side to spend time in the water with a snorkel and camera.  When the whales move on, repeat.  We will probably do this all afternoon.  The big boat will be nearby, so keep going or quit when you want.  Sometimes, an evening reef dive.  The whale aggregations are not particularly close to either Raja Ampat or Ambon, and we are definitely doing some diving at each of those places, so that leaves the middle of the trip.  I imagine how much time we spend with the whales will depend on our encounters on the first couple of days trying. There will be a cetacean expert on board.

Sorong, or airport code SOQ is where you will want to be to get onto the boat. There are flights from both Jakarta (CGK) and Bali (DPS). The town of Sorong doesn't have much going for it.  That being said I will probably be celebrating my (Matt's) 57th birthday at the Swiss Bell Hotel on , on Oct 3rd.  The next morning we will do a crack of dawn birding tour to see if we can see the bird of paradise, but even if we don't it quick like to be a successful outing  - there is a lot of diversity in birds there.  Just let me know if you are interested in joining us.

Just FYI I usually have a strong opinion that you should get there a day or 2 in advance, but it is less important with this boat.  If you miss a departure you can hire a speed boat to catch you up with the liveaboard, at a cost of $100-$500 depending on how far we get away from port.  Point is, if you late, you don't miss the trip.  

We get off the boat in Ambon, airport code AMQ on Oct 16th.  Sheila and I get right back on on the 19th to do the trip in reverse, and in between we will be staying at Spice Island Divers.  If you tack on a few days you can probably mingle with the other group of dive friends that are coming in to do the trip the other direction.  Ambon is a destination in of itself, so if you want us to set up a package with them for you, again, just let us know.  

Domestic flights:  these are a real headache to set up online.  I suggest you just let us point you to a domestic agent and you can work directly with them.  

Agung Wiraputra has done this for our past couple of Indonesia trips, he is happy to help.  Email: agung@baliagungsolusi.com  He is based in Indonesia and works with our booking agent in the US on a regular basis.  

Political discussions are not encouraged on a group trip.  We have diving in common, talk about that!