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Dive Review of Gaia Love in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

Gaia Love: "Great Expreience in Raja!", Oct, 2018,

by Tim, CA, US (Reviewer Reviewer 6 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 10601 has 3 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 $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments This was a group charter for the whole boat. Everyone in the group is very experienced and all have been on several live-aboards. All agreed this was one of the best – if not the best – live-aboard they have been on. And the diving was fabulous. The dive staff is led by a couple, Gerry and Geil, who have very high standards. Diving is conducted from 3 pangas, a driver and guide on each. Their safety and conservation policies were excellent and the dive briefings were thorough. There are hot showers on the aft deck and warm towels and tea upon returning to the boat. Each dive station has storage under the seat and a camera rinse tank across from the seat as well as a shelf for storage. The helpful crew handled all gear and rinsed exposure suits after each dive. They were flexible on the itinerary and made sure that the photo enthusiasts were able to spend the time needed to get their shots.
We had 9-days of diving, half in the south of Raja and half in the north. Many of the sites were controlled by resorts which meant a reservation was required. This was actually a huge benefit as we were the only boat. Some of the sites in the north were more crowded. The marine life was abundant and the coral was healthy in most sites. Very large schools of jacks, barracuda, bat fish, snapper and smaller fish. Several Wobegong Sharks, large grouper, turtles, a variety of eels and giant Mantas. A few spotted eagle rays. Usually a few black tips or white tips patrolling the reefs. There was no trash or debris at the southern sites and very little in the north. We were focused on wide-angle, so the only time we were looking for macro wa son night dives.
The Gaia (“earth” in Indonesian) Love is a 1-year old, 40 meter long vessel. It has a max cruising speed of 14 knots powered by twin 829 hp Yanmar engines. There are 11 guest rooms. On our trip we had 20 guests and 21 crew. The food was excellent with a nice variety of international menu. There is a very large dining area, a lounge area, a separate camera room and multiple decks with outdoor seating. The staterooms on the second floor each have a balcony. Cruising was very comfortable and quiet – except when lowering the anchor.
Websites Gaia Love   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving California, Hawaii, Florida, Cuba, USVI, BVI's, Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, La Paz, Indonesia, Chuuk, Palau, Fiji, Egypt, Saba, Dominica, St. Maarten, Bahamas
Closest Airport Sorong Getting There LAX => Hong Kong => Jakarta => Sorong

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, rainy Seas surge
Water Temp 82-84°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 40-100 Ft/ 12-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Depth, time at some sites, Working dive computer
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 4 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 Separate photo room. Plenty of storage and charging areas. Very clean. Crew offers to use pressurized air after fresh water rinse.
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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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