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Dive Review of The Arenui in
Indonesia/North Raja Ampat, Papua

The Arenui, Feb, 2012,

by Mario Mizrahi, Mex, MX (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 8 reports with 17 Helpful votes). Report 6441.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling 3 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments This is one of my best dive trips ever.
The Arenui is a luxurious, roomy and beautiful ship but on top of that, we had a level of service never before experienced by me or any of my group. We were pampered by the crew who every day filled the boats with our gear and would take on baskets our extras, like lights, gloves, pointing sticks, masks, computers, cameras, etc. After each dive, we could throw our stuff on the boats and take a shower on the ship´s entrance; our custom cabin towels were waiting for us to dry and go change to dry clothes in our cabins. All our gear was then rinsed in separate places and put to dry in the bow ready for our next dive.
The food was like dining in an expensive restaurant with every day surprises of meat, fish, rice, vegetables, etc. One day they made tacos for our Mexican group and other entrees included delicious Indonesian and International cuisine.
Diving was outstanding with a combination of large and small creatures. We saw Manta Rays on a number of dives, like Manta Sandy, Eagle Rock, Sardine Reef and the incredible Blue Magic. Wonderful small critters were everywhere and I did one of my best ever night dives in Cendana Jetty, where we saw Stripped Catfish, Giant Mantis Shrimp, Wobbegong, Cuttlefishes, Octopi, Lionfishes, Coconut Octopus, Demon Stinger, Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Dragon Seamoth, Cockatoo Waspfish, Nudibranchs, etc.
On other dives we saw many Pigmy Seahorses (Denise, Bargibanti and Pontohi), up to eight Blue Ringed Octopi, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Hump Head Parrotfish, Great Barracuda, Blacktip Sharks, Dogtooth Tuna, Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Snow Flake Moray Eel, Painted Frogfish and the list went on and on...
On at least three times we had a chance to visit beautiful virgin beaches and do kayaking there or in mangroves; we also climbed a small mountain to see a spectacular view and once we visited a small island with a village where we gave gifts to the local children.
On our way back to Sorong we encountered 2 Killer Whales who came close to our ship and played with a rope that was towing one of the boats.
Absolutely Fantastic Trip!
Websites The Arenui   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Sea of Cortez, Cocos Island, Galapagos, Cozumel, Cancun, Malpelo, Maldives, South Africa, Tahiti, Wakatobi, Komodo, Palau, Bahamas, Belize, St. Thomas, Thailand, PNG, Malaysia, etc.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather cloudy Seas currents
Water Temp 29-30°C / 84-86°F Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 5-20 M / 16-66 Ft

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions 70 minutes max and not touching anything
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales 1 or 2
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 4 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Only 2 tables in the main salon which were a little cramped with stuff (other than cameras) belonging to everybody.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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