Raja Ampat: The Photographer's Delight
Date: 15 - 23 May 2010
Duration: 9 days
Highlights:
DSLRs only allowed, just kidding! Beginner photographers welcomed.
This 9 day/ 8night trip is tailored for our keener photographers to enjoy a trip together vs non-photographers who usually like to charge ahead whilst photographers have barely moved 10 metres underwater. We'll be covering an even split of wide-angle and macro dive sites over the Southern region.
Dive flights will still be split to balance photographers and non-photographers to ensure all will have a good time.
NEW!
The boat: Sea Safari 7
Welcome Aboard on Sea Safari Diving Sea Safari Liveaboard Indonesia & Voyage offers a wide range of Indonesia liveaboard activities with Indonesian Phinisi - rigged Bugis Schooners, constructed with three decks, the boat gives you plenty of space to lose one's self, whether it is in the air-conditioned comfort of the large saloon or lazing under the shade of one of the ship's huge sails.
All Sea Safari vessels are equipped with modern navigation systems, updated safety and first aid equipment. Sea Safari liveaboard offered a perfect mixture of diving and comfortable cruising experience.
Cut and paste link for photos and deck layout:
http://www.divingseasafari.com/diving-boat-detail.php?boat=10
This 9 day/ 8night trip is tailored for our keener photographers to enjoy a trip together vs non-photographers who usually like to charge ahead whilst photographers have barely moved 10 metres underwater. We'll be covering an even split of wide-angle and macro dive sites over the Southern region.
Dive flights will still be split to balance photographers and non-photographers to ensure all will have a good time.
NEW!
The boat: Sea Safari 7
Welcome Aboard on Sea Safari Diving Sea Safari Liveaboard Indonesia & Voyage offers a wide range of Indonesia liveaboard activities with Indonesian Phinisi - rigged Bugis Schooners, constructed with three decks, the boat gives you plenty of space to lose one's self, whether it is in the air-conditioned comfort of the large saloon or lazing under the shade of one of the ship's huge sails.
All Sea Safari vessels are equipped with modern navigation systems, updated safety and first aid equipment. Sea Safari liveaboard offered a perfect mixture of diving and comfortable cruising experience.
Cut and paste link for photos and deck layout:
http://www.divingseasafari.com/diving-boat-detail.php?boat=10
Requirements:
Intermediate to Experienced divers, minimum 40 dives logged. Not suitable for absolute beginners. If less/unsure please contact Trip Organizer to clarify.
Maximum 18 divers.
Maximum 18 divers.
Itinerary:
Day 1: All participants required to arrive in Sorong by early afternoon. One check out dive in Matan on the way south.
Day 2: Daram - Colorful soft corals and black corals cover the rocks and in the numerous sea fans you find pygmy seahorses and spider crabs. Thousands of little reef fishes add one more dimension to this amazing under water landscape.
Often big schools of batfish, bannerfish or red tooth trigger fish are cruising by.
Day 3: Yiliet and Boo - Fantastic reefs unrivalled in the world, covered in soft and hard corals of every colour. An unbelievable variety of fish life will astonish you and the dive time will pass far too quickly.
Day 4: Fiabacet - is really a breath of fresh air for all of us that wish we could always dive on reefs with fish life as prolific as nature intended. The surrounding waters around these pinnacles and islands are very deep and clear. Here you'll find some of the best visibility in Raja Ampat - up of 40 metres - and the fish life is truly excellent, so bring your wide-angle camera lenses. Great hammerhead sharks can be found here, as the adjacent water is deep and they sometimes come up to shallower water to check out what the noisy, yellow and black rubber-clad, bubble-blowing creatures are doing in the water.
Day 5: Wajil - From schooling fish to different species of pygmy seahorses, almost everything can be seen here if you have good eyes. The diving scenery is impressive with cliffs and overhangs covered in soft corals and bathed in sunlight. You will want to go back for the night dive.
Day 6: Jefpele -
Day 7: West Kofiau - A very good area here for critter diving. This is also where Gerry Allen had a higher fish count than the 283 from Cape Kri.
Day 8: SW Batanta - A few very good macro sites here both on the south and north of this island. A small village on the south, Wailebet is where you can take a trek to see the birds of paradise. Rinse gear and pack.
Day 9: Breakfast and depart Sorong.
* Please note this is the suggested itinerary which can be adjusted due to group preferences, weather, etc.
** Descriptions of dive sites copyright Diving 4 Images and various other Raja Ampat dive websites.
All days except the last day will offer 3 day dives and 1 night dive. Last day will usually have two dives in the morning and finish off lunch.
_______________________________________________________
GETTING THERE
Flight schedules as follows:
JKT - SOR:
MZ 762 JAKARTA – UJUNG PANDANG 15MAY 05.00 – 08.15 OK9
MZ 0806 UJUNG PANDANG – SORONG 15MAY 09.35 – 12.45 OK9
SOR - JKT:
7P 846 SORONG-JAKARTA 23MAY 10.20-13.15
Domestic: Groups are flying from Jakarta or Bali.
IXL: connections can be dealt with offline typically Air Asia or SilkAir. Only SilkAir flies to Manado as Air Asia has cancelled KL - Manado flights.
*You are responsible for your own ticketing, however the organizer will help provide you with an update for schedules later.
