Dive Review of SMY Ondina in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

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SMY Ondina: "12-Day Raja Ampat", Nov, 2015, by Scott Cray, IA, US ( Reviewer 4 reports). Report 8993.
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 a City Seahorse charter of the liveaboard SMY Ondina. The trip was 12 days round trip from Sorong. Lots has been written about the superb diving at Raja Ampat and the challenges of getting there so I won't repeat it. This liveaboard had a lot to like a few things that could have been better. Due to El Nino, the water temps were a bit cooler than normal and we were informed of that a few days ahead of time so we could bring a heavier wetsuit. There was a large crew on the boat and they were extremely friendly and hardworking. The crew and boat were well organized and the cabin spacious for a liveaboard. All areas of the boat were kept very clean. We did 4 dives a day and had a hot towel ready after each dive. We dove in small groups and each group had an experienced dive master who was great at spotting the small stuff. Nitrox was at 30%. My cabin was partially under the galley and was fairly noisy. Anytime the deck above was cleaned, a small amount of brown water would drip into my cabin and bathroom. The cabins are all individually air conditioned and I couldn't get my cabin quite as cool as I would like. My French roommate thought it was plenty cool so this is just personal taste. There is no hot water at all in the cabins. This was clearly explained ahead of time so it was not a surprise. The only hot water is at the showers up on deck. I would have preferred more variety in the meals and thought the food overall was not as good as the other liveaboards I have been on. There was one superb dinner served on the upper deck that included some delicious sushi and sashimi. The most unusual event was when the boat ran aground at 2 AM. The boat lurched to stop and jolted us out of bed. We had a substitute captain this cruise who apparently was not as familiar with the area as the regular captain. The crew did a great job of getting the boat free and inspecting for damage. We were fortunate that the worst damage was some missing paint on the bottom.
Websites	SMY Ondina
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Palau, Truk, Fiji, Belize, Bonaire, Caymans, Curacao, Turks & Caicos, Cozumel
Closest Airport	Sorong	Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy, cloudy	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	79-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	80-150 Ft/ 24-46 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	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	[None]

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Dive Review of SMY Ondina in Indonesia/Raja Ampat

SMY Ondina: "12-Day Raja Ampat", Nov, 2015,

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 SMY Ondina in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat