Dive Review of Wallacea Cruises-Ambai in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

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Wallacea Cruises-Ambai: "Nice trip with a surprise at the end", Jan, 2023, by Peter Pinkerton, NY, US ( Sr. Reviewer 10 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 12336.
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	There were 17 guests, 4 Americans, 1 Italian, and the rest were French. The boat had a new relief cruise director who flawlessly switched languages (including Indonesian). He was honest about not knowing the boat and routine. He was very helpful and worked hard to make sure each guest was heard and needs were met. All staff were friendly and helpful throughout the cruise. They could not have been better. The less positive aspects of the Ambai are the state of the boat and general upkeep. There was a picture of the staff on the dive deck but it was outdated and several people weren't on it. Staff weren't introduced until the night we had a beach barbecue. Trash was not emptied regularly and the small bins for cans and bottles were often overflowing. The boat is a little rough around the edges and could use some "maintenance ". The steward was super friendly and organized. He went out of his way to meet all of the guests' needs. The food was just okay. There was a good amount of food but the quality and variety was missing. At the beginning the food was already on the table when we got back from diving. Everything was cold. The cruise director talked with staff and most of that problem was resolved. Two people notified ahead of time that they don't eat fish. The cruise director confirmed, but there were still days with no protein option for them. Often it was microwaved chicken nuggets. One night it was a gray colored beef. There was always fruit and vegetables at each meal but the quality was missing. We also missed baked goods like cookies. All dive staff were super friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. They handled all of our gear for us, and even rinsed our wetsuits. At the end of the trip they washed and hung everything to dry for us. There was 1 dive guide for 4 guests. At our request we had the same guide for the duration which really helped as we got to know each other. Our guide was obviously experienced. He did a great job finding the teeny critters Raja Ampat is known for. My husband, a macro photographer, was very happy! At one point we were caught in a downdraft and our guide worked really hard to get us all to the surface safely. Another time a stranger ran out of air on a night dive and our guide shared air and returned him to his group. We really appreciated his composure and training. My one negative comment would be that we were not briefed about reef hooks. We are typically Caribbean divers with no need for reef hooks. I think it was assumed that we had them as standard equipment. After our first experience with very strong current we were given hooks for all 4 of us to use. We really appreciated that. Someone was always on the dive deck to answer questions or help as needed. There were 2 showers and 2 heads on the dive deck. The diving was varied with really big fish, mantas, sharks (one dive had 5 Woebegongs), all kinds of tiny critters, and stunning soft and hard corals. There were times when the schooling fish were like a cloud we swam through. The first dive was before breakfast (cereal and fruit available early), the second after a big breakfast, 3rd after lunch, 4th a night dive. Dinner was after the night dive which was very late some nights. There was a big issue at the end of the cruise when we were informed that there was no credit card machine and on board bills should be paid in cash. That included port fees, fuel surcharge, wine, rental equipment, etc. It was a shock to many of us and something that should have been advertised ahead of time.
Websites	Wallacea Cruises-Ambai
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Carribbean, Maldives, Australia, Truk Lagoon, Costa Rica, French Polynesia, Solomons, Indonesia, Philippines, Yap, Cozumel, Curacao, Belize, Statia, Great Lakes, Niagara River...and lots of other places!
Closest Airport	Sorong	Getting There	Buffalo to LAX to Manila to Jakarta to Sorong
Dive Conditions
Weather	windy	Seas
Water Temp	83-85°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	- Ft/ - M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	60 minutes bottom time
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 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	Great camera room, crew sensitive to cameras and handled them on and off the tenders.

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Dive Review of Wallacea Cruises-Ambai in Indonesia/Raja Ampat

Wallacea Cruises-Ambai: "Nice trip with a surprise at the end", Jan, 2023,

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 Wallacea Cruises-Ambai in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat