10 replies to this topic

[ScubaTex]

From the beginning to the end, my journey to Misool Eco Resort in the southern portion of Raja Ampat was filled with unforgettable memories and unexpected experiences. I set off on my sojourn after enjoying the amazing diving of Bali and Wakatobi with another truly great group of SingleDivers.

First stop – Makassar. Makassar is a boomming shipping port with both container facilities and construction cranes dotting the landscape. The new airport terminal is being expanded and additional runways are being constructed. I was surprised to travel 7 of the 10 miles from the airport to my hotel over a divided TOLL road. After an overnight stay in Makassar, next stop Sorong.

I should begin with checking in for the flight to Sorong. Express Air, as with all Indo domestic airlines, charges for all checked baggage in excess of 20 kg (44 lbs). My bag was 6 kg over, resulting in a 150,000 rupiah charge. Later I learned this charge could be negotiated. Upon boarding the airplane, I discovered it was equipped with oldest, smallest overhead bins, resulting in having to gate check my carry on with camera & housing.

In contrast to Makassar, the airport at Sorong is more of an airfield, with an aged basic terminal. I was met by the brother of the resort owner, who is a chef, there to train the resort staff. I turned over my claim tags, which were turned over to a porter. The luggage was brought to the terminal and put on a 10’ long roller conveyor. As each bag was put on the conveyor, to come inside, the tag number was called out. Ten porters were crowded around the conveyor on the inside to collect the each bag. After making sure all luggage was received, the 12 of us took 3 mini-vans through the half paved, pot holed streets of Sorong to the pier. At the pier, we were greeted by the resort owner, and boarded a boat and departed for the resort.

FIVE AND HALF HOURS LATER (about 9:30pm)… We arrived at the resort, to be greeted by the resort staff, dinner, a short briefing about the schedule for the next morning, and then escorted to our cottages. Good news, “due to the kindness of your e-mails, we decided to upgrade you to a ‘water’ cottage.” This would become an incredible gift, not having to make the climb over the hill to one of the ‘reef view’ cottages I had booked.

The bright sun, the next morning, would reveal the eight water cottages, dive shop, and dinning room surrounding a lagoon complete with juvenile black tip sharks, titan triggers, and numerous other reef fish. Following breakfast and a check of our c-cards, we began with a check dive of the house reef, which unfortunately shows the damage of previous bomb fishing. Three dives were offered every day, along with 3 additional night dives, during the 10 diving days at the resort. Additional house reef dives could be made anytime before 10 pm, with notification and a buddy.

Other than house reef dives, all dives were drift dives. There were 3 dive groups of 4-5 divers each with a dive guide. Occasionally, there were two groups on the dive ‘tender’, which would dive a site independently. Upon arrival at a dive site the guide would briefly swim the entry point to determine the current, return to the boat for a briefing, and the group would do a simultaneous back roll entry.
Most of the dive sites are within 15-20 minute boat ride from the resort. On 3 occasions I made a 2 tank ‘day trip’, which left the resort at 8 am, with a 1 to 1-1/2 hour boat ride to a site. Following the first dive was a beach surface interval of 1-1/2 hours, with water, juice, and food. Following the second dive, we returned to the resort for a late lunch.

Viz is generally less than 50 ft., due to the amount of nutrients in the water column. Of course the nutrients are the reason for the unique diversity of the marine life in the area. Most of what you want to see will only be identifiable at 5 feet or less. “Didn’t you see that pygmy???” Finally, our last 2 dives, we had 100+’ viz.

Current, yes. There will be current on every dive, mostly moderate, but rarely extreme. When extreme current is encountered, it is possible to blow through a tank is less than 40 minutes. Many divers utilized 15-18” rods, in order to assist them in maintaining their position, or to bury in the sand as a hand held reef hook. Most of the dive sites are at the point of an island, with a narrow channel to a pinnacle, there can be several current changes during a dive. At the end of one dive, after completing a safety stop, I observed my bubbles moving horizontally. This is not a place for an inexperienced diver.

Diving highlights. The 20’ giant ‘pirate’ manta [arrrrgh matey, it was missing the right mandible & eye], I saw it as soon as I rolled from the boat. We descended to the bottom, at 30’, and stayed there for 20 minutes, watching it circle over us. Twice I had to duck my head to avoid its right wing tip, as it passed over me, before it breeched the surface, and its thundering return. - The night dives, three in all, were all special. The first contained a spectacular display of bioluminescence, and one particular fan literally alive with shrimp and crabs. The second was complete with epaulette [walking] sharks and a juvenile cuttlefish. The third could have been enjoyed more thoroughly if my purge valve in my mask hadn’t leaked, but still managed a 42 minute dive. - Gorgonian Passage, a site with 9’ diameter fans lining its walls from the surface to the 80’ bottom. - Farondi Caves, enter through a 4’ wide arch, 6’ from the peak to the sea floor, into a 30’ diameter cave, descend to 95’ to exit onto a wall, swim and ascend along the wall until reaching another cave entrance, safety stop, ascend into air pocket, return to entrance and end dive. - On one dive the guide discovers a red & white pygmy, you can hear her WOOHOO through her reg. Is this a new species? - After a stormy night discovering a pipe fish, juvenile frog fish, and a juvenile ??? [a reddish-orange fish, about 2 inches long, which looks like a plane with rounded wings and tail]. None of the resort’s fish books can identify it, another guest takes a picture and it’s e-mailed to Gerald Allen for id. - A tasselled wobbegong shark sleeping away the morning on a table coral. - Giant clam 4-1/2’ across, plus an ‘electric’ clam which appears to have electrical current going through its opening. - Numerous varieties of pipefish, including a Honshu pipefish. - The number of fish, sharks and other marine life can only become better in the future. The resort is surrounded by a 20,000 sq km marine park, where fishing is prohibited.

