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Published: December 30th 2022
Here is the last blog of 2022! So allow me to wish all of you a wonderful New Year 2023! May this New Year be full of discoveries and many more trips for all of you!! But first, here is nearly my last trip of 2022. It won't be the last one as we spent Christmas in Bangkok....with a lot fo eating, friends and shopping obviously!!
Right after celebrating my 49th birthday at home in Bali...here I am on my way to Sorong in West Papua. This is the boarding place to Raja Ampat...the last big diving mecca missing on my little diving world experience. It's also the start of 365 days of a lot more of crazy trips before reaching my own half century! You only live once, so better try to enjoy it while on our little planet!
Raja Ampat National Park is a huge area. North of Sorong, you have the Dampier Straight, and some 11 hours boat ride south, you have Misool area....so if you want to cover the area in a week or so, the only option is a liveaboard...and sadly, none of them are cheap! My challenge was to find one
that would leave after my birthday...and allow me back at home before Christmas...all of this with the right budget. Simply put, forget about being on a budget here! To add to the challenge...there are no direct flights between Bali and Sorong...so it may be just over 3 hours if we had a direct flight, but to go, I had no other choice than to fly via Jakarta..total of 6 hours in a plane plus 3 hours connection to make sure I'm not missing my cruise! Oh...and domestic flights are not cheap either here for the moment! The way back was a shorter option, flying Sorong to Makassar than on to home!
My week, or rather 8 nights, 9 days will be spent on the Solitaire Adventurer. The cruise director is a good friend of a good friend. I would actually end up diving the full trip with the family of the owner of the Solitude brand!
We are only 13 divers out of a capacity of 18 divers! Nice! Diving experience is very mixed, but we split properly in smaller groups of similar diving abilities. It's been a while that I can admit that
95% of the divers are actually a great mix...with a majority of people from Jakarta, Singapore and HK, plus 2 very nice Germans...we had a great time all together!!
The boat is super gorgeous and comfy...specially when we are only 13 divers. I still had to share my cabin with a young guy coming from Jakarta! Imagine, I used to be the young guy on those liveaboards...time is flying by full speed!
Food was good but could have been way more diversify for such a boat...so clearly not the highlight of the trip!
And you are going to ask...what about the diving? Well....it's stunning! The corals are super healthy...this is valid for hard as well as soft corals! This means also they provide the perfect environment for fishes. Fishes we saw millions of them....small...less small as well as some solid pelagics!
For the macro....well, I'm not getting younger! I'm diving with my contact lenses. Bear in mind, today I read without my glasses (or anything to help)...which means once I have my contact..I cannot see anymore the very small things. Good my camera has better eyes than me...so
I take the picture...than I find later on exactly what is on that frame once on the computer...don't laugh! And for this I'm happy the dive guides have way better eyes than me! I know, I don't have this issue with my sharks in South Africa!
So I hope you enjoy the pictures of Raja Ampat! 2023 should be a stunning year all over the world...and in the plan and book...I'll finally add four more countries to my already visited ones!
Happy New Year one more time!
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
When small is magnificent
Love this shot Peter. May 2023 be a great year for you and your family. 10 years coming up since we met at Travelblog's 10th B'day in KL. All the best from David & Denise.