Raja Ampat, Indonesia Liveaboard

      Sorong, Sorong City, West Papua, Indonesia

      BP
      Blue Planet Scuba
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      142 reviews
      Dec 14 - 21, 2019
      Group size: 12 - 12
      Raja Ampat, Indonesia Liveaboard
      Sorong, Sorong City, West Papua, Indonesia

      Blue Planet Scuba
      • Email address verified
      • Facebook verified
      • Twitter verified
      142 reviews

      Dec 14 - 21, 2019
      Group size: 12 - 12

      About this trip

      7 nights onboard the Samambaia Liveaboard

      Join Blue Planet as we explore some of the best diving in the world in the mega-diverse Raja Ampat region. The trip will visit muck sites, oceanic and inshore reefs from the beautiful Phinisi liveaboard. Don't wait -- this trip will fill up fast!


      Far to the wild eastern edge of the Indonesian archipelago, there is a region with thousands of islands -- offering as many sites for scuba diving -- right in the heart of the Coral Triangle. It’s no surprise that photographers and divers flock here from around the world to spend one or two weeks on a liveaboard diving trip, because is the only way to travel throughout this large geographic area with practically no development. You can be sure every effort will be rewarded: Raja Ampat is home to more than 1400 species of fish and almost 600 different corals - 75 percent of all known coral species. 


      Raja Ampat, literally "Four Kings", is made up of four main islands: Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool plus more than a thousand small sand and rock islands. With varying underwater topography (slopes, ridges, channels, caves and tunnels) and an astounding diversity of habitats, each one offers a different kind of diving experience: 

      - sandy bottoms are like life-size aquariums,

      - blue-water mangroves host pygmy seahorses and saltwater crocodiles,

      - calm sand flats are the perfect spots for cleaning stations for oceanic mantas,

      - murky and silt-ridden conditions hold all kinds of treasures for muck divers, and

      - a river-like saltwater channel of strong currents and great walls offers plentiful invertebrates. 


      Samambaia

      The MV Samambaia is a magnificent Phinisi, a traditional Indonesian wooden sailing vessel, built and designed to offer her guests the world's top rated dive sites in luxurious comfort and safety. This brand new Liveboard is fully outfitted with the needs of our guests top of mind. Comfort and service are of highest priority on board. The atmosphere is relaxed and cozy. Social and yet private. 


      The Samambaia can accommodate up to 14 guests and offers 4 double and 2 twin cabins below deck and 1 master cabin on deck. Each cabin has individual air conditioning, a bathroom with a rain shower head paired with a hand shower, western standard non-marine toilet with integrated bidet and a washbasin carved out of fossil wood. Our onboard water-makers ensure an ample supply of freshwater. The master cabin, located on the aft deck, offers a breathtaking 180° view through its large windows. A special coating on the glass ensures privacy. 


      Travel

      We will join the Samambaia on December 14th in Sorong, where the trip will end on December 21st. Sorong, on the Indonesian province of West Papua, is well served with Indonesia’s domestic airlines. We are able to help arrange domestic flights to and from Sorong, plus any add-on trips you may be interested in.


      The Diving

      The best time to dive Raja Ampat is from October to April. Topside conditions at this time of year proved to be excellent. You could enjoy cruising in virtually flat calm seas, with only some rain showers punctuating warm, sunny days. 


      Some dives are planned for slack tide, while occasionally the current can be challenging. Fortunately, the stronger currents also generally made for better visibility, blooming corals and greater fish activity. Experience: A minimum of 30 dives is required.

      Cancellation Policy

      Upon cancellation of a reservation for any reason, the refund of the deposit and payments made or due will be contingent upon Blue Planet reselling the participant's reservation. Any refund may also be subject to a cancellation fee and payment of any non-refundable fees imposed by the tour company, dive operator or any other contractor associated with the trip. 


      Dive accident insurance is required for all divers on this trip. We strongly recommend travel insurance to protect your vacation investment. Contact us if you need more information. 

      What’s included

      • Enriched Air
        Only for those certified to dive with enriched air! Interested in taking the course before the trip? Let us know at the shop and we can make sure you're ready!
      • Meals
        When on board, meals are included.
      • Drinks
        Beer, Soda, Juices, Coffee, Tea
      • Kayak
        For inflatable fun between dives!
      • Airport Transfers
        Airport to harbor and vice versa
      • Dives
        Up to four dives each day including night dives!
      • Land excursions
        If any land activities are possible, we'll definitely try and get them planned!

      What’s not included

      • Wine and Spirits
      • Massage
      • Rental Gear
      • Extra Large Cylinders
      • Laundry
      • Wakeboard
      • Flights
      • Any hotel stays
      • Misc. Fees

      Available Packages

      Twin Cabin

      The Twin Cabin offer two twin beds sharing one bathroom.

      $3,199
      Deposit: $1,000
      Double Cabin

      The Double Cabins offer one shared king sized bed and one shared bathroom.

