Scuba Lodge Curaçao

April 23rd - Troubled start

We fly at 9:10 from Düsseldorf, so an early rise (4:30) to be on time. We check in: Diving Bag 23 kg, duffel bag with clothes 16 kg. Hmmm, did we really pack all we intended to bring? We'll see - no worries.

The direct flight with Airberlin to Curaçao was quite comfortable. An hour before we land I remember I hadn't de-blocked my bank card for use outside of Europe. And we didn't bring enough cash for the taxi. Luckily the free WiFi at the airport works fine, so I can de-block using the bank app. The ATM is around the corner and the NAFs (Netherlands Antilles Florins) are popping out without an issue.

We get in Juriena Frans' - a friendly lady - taxi and arrive at Scuba Lodge in no time. A very friendly welcome from Dalies at the desk. Ah, Petra and Jos. Oatmeal! 

On the way to our room Dalies smiles and says we have been given an upgrade. Nice! Curious what the upgrade will be? Where are we going? Totally outside? We first take the left, but there is some restructuring ongoing, which we can't get passed. What a noise and dusty mess?!

The upgrade happens to be the owners apartment, next to the actual Boutique Hotel. Big, yes. Sea view, yes. But it's run down and lacks the special atmosphere the Hotel is known for and why we booked it. Not happy!

As I start to slowly unpack, Petra is back to reception to inform for other room options. We are shown room 18. Nice, but a bit dark and no sea view. We don't know what to do. We are tired and feel cheated. We booked less than 5 weeks ago. No mention of any reconstruction and the room we booked is not available due to that reconstruction ... .

// While Petra was gone I was trying to open our luggage. I found a small kitchen knife and used that to cut through the tie-raps I used to secure our bags. I use some force and direct the knife towards myself (yes, stupid - but I was tired .. ) and plant it straight into my other arm! Auw. A flesh wound and in this climate, in this climate and in combination with my medication. NOT good. We call for a doctor. F.D. Da Costa Gomez. He takes care of the wound. Cleans it. Glues the flesh together. Packs it in bandage. And finally, better safe than sorry, gives me a Tetanus injection. //

What to do? Room 18 or stay? We head back to reception. Dalies can also offer room 6. But that is a regular room. Not what we booked and not what we want. Finally we choose room 18. It feels like the best of the 3 - not so preferable - options. Had they given us room 18 from the start, I doubt there would have been an issue. The room isn't very bright, but clean, new, has a small kitchenette and is bigger than what we expected.

Let's unpack. It's okay now.

April 24th - Bank Card - ATM

We wake up early. We decide to have breakfast at Bijblauw, next door. They open at 7:00 (iso 8:00). We pass by PM78 going there. Yep, we could have booked that one as well. Maybe next time? The breakfast is very good!

At 9:30 Patricia gives us a little tour / introduction of the hotel. We also drop by the in house dive shop to sign in. A nice, cozy, easy going atmosphere. Tomorrow we'll do our first dives with Daan. Starting at 8:30.

Time to get some cash so we can do some shopping. Hmmm. Transaction not possible! I try again. And again. And again. Nothing. The Dutch folks behind me, same bank as us, have no issue. Strange. Back at Scuba Lodge I contact my back via their app. They can't find any issue. All should work. When I ask if they can activate Petra's bank card for use in Middle America, they say they can only do that Online or by Phone. As we forgot the bring the Bank Dongle it will be the latter. I call them and 5 minutes later all has been arranged. 

Back at the ATM, this time with Petra's Card. Again, no money! Damn. What to do now? We find another ATM, from the same local Bank, a little further down the road. No issue - money! Hmmm, maybe the Dutchies in front of me took the last 400 NAF, and the 500NAF I tried simply wasn't in the ATM anymore? We'll never know, but it doesn't matter now.

Lunch and chilling at Scuba Lodge. The day slowly passes by. We both haven't found the holiday feel yet. Maybe tomorrow when we go diving. Otherwise maybe rent a car and have a look outside Pietermaai.

April 25th - 1st Diving Day

Meeting at 8:30. Two-tank with Daan today. Another 5 persons are joining today! After a quick briefing all stuff is shoved into a minivan and off we go. Marie Pampoen is the 1st dive site. Once underwater we are happily surprised. Nice reef, and soo clear - great viz! As we are joining a group the dive is not to deep and we still have plenty of air when we get out, despite starting with 180 bar only.

2nd Dive is at Tugboat. Also a beautiful site with lots of life. The dive ends under a pier, which is gorgeous.

