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Dive Review of Sorido Bay in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

Sorido Bay, Sep, 2008,

by Jay Gould, Victoria, Australia (Reviewer Reviewer 4 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 4485.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments This was a tough one to write because there are so many contradictions.

The 2 hr boat ride from Sorido to the resort sucks! Why, the boat is in poor condition, there is no fresh air in the cabin, and the outboards stalled several times each way. Even if we are in the middle of nowhere, to have to siphon fuel because the tanks were not full to start, and to have to smell the fuel was unpleasant.

After the ride we are shown to our rooms - excellent - 5*: large, airy, good ensuite facilities, nicely decorated - all positive.

Food: If this resort is going to compete with other resorts as the area is developed, it must get a proper chef. For the first few days we put up with fried, fried, fried - and finally we complained. Much to his credit, Max the owner immediately instituted new kitchen rules eliminating most of the fried food - it can all be eliminated as far as we are concerned. Non-fried food was an improvement; Max, you need to hire a proper chef that knows how to be creative with Indonesian and Western food - not just fry fry fry.

Diving - not for the beginner as at least 1/2 the dives presented an interesting current/drift dive challenge. They were cool; as were all of the different critters large and small AND the incredible hard and soft corals. The diving guides - all Papuan taught my Max (no PADI certifications) - were great. Otto, our guide went out of his way to make sure we were taken care of at every turn.

Photography - the claim to fame of this area is that the unbelievable reefs and the enormous amount of critters is due to the nutrient rich water. Hey guys, that means lots of "stuff" in the water and lots of back scatter. Nevertheless, we took a lot of great pics.

Kudos go to Max - ten times ten. It is just unbelievable what he has created in a jungle. It is an oasis; it is construction to rival anything created on a similar scale in a big city. It didn't matter that EVERYTHING is shipped in by plane and boat; every angle is perfect, all construction is square, the nails are in a row and the walks are functional, beautiful, and have straight edges. When you do it right you do it once; Max has done it right.

Overall, a very positive experience; we would return.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving All over South Pacific
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas
Water Temp 29-31°C / 84-88°F Wetsuit Thickness 1
Water Visibility 10-25 M / 33-82 Ft

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions supposedly 60 minutes
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics N/A

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 3 stars
UW Photo Comments At the dock there is only a tub for rinsing the cameras. In the room there was a complete table setup with plugs for photographers. Combining the two made for very good facilities. There certainly was enough time between dives to carry your camera back to you room. On the one hand it was easy for us - G9 in a Canon housing; someone with a large setup - bit tough.
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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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