r/scubadiving • u/FutureAd9849 • 1d ago
Snorkeling Advice
Hey!
My husband and I are planning a belated honey moon(we got pregnant really fast) our little one will be over a year old when we go and my parents are watching him. We would like to keep cost to roughly 6000. Due to the special nature of the trip we could do more. We are traveling from west coast USA. We will have roughly two weeks for the trip.
Initially we looked at Tahiti but then learned about Raja Ampat. I have found round trip tickets to Bali for 1100 usd a person. From Bali it looks like it would be roughly 450 usd pp to go to sorong. Overall it would take four days two days to get to Bali. One day to go to sorong and one day to boat out to the resort.
We love adventure and nature. The goal was to snorkel and learn to surf. Our thought process is we could fly to Bali then sorong to raja Ampat afterwards go back to Bali and surf and enjoy the temples. However there might be better options that are easier to get to, more affordable and have just as much or more enjoyment. It’s a big world. And getting to raja Ampat is not easy.
We want to do something that realistically we could not do with kids. We have talked about over water bungalows and that looks like the way to go.
Some resorts I have found for 7 nights are:
Out of budget but really cool: Misool Island
\# 1 choice, Raja4Divers- I do not know the price but this island looks like it has the most to offer as far as a house reef and jungle to explore. I have reached out and not heard back. I do not know if they are still in business however their website says they have availability.
Cove Eco Resort roughly 4300, good house reef, con: very small island with little to explore
Papua Explorers( looks great but more dive focused) roughly 4053 usd + 900 usd for excursions pro: great island to explore con: more dive focused with less in house easy snorkeling from what I can tell.
Some other options I have heard about are:
Japan tour and snorkel in owsaka Japan, Hawaii, Fiji, surfing and whale watching Portugal, San Diego ca USA, Cook Islands, Maldives, Tahiti
Overall I want to stay away from places with anti American attitudes since we don’t want to get in the middle of any dicey situations. But I think all these areas are pretty safe and known to be welcoming.
What resorts would you recommend in Raja Ampat?
Would you recommend any places over Raja Ampat or places that are just different?
Have you been to any of these resorts?(With how remote it is I get a little nervous so I want to make sure they are real, the pictures almost look too good haha)
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u/PurplestPanda 1d ago
Misool sells out 2-3 years in advance.
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u/FutureAd9849 6h ago
I just heard from them and they are sold out. But that must mean they are a great experience! Something to put on the bucket list!
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u/PurplestPanda 3h ago
I would do a liveaboard that dives the region before you do a week diving only their sites.
They are very good but there is so much more to see!
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u/PaulH2O 1d ago
Raja Ampat is amazing. The Misool eco resort is incredible. But I’m sure sold out. And out of budget. Maybe Sorido Bay? (It’s part of Papua Divers.). There should be good snorkeling there too. Or maybe just go to Bali? It’s great. And there’s good stuff to do out of the water too. And when the baby is just a little bigger, Maui has great snorkeling, easy to arrange childcare. And is close. And when the kiddo is even bigger, maybe you’ll all get certified to dive at Kids Sea Camp. (Really for the hole family.). They do events in several different destinations. They’re great.
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u/FutureAd9849 1d ago
Thank you! That is really great advice! That would be the funnest family vacation ever!
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u/laughing_cat 1d ago edited 20h ago
For amazing snorkeling from Bali, there’s Dream Wall at Menjangan Island. I haven’t been to RA yet, but I feel confident that this place will not let you down.
Some say it’s better than the diving and after yesterday, I agree. The visibility is like the Caribbean and the amount of life will have you thinking you went through a wormhole and entered the pages of a National Geographic.
If you go, use a real dive outfit that will set you in one place and keep track of you as you snorkel along that ridge with the current for about an hour. The tours will just take you to a couple of spots.
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u/FutureAd9849 1d ago
Oh my goodness that sounds so dreamy! Thank you for letting me know! I had no ideas about the dream walk. And we will definitely look for a legit outfit. When it comes to outdoor guides my dad always joked the cheap ones were usually the most expensive since it may be cheap to go out but you have to pay at least double to make it back.
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u/laughing_cat 20h ago
You’re welcome! And I’m not telling anyone else about it after this. Some of the people with the snorkeling tours were standing on the corals.
Standing on the corals.
Obviously I’m not the only person who knows about this place, just that I won’t be contributing to attracting more tourism there.
You can see the famous Java volcanoes there, the ones known for the blue flames. And on the island itself there are swimming deer. They weren’t swimming, but these amazing animals actually swim between Java and Bali.
Have a wonderful trip.
Edit: for snorkeling just make sure they understand you don’t want the typical snorkel tour. Again, use a scuba company, not a tour company.
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u/FutureAd9849 6h ago
That is devastating they were standing on a living animal. It’s not a flipping rock! We will go with a scuba company for sure.
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u/x3leggeddawg 1d ago
Def check out [r/rajaampat](r/rajaampat) for more about the park.
Catalina Island is an easy one given your location, and offers easy snorkeling in a dedicated dive park filled to the brim with kelp.
On the “blue” side you can also have boat tours take you out for whale watching. Given the El Niño year you will likely encounter tropical animals like whale sharks. While exciting it’s sadly a sign of ecological upheaval, as they are looking for food :(
Cozumel is a great spot, too. And you can stay at a resort in Tulum or playa del carmen while also snorkeling the mayan riveria and its super unique cenotes. I