Jos: 22.6 [m] / 59 [min] | Petra: 22.6 [m] / 58 [min]

Jos: 18.0 [m] / 65 [min] | Petra: 15.8 [m] / 65 [min]

Yes, we have the taste of it now. So back at Scuba Lodge we ask for the plan for the coming days. Thursday is no issue, but after that they are FULLY BOOKED! What? After complaining for a minute or 3 we decide to let it be, rent a car and dive with the two of us. We do 'book' for Saturday afternoon however, to go to thé dive spot: the Superior Producer!

The rental car is confirmed soon after. A Kia Picanto in stead of the Suzuki Jimmy we asked for. That one was not available anymore. Bummer, but can't help that. We go to Bijblauw for dinner. Excellent! Let's do that again before the holiday ends.

April 26th - West Point

Today the "West Point" Day Trip. Adriaan is our guide today. And it's only 4 of us. Next to us 2 and Adriaan MaryAnn from Toronto joins. Nice and relaxed, such a small group. 

The 1st dive is at the West tip of the Island: Playa Grandi (Piskadi). This place is famous for its Green Turtles. They are attracted by the spills from the local fisherman that clean the fish, and throw the cut off bits and pieces in the water. Once you stick your head under you can spot at least one. Safety Stop playmates. We first do a tour over the nice reef. Back at the beach we see the baitfish in the shallows being hunted by the Jackfish. We spend some time with the beautiful turtles. Than I remember Adriaan talking about a brown seahorse on a piece of rope. It took some time, but we did find it! What a bonus! A long and nice dive.

Jos: 17.7 [m] / 88 [min] | Petra: 17.1 [m] / 87 [min]

For lunch we drive to Playa Porto Marie. A few photo stops later we arrive. Once we have finished our burger and most divers have surfaced, it's time for us to go under - searching for the Frogfish. It doesn't take Adriaan long to find it. A very beautiful yellow one. After an hour checking out the reef we return to see if Mr Frogfish is still around. He is, but decided to go for a little walk. Such an odd looking fish.

Jos: 19.8 [m] / 68 [min] | Petra: 19.8 [m] / 68 [min]

Back to Scuba Lodge. King's Night tonight. 

A very short visit of the festivities. Towards Punda and back. The both of us are way too tired (up at 5:00), so back to Scuba Lodge for dinner. At the time the party really started (22:00) the both of us were already tucked in and dreaming of turtles. Zzzzzz

April 27th - King's Day

Today is a good day to sleep in. (well it should be, but ... Petra was awake before 5:00, I myself at around 7:00) Breakfast at Scuba Lodge today. Maybe not the best day as it took long and wasn't that special. They did make Petra's oatmeal though, with cinnamon. Even I liked it! Time for a pre-siesta (for sure Petra needed one) and than off to the Nieuwstraat.

It's hot and busy on the Nieuwstraat, with all the King's Day festivities - mainly for children. We browse through until we reach the Pondjesbrug. It just opens, so we have to wait. We check out the other side (Cruise ship side), not so our thing. We return after 2 hours back at Scuba Lodge. Tired and hungry. Time for a late lunch. The rest of the day we spend doing as little as possible. Floating in the pool, staring over the ocean ... as the day slowly comes to an end.

April 28th - BBQ

Today Bob will be pour guide. Next to us another 4 ladies join, Swiss (2 divers) and Dutch (1 diver 1 snorkeler). Looking around it is clear that Jan Thiel is the Dutch hotspot on the island. Bob used to work here for a few years, so he can find his way blindfolded if needed.

After a long swim out we go down and to the left. Again a very nice dive site. 

Jos: 21.6 [m] / 64 [min] | Petra: 21.6 [m] / 64 [min]

During the safety interval I get a notice from the local diveshop owner as I left my tank standing on the table. "Next time you have to bring apple pie for all!". When he learns we are from Maastricht he rather has Rijstenvlaai. The 2nd dive is the same, but now we do the reef to the right. Nice.

Jos: 18.0 [m] / 67 [min] | Petra: 18.9 [m] / 68 [min]

We're still full from lunch, so we skip the diveshop's happy hour. We do join the BBQ, which is very good.

April 29th - Rental Car

As of today we are going to go our own way with 'our' Kia Picanto. It may be a small car, but all our dive gear fit in without a problem. Off to Directors Bay, a gorgeous dive spot. It even has a real wall. Again the water is super clear. The reef is beautiful and full of life.

Jos: 19.5 [m] / 91 [min] | Petra: 18.7 [m] / 91 [min]

On our way back we spent a lot of time - really a lot - to search the seahorse that may life here. We didn't find it. Bummer. In the evening we drive to the super market to get some nice stuff for diner and to snack. Yes, very handy to have car!

April 30th - Superior Producer

Now that we have a car we can take care of our own breakfast. Not so adventures having your 'home' breakfast from the dutch supermarket, but o so relaxed. As was our morning at the pool.

As planned, Bob takes us to the Superior Producer. There is a huge ship moored right next to the dive site, and the sign says it's not allowed to dive in such case. Bob says that to his knowledge only cruise ships and marine vessels should be avoided. And since this ugly big thing is neither of them it should be no issue to dive .... . Okay?!

Man, what a site. Soo beautiful. Huge wreck, overgrown with corals. The hull full with Tarpons. A big school of baitfish hanging over the bow. On the return squid, octopus and a turtle on the reef. And again, super good visibility.

Jos: 30.8 [m] / 62 [min] | Petra: 30.6 [m] / 62 [min]

The perfect day it seems. But than. Roosendaels, Bob's tip for dinner, is closed. Okay, can happen. Back at Scuba Lodge the gate doesn't open. Ah, your key is expired. This was quickly fixed. But than also the room doesn't open. "There is something wrong with the lock. We're trying to solve it already for some time now". The only option is for the security to open our room. (they try very hard, but several things still go wrong .. ).

We decide to leave Scuba Lodge for a diner and end up at Ginger, in the middle of Pietermaai. Good choice! Back at the lodge the guard, Jimmy, hands over the master key, so we can open our room. Just before we enter the room we bump into Patrick. If we could hand over the key to Gea tomorrow morning at reception. She will take care of the issue. Okay, but first sleep.

May 1st - Pick-Up Trucks are Overrated

I can't get over the practicality of our small car. Whether it is doing our own shipping, or being able to dive when and where ever we want - flip down the back bench and all our stuff can be put in without an issue. It does the job perfectly! First dive is at Snake Bay, a 20 minute drive.

Jos: 21.0 [m] / 71 [min] | Petra: 19.2 [m] / 70 [min]

Back for lunch. Baked eggs with tomato. Than for the 2nd dive we go all the way to West Point, Alice in Wonderland (Kalki Beach). An other very enjoyable dive - pity the sun is not out today. On the way back we take a small detour to see the flamingo's. 17:30 we are back at Scuba Lodge

Jos: 25.0 [m] / 72 [min] | Petra: 23.7 [m] / 72 [min]

May 2nd - House Reef

Last full day at Scuba Lodge. We do our last shopping, full up our "dive truck" and return it - which is nothing more than just dropping the keys at reception, how easy can it be! The plan is to do the House Reef, but there are sizable waves. So we ask Adriaan for advise. He walks to the shore with us and points out where to enter and exit, how to do that and what to look for to find the exit under water. Great! Looking at the waves he admits it will not be easy, but he's sure we're okay.

Once we're back with all gear on it is not to bad at all getting in. And boy, is this again a nice dive site. Lovely corals. Plenty of fish. Ting ting. Petra spotted a lobster. And a Giant Barracuda. And a HUGE coral crab. Another lobster. And another one. If we ever go back here we for sure need to do this site again. A very nice finale of our diving in Curaçao. But now ... we need to get out of the water. And that is not easy at all. The closer we get to the shore the stranger the surge. Once we are trying to climb out on the small beach we are both grabbed by the waves several times and pushed over. Final I am out so I can drop my gear and help Petra out as well. 

Jos: 24.7 [m] / 71 [min] | Petra: 23.8 [m] / 71 [min]

With a few scratches, but big smiles on our faces, we walk back to the dive shop. The rest of the day we spent at the swimming pool, and a walk to the Pondjesbrug. We'll have dinner at Bijblauw. 

The holiday is coming to an end.

May 3rd - Going Home

It is that day of the holiday again. We start with a breakfast at Bijblauw. When paying the bill is NAF71 where it was NAF55 every previous time. Coffee isn't included anymore and not so cheap it shows. But it was good so .. .

Packing. Settling the bill. Taxi to the airport. Two coffee, a pie and a sandwich with croquet later we're on the plane. Direct flight to Düsseldorf.

Nine and half hours later we land. Pick up the luggage and drive home, back to our two furry friends.

Raja Ampat - Wobbegongs & Mantas

[2 days earlier] "Hmmm ... double booking?", and the original one only gives error notifications?! The new one is only one way, and stops at Makasar?! The chat with KLM didn't help a lot: "this is how your travel agent arranged it, you better contact them". According Natalie, from Diving Holidays, our travel agent, all was going to be okay. She had called Garuda ... 

Much later that day we could finally check in on our original booking/itinery. Pfew.

November 20th - Double Booking

Smooth drive to the airport, no traffic. 

At the KLM checkin desk: "No, I can only see you going upto Ujung [Makasar] and can only check in your lugguage so far". What!?. "Garuda is in terminal 3. Not sure where exaclty but you can ask there". @$%$% aagghh.

"O?" "Now I can see the 3rd flight too". .... what a pleasant surprise, pfew. All lugguage checked in and labelled for Sorong.

To the lounge, flights in 2 hours already.

Amsterdam → Singapore → Jakarta. At Jakarta Airport we need to re-check-in our luggage for the domestic flight [luckily some curious ground staff asked us what company we were flying and to where, advising us to do so]. The Visa On Arrival was also quickly arranged. Two more flights to go: Jakarta → Ujung [Makasar] → Sorong.

November 22nd - Papua Explorers

Arrival at Sorong. No need to wait for the luggage. Also Jamal from Papua Explorers is already there. We're put in a car to the Marina Hotel, where we need to wait for the boat trip to the resort @ 11:30 [so 5 hours later → at that moment we think that's because we have a "free" transfer and hence need to join the Supply Boat. Later on we understand that even a Private Transfer wouldn't be leaving much earlier].

Little after us Magnus and Una from Sweden, and Gary and Barb from Canada arrive. We all patiently wait for the 5 hours in the hotel, and the 2.5 hours on the boat to pass. A pod of Spinner Dolphins is saying welcome to Raja Ampat on route. Very nice.

The welcoming sounds of music and singing we can here from quite a distance, getting at the resort. [very nice, but no time to enjoy. TOILET NOW!]

Lynn (Australia) is taking care of the arrival briefing, after which lunch is served. Dive Shop briefing at 17:30: Unpack. Put our dive gear outside. Shower. Already time for the briefing. Arnoud (Arno) from France (± Nice) does the briefing. Dinner.



It's getting dark and I feel I am getting sleepy and tired [not a surprise after a 40hrs trip and still standing all day]. At eight o'clock we're done and go to bed, to only wake up at 4. Yes, very early, but still 8 hours of sleep. An hour later we go to the jetty to enjoy the sunrise. It's gorgeous. 

November 23rd - Slow Start

Breakfast with Sweden, Canada, Lynn and Arno. We also have a chat with the other Canadians at the Resort (familie Brouwers ... and they do speak Dutch, we need to watch it ;-)). The rest of the day is for relaxing, taking pictures and ... already time for lunch.

In the afternoon I go into the water to do some snorkling at the house reef. It's nice, but not "out of this world" as one is told when going to Raja Ampat. No need to find Nemo, they were everywhere. Finally the jellyfish (many of them) drive me out of the water.

"Did you see the Dophine?" "Did you hear it?" "It was 2 meters behind you ... we kept calling you". Me again .. missed the Dolphine ... 

Dinner: Gado Gado, saté, ... jummy.

November 24th - Ill

Petra didn't feel well getting up. Her throat was hurting, snotty and a bit feverish. At breakfast it's just Una, Magnus doesn't show up [Belly something ..]. Gary and Barb are at the table. Petra wants to give it a try anyway.

In the middle of the briefing Gary pops-up: "Barb isn't too well, so we will not join today". So, just the three of us. Guide is Hakim. Arno remembered he had to fly to Singapore tomorrow, so better no diving today.

Petra had some issues clearing her ears the 1st dive.

Jos: 61 [min] / 27.1 [m] | Petra: 61 [min] / 25.0 [m]

After a nice safety stop on the jetty of the local village (where we see a Walking Shark) we start our 2nd dive. This time some nice current, so we can watch the big barracuda's, hanging on our reef hook.

Jos: 60 [min] / 24.7 [m] | Petra: 60 [min] / 23.2 [m]

During lunch Una tells us Magnus is still not feeling well and she will stay with him. Petra already told me this morning she will only do 2 dives today. So the couple from Austria, Wilfried and Helga [Maldives junkies, Vilamendhoo, Filitheyo, numerous liveaboards, etc.] will be my buddy's for the afternoon dive. Gary joins to snorkel.

It is not a brilliant dive. Little current. Not much sun. Luckily my new Dive Torch works fine.

November 25th - Empty House

What a postivity. Those crazy Canadians (actually from Brabant, The Netherlands .. some time ago). Laughing and yelling another 3 rounds with the speed boat before they finally say goodbye and head for Sorrong. With them some others left, leaving only eight of us at the resort. That's it.

Our neighbours, Gary and Barb from Canada. Such a lovely and possitive couple. 71 but still thinking about getting certified to dive. Although keep on snorkeling is fine as well. Winfried and Helga from Austria on the otherhand seem less possitive. But when it comes to diving ... they are fanatics! Winfried learned diving when he was 48, that's 20 years ago, and has logged about 2000(!) dives since. All warm water dives. Helga got certified in 2002 and logged an unbelievable 1400 dives since. I hoop I will be as fit and adventures as them when I am 70 years old. Half of that will do, as I can't keep up with them already.

Yesterday the signs were already there. Music and singing, as the Canadians left today, but Petra didn't want to stay. Not feeling well. I am also doubting my fitness, and decide to stay with her for a "No Divinge Day". I know what happens if I push it: I will regret it later on. So this is the better choice.

Good news from Hakim: They fixed Petra's regulater .... they replaced the hoose ... for free. Wow!

November 26th - Diving Again

Mixed feelings today. The diving is not what I expected it to be. The current made the dives messy and the plankton 'killed' the visibility. The 3rd dive, Cape Kri, was the worst. Hanging for 50 min's in the current with nothing interesting to see. On the other hand, I saw my 1st Wobbegong. And another one on the 2nd dive. They are sooo beautiful. With a Sepia, an Eagle Ray, a Blacktip and a Wobbegong, the 2nd was memorable one anyway.

Jos: 53 [min] / 16.5 [m] | Petra: 53 [min] / 15.5 [m]
Jos: 64 [min] / 22.7 [m] | Petra: 62 [min] / 22.0 [m]
Jos: 57 [min] / 13.1 [m] | Petra: 57 [min] / 11.3 [m]

After the 3rd dive we explained to Hakim what happened. Tomorrow we'll go for some easier dives. And that's a better choice as Petra isn't top fit still and I am exhausted after a full day of diving.

November 27th - Manta Manta

And again we wake to the most beautiful sunrise ever [when you see those colorful Indonesian paintings .. they aren't exaggerated at all!]. O, what a beautiful place is this. Not to forget the bird alarm in the morning.

Today Manta Sandy and Arborek. As we don't spot mantas when passing Manta Sandy, we start at Arborek. When we see 2 mantas we jump in for a quick snorkel. Lovely. Arborek is a nice dive. Due to the current a bit of work to do. 

Jos: 56 [min] / 20.7 [m] | Petra: 56 [min] / 18.9 [m]

Manta Sandy surpasses all our expectations. One full hour of manta show, 5 white and 2 black reef mantas.

Jos: 66 [min] / 16.5 [m] | Petra: 66 [min] / 16.2 [m]

The third dive, Hakim's favorite site, is also beautiful. A very nice diving day today!

Jos: 57 [min] / 20.4 [m] | Petra: skipped

November 28th - Three Average Dives

There was a lot of plankton today, so bad visibility. And that is always a pity. The 1st dive. Okay, a pygmy seahorse. The 2nd dive was a gorgeous wall. But since the light was coming from the wrong site, and since the island is like an overhang (hat), there was far too little light to enjoy the beauty to its full extent. The 3rd one was the same one as I did yesterday - at that time we did the top (flying over) and the viz was much better - when it was a lot nicer. Also the wobbegong was gone ... .

Jos: 66 [min] / 22.9 [m] | Petra: 66 [min] / 21.6 [m]
Jos: 61 [min] / 21.6 [m] | Petra: 61 [min] / 19.2 [m]
Jos: 66 [min] / 19.9 [m] | Petra: 65 [min] / 19.2 [m]

Gary and Barb went home this morning.

November 29th - Manta Manta ... Again

This morning we go for "Blue Magic". According Winfried the best dive site around and a chance for Oceanic Mantas. The season had started, so who knows?

Arriving at the site 2x good news. 1) just 2 other boats, and they are already in the water some time. 2) The mantas are here! We are dropped a little to far on the reef and need to work our way back a bit. Only 10 minutes in the dive Nando, our guide, sees a manta. We swim there to take a look. It's a gigantic oceanic manta. The next 50+ minutes it stays around, looking at us - checking us out. Just hanging on the reef it comes in so close ... like an eclipse, banning all the sunlight. What a dive!!

Jos: 72 [min] / 22.9 [m] | Petra: 71 [min] / 22.0 [m]

The 2nd dive, after our interval at Bat Island, was a nice dive with small stuff (except the Napoleon and Bumphead parrotfish ...). Mild current, so a lovely flight over the reef. 

Jos: 63 [min] / 22.0 [m] | Petra: 63 [min] / 22.0 [m]


We're back late and the new guests had arrived. 12 Russians and a few other nationalities. The resort is full again.

[we already miss Barb's ear-to-ear smile]
Winfried and Helga are not so happy. The drink prices have gone up 30% (new season start?), and that is a lot as the wine is already not cheap to start with in Indonesia. After the 3rd dive (they did Otdima again) they were smiling again. It had been a very nice dive they said.

I am going to skip the night dive I planned. Enough is enough. Let's call it a day .. 

November 30th - Washing Machine

Heavily clouded. No sun. The plan today is to do "Mike's Point" & "Cape Kri". During the 1st dive I am getting a bit chilled. Should have listened to Petra and wear my new 3mm body. During our safety stop, looking up, we see it started to rain. Getting out 'rain' seems an understatement, it's poring down. The boat is already filling up. Now were all cold. I quickly put on the 3mm body. We are heading for Yenbuba pier (we thought we would go back to the resort).

Jos: 60 [min] / 25.6 [m] | Petra: 60 [min] / 24.7 [m]

A chat with Una and Magnus, two cups of warm thee, and off we go for the 2nd dive. OMG, what a current! We reach the reef, but the current is from the wrong side (did we jump at the wrong side of the split? **). We all look at eachother, hanging at the reef in the strong current, and decide to cancel the dive. We let go of the reef and the current flushes us away. We fly over the reef, and than get pushed off the reef into a down current. We drop 8-10 meters in no time. Bubbles going down in stead of up. Very scary. I inflate my BCD and try to swim up. Slowly we go up ... and than it's calm again. We start our safety stop, but we're pulled down again. Out! Out! Vernando took Petra by the hand the whole time. Very thankful for that as she was close to panicking.
On the surface, waiting for the boat, Vernando is right next to me. In seconds he drifts 10 meters away. Man, crazy currents here! Winfried, who didn't get blown of the reef, is already on the boat. Little later we also pick up Helga. Jerry also had to take her by the hand and got her out safely. They got pulled to another direction.
"Anybody for an afternoon dive?" "YES!"

(** Later Hakim explains that there are different current directions at different depths. Only having reached 9 meters we probably didn't reach the main/bottom current, but stayed in the top current .... with above consequences)

Jos:  9 [min] / 16.8 [m] | Petra:  9 [min] / 15.4 [m]

During lunch Winfried makes sure the drink prices will remain as was for them. We took a little nap. And than time for the 3rd dive. "You want an easy dive?" Arno asks. "Yes". "Okay, let's go for Manta Sandy!". A good choice. Lovely 1 hour with 7 - 8 Manta's that keep flying by to go to the cleaning station and back in line. One could say the light was from the wrong site, and the viz wasn't that good, but who cares with so many Manta's to look at.

Jos: 69 [min] / 15.9 [m] | Petra: 69 [min] / 15.9 [m]

In the evening Arno asks me to share my manta video's and pictures for his "Identification Log". He also had a lot of questions on what we had seen the passed days. How many boats at each site, etc. Yes, the Marine Biologist is serious about his passion. 

December 1st - Easy Dive Day

Some days don't have much to report, and this is one of them. A relaxed day with some easy dives. The current, as 'promised' during the briefing, isn't there. But we did see beautiful reefs, especially on the first 2 dives.

Jos: 62 [min] / 23.5 [m] | Petra: 61 [min] / 22.6 [m]
Jos: 61 [min] / 26.2 [m] | Petra: 61 [min] / 25.9 [m]

Curious which Bird Watching experience Una liked best. She had already done the morning one and is now going to do the afternoon one. Tomorrow Magnus and Una will leave. Pity. We enjoyed their company and conversation.

Jos: 61 [min] / 29.6 [m] | Petra: 61 [min] / 26.5 [m]

December 2nd - The Passage

A tour around the island today. We start with a dive at Citrus Ridge. Good viz and a fantastic reef.

The funniest thing happened there, but I only found out that night. I swam after a Wobbegong, filming it. On my return I saw a few Pilot Fish, and thought "poor guys, they lost their Wobby". When checking out the video in our room that night it was obvious they didn't loose their Wobby. It was lying in from of me, just centimeters away. Incredible camouflage as I didn't see it at all (and they are not tiny!).

We continue with a nice boat ride through the mangroves.

The Passage itself is a little bit of a fairground attraction. Nice to do once, but I wouldn't do it again.

Jos: 64 [min] / 25.9 [m] | Petra: 64 [min] / 24.4 [m]
Jos: 69 [min] / 14.1 [m] | Petra: 70 [min] / 14.0 [m]

Back at the resort we have a final check with Hakim. Unfortunately they didn't find the 5 pax total to join for Wayang (we couldn't understand people traveling all across the world and skip on this World Heritage site ... but we can't force them). Only Gaby, our neighbor from Germany, was okay to join. So Fam it will be then.
A lovely night dive on the House Reef, with Beto, completes the day.

Jos: 50 [min] / 16.8 [m] | Petra: skipped

December 3rd - Fam Islands

So not Wayang (and the dive sites on route), but Fam Islands. Germany (Gaby and Ralph, both traveling alone) and Austria (Winfried and Helga) join us on the boat. Our first dive is at Melissa's Garden. It is a gorgeous dive site with lots to see.

The plan was 1st dive, Fam Islands, lunch, followed by the 2nd dive. Arno decides lunch can wait. We first go to Fam and climb up the hill. Waw what a view! [one wonders how much better Wayang is... ] And immediately the 2nd dive: Anita's Garden. Again an incredibly beautiful reef. And the viz, super!

Jos: 69 [min] / 24.1 [m] | Petra: 69 [min] / 23.2 [m]
Jos: 63 [min] / 21.6 [m] | Petra: 63 [min] / 20.4 [m]

We have lunch at a local beach. The local Monitor Lizards are already waiting for us. Four show up (later a fith one joins) and they are not shy at all. A little bit too used to people for my liking as they get very close when charging for scraps being thrown.

A nice gift during our return: we spot 5 manta's feeding at the surface. We all - including the majority of the boat crew - jump in to snorkel. This never gets booring. 

December 4th - Red Bird of Paradise

4:25 is when the alarm beeps. We have planned to go bird watching and are supposed to meet Hakim at 4:50 at the restaurant. He is already waiting for us when we arrive. He wakes up Derek, who joins to watch us, and quickly arranges binoculars. After a short boat ride we arrive at the jetty of the neighboring village where bird man Nico is awaiting us.
We need to walk through the village and another 15 minutes or so through the jungle to reach the first bird spot. A kind of Cockatoos, but it's still quit dark so we can hardly see them. We can surely hear them. Now to the main attraction: Red Bird of Paradise. There is a kind of bench one can sit on and lean backwards to watch them far up in the tree. Very far up in the tree. The male birds start dancing for the (dull looking) females. Difficult to see with binoculars that are blurred (sea water entered?). That leaves the zoom on my compact camera as the only way to see them. The zoom is enough (20x optical plus 20x digital), but to keep them in the screen while they nervously jump up and down the branches, dancing, is difficult. Let alone keep them in focus. The later it gets the brighter it gets, the better we can see them.
The nearby thunder is getting loader and closing in. We need to start going, as the rain is starting. Nico asks if we want to wait, but we think we best move before it gets all wet and slippery. On our arrival in the village we are soaking wet. Despite of some problems a nice morning adventure we wouldn't have wanted to miss. Time for breakfast.

"Petra & Jos, where do you want to dive?" "Cape Kri?" "I'll be your personal guide" "Or do you want to go to Otdima?" Hakim tries to convince us to join him to go to Kri as, after two failed dives there, he wants to show why we should dive there and why it's so famous. Petra is doubting a long time, but finally she says: "Yes, let's go to Kri!".

The current on the reef is not much this time (too little?) and at the end we spot a nice Sepia - we hadn't seen one this trip yet, so a nice bonus. On our safety stop we also see some real Dories. Very good!

"Und Winfried?" "Zu viel Strömung auf Otdima. Wir sind irgendwo anders, auf die andere seite, gewezen. Saum Rif. Ach."

Jos: 67 [min] / 28.7 [m] | Petra: 67 [min] / 28.8 [m]

December 5th - Soto Ajam

Man, does time fly. We arrived at our final day already. A relax one. Some stroling on the beach. Drying our dive gear. Chatting with the dive guides (Fahmy and Vernando). A bit of sleep. Lunch: Yes, Soto Ajam - lekker!
We repeat the morning in the afternoon. Stamp the logbooks. O, I need to take my medication. I left it with them (needs to be in the fridge) almost 2 weeks ago. Arno gets it from the kitchen and I am pleasantly surprised to see it was still okay.
Time to pack. Tonight, dinner with dancing and music with the locals from the nearby village. Tomorrow wake-up at 6:00, we're leaving at 7:00.

December 6th - The Big Trip Home

Full boat to Sorong (Ralph, Gaby, Helga, Winfried and Darwin, Australia: Tracy, Allen, Matthiah and Brad). First stop at the hotel, and then to the airport. A quick checking, but only to Jakarta. We say goodbye to Darwin (they have planned an extra few days in Manadoo) and fly together with Ralph (he sits next to me) to Makasar.
At the transfer desk we ask if we can check in for Amsterdam. "Yes, no problem. We'll also re-label your luggage directly to Amsterdam, no need to re-check in Jakarta". Great, but I think we better check to make sure. To the lounge now and wait for a big 6 hours before our flight to Jakarta leaves.
In Jakarta we watched other peoples luggage passing by on the belt for a good 45 minutes. At that time all had been collected and ours didn't pass by, so it must have been checked through as they said in Makasar. Arriving in Amsterdam confirmed that. It was one of the first on the belt. Perfect. Which also describes this holiday very well: Perfect.

Ooh Solley Solley .... don't ask my why, but it had been in my head for almost 2 weeks.

It was a sad goodbye from Raja Ampat - as good memories always are.

Port Ghalib 2015

May 14th - Car Trouble

It's 7 in the morning and we are ready to go. Get the car, Petra says, so we can load in the luggage. Since she has her own little car mine is parked outside. And since she loves driving that new little car mine is mainly parked. Too often it showed. As I tried to start my car I hardly heard a click. Probalby the battery is gone (9 years and 170k km ... ). Even pushing it to jump start the car didn't work.

So, the little car will be taking us to Schiphol this time. Despite it's size (Fiat 500) the huge luggage fits easily. So with just a bit of delay we're on our way. My being the co-driver for the first time in many years :-)

Arke (TUI) check in and flight were good. In no time we arrive in Marsa Alam. A tiny transfer (Marina Lodge is 1st stop) and there we are. "Welcome back". Room 6323 has been reserved for us, exactly as we requested. Just pasted the room we had before, with an open bath room, a larger balcony and a better view. Another improvement is the Wifi strenght. This time I had to pay for it (495 EGP for the whole stay, 4 connections) as they are not longer an Intercontinental, and hence my IHG Gold membership is worthless this time around.

May 15th - Check in and Relax

First day: a long sleep in. Easy, relaxed and long breakfast. Slowly towards the diving shop. Jörgen immediately jumps up when he sees us. "Welcome back". Tomorrow at 10 we'll be picked up to do a House Reef dive. Now some more relaxing, swimming, lunching, dinning ... .
May 16th - Good to be back

Yep, it sounds strange, but little to report. And to be honest, that is the best part. This is our 4th time in Port Ghalib, 3rd time The Palace. And despite they aren't a Intercontinental anymore (Red Sea Resort now), all is as it was. And that is - as before - perfect. So nothing to complaint and hence little to report.

Jos: 62 [min] / 20.4 [m] | Petra: 62 [min] / 19.5 [m]

Same story for the Extra Divers dive shop. We found it as we left it. Many familiar, friendly, faces. A very nice 1st diving day.

May 17th - Again, and again, and again

When checking my dive log from last visit I see we only did 2 boat dive days, all other days we did the - O so beautiful - House Reef. And I wouldn't be surprised if we are going to repeat that schedule this holiday. Not because of the wind due to which the boat dives may be not too interesting ("too much wind" and than anchor around the in Marsa Imbarrak the whole day). Also not because the shore dives with the minivan is such a hassle (gather a certain time, always someone late, 1 hour in the minivan, gearing up in the hot sun). No we do all that with pleasure. No. Just because the House Reef is such a beautiful and magical place.

Jos: 65 [min] / 25.0 [m] | Petra: 65 [min] / 22.6 [m]

And always full of surprises. Today no big game, but the Remora that followed us all dive makes you think: "who did he loose?". The Dugong, a