Unfortunately, there had to be an end, more demanding than start. The boat ride back to Sorong was 7 hours [!!!], because also being transported were 5 of the resort staff, 2-40 hp outboard motors [for another boat for the resort], and 10 air tanks [so the owner could dive his way back on the new boat]. Once we got to Sorong, 13 of us met at a seafood restaurant, which was also hosting a Christian music ‘Idol’ contest. The feast cost 2,000,000 rupiah, including numerous Bintangs. After dinner was the cab ride for 6, back to the hotel, 2 bass cabinets blaring Indo-techno-rap, while 2 circular tubes suctioned-cupped to the windshield in front of the driver and passenger, flashed blue with the beat. My ears haven’t been the same since. All I will say about the flights home, as much or more time laying over as flying.

Some images I was able to capture, but all are etched in my mind.

[WreckWench]

Bill what an awesome report! I hope when you recover a bit you'll capture some of your Bali and Wakatobi highlights for us as well!

And don't forget to share how much the rupiah are worth...or should I say how little!

Sounds like an amazing place. How was it staying at an 'Eco" resort?

[scubagoddess]

Great trip report Bill. It sounds like you had a spectacular time! I can't wait to see your photos.

[DiverBabs]

Wow, sounds like a great trip Bill. And, as you said... memories for a lifetime! Can't wait to hear more and see pics.

I checked out the lodge on-line. Beautiful!

Thanks for the trip report.

[secretsea18]

What was the exchange rate for US $$ to Indonesian Rupiah IDR that you folks got??? I'm going in 3 weeks to Lembeh and was wondring?

[TXAggieDiver]

Glad you had a good trip Dad. There were no hot chicas at the resort??

[ScubaTex]

Sounds like an amazing place. How was it staying at an 'Eco" resort?

Some of the creature comforts were available, and more are being added [mini bar/refrig in cottages].
Ceiling fan and air conditioning [or should I say cooling] in every cottage. I slept the first 3 nights with the doors open enjoying the breeze, but when the breeze subsided I was uncomfortable, and relied on the a/c for the rest of my stay. Electrical outlets were plentiful, a half dozen in each cottage.
While the cottages were plumbed for hot water, no water heaters had been installed in the 'Bali showers'. With the temp ranging between mid 70's to mid 80's the cold showers weren't much of a problem for me, get wet, turn off water, lather up, rinse off, done.
Food was good, but not on par with Wakatobi, lots of fish, along with rice and some variation of bean curd for every dinner, was happy to get home to my salads & smoothies. Lost a total of 13 lbs on the whole trip, through a conscious effort on my own to try to trim down, and wondering what effect diving on nitrox for a month might have on body metabolism.

What was the exchange rate for US $$ to Indonesian Rupiah IDR that you folks got??? I'm going in 3 weeks to Lembeh and was wondring?

Before I left, the 'market traded' rate was about 9,300:$1, now it's almost 11,100:$1. Since I was arriving so late in Bali at the start of my trip I converted $500 through my bank for a little over 4,000,000IDR [8,000:$1], a hotel in Sorong was using a rate of 7,500:$1, but would also accept VISA with a 3% upcharge. When I go back [Lembeh & Ambon, whenever], I would elect to exchange nominal $$ at the airport, and use my VISA to get the best rate possible through them.

Glad you had a good trip Dad. There were no hot chicas at the resort??

Daughter, what happens in Indonesia, [hopefully] stays in Indonesia!!!

[weescot]

But did they serve long island iced tea? Seriously, great report Bill - glad you have so many great memories of Raja Ampat - but a 7 hour boat ride - phew!

[dustbowl diver]

Great trip report-got any pics?????

[ScubaTex]

But did they serve long island iced tea? Seriously, great report Bill - glad you have so many great memories of Raja Ampat - but a 7 hour boat ride - phew!

No, long island iced tea, but you had a choice of a cold Bintang or Heineken for 4 Euros!!!

I did meet an English couple, he works for an engineering company in Abu Dhabi.

[Deepdiver615]

What was the exchange rate for US $$ to Indonesian Rupiah IDR that you folks got??? I'm going in 3 weeks to Lembeh and was wondring?

secretsea18,
I went to Wakatobi in October and the exchage rate in Bali was just over 9000 Rupiah to $1 US with $100 bills. There is different exchange rates based on the bills that you use. $100 bills get you the best rate but do not take any that are 1996 or older. I'm not sure if you will find anyone who will take the older bills due to a large amount of counterfit money. Also they won't take any torn bills. I went to my bank and got the best $100 bills that they had and made sure that they were younger than 1996 and I did not have any problems exchanging money but there were some who had older bills and the money changers wouldn't take them.

Edited by Deepdiver615, 17 November 2008 - 12:49 PM.