Dive Review of
Sorido Resort in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

Palau, Kiribati, Truk, Galapagos, Costa Rica, Little Cayman, Raja Ampat,
Lembeh Straits, Wakatobi, East Timor, Bali, Hawaii, VI, Cozumel etc

Dive Conditions

None about 60 minutes max  

The room had a large camera table with a sink.  

Overall Rating

Part II Papua- Sorido (cont’d from Lembeh report).

This is the second trip I have made to this area in less than a year. I was
so blown away with my trip last December and January I wanted to come back
in October when I was told the visibility could probably be better in Raja
Ampat. 

In late August, I was notified that the Sunday October 19 flight from
Manado to Sorong was canceled. Thus I had to lose a day of diving in Lembeh
by having to leave a day early and go and spend a night in a place called
Ujung Pandang (Makassar). Making this flight enabled me to make the Sunday
boat schedule to Sorido. I do not enjoy spending my time on Planes and
Airports…Grrrrr…I like to be diving!... but I endeavor to pursue!

Seven Nights, seventeen dives no diving on Saturdays. Weather half the time
was overcast with a couple of days that had light showers off and on. Night
time is when we had some strong showers and lighting. Temperatures varied
80 to 85 degrees (had a couple of nights I did not put the AC on) and water
temperatures between 82 to 85 degrees. 

Had a glitch upon arrival in Makassar. Upon arrival, nobody waiting to
greet me! Long story short I had the number for the agent that was holding
my ticket for Sorong and had the name of my Hotel in Makassar and made it
to Sorong the next day. When Max (owner of Sorido and Kri they made all the
reservations) found out about it, he apologized and covered my expenses. In
addition, I did a couple of excursions and he compensated the most
expensive one! Now that is a Class Act!

Sorido Resort- this is located on the edge of nowhere, It is the Ritz!
Excellent accommodations, meals plentiful breakfast had cereals, eggs
crêpes, bread, fresh fruits etc. Lunches had a fish, Chicken and beef
entrees with veggies, rice and desert was fresh fruit. Dinners again have a
fish, chicken, or beef with rice and veggies. Many of the dishes had an
Indonesian taste to it healthy and excellent.  

The Diving: Maximum people on the boat were five usually only three. James
Humphreys is the assistant manager and he did all the dive briefings and
many of the dives. James is excellent! I dove with Otto in January but he
was on holiday the week I was there. We dove many of the same spots I did
in January, Cape Kri, Sardines reef, Manta point etc. Unfortunately the
first couple of days the Vis was poor and some wicked and strong currents.
I did a couple of days of excursion trips (additional charge we had enough
people to go) to Fam Island/Mellissa’s Garden and Wai where the WWII P47D
Razorback plane wreck. If you like corals Fam is the spot to go. You will
find lots of Tropical fish action, Giant clams (biggest I have seen since
Lizard Island) good visibility but not much in the way of medium or large
fish action. One of the most beautiful spots I have seen both topside and
underwater!

To give you an idea of one of my dives at Sardines reef (which lasted for
60 minutes or more), three different schools of Barracuda, many types of
Groupers, Cardinalfishes, Trevally’s, Snappers, Sweetlips, Batfishes,
Butterflyfish’s, Anglefishes, Damselfishes, Wrasses, Wobbegong’s
Parrotfish’s, Triggerfish’s, Nudibranchs, Pigmy seahorses Schools in the
hundreds and thousands of different types of Fusiliers etc etc in one dive,
one dive site! In January I had a few more dives that I enjoyed but I stuck
within local 10-kilometer radius. This time I did the excursions and the
first couple of days there were some very bad currents. Fam is an excursion
not to be missed, the top side in Fam is as beautiful as the underside.

Had a few dinners with Max Ammer, what a great guy to talk with, if anyone
ever has a chance to meet Max ask him to tell you the P-38 story, it blew
me away. This guy is the original adventurer!

An interesting addition(s) to Sorido is the Horn bird that likes to come
out of nowhere and land on your shoulder and likes to play, plus the Tree
Roo who loves to crab on to you with those claws! 

If you are in Singapore you must do the Singapore Flyer. It is higher than
the London eye one of the great additions to Singapore! Also when
transiting I found the new transit hotel in terminal 3 to be much better
than the ones in T-1 or T-2.

In addition, anyone flying Lion air beware! They will hand you a lunch box
and drink….then come back around and charge you. Plus my flight from Sorong
they charged me an overweight fee of around $50 and did not put my dive
gear bag on the plane or refund the overweight fee. Still do not know where
the bag is or if I will ever see it again!

Overall this was a most Excellent Adventure! I will be back in 2009
Hopefully do the Antares and Sorido Resort!
 

Questions?
Send an email to the author of this report

What others have to say about Undercurrent
And get immediate access to ALL 555 dive reviews of Indonesia
and all other dive destinations immediately!