Dive Review of Dive Damai/Damai I in
Indonesia/Banda Sea

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Dive Damai/Damai I: "Boutique diving", Oct, 2014, by Marilyn Walker, CA, US ( Sr. Reviewer 9 reports with 12 Helpful votes). Report 7876 has 3 Helpful votes.
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	It's expensive, but the eat-sleep-dive cruise aboard Damai I was very rewarding. Dive Damai offers a wide variety of destinations, covering the many islanded seas between Sulewesi and West Papua, south to the main Indonesian chain and west along them as far as Komodo and Bali. We had been calling our tour “diving Raja Ampat” but the itinerary of this trip was more focused on the Banda Sea. We started in Sorong, had our first dive right at the south end of Raja Ampat at Misool, continued south into the Banda Sea and Kun, Banda, Nusa Laut and finally Ambon. Most of the cruising was at night and we had favorable weather so the bit of roll cradled us to sleep and (after a little acclimation) the engine and generator roar receded into background and, as a privacy barrier, was even welcome in shipboard quarters. But one isn't cramped; cabin 3 is gigantic, the camera room more than adequate for our nine guests, the dive deck well set up with individual assigned stations having each a camera rinse tank and bootie stowage. The crew is very attentive and helpful in getting in and out of dive gear and you never have to carry a tank or your camera between deck and tender. There were two dive tenders and as many as three dive shifts each site. The three dive guides were rotated among the diver groups. Gusti, genial and highly competent, Suleman (alt spelling Soleman) as wise as the Solomon he was named for, and sharp-eyed Yanto, who spotted the highly prized rhinopius. Each dive guide would lead no more than four divers and on this trip, the guests were veteran enough that the stated policy was “you manage your dive as you wish, stay as long as you want, but no solo diving”. Disappointing, the nitrox generator was out of commission and repeated attempts didn't bring it on-line for the duration of the trip. Not a big deal to us: we always like to stay shallow where the light and critter are most available and hardly ever dive to 164 feet. We ate like hobbits: first breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea, dinner. Food is good and fresh baked croissants and cookies and treats are frequent. The guests on this tour expressed a range of dietary requirements which were easily accommodated. Some wanted vegetarian, some “no fish”, some “chicken, no beef”. Some frequently opting for “crew food”. Beer and sodas are included in the price; wine and spirits not included and not cheap either. We dove on many wonderful pristine coral walls and reefs, had hammerheads and a manta and even had a little muck where mandarinfish and flamboyant cuttlefish were seen.
Websites	Dive Damai
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	The tropical Pacific, the Caribbean and California
Closest Airport	Depends on the tour	Getting There	Might be two or three flights, depending on where the tour starts.
Dive Conditions
Weather	cloudy, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	79-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	30-50 Ft/ 9-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Dive Damai/Damai I in Indonesia/Banda Sea

Dive Damai/Damai I: "Boutique diving", Oct, 2014,

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 Dive Damai/Damai I in
Indonesia/Banda Sea