Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of S/Y Indo Siren in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

S/Y Indo Siren, Apr, 2014,

by Michael J. Millet, CA, US (Top Contributor Top Contributor 92 reports with 58 Helpful votes). Report 7601.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments My journey from SFO to Sorong, Papua, Indonesia took about 40 hours. I had an 18 hour layover in Jakarta then took a redeye flight thru Makassar to Sorong. Just about all the guests on the Indo Siren were on these flights. We arrived in Sorong at about 6 AM and promptly boarded the boat with the usual briefings and waiver signing. I expected with a full day before us that we would do a checkout dive that day but we did not. We basically just hung around the Port of Sorong for the day before departing for the Misool area later that evening. The trip down the Salawati Strait was quite rough with very choppy seas.

We spent 5 days diving the Misool area and 4 days diving sites off the island of Waigeo. The dive routine was to gear up then descend stairs to the waiting rubber skiff where one would gingerly step on then sit down. It was a must to time entry into the skiff with the go-ahead from the crew. Most of the dive sites were close to the big boat with at most a 10-15 minute ride. All entries were back rolls. Each skiff had a radio to stay in contact with the big boat and also to allow for Lifeline use if necessary.

Upon completion of the dive, the crew would take care of rinsing all gear including wetsuits. Water and juice was offered on the dive deck before and after each dive. Each diver had a designated towel.

The cabins are quite spacious with plenty of storage space. The lighting was a bit dark. I had cabin 7, which shares a common wall with the engine room. Thus my cabin was a bit on the warm side at all times. This situated was exacerbated by the malfunctioning A/C unit in this cabin. In spite of the crews best efforts, this A/C unit never performed adequately. The crew moved a portable swamp cooler from the salon into my cabin, which helped a little bit. So a word of advise: do not book cabin 7 on the Indo Siren.

The guests (17) were divided into 3 groups for diving each with its dive guide. The groups hit the dive sites a few minutes apart so this generally minimized diver congestion. The dive guides were very familiar with the dive sites and generally did a good job as critter finders. The 4th dive of the day was always a night dive. The night dives were good but not great.

The food served was generally tasty and plentiful. All meals were buffet-style. Breakfast featured a made-to-order egg/omelet station. Most of the entrees were either chicken of fish. At times, both were seriously over-cooked, i.e., tough and chewy. Bintang Beer was included in the fare. Very average wines were available at very uncommonly high prices --- but that's Indonesia.

There was a distressed diver situation that occurred shortly into the trip that the crew handled very well. This person was showing some signs of DCS and was quite unstable on his feet. The cruise director arranged to have this diver transported by fast boat from the Misool area to a hospital in Sorong. After about 2 days in Sorong, the person was then moved to the hyperbaric chamber on Waisai where he stayed for another 2 days or so. During this whole period, the Indo Siren provided the assistance of a crew member to better enable the guest get thru this very trying situation. Quite commendable.

This was my first trip to Raja Ampat, and I enjoyed it very much. But in my opinion the diving at Komodo and North Sulawesi (Lembeh, Gangga, and Bunaken) is just as good if not better.
Websites S/Y Indo Siren   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Galapagos, Solomon Islands, PNG, GBR, Vanuatu, Palau, Philippines,
Indonesia, Yap, Kosrae, Truk, Fiji, Socorros, All over the Caribbean.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy, dry Seas calm
Water Temp 82-85°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 35-80 Ft/ 11-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions No deco; 60-75 minute dives
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments With the exception of the Manta Sandy dive site, Raja Ampat is generally a location for macro photography. I was expecting more in the way of "big stuff" but the small critter photo ops made up for the lack of larger marine life (with the exception of manta rays on 2 dives).

The crew handles the camera equipment with care off and on the boat. The dive deck has large camera rinse tanks. The camera tables are in the salon area, and space for camera gear, especially big rigs, is a bit lacking. The are plenty of electrical outlets for charging batteries.
Was this report helpful to you?

Subscriber's Comments

By Mark Shandur in Phuket, TH at Jun 22, 2014 22:11 EST  
Thanks for choosing the Indo Siren for your dive vacation Michael and for your great review of the trip & Raja Ampat. The a/c unit in cabin 7 has been replaced, we apologise we were not able to do this for you during your trip and hope it did not impact too much on your enjoyment. We look forward to welcoming you again, best wishes from all at Siren Fleet
By Mark Shandur in Phuket, TH at Jun 22, 2014 22:11 EST  
Thanks for choosing the Indo Siren for your dive vacation Michael and for your great review of the trip & Raja Ampat. The a/c unit in cabin 7 has been replaced, we apologise we were not able to do this for you during your trip and hope it did not impact too much on your enjoyment. We look forward to welcoming you again, best wishes from all at Siren Fleet
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 1386 dive reviews of Indonesia and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 
Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest
Reef & Rainforest
is an agency for travelers that scuba dive. Looking for Biodiversity, critters, Komodo, Raja Ampat, temples? We specialize in adventures to Indonesia.

Want to assemble your own collection of Indonesia reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 2.75 seconds