Raja Ampat – Indonesia
There are close to 1,500 islands across Indonesia that make up the Raja Ampat Islands so you can see why this area is considered one of the world’s best dive destinations! These islands are actually part of the Coral Triangle, which is an expansive network of coral reefs in Southeast Asia. Due to the underwater ecosystem in this area and the marine biodiversity, it is also rightfully called the “Amazon of the Ocean.”
Because of its remote location, Raja Ampat offers some of Indonesia’s most pristine reefs and breathtaking underwater scenery. Diversity and abundance of sea life are just a few of the reasons these islands have made it to the top of our most favorite dive locations in the world! From drift dives one day to exploring underwater topography like nothing I have ever seen the next, diving the waters that make up the Raja Ampat Islands is really hard to put into words. The best way would be to think of it as a great book and with each day of diving comparable to a new chapter with a surprising twist!
The word Raja Ampat means “four kings” in the Indonesian language, and this refers to its 4 main islands–Misool, Salawati, Batanta, Waigeo. We embarked on the Solitude Adventurer Liveaboard on an 8 day “Raja Ampat, Misool” tour departing from Sorong, which is located on West Papua.
The Solitude Adventurer
Once a private yacht, the Solitude Adventurer was completely renovated in 2017 and added to the Solitude fleet of boats.
There are 8 cabins aboard this vessel and all have en suites and all have ocean views. Here is a pic from our room before we departed. So as you can see the floor to ceiling windows were amazing!
And what a welcome we had as we arrived! Pictured below are some of the crew that greeted us as we approached the boat! I could already tell his was going to be an amazing adventure!
Details of our trip:
- Trip Length – 8 day/7 nights
- Time of year – Early March
- Tour Area – Raja Ampat – Misool
- Live aboard Vessel – Solitude Adventurer
There were 27 dives offered on our liveaboard with two of those being night dives. Visibility along with the water current are things that can impact a dive. Our crew did a great job of heading out to each site prior to our dive to determine the best time and location of each entry. We did have a few dives that the current was pretty heavy but honestly, that is when you see the really cool stuff! And boy, did we see some cool stuff! This was my first time to need to use a reef hook when diving so I was a little nervous at first, but it didn’t take me long to figure it out! And for those that don’t dive, a reef hook is used to secure yourself to a rock (not coral) in strong current which will then allow you to stay stationary to be able to watch the fish that are waiting for their dinner! Some of the best dive sites in the World have strong underwater currents and the reason is for the simple fact that currents carry in food (plankton) to an area, which in turn draws fish and more fish and animals that feed on that fish. Now to clarify, we aren’t watching a feeding event like something on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, (I have probably just dated by self with that comparison!) it is just a great way to see lots of schools of fish, and hopefully really big fish!
The solitude adventurer had all the amenities you can imagine. With a spacious media area, air conditioning in all the rooms as well as in the common lounge area. And special thanks to our new friend Lauren for catching Pete napping and sending me this fun pic!
While the main purpose of our trip was to dive, there were some other super fun things we got to do during our week aboard the Solitude Adventurer. Here are a few of the highlights:
One of my personal favorite was our visit to the Piaynemo Islands. This may be one of the most recognizable spots in Raja Ampat! We made our way to Pulau Penem which is one of the bigger islands where there is a short trek that will lead you to a lookout that gives you the most spectacular views of the islands below!
Another really fun thing we did was a speed boat cruise and swim in the lagoons. We jumped in the skiffs and this was literally the most beautiful place I have even seen. The water was crystal clear and the karst islands that surrounded us were unbelievable! I have a hard time putting it into words but luckily we got some drone footage to share with you so you could enjoy it as well!
The food we had during the week was great! We even got some special meals like the BBQ dinner on the sun deck at sunset! And the crew were all engaging and entertaining as well. At any time during the day you would find someone singing or playing the guitar in the common area!
Dive briefings were some of the best we have ever had. Very detailed and all the dive masters were great. We were in small groups and the DM’s rotated so we got the opportunity to get to know each of them. And they were all super knowledgeable about the local marine life. And check out this comparison – to the left is the dive briefing and the picture to the right is the dive site. I think we have an artist on our hands here! But this gives you an idea of what we see underwater when diving.
Diving Raja Ampat because of its locality was like diving in an untouched part of the world. Very rarely did we have a dive when another boat was within viewing distance. On this trip, we didn’t dive directly from the boat but instead we went out in groups on their skiffs and got dropped off at the actual dive site. The nicest part about this is that in most cases each group from our boat was dropped at a different part of the dive site. It always seemed like we were the only ones except for the random occassion we would cross paths with the other groups from our boat.
Ratio to staff and divers was unmatched to anything we have experienced thus far. While the boat can handle a maximum of 18 divers, there were only 13 during our trip. So we had the advantage of our crew outnumbering the guests. With a total of 18 crew members during our stay you can understand why the service was outstanding!
Our dive guides were friendly and knowledgeable and took outstanding care of us as well! As soon as you boarded the ship from a dive you were handed a warm drink and warm refreshing hand towel. They immediatly took your gear from you and handled rinsing and hanging it while you showered off. And let’s not forget the fact that this boat had what seemed like unlimited hot water, even on the dive deck which was much appreciated! The waters were warm enough that we didn’t need our wetsuit for most all of our dives but for those that did wear one, the crew were there ready to help you in and out of your suits as well. The service on the Solitude Adventurer went above and beyond our expectations for sure!
Under the sea
Coral was the best we have ever seen. We saw a blue ringed octopus, manta rays, wobbegong sharks, and just about every other thing you can imagine. The macro life we saw was amazing as well! And the largest clams imaginable. To give you an idea, they were so large I could almost fit my entire body inside them! And don’t worry, I didn’t try, just wanted to give you a visual of how big these things were! I could go on and on about all the spectacular stuff, like the amazing sea fans, but, we would be here all day. Here is a video with a few highlights from under the sea:
We met so many great people on this trip! We even had impromptu yoga and meditation sessions thanks to Sean. And I figured out a way to still participate (a little) even when relaxing in other ways!
The Modern Nomads 
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