Dive Review of Dewi Nusantara in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

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Dewi Nusantara: "Raja Ampat on the Dewi Nusantara", Dec, 2014, by Michael Wood, WA, US ( Sr. Contributor 21 reports with 14 Helpful votes). Report 8094 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
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	With over 1,000 dives across the world, I'd rank this as my #1 dive trip ever. The biodiversity/quantities of fish/corals/pelagics were unmatched, and the boat was exquisite. The staff, headed by a real pro in Wendy, was very well trained. The dive guides were very good at finding critters and customizing to your needs/desires. Of course it takes a LONG time to get to Sorong, Western Papua, from the U.S. or Europe, but it is well worth the trip. We stopped at Lembeh Resort for 4 muck diving days pre-Dewi (separate review to follow), which was a good start before the 11 day liveaboard. The boat is a beautifully crafted, spacious schooner built of ironwood in Indonesia. Spacious, comfortable cabins with good beds, plenty of storage; great camera room; plenty of hot water; warm showers on deck with 5 minute post-diving shoulder/neck massages accompanied with warm towels. Food of high quality, especially given the remoteness of Sorong; very flexible for special diets (I'm on a low carb way of eating and did very well, lost another 5 pounds on the trip). Capuccinos, special meals, tasty Indonesian and western fare. Ask, and it will be granted if humanly possible. Head waiter Hendrik was superb. Relaxing areas of boat were several and delightful as well. Our group asked to modify the dive schedule to 8am, 11am, 3pm, 6:30pm (an hour later than normally proposed)and with a smile were granted our request by Wendy. Two sturdy wooden dive skiffs holding 8 divers each and three dive masters, were workable, with back-rolls off and removing BC's before climbing up the ladder. Safety procedures were good, as expected. Guides were very capable, helpful, patient. Ah, the diving! It was like being in a giant, over-populated aquarium. The soft and hard corals, the variety and quantity of fish, the colors were like nothing else on the planet. Our two giant Manta sites were near spiritual experiences, with the animals swimming 2 feet over our heads, repeatedly for half an hour or more with up to 6 at once. Black and white-tip sharks here and there; Walking Sharks at night, Wobbegong Sharks hiding under ledges during the day. Eels, schools of barracuda, surgeonfish, snappers, sweetlips, durgeons, wrasse, jacks, and on and on...swimming through the schools was a delight. We went south first, then north. Only encountered a couple of other dive boats during the 11 days of diving. We were able to choose our dive sites according to conditions. Wendy, again, was very skilled at that. Only minor, understandable glitches--don't get the cabins in the front if anchor chains going down at 6am bother you. A few little leaks inconvenienced one or two cabins, but were fixed promptly. We had rain the first 3 days, then sunny/partly cloudy the remainder of the trip. Several of us had one day of travelers' diarrhea early in the trip, but it passed quickly. I was a single and they did a guaranteed share at the pp/do rate for me. Worked out great. People on the boat had all been to Wakatobi and felt the diving here was even better. High praise. I will be going back on this boat again someday. What an experience! Save your dollars up, it's not inexpensive, but worth every penny.
Websites	Dewi Nusantara
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Caribbean, Indonesia, Philippines, Maldives, Society Islands, Papua New Guinea, Great Barrier Reef, Hawai'i, Belize, Honduras
Closest Airport	Sorong	Getting There	Via Jakarta (best connections) or Denpasar (additional overnight required, 1 stop flight)
Dive Conditions
Weather	dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Follow your computer; 60 minute dives the norm, though if you were a few minutes longer there was no hassle.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
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	Dedicated camera room with lots of plugs, converters, counter space. Dedicated rinse tank on ship; nothing on dive boats but the crew is very careful/appropriate with cameras.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Dewi Nusantara in Indonesia/Raja Ampat

Dewi Nusantara: "Raja Ampat on the Dewi Nusantara", Dec, 2014,

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 Dewi Nusantara in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat