Raja Ampat was my first trip to Indonesia. On my very first dive, I understood why everyone told me that Indonesia was some of the best diving in the world! The diversity and health of the corals, large and small critters, and unique and diverse habitats amazed me. Every dive was different and fantastic. We sailed for ten days on the Cheng Ho. The Cheng Ho used to be operated by Kararu dive voyages, but I think it is now operated by SeaSafari Cruises.
Flying to Indonesia is definitely a journey! We flew to Bali and arrived at Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport (also called Denpasar International Airport) and spent a few days at the Puri Santrian Resort in Sanur to decompress and catch a few short day trips to see and visit some of the wonderful sites in and around Bali. The diving part of our trip, organized by Backscatter and Underexposures, began by boarding a domestic flight to Ambon were we began our Ambon to Sarong diving cruise. We dove non-stop on the way to Sarong with a great total of 38 dives along amazing dive sites off the islands of Misool Malangkari, Misool Boo, Misool Farundi, Gam, Waigeo, Wayag, and Kawe. Along the way, we received permission from Atlas South Sea Pearl to visit their pearl farm in Waigeo and observe pearl harvesting operation: quite a large and fascinating setup and production. The diving off of Waigeo had incredible macro diving.
Our dive journey ended in Sarong with a domestic flight back to Bali via Makasar and back to Puri Santrian to rest up for a few days for the long journey back to the U.S.
