Dive Review of Insider Divers in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

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Insider Divers: "Sea Safari 8 with Insider Divers", Jan, 2023, by Ellen Marie Smith, MN, US ( Sr. Contributor 27 reports with 18 Helpful votes). Report 12645.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
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	This was my first trip with Insider Divers and I was not disappointed! Simon Lorenz runs these trips (he is based in Hong Kong) and he is extremely well organized. He has a travel agent on staff and will help with flights (though we booked our own to Jakarta). It is a long way to Indonesia so we planned a day in Jakarta to rest a bit. We also took an hourly room in the Seoul airport terminal during our 12-hour layover. We were met in Sorong by Simon and several other group members. We wore masks the whole way but it was apparent that others did not. Luckily no one got sick on this trip! Indonesia is in the middle of the coral triangle and has the highest diversity of marine life on earth. The Sea Safari boat was well-appointed but not fancy. It is a wooden boat and quite noisy as it moves through the water but we soon got used to that! Though it has sails, it is too heavy to really use them because of the weight of the added engine and other modern amenities. Our upper-level cabin lacked much storage space but we are accustomed to making a mess, so it wasn’t a problem. The food was good but not great IMO. The staff and dive team were outstanding. The diving: Fantastic! We started out in southern Raja and saw: tasseled wobbegong sharks, epaulet sharks (walking sharks), reef and black tip sharks, mantis shrimps, flasher wrasses, pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, anemone crabs. On a muck night dive, we saw flamboyant cuttlefish, tiny cuttlefish, decorator crabs mating, seahorses, and more. I experienced my first muck dive and I was in heaven! Our dives at Magic Mountain (one of the few places one might view both pelagic and reef mantas) were a bit disappointing but there were still tons of schooling fish and the coral is breathtaking. We spent an afternoon at Tank Rock snorkeling with baby black-tip sharks. We climbed the volcanic rocks and visited Jellyfish Lake then headed to central Indonesia where the current was ripping – especially at Manta Ridge – where we finally saw the giant reef mantas and nearly got swept away! We dove at several scenic jettys and a huge turtle taking a nice nap. We stopped at Geosite Piaynemu to walk up to the beautiful picture spot (don’t miss it if you go!). We also snorkeled at a spot where the coral grows in the mangroves – we were told one of the only places in the world where this occurs. Luckily we didn't see the crocodile that lives there! During the evening (and sometimes between dives), Simon Lorenz gives different talks on things like Manta ID, how to take better photos, how to be a good model for your photo-loving buddy, and such. I found all of these to be quite interesting. There is so much to learn and see – this is why I love these trips! This was a 10-day trip that went by in a flash. I can’t wait to go back. Also note: this trip inspired me to upgrade my camera.
Websites	Insider Divers
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Red Sea (North and South), Galapagos, Hawaii, Caribbean most places, California (Catalina), False Bay (South Africa), Cocos Island, Socorro Islands, Baia & Ustica (Italy), Yap, Palau, & Truk, Thailand(Surin Islands), Indonesia (Raja Ampat, Komodo & Lembeh).
Closest Airport	Sorong	Getting There	Delta to Seoul, Seoul to Jakarta, Jakarta to Sorong. We took a day in Jakarta to recover.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	calm, currents
Water Temp	78-84°F / 26-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	75-150 Ft/ 23-46 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Dive with a buddy enforced, the first trip I've been on where they made sure everyone could deploy a safety sausage on the first dive! Some dives (Manta Alley) were stay with group and divemaster only
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Sea Safari 8 has a nice camera area with plenty of room for several 'big rigs'. This was a trip with many serious underwater photographers and everyone had plenty of room. The staff handled the cameras carefully. After each dive they set them on an outside camera area and many times even blew the water off of them with a pressure tank. Great service!

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Dive Review of Insider Divers in Indonesia/Raja Ampat

Insider Divers: "Sea Safari 8 with Insider Divers", Jan, 2023,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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 Insider Divers in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat