Raja Ampat Explorer, Indonesia

Would I recommed this boat?

It is very difficult to write a review for this boat because although the staff was excellent and the diving was great, there did not appear to be an emergency plan in place. This despite all the sinkings, fires, and deaths reported in recent years. More about this below, but first my review of other aspects of this boat. The Staff All staff were friendly and welcoming, going out of their way to provide assistance in any way possible, from helping zip up a wet suit to changing the time of our night dives so we could have dinner earlier. The Diving There were 13 divers divided into 3 groups, 2 groups of 4 and 1 group of 5, each led by a dive guide. The dive guides were excellent at organizing the loading of the dinghies used to take us to the dive sites, ensuring we entered and left the water safely, and pointing out marvelous aquatic life. Climbing the ladder with gear on was optional; they encouraged us to let them do the heavy lifting. Most days 4 dives were offered: 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m., & a night dive at 6 p.m. Nitrox was used only for the first dive of the day, apparently because it took 4 hours for them to fill the tanks with nitrox. This was a concern. How many divers forgot to reset their dive computers to air for the remainder of the day? How may divers went into decompression and didn’t know it? Never mind the extra nitrogen load of diving multiple dives a day. There did not appear to be a diver recall system as none was mentioned. The Food The food was adequate but not great. Most times it was barely warm, even cold at times. For lunch and dinner, there were usually 2 different proteins provided, beef, chicken, pork, or seafood, along with white rice, soup, salad, and a vegetable dish which was often mushy. There were no desserts. I gave up my preferred vegetarian diet because most times there wasn’t a vegetarian entree available. I ate a lot of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. The snack at 4 p.m. was either a store bought cake role, banana chips, nothing particularly appetizing. The Boat It was older but appeared to be well maintained. Our beds were comfortable, and the air conditioning was working well. The bathrooms were small but functional. The only indoor lounging area was the dining area, which also included the camera table. Safety This is the area of concern. Even after requested, there was no communication of what do to in case of fire, simple things like where the fire extinguishers were located, where to gather if there was an emergency. The only information provided was that life jackets were in cubbies beneath the beds, and were located in the very far end, requiring crawling into the enclosed space. Since none of this was in place, we made sure to walk the boat on our own, just in case. The cabins on the lower deck had one stairway leading to the main deck. The emergency hatch located down the hall was blocked by a hose stored on top of the hatch, which we politely indicated should be placed elsewhere. There were no emergency lights available during power outages, and no directional signs indicating the way out. There were smoke detectors in each room. Three of the smoke detectors we checked had the battery disconnected. Would I recommend this boat? I would have to say no. Safety has to come first.

Recommended for

The staff. The diving. Some of the other guests.

26 Nov, 2025