      $3,199
      Deposit: $1,000
      Master Cabin

      The Master Cabin, located on the aft deck, offers a breath-taking 180° view with its large windows. A special coating on the glass ensures privacy. The Master Cabin offers one king sized bed, one shared bathroom, and a sea-view sofa.

      $3,664
      Deposit: $1,000


      Your Organizer


      BP
      Blue Planet Scuba
      142 reviews
      Blue Planet is a different kind of scuba diving organization — aimed at providing the best education and experiences to divers in the Washington, DC area and beyond, while harnessing the excitement and adventure of scuba diving to help protect our fragile oceans.

      Reviews

      Heather & Jonas were excellent trip leaders making sure everyone was well taken care of. The Galapagos Aggressor had a super crew and the diving was challenging and stunning! We saw hammerheads, penguins, seals, sea lions & dolphins! I really appreciated the personal touches like our matching jackets and a cake for my birthday. I would highly recommend this trip.
      By Catherine W for Explore the Galapagos on Mar 02, 2024
      This review is belated, I know... ...But that only means I took **serious*** consideration into reviewing my experience with Blue Planet DC, and ranking them very highly. Its been almost a year since I was OW Certified with Blue Planet in Cozumel - my training during that trip was thorough enough to provide me with a solid foundation to continue scuba diving afterwards many, many times. The trip itinerary, accommodations, and overall pacing of the scuba lessons were incredibly well organized. The instructors were patient and attentive - at various times I was provided specific one-on-one, actionable feedback regarding things like my trim or my breathing rhythm impacting my buoyancy and what I could do to improve my technique. They made sure we knew our stuff before letting us loose into the ocean, and during our checkout dives they stayed closeby and kept a watchful eye on us, so I felt more at ease and safe. (Even with the drift moving us around!) My main priority for this trip was to learn how to scuba, but that said, there were opportunities at Cozumel to (after the day's lessons are done) be a tourist and explore the area. The resort itself is a very beautiful spot with relaxing, open air dining, lounge, and balcony areas as well as a fantastic view of the ocean horizon. I also really appreciated that lodging AND meals were included in this travel package - it saved me the trouble of having to figure that out on my own, which made a big difference by freeing up more time after each full day of lessons to just relax and chill. I know each trip is always different of course in terms of other group trip attendees you may end up with, so of course this can just be sheer dumb luck, but everyone else on this trip was chill. Even the more seasoned divers who were already certified and doing this for years were friendly and happy to drop useful advice or recount from their personal experiences how it was like them becoming certified the first time. The time I did this it was "drift diving" and of course that scared me a ton. But the PADI material that is mandatory to study goes over what drift diving is. When doing my checkout dive the drift didn't like, wash me away from the group dive route. You'll be under instructor supervision so people are keeping an eye on you, and the drift itself is mild - I didn't have to struggle against the current (if you've ever surfed, you'll see that this isn't at all like a riptide or undertow). If anything, managing your buoyancy will end up your primary concern or worry during the checkout dive. Hope this review helps anyone considering who to go with for getting certified on their first ever scuba trip! I'm very glad I went with Blue Planet.
      By M T for March Certification Weekend in Cozumel on Feb 19, 2024
      EM
      This was my first liveaboard! 🛥️ Anthony was a fantastic trip leader and teacher, as always! The Aquacat crew was fun, the food was delicious and the diving and excursions were great! I would definitely recommend this trip with Blue Planet, especially as a first liveaboard experience! I had a good time learning about sharks, too! 🦈
      By Elsbeth M for Ring in 2024 on a Liveaboard in the Bahamas! on Jan 15, 2024
      Thanks for joining on another amazing trip! Hopefully we will be on another fun trip in sharky waters soon.
      By Anthony White on Jan 17, 2024
      AW
      This was my first trip with Blue Planet and my first liveaboard - both were a great experience! The communication and prep from Blue Planet was excellent (pre-trip meeting was really helpful, paperwork was clear and organized). My husband and I are new divers and Anthony (trip lead from Blue Planet) was an invaluable resource - we learned a lot during the dives and felt safe with him looking out for us. The liveaboard itself was amazing. The bed was comfortable, the food was amazing, the staff were wonderful. This was one of the best trips of my life - it's going to be hard to top with the bar now set so high!
      By Rachel L for Ring in 2024 on a Liveaboard in the Bahamas! on Jan 08, 2024
      Thank you so much, Rachel! I am glad you and Ben had such a good time on the trip. You were both great divers, and I can't wait to see you on more of our trips. I look forward to diving with you some more!
      By Anthony White on Jan 13, 2024
      AW
      JR
      Had a great time diving, wonderful people and nice accommodations; hotel was super convenient to dive boats.
      By Jennifer R for December Certification Weekend in Cozumel on Dec 11, 2023
      Thank you so much, Jennifer! We’re so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the dive experience with Blue Planet in Cozumel. We look forward to you joining with us on a future trip!
      By Blue Planet Scuba on Dec 12, 2023
      BP
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