Dive Review of Dive Damai in
Indonesia/Banda Sea/Raja Ampat

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Dive Damai: "Forgotten Islands, Banda Sea & Raja Ampat Oct. 2023", Oct, 2023, by Beth Gregory, NC, US ( 1 report with 1 Helpful vote). Report 12827 has 1 Helpful vote.
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	This trip, my second trip aboard the Damai II, exceeded my first trip in 2018 (Raja Ampat itinerary) and that was a great trip! This trip began in Saumlaki and ended in Sorong covering approximately 1000 nautical miles. The staff was excellent and hard working. I can't praise them enough. Many of the 2018 crew members were on board including Mika, the cruise director. I met him in 2018 on his first Damai II trip. He was in training at that time. Now a seasoned and confident cruise director, Mika took great care of us above and below the surface. All crew members worked tirelessly meeting the needs of the guests. The briefing about the boat and safety was excellent. The meals were fabulous and guests were served by the staff. The kitchen was like a restaurant and would make dishes to order if the menu items weren’t to one’s taste. There was plenty of tofu and tempeh fixed many different ways for those who didn't eat meat or fish. The dive deck is spacious. Each station has a freshwater basin for rinsing equipment. Divers are divided into 3 groups diving from 2 tenders (RIBs): the first group gets dropped off then that tender returns for the third group. DMs can come up after 60 minutes, but divers can dive their air unless the boat has to move. Tender drivers are on the lookout for bubbles: just deploy your SMB and they will be there to pick you up. After a dive, a dry towel is at your station and crew members assist with shedding booties and wetsuits. Any items left in the tenders are brought up to the dive stations. The deck shower has plenty of hot water. There are clothes lines with pins for drying stuff. Currents were checked at the dive site before each dive so dive briefings were very thorough. (I love the whiteboard drawings.) There were 3 DMs. Mika occasionally guided a group to give a DM a break. The groups rotated through the DMs switching each day. All the DMs had sharp eyes and were great at locating the macro life. For the most part, they traveled slowly so we could enjoy the sites. The cabins are spacious and comfortable, however, with the creaking (all that wood!) and the sound of the engine, I had a hard time sleeping. I learned to sleep with my noise-canceling headphones on. That worked really well. The Damai II added a second egress for the cabins below deck – a door in cabin 2 that opens into the crew’s quarters with an exit to the dive deck. There was no fire drill, but the tour of the boat before leaving port, was very clear about what to do should a fire break out. Sea snakes were the biggest reason I booked this trip. We saw plenty. The other firsts for me included a Raja Epaulette Shark, a Crocodile Flathead, and a Sicklefin Devil Ray seen as it swam off into the blue! We saw 2 oceanic mantas, a reef manta and 1 or 2 mobulas. The usual schooling fish were present, but I was fascinated by the sea life on the reefs: anemones, sea cucumbers of all colors and sizes, anemone fish galore, many species of shrimps and crabs, a few octopuses, quite a few cuttlefish, giant clams, pipefish, scorpion fish, and oodles of nudibranchs. The tunicates, sponges and corals were magnificent. Saw lots of dolphins from the boat. There were some sharks (maybe 10), but I wouldn't say lots. (Need a selection between 1 or 2 and lots :->) In the Banda Sea we saw quite a bit of heavy reef damage from blast fishing. Very sad, but it’s still well worth going. There is a strong effort to educate the fishermen regarding this unsustainable practice. At the end of the trip, all of our gear was washed and put out to dry. If required, the gear can be placed in the compressor room for more thorough drying. On the morning of departure guests can stay on the boat until time to leave for the airport. There is never a rush to get you off the boat.
Websites	Dive Damai
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Red Sea, Galapagos, Caribbean, Sipidan.
Closest Airport	Sumlaki	Getting There	RDU to ATL to Seoul to Jakarta to Ambon (resort diving) then to Saumlaki. The travel time is brutal from the US. Next trip I will plan a layover for at least one full day to split the trip up.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	79-87°F / 26-31°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	40-60 Ft/ 12-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	no deco diving
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	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	Each diver has a roomy station with several outlets and a towel. Most of the outlets are for European 2-pronged plugs, however, there are a few 110V outlets like in the US. There is an air gun on the dive deck. Guests charge electronics and equipment at the stations. Charging is not allowed in the cabins unless the room is occupied by someone who is awake.

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Dive Review of Dive Damai in Indonesia/Banda Sea/Raja Ampat

Dive Damai: "Forgotten Islands, Banda Sea & Raja Ampat Oct. 2023", 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 Dive Damai in
Indonesia/Banda Sea/Raja Ampat