Dive Review of Amira in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

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Amira: "Great Diving and Service on the Amira", Dec, 2018, by K Hansen, IL, US ( 2 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 10838 has 2 Helpful votes.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Had a fantastic experience on the Amira, a beautiful phinisi with ten wonderful days of diving and an outstanding service-oriented crew. Diving in Rajat Ampat lived up to its reputation with gardens of healthy coral and blizzards of fish. The diving was a combination of pinnacles and walls, including some sites with interesting topography - arches/swim throughs. Currents ranged from minimal to somewhat strong where we used reef hooks. The Divemasters were excellent. They managed the dives well, worked with the boat crew to drop us at the correct location for the dive, managed a few negative entries due to current, and were excellent at finding both small and large stuff. We saw Wobbegong, Walking, and Black Tip, White tip sharks, Manta rays, Eagle rays, Blue Ringed octopus, Scorpion fish, Pipefish, Pygmy seahorses, nudis and much more. Dive briefings were conducted prior to each dive and included topographical drawings of the site as well as points and marine life of interest. Route(s) and expected current were also discussed. One of the guides went to the site to check the current prior to each briefing. After the briefings, dive groups left for the dive about 10 minutes apart so the dive deck never felt crowded. Groups were rotated as to diving order. There were 3 -4 dives each day. Diving was from tenders with back roll for entry and a ladder on the back to climb out. When surfacing the fantastic boat crew helped by taking your camera, fins, and BCD if you’d like. Each tender had 4 to 5 divers and 1 – 2 Divemasters per tender yielding a maximum ratio of 4 divers per guide. Divemasters rotated tenders daily. Dive groups were thoughtfully assigned at the beginning of the trip and remained together throughout. The dive deck was spacious. Each diver was assigned a spot with a bin. A fresh towel was put at your station before each dive. After the dive, crew was on the dive deck with beverages. There were separate rinse tanks for camera gear, masks/computers, and wetsuits. There were two hot showers at the back end of the dive deck with good water pressure. The camera room is adjacent to the dive deck. Dive operations were great. You did not have to touch your gear once you unpacked it. They carried your BCD and fins to and from the tenders and helped with cameras. Refills were done on the dive deck. Fills were always at 3000 psi. Nitrox was checked in front of you by the crew before each dive whereby you signed off on your oxygen level – usually 32%. Rooms and bathrooms were large. Storage space was plentiful. There was a night light at the head of each bed which was very convenient. Air conditioning was plentiful. The beds could be arranged as two twins or put together as one. Mattresses were on the hard side. Food was varied and good. Pre-breakfast was served before the first dive and made to order breakfast afterwards consisting of both Indonesian and Western style foods. Buffet lunch was served after the second dive. It usually included a fish dish, a meat dish and a vegetable dish all of which were Indonesian style. Dinner was plated with more food than I could eat. It was a combination of Indonesian and Western style foods. Fresh fruit was available with each meal. A fantastic sushi spread was served the last night. Additional activities included a couple of hikes up to view points. We also went on a couple of tender rides around the islands. One day the sails were set – it was beautiful. On the last night some of the talented crew gave a concert playing instruments and singing. Raja Ampat is great diving and the Amira a good choice. I’m looking forward to returning.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, Maldives, Galapogos
Closest Airport	Sorong	Getting There	International to Jakarta, Jakarta to Sorong via Makassar
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	calm, choppy, currents
Water Temp	-°F / -°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	- Ft/ - M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Mostly 60 minutes but some up to 70 minutes.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	I did not use the camera room.

Report currently has 2 Helpful votes

Subscriber's Comments

By peter bernstein in FL, US at Feb 02, 2019 08:12 EST

good report

By PAUL BISBEE in CA, US at Feb 09, 2019 01:07 EST

Report should be listed as a LIVEABOARD.

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Dive Review of Amira in Indonesia/Raja Ampat

Amira: "Great Diving and Service on the Amira", Dec, 2018,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Amira in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat