Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in
Indonesia/Derawan/ N. Sulawesi

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Aggressor Fleet: "Derawan to North Sulawesi", Oct, 2023, by Michael J. Millet, CA, US ( Top Contributor 101 reports with 63 Helpful votes). Report 12613.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
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	RAJA AMPAT AGGRESSOR 2023 REVIEW Enjoyed a 12 night dive trip aboard the RAA in late August and early September from August 25 to September 6. The trip began out of Berau in Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia. Getting to Berau is not easy. I flew SFO to SIN to Jakarta (with a layover due to a luggage delay). Then a flight to Belikpapan with a one night layover then one more flight to Berau. So almost 3 days. At the Berau, we were met by a crew member who advised us that we next has an unexpected 2 1/2 hour drive to the dive vessel. After boarding we went thru the usual routine of briefings and gear setup. Later that evening, we headed out to the Derawan Archipelago. The first dive location was Sangalaki Island where we had some brief encounters with manta rays. The highlight of this day was visiting the turtle hatchery and participating in the release of the green turtle hatchlings to the sea. The next day near Tali Saya, we dived beneath a fishing platform for a thrilling encounter with whale sharks. The third day of diving was at Kakaban Island. This island contains a large fresh water lake where we snorkeled with mastigias jellyfish. Our next stop was Maratua Island where we had some nice turtle encounters along with the usual nudibranchs and other reef creatures. The next 2 days were limited to 2 dives per day while we made the crossing over to the most western side of North Sulawesi and on to Bunaken. At Bunaken, we made 4 dives with the expected close-up encounters with green sea turtles. Then it was cruising east about the very north end of Sulawesi to Bangka Island where we did 4 dives. Here the winds were blowing and the seas very choppy. The the last 2 dive days were primarily spent diving the Lembeh Strait with 2 very nice night dives. The winds continued to blow. This trip was led by the cruise director, Pep, who did a great job keeping us up-to-date with each day’s location and the trip itinerary. He also gave very thorough and entertaining dive briefings often accompanied with some very clever card tricks. The dive operation was quite efficient and well organized. The eleven divers were divided into 3 groups each with its own dive guide. We had 3 divers in our group. The dive groups rotated dive order and dive guide on a daily basis. The dive guides were all very good and attentive. They varied in their critter-finding skills. I was pleasantly surprised when the dive guide for my 2700 dive drew up a congratulatory message on his dive slate (see photo). The diving began at 7 AM with 2 morning dives and one afternoon dive. 7 night dives were offered during the trip. All the diving is from inflatable skiffs. The dive deck has adequate camera tables and plenty of charging stations inside the main salon. The Nitrox fills were only about 26-27% for the entire trip. Appropriately, we were not charged for the Nitrox. A continental breakfast was offered before the first dive with a full, made-to-order breakfast after the first dive. Lunch was buffet and dinner plated with a limited choice of main. The food was nicely prepared with a limited variety of selections. Desserts and soups were quite tasty. There was always several well stocked cookie jars available. The entire crew was always very friendly and helpful. They enjoyed my very feeble attempts at speaking the local language. Upon learning that I was the oldest diver on the trip. the crew good-naturedly began referring to me as “Opa” (grandpa). The crew cheered and hollered whenever a skiff would return to big boat after dive. Lots of fun. In conclusion, I enjoyed the trip, the diving and the crew. However, the diving about the Derawan Atoll is not so special to warrant the hassle getting there and the limited # of dives during the crossing over to North Sulawesi. In fact, 2 of the top activities while diving Derawan were actually topside — the turtle hatchery and the jellyfish lake. So it is unlikely that I will venture to Derawan again. The best diving is at North Sulawesi — Bunaken, Gangga/Bangka and Lembeh Strait. All of these areas are best accessed by topside dive resorts not liveaboards.
Websites	Aggressor Fleet
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	All over the Caribbean; Galapagos, Socorro, Fiji, Solomons, GBR, Vanuatu, PNG, Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Yap, Kosrae, Truk Lagoon
Closest Airport	Berau then Manado	Getting There	Fron SFO to SIN then Jakarta up to Berau with a connection in Balikpapan.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, cloudy	Seas	calm, choppy, currents
Water Temp	78-84°F / 26-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	35-90 Ft/ 11-27 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	no deco with 60 minute dives
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	> 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	1 or 2
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	The Raja Ampat Aggressor has 2 large camera tables with towels and compressed air. Just inside the salon area are many outlets for charging batteries. There are 2 dedicated camera rinse tanks. The crew was careful carrying camera gear to/from the dive skiffs.

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Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in Indonesia/Derawan/ N. Sulawesi

Aggressor Fleet: "Derawan to North Sulawesi", Oct, 2023,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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):

Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in
Indonesia/Derawan/ N. Sulawesi