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Dive Review of Arenui in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

Arenui: "Arenui - Raja Ampat", Dec, 2014,

by David Marchese, PA, US (Sr. Contributor Sr. Contributor 20 reports with 29 Helpful votes). Report 8113 has 4 Helpful votes.

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 5 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Overall, this was an excellent trip on a great boat. Rooms were large, clean, comfortable, and well laid out. The boat is laid out a bit odd with the dive platform on the bow. The stern is inaccessible. Gear is kept on the tenders, and divers load mid-ship by walking down stairs to the tenders. Different, but it all worked very well. However, there really wasn't a way of personally checking NOx mix. Instead, one of the crew would bring around a sheet with the mix recorded for us to review and sign. It was odd and discomforting signing for a mix that I couldn't see, but I didn't let it bother me past day two.

This ship is set up better than any I have been on for photographers with many tables, a big rinse tank, and blow guns. They don't want you lifting a finger so the capable crew would blow dry cameras and set them in your designated area if you wanted. I'm a bit of a control freak, but I trusted them and they were terrific.

While there were 16 passengers aboard, they did a great job of keeping us apart UW. We dressed, boarded the tenders, and dove in groups of 4. We usually didn't see others UW. On a couple of dives, I was the only one of my group diving. Instead of putting me in another group, I went with just the dive master (Edu) in my own tender. That is pretty amazing treatment.

The diving was excellent. We had viz. of only 50' on many dives, but other than that, it was generally excellent. The variety was not nearly as much as in Komodo, but the reefs were very healthy and the fish density was high. There were lots of fairly large fish, but very few sharks. We did have several excellent woebegone encounters. At first I was worried about the limit of 3 day dives (plus one night), but with a 70 minute limit, we spent as much time UW as we would have doing 5 dives/day.

Edu and Nic were the cruise directors and head dive guides. They (and the rest of the crew) honestly deserve 6 stars. They were truly amazing people. Diving with Edu was like diving with a lifelong friend. And his enthusiasm with diving is just astounding.

We only have two criticisms: The food was plentiful but certainly not gourmet. It was also very repetitive. The food was a solid 3 on a 5 star boat. Also, the dining area was not air conditioned. And it was hot. The only way to escape the heat was in the cabins. This was the first ship we’ve ever been on that didn’t have an air conditioned common area, and it was way too hot for comfort for me as well as most guests.
Websites Arenui   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Turks & Caicos, Bay Islands, Bahamas,
Fiji, Saba, Maldives, California, Revillagigedo, Cozumel, Midway, Kona,
Galapagos, Panama, Palau, Tahiti, Cocos, Tonga, PNG, Komodo, Sulawesi,
Holbox, Solomon Islands, Belize
Closest Airport Sorong Getting There US-Tokyo-Jakarta-Sorong

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, rainy, cloudy Seas calm
Water Temp 84-85°F / 29-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions 70 minutes (We exceeded that on many dives). Up with 300 psi
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 2 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 So many tables, most photographers had their own. Best photographer set up I've seen.
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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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