After a detour via Hong Kong and arriving in Jakarta for my connecting flight I was left in amazement of how stupid things can be, so picture 3 large heavy cases full of diving equipment and camera gear and 2 hand luggage, arriving at Terminal 3 I needed to get to Terminal 2 for my connection to Sorong, I follow signs for the sky train but still could not find a way up to the skytrain which was on other side of road but had a bridge, after walking up and down wondering if dementia had set in, I then ask an armed policeman who gestures underneath, so off I go, but there is no underneath!!.... eventually it was clear they designed the station but had not finished the bridge which was in disrepair, but! And the but.... some clever prick thought it’s a good idea to put direction signs up even though no access.... relief it’s not dementia, so now I’m crossing the road with my loaded trolley with a pissed squeaky wheel..... so now I get to the bottom floor of the skytrain and met by a guard who tells me no trolleys allowed, so they designed the station, could not finish the bridge link and have not installed an elevator.... so now it’s me my luggage and 2 escalators.....as I arrived in terminal 2 I have to unload all luggage to be scanned, I look and there are 2 airport designated helpers leaning against a post and chatting, after intensively staring at there airport helper badge whilst struggling with luggage I couldn’t help to murmur airport tosser as I walked past with sweat pouring off me..... check in done, all set and ready for the overnight flight to Sorong.
Arrived at 0630 and got all my bags and now it’s time to pick the taxi..... what one is gonna try and rip me off..... I take my chance on one and he tells me 100k IDR so off we go on our 7 minute journey, after arriving at hotel and opening my wallet to get the money the taxi driver checks out my wad and decides price has gone up to 150k IDR...... right lad, I’m tired and annoyed so I let him have it..... told him to stop his bollocks and stop thinking I’m an idiot and so on.... I pay my 100k IDR and get his number.... I’m guessing if I go on a day tour this guy will now know I’m no mug...
Check in to Swiss bell hotel.... it’s pretty ok considering the area, rooms clean and comfortable..... couple of days to catch up on the sleep.
My room overlooked a small village area with clear poverty, if I stood on balcony all the kids would gather below and point and wave and just be cute, I’m sure in Indonesian they are saying look at that white, bald Buddha looking guy..... everywhere I went I seemed to get the same reaction.
I did go on my own private tour and went and saw the birds of paradise which are endemic to this area, a deserted Buddha temple which was just beautiful with hundreds of birds nesting in the eaves, I had quite a bit of time at the temple thinking and reflecting on life, I felt a connection and a feeling that everything will be ok. Then I went to a small beach and village but sadly the plastic which we keep throwing in the ocean had littered the beach.
So it’s now the 7th, time to get on the Damai II liveaboard for 10 days exploring Misool and the North. 10 days total isolation from the outside world with nature and people with same interest, it’s been 11 years in the planning and completes my first ever bucket list.
The boat is completely wooden and Indonesian style, very large at over 40m and very wide with a crew of 15.
My room is lovely and provides all the space I need and I have a double and single bed. The eating area and lounge are very comfortable.They even have a dedicated camera room which is well set out. So I’m unpacked and ready to go.
The diving here was first class, the bio diversity was amazing and variation between dives was welcoming, but, and there is a but.... almost every dive had current ranging from medium to strong, I understand you need current to bring in the big stuff but for a photographer it makes every dive hard going, I felt beaten up after every dive which lasted anywhere between 60 to 80 minutes, even the night dives had current. My dive pointer has a 45 degree bend in it as it needed to act as a reef hook on a number of occasions, without a camera it’s great but with a camera it took everything I had to achieve the shots I managed to get and sometimes with limited visibility. I understand why this place is so high on peoples bucket lists but not for the inexperienced. What was pleasing to see was distinct absence of plastic and garbage in this protected area of Raja Ampat and on most of my 33 dives.
The highlight of my dives here was an interaction with an oceanic manta at least 7m wide who stayed with me and was intrigued by my bubbles and camera and as I stared into his jet black eye I could feel him looking right back..... at this point I’m not too macho to admit I was in tears underwater.... to see truly how beautiful, knowing and majestic this intelligent creature was and how as a race we are killing these everyday...... please world...... stop this!!
Other dives had the wobblegong shark chilling out in huge table and cabbage corals, octopus and one quick sighting of a blue ringed octopus, schools of jacks, fusiliers, bump head parrot fish and many more..... these dives favour wide angle photography rather than macro.
The crew on the boat were hard working, professional, helpful, detail oriented and above all had great sense of humour, being greeted back on the boat with a song and a band made up of everyday objects.... Eki your my number 1. Eki was the steward, masseuse, and entertainment he’s been here 10 years and everyday you see him he’s positive smiling and just a top guy.... thanks for the sneaky packet of candy ;-)
The guides Yanto and Ryan were both funny guys and great guides doing there best to find the weird and the wonderful for us all.
The catering team and food was superb, Putra your a gem and looked after everyone’s demands, and thanks for the oatmeal everyday.... was the best!
Cruise director Mika and assistants Zi and Angela were quite new but they still did an amazing job, Angela I still don’t know what you do but appreciated the colourful outfits and of course the minion diving cap..... brilliant.
To all the guests, I really thoroughly enjoyed spending time with all of you! Jon, give up the GoPro and get back to the real photography, Miriam get a small camera for your fish ID don’t forget magic eraser for the slate!, Ben keep shooting and don’t give up on macro, enjoy Lembeh and change strobes to Inon! You were lucky this time, Duncan keep travelling and enjoying life and taking lots of photos, you truly are a world traveller and pioneer and will probably be the only person I will ever meet who travels with his own boat packed on his back, get that book started! other Duncan and Sarah you are a lovely couple with a passion for diving, was great hearing about your travel experiences, Duncan do your own logs ;-) Sarah you were super fit to tackle those stairs with the tenacity and speed the rest of us lacked :-), Eduardo, didn’t speak much but great photo presentation, Angela good luck with your diving career and conservation, the true coral guardian except when your using my camera ;-)..... shush.... Zi and Mika, good luck too with your work in Raja Ampat.
All in all I give this trip a strong 9/10 the only drop was the current, but I truly loved every minute and these 10 days isolation came at right time for me to think about my life...thank you diving, thank you Manta, thank you Raja Ampat and thank you to all the staff and crew of Damai II
