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Dive Review of Dewi Nusantara in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat, Triton Bay

Dewi Nusantara: "Sets the bar at the top", Feb, 2017,

by Mary McCombie, CT, US (Sr. Contributor Sr. Contributor 25 reports with 17 Helpful votes). Report 9516.

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 $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments This was easily the finest liveaboard we've ever done (and it was my 45th liveaboard trip). The cabins are enormous (staterooms fit the bill better); ours had a huge shower, big enough for two, with Commando 450-style water pressure (a Seinfeld reference!), and plenty of room for personal stuff. The king bed (or two twins) sported all-cotton sheets and a fluffy duvet. Each cabin had a large desk, a closet for hanging stuff, and multiple drawers and shelves. No one has ever said that I travel light, yet we left many shelves empty! During dinner, your stateroom was turned down and the bathroom cleaned. Each person was given two bath towels, changed midway during the trip (along with sheets), and one beach towel. I always supplement towels on liveaboards with a few microfiber towels that dry quickly but you could have been fine with what they supplied.

All diving is done from tenders. They were large and intelligently designed, with foam-covered seating; all you did was board wearing your suit and mask, and your gear had been set up for you (though I recommend checking to make sure you liked the setup, as several different hands set up gear and there could be variations). Shrug on your BCD, and backroll into the water, with an easy exit onto the tender after handing up weights; the crew hauled up the BCD, so you just needed to climb the ladder. Because this trip was full, several of us dove in threesomes with the guide (rather than the usual buddy team with one guide).

The itinerary for this trip was from Sorong to Kaimana/Triton Bay, which included some iconic Raja Ampat sites around Misool as well as more far flung sites further southeast. Most sites boasted lush hard and soft corals; currents were more common than not (we used reef hooks a couple of times), and thermoclines made a warm wetsuit important. The guides are expert in finding the weird and wonderful, and during briefings, the cruise director suggested macro or wide angle, depending on the site. It's often challenging diving, not for the inexperienced, with currents and sometimes very low vis; for the experienced, it was a blast. This trip was organized by Secret Sea Visions, which meant the divers were passionate about fish ID and conservation.

After diving, there were two freshwater deck showers, usually with sun-warmed water and a warm towel. But the best after-dive treat was a good back, neck and shoulder massage that really took out the knots! If a meal was not forthcoming, we were offered a snack, either savory (like egg rolls) or sweet (like cake).

The food was highly respectable for a boat: pre-breakfast was the usual fruit, yogurt, toast, etc., but breakfast offered French toast, eggs Florentine, eggs any style, pancakes, etc.. Lunch was served buffet-style, with several types of protein (fish, chicken, beef), a vegetarian option, sates, burritos, and a variety of salads. Dinners were served plated, always beginning with a soup. The menu was posted in the morning, so if you had a request, there was plenty of time for the kitchen to accommodate it. We had rack of lamb, beef saltimbocca, fresh fish, duck confit, sirloin steak cooked to order, Indonesian buffet, and so forth. There was always a salad at dinner and though we rarely eat dessert, this time we rarely passed one up. It was not gourmet food but pretty ambitious for a boat, and impressive for this location, where good food is far more the exception than the rule.

The boat is comfortable enough that a 12 day trip didn't leave us with cabin fever. The crew was kind, dedicated to service, and helped in every way. She costs more than most boats but the value made it worth it. BTW, if you want to sound Indonesian, say it like this: DAY-wee nus-AHN-tear-ah!
Websites Dewi Nusantara   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving all over the world
Closest Airport SOQ Getting There bit of a trek

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, rainy Seas calm, surge, currents
Water Temp 78-83°F / 26-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 2-50 Ft/ 1-15 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions common sense
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

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

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 [None]
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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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