Dive Review of Voyager/Sorido Bay Resort in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat Islands

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Voyager/Sorido Bay Resort, Apr, 2006, by Dick Joseph and (see below), GA, USA . Report 2703 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	My wife and I spent 11 nights aboard the Voyager cruising the Raja Ampat Islands off the coast of Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) followed by a 10-night stay at the Sorido Bay Resort on Kri island during April of 2006. The Voyager is staffed by friendly folks and excellent dive masters. Our cabin was reasonably spacious with an ensuite head providing hot water on demand. The food was adequate and plentiful and there is wine and beer available for purchase. The diving is extraordinary! Though not enamored of liveaboards - the constant din of the deisel exhaust denies the sublime quiet of time at sea - the opportunity to visit the variety of dive sites afforded by such mobility makes the Voyager a must. The soft corals of Misool are breathtaking, beyond words, and there's no other way to dive the site. On the negative side, the crew has no mechanism for dealing with irresponsible divers. For example, an individual with a digital camera would spend a considerable amount of time on a particular subject all the while destroying the coral in the area around his fins. After witnessing this on repeated dives I spoke to the crew but they failed to intervene. Sadly, other divers witnessed this same outrage but felt it was inappropriate to address the issue, not wanting to "rat" on a fellow diver. I loathe rules inhibiting accomplished divers but there comes a time... The crew of the Voyager accomodated us by enabling a meeting at sea with one of the dive boats from Sorido Bay. These boats are open to the sun and weather and there is but one seat. This is the only down side to Sorido Bay. Each cabin is but meters away from the gentle loll of the ocean. Reading on the chaise lounge on the porch following the day's dives often leads to rereading the same page three or four times before giving in to sleep. The bed's comfy and the shower's first rate with all the hot water you need. The room has an AC but Max, the owner, suggests it only be used after 5 p.m. You will not wish it any other way. But you don't go half way 'round the world for a hot shower. The diving's killer. Everything from absurdly small pygmy seahorses to two-meter wobbegong sharks on virtually every dive. Wanna see mantas? You've come to the right place. Cool stuff? Nothing takes your breath away like a juvenile Barramundi or a juvenile Pinnate Spadefish. And the list of cool stuff is only limited by the amount of times you jump in: a never-ending parade of bizarrely respendent flatworms and nudibranchs, lionfish, stonefish, pipefish, crocodile flatheads; the list goes on and on. And the corals! Each dive different, each depth different. Love those moments when your dive guide points directly at something and you still can't see what it is? How about a pair of spiny waspfish looking more like dead leaves than living creatures. The dive guides at Sorido Bay are excellent spotters. The downside is that their command of English is extremely limited. The upside is the resort's library; the most extensive I've ever seen. But wait! There's more!! Those who enjoy food should look forward to the lunches and dinners, not to mention some yummy appetiziers. Scrumptious local dishes await those with an adventurous palate (and there's tame stuff for those so inclined). Lots of it too. One draw back: wine is hard to get in these remote parts so unless you bring your own all you can get at Sorido Bay is beer. Fortunately, in addition to the local stuff there's Guinness. We're goin' back. Can't wait.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	All three Caymans, Tongue of the Ocean, Bonaire, Dominica, South Caicos, Bequia, Carriacou, Palau, Tobago, Playa Chinchorro, Cozumel
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	81-83°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	0
Water Visibility	20-50 Ft/ 6-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	1 or 2
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
UW Photo Comments	The Voyager provides spacious accomodations for each phtopgrapher including charging stations. All of this was on the dive deck. Sorido Bay also provides plenty of space in the room with good lighting and a sink, as well as outlets for charging.

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Dive Review of Voyager/Sorido Bay Resort in Indonesia/Raja Ampat Islands

Voyager/Sorido Bay Resort, Apr, 2006,

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 Voyager/Sorido Bay Resort in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat Islands