Dive Review of Pindito in
Indonesia

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Pindito: "This will make you cry. Where are all the fish?", Mar, 2014, by Daniel Benson, OR, US ( Sr. Contributor 24 reports with 14 Helpful votes). Report 7942 has 3 Helpful votes.
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	This was our second trip to Raja Ampat, and our 9th liveaboard trip. This itinerary started from Sorong and went to Ambon, which is the southern part of Raja Ampat. The boat is showing its age. Our room was under the dive deck and the ceiling leaked! A room directly across the hall also leaked. The crew was accommodating as you would expect on a trip this expensive. However, the marine environment was a huge disappointment. A single manata on the entire trip of 2 weeks. A few Wobbeggon sharks. And a scattering of the usual suspects. But aside from this we saw little of importance. It was enough to make a grown man cry. Two stories illustrate why there are so few critters. First, the World Wildlife Fund or Nature Conservancy (we donate heavily to both) purchased an island and the sea around it as a marine sanctuary. When we dove on this hallowed ground we saw fresh fish hooks and lots of fishing line. When we asked the crew about that we were told: "If we confront fishermen about their trespassing they just tell us that we don't own the island or the water around it"! The second: in a very remote port we saw a moderate sized freighter with electric generator running around the clock. We noticed Indonesian fishermen pulling up along side at times. As we asked what was going on we were told that the freighter was purchasing tuna from the local fishermen and then taking the tuna to . . . JAPAN! The ministry of tourism was asked about these practices, and responded that the people had to make a living! This from the minister of tourism! I sadly conclude that Indonesia simply doesn't value what they have. Until I learn differently, I'll spend the ten grand for a dive vacation in a place that appreciates what they have. The northern route from Helmahera to Sorong produced much more plentiful and diverse marine life. The Pindito offers free dive gear for guests. Take them up on that offer! Several members of our group racked up airline overweight charges of $75.00 - $250.00. (Garuda airlines charges an arm full to tuna if you're overweight!) We went business class (had to in order to get there on time) so no overweight charges for us!
Websites	Pindito
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Sipidan, Philippines, Red Sea, Hawaii, United States, Caribbean.
Closest Airport	Sorong	Getting There	Go through Singapore then direct flight to Manado thence to Sorong. OR you could go through one of the world's worst airports: Jakarta Indonesia and on to Sorong from there. Either way it's an ordeal
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas
Water Temp	79-82°F / 26-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Be safe.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	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	We filled the boat with photographers, so the photo room was crowded. Some had to set their cameras up in the main Solon, some in their cabins and a few lucky individuals got camera stations. Crew did a fine job taking care of gear.

Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

Subscriber's Comments

By carl berenson in WA, US at Dec 15, 2014 20:04 EST

at what point in your ambon raja journey did you notice the tuna boat loading up with tuna? Just curious as to the region you were in...if you can id it. thanks.

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Dive Review of Pindito in Indonesia

Pindito: "This will make you cry. Where are all the fish?", Mar, 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):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Pindito in
Indonesia