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Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

Aggressor Fleet: "Trip of a lifetime!", Mar, 2017,

by Elisabeth Sykes, NM, US (Reviewer Reviewer 5 reports with 5 Helpful votes). Report 9880 has 4 Helpful votes.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 1 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments GOOD:
The best diving we've ever encountered. The health of the reefs, the diversity and abundance of marine life, warm water, relatively good visibility, and an outstanding liveaboard made this the best dive trip we've been on. From macro to wide angle, pygmy seahorses to oceanic manta rays, and soft corals more abundant and vibrant than Fiji, this trip was incredible. For the first time, we saw epaulette sharks and wobbegong sharks.
To our surprise, no divers brought large camera rigs. The camera table had plenty of space for them, but the lack of large cameras eased entry and exit from the dive skiffs and there was no competition to photograph marine life.
The crew aboard the Raja Ampat Aggressor was outstanding. From the chef, dining room service, and dive guides, we were treated like they truly wanted us to have a memorable holiday. Kudos to the crew!

BAD:
Initially, we were paired with an inexperienced couple, with one of them having less than 20 dives experience. While there were generally no strong currents, this is NOT a trip for beginners. They got lost underwater, ran out of air quickly, lacked bouyancy control, and caused us to lose out on underwater time. Fortunately, after two frustrating days, we spoke up and the inexperienced couple were placed with a dive master of their own, and we could dive normal profiles.

OTHER:
Prior to the trip, we were told no gloves were allowed and to bring Calamine lotion, Benadryl cream, etc. for underwater stings. However, we kept our hands off of the marine life and encountered no stings. We did buy a stainless steel rod from the onboard "store" and this enabled us to get close for macro photography without putting our hands on the bottom.
Wine is provided at meal times in limited quantities. If you want hard liquor, bring it with you from another country. Alcohol is quite expensive in Indonesia.

Elisabeth Sykes and Vick Thomas
Websites Aggressor Fleet   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Yap-Micronesia, Republic of Palua, Great Barrier Reef, Fiji, Maldives, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Sea of Cortez, Cayman Islands, Belize, Bonaire, Bahamas, California, Mexico, Florida Keys, Hawaii, Turks and Caicos, etc.
Closest Airport Sorong, Indonesia. Getting There We flew from a major city in the United States to Los Angeles aboard a domestic U.S. airline. Then, we flew from Los Angeles to Hong Kong to Singapore via Cathay Pacific (superb service). Then, we spent several days in Singapore to adjust to the time zone. Then, we flew from Singapore to Jakarta, Indonesia to Makassar, Indonesia to Sorong, Indonesia via Garuda Air (also had superb service). NOTE: check the flight schedule so you don't fly in the middle of the night from Singapore to Sorong.

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 82-86°F / 28-30°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 30-80 Ft/ 9-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions As I recall, they requested no deep dives, e.g. greater than 120 foot depth. However, there was no reason to exceed this. Most of the time, one dove between 30 - 80 foot depth.
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments There are abundant options for macro and intermediate lenses. There are fewer opportunities to use wide angle lens, e.g. close ups of manta rays, etc. The dive table is a fairly standard size with adequate room, unless you had a dozen divers each with a large photography rig. In the saloon, there are adequate power outlets for charging batteries, etc.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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