**Organizers are not liable for any changes or cancellation cause by the flight operators.
Day 2: Daram - Colorful soft corals and black corals cover the rocks and in the numerous sea fans you find pygmy seahorses and spider crabs. Thousands of little reef fishes add one more dimension to this amazing under water landscape.
Often big schools of batfish, bannerfish or red tooth trigger fish are cruising by.
Day 3: Yiliet and Boo - Fantastic reefs unrivalled in the world, covered in soft and hard corals of every colour. An unbelievable variety of fish life will astonish you and the dive time will pass far too quickly.
Day 4: Fiabacet - is really a breath of fresh air for all of us that wish we could always dive on reefs with fish life as prolific as nature intended. The surrounding waters around these pinnacles and islands are very deep and clear. Here you'll find some of the best visibility in Raja Ampat - up of 40 metres - and the fish life is truly excellent, so bring your wide-angle camera lenses. Great hammerhead sharks can be found here, as the adjacent water is deep and they sometimes come up to shallower water to check out what the noisy, yellow and black rubber-clad, bubble-blowing creatures are doing in the water.
Day 5: Wajil - From schooling fish to different species of pygmy seahorses, almost everything can be seen here if you have good eyes. The diving scenery is impressive with cliffs and overhangs covered in soft corals and bathed in sunlight. You will want to go back for the night dive.
Day 6: Jefpele -
Day 7: West Kofiau - A very good area here for critter diving. This is also where Gerry Allen had a higher fish count than the 283 from Cape Kri.
Day 8: SW Batanta - A few very good macro sites here both on the south and north of this island. A small village on the south, Wailebet is where you can take a trek to see the birds of paradise. Rinse gear and pack.
Day 9: Breakfast and depart Sorong.
* Please note this is the suggested itinerary which can be adjusted due to group preferences, weather, etc.
** Descriptions of dive sites copyright Diving 4 Images and various other Raja Ampat dive websites.
All days except the last day will offer 3 day dives and 1 night dive. Last day will usually have two dives in the morning and finish off lunch.
_______________________________________________________
GETTING THERE
Flight schedules as follows:
JKT - SOR:
MZ 762 JAKARTA – UJUNG PANDANG 15MAY 05.00 – 08.15 OK9
MZ 0806 UJUNG PANDANG – SORONG 15MAY 09.35 – 12.45 OK9
SOR - JKT:
7P 846 SORONG-JAKARTA 23MAY 10.20-13.15
Domestic: Groups are flying from Jakarta or Bali.
IXL: connections can be dealt with offline typically Air Asia or SilkAir. Only SilkAir flies to Manado as Air Asia has cancelled KL - Manado flights.
*You are responsible for your own ticketing, however the organizer will help provide you with an update for schedules later.
**Organizers are not liable for any changes or cancellation cause by the flight operators.
Dive Sites:
Divemasters:
Cruise Director: Graham Abbott
Graham is one of the most experienced and leading dive guides around the Indonesia region. This included guiding for the BBC, scientific expeditions with Dr Gerry Allen and Conservation International and numerous photographic expeditions including David Doubilet and Wetpixel. He has also spent much time diving Raja Ampat and has in-depth knowledge of a lot of the sites that are slowly opening up for liveaboard diving as well as exploring/diving lesser known yet excellent sites.
"Since 1997 I have been a professional dive guide in north Sulawesi, West Australia, the Wakatobi island group, Komodo, Irian Jaya, the eastern islands of the Nusa Tengarra like Flores, Alor & beyond, through the Banda Sea, of course my home island of Bali and since 2005 I have been leading trips various areas of Papua New Guinea. It has been a dream come true to be able to work with some of the worlds' best underwater photographers, journalists, film makers, marine life enthusiasts and for sure I would enjoy the opportunity to work with you, showing you the real treats of underwater Indonesia!"
http://www.diving4images.com/testimony.html
Graham is one of the most experienced and leading dive guides around the Indonesia region. This included guiding for the BBC, scientific expeditions with Dr Gerry Allen and Conservation International and numerous photographic expeditions including David Doubilet and Wetpixel. He has also spent much time diving Raja Ampat and has in-depth knowledge of a lot of the sites that are slowly opening up for liveaboard diving as well as exploring/diving lesser known yet excellent sites.
"Since 1997 I have been a professional dive guide in north Sulawesi, West Australia, the Wakatobi island group, Komodo, Irian Jaya, the eastern islands of the Nusa Tengarra like Flores, Alor & beyond, through the Banda Sea, of course my home island of Bali and since 2005 I have been leading trips various areas of Papua New Guinea. It has been a dream come true to be able to work with some of the worlds' best underwater photographers, journalists, film makers, marine life enthusiasts and for sure I would enjoy the opportunity to work with you, showing you the real treats of underwater Indonesia!"
http://www.diving4images.com/testimony.html
Fiona Kwok
Tjokro A. Sugito
Mulyadi Setiono
Carl Gennaro
Graham Abbott
Corey Wong
Ahmad Zaki Embi
Yohanes Pratondo
Didik Prasetiyono
Tan Chou Jiang
Hasan Loksono
Lee Shek Hah
Rizal Adnan
Thierry Gapp
Edy Selamat