Dive Review of Grand Komodo Tours/Rajah Ampat Explorer in
Indonesia/Rajah Ampat

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Grand Komodo Tours/Rajah Ampat Explorer, Mar, 2009, by phil johnston, Victoria, Australia ( Reviewer 6 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 4711.
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	7 of the 11 booked passengers failed to front, despite only 4 guests being aboard we were still given the full cruise of Rajah Ampat including Misool to the south. Rajah Ampat was a good mix of reefs, seamounts, walls & muck diving, topside scenery was also good with multitudes of small uninhabited islands. Hard corals were generally good at most (but not all) sites, at a couple of places the soft corals were as good as Eastern Fiji. Small & rare critters were found at almost all sites, 2 sites in particular provided muck diving almost the equal of Lembeh. 2 large Mantas were seen at a cleaning station at one reef, including a 12-plus foot individual that ended up entering a steep climb & flying out of the water for 2-3 seconds before splashing down to rid itself of any remaining parasites - awesome. The cruise ended with a big fish dive in strong current at Cape Kri - a large school of truly massive bump-headed parrot-fish,& the largest barracuda & emperors I've seen - who said Rajah Ampat has no big fish? Crew & particularly dive staff were excellent without fail - always attentive & helpful. Dive masters Harry & Anton excelled at finding critters that most of us would have otherwise missed. The boat itself is designed in similar fashion to a traditional Indonesian Bugis sailing vessel. It isn't a luxury item but was neat, clean & well maintained. Food was not gourmet but always of high quality & in generous amounts - often more than we could eat. Small snacks were provided between dives. Negatives? Only one - a few small cockroaches were seen in cabins & hallways by most passengers. This was discussed with the crew at the end of the trip & they agreed that some sort of fumigation (rather than ad hoc spraying)needs to be done. I mention this with some regret as it was the only aspect that detracted from what was a fantastic trip with excellent levels of professionalism & service from the crew, in a place that is justifiably rated as one of the best diving areas in the world.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Australia, Fiji, Solomon Islands, PNG, Malaysia, Indonesia, Tonga, Galapagos Islands, Cocos Island, Cozumel, Tahiti.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	cloudy	Seas	calm
Water Temp	81-86°F / 27-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	40-75 Ft/ 12-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	No deco diving, no solo diving, come back with 50 bar left in tank.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
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	Camera table & 2 large fresh water tubs at stern of boat, no fresh water on dive dingies. Recharging bench in main cabin, this could get a little crowded if all 14 passengers were UWPs.

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Dive Review of Grand Komodo Tours/Rajah Ampat Explorer in Indonesia/Rajah Ampat

Grand Komodo Tours/Rajah Ampat Explorer, Mar, 2009,

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 Grand Komodo Tours/Rajah Ampat Explorer in
Indonesia/Rajah Ampat