Damai I Liveaboard

The Damai II is the second best liveaboard we have been on. The staff was great and very knowledgable. We had long dive times and valet diving. Camera facilities great. Our room was delightful. The cruise director would ask us after breakfast what we wanted for lunch and dinner that day, give each of us several options. Since many people have food issues this was the best service I have ever had. Great macro diving.

The Damai 2 is a modified phinisi schooner plying the waters if Indonesia. Our time on the Damai was inclusive of the Raja Ampats and Cenderwashi Bay. On arrival in Nabire we wer met by the staff and driven to the boat.We were shown to our stateroom that was bigger than most luxurious hotels. Large bedroom, huge comfortable bed, separate shower and bathroom, lanai with two lounges and a large TV to view our own videos/photographs or videos of our choice.The camera room was spacious with individual work tables that included electrical outlets 110/220, light source and ample closed locker space under the workstations.Equipment: Damai is one of the few operators who can supply all your diving gear needs. This is a great advantage to save weight charges on the local airlines.Dive guides: All experienced critter spotters...welcomed if you are looking for maco shots like I do.Dive groups: The boat can accommodate 14 divers. Groups are divided up so there is never more than four in a group.Dive deck: Each diver has their individual station that includes a wash tank for your camera. Your assigned dive guide lays out your gear prior to the dive and upon return washes everything and hangs it to dry/await the next dive. Tanks are filled at your dive station.Dive boats: Your gear will be loaded by the dive guides unless you prefer to carry it yourself. Upon returning from the dive you are met by the crew, handed a hot towel and a glass of water.Food: Each morning a menu is laid out for each guest. You choose what you want (the menu is limited, but adequate) Wine is served at dinner. If you want other liquor you are welcome to bring it.Writing about diving the Cenderwashi with the whale sharks and diving the Raja Ampats would take volumes, but for an enjoyable experience I highly recommend the Damai 2 or its sister boat Damai.

You really have to want to get here to make this trip. Our flight took us from Minneapolis to Tokyo to Jakarta to Ambon and then to Manokwari. The airport there is remote and far from anywhere. Our departure was delayed a full day because of riots in the town which was a bit scary. As a result of the 1.5 day delay, we missed a day of diving in the Cenderawasih Bay area which was OK, because it was pretty mediocre by Indonesia standards.The Damai II is simply the nicest dive boat in the world. The rooms are enormous and spectacular. Many hotel rooms are not this nice. The boat had a nice home theater and we often watched movies in the evening. The food was very good and we had a lot of variety given the remoteness of the location. They had great post dive snacks. The only thing that they missed was popcorn and they promised to find it for future trips.Of course, people come here to see whale sharks and this is the best place in the world to see them. I have also seen them at Darwin, but this blows that away. They are many, the water is warm and clear and you can literally spend the day watching them. We had two and sometimes three at a time. We parked our boat and just went in the water as we wanted without any real diving schedule. We also got to go on the fisherman platforms and feed the whale sharks from the surface. My memory of watching my daughter feed one of these beasts will always be with me.We then headed to our next encounter which was with leatherback turtles which were laying their eggs on shore. Like the whale sharks, they did not disappoint. It was a life highlight for me. We also got to visit a native village and several of us played volleyball with the local people. I don't think that this was a standard part of the tour, but one of our crew members came from the village.Finally, we moved on to Raja Ampat where we spent our final 3 days. Of course, the reefs and fish there are world class. If I could repeat just one dive trip in my life, I would redo this one. About the only negative was the time it took to get to Raja Ampat. It was a long cruise and took a full day without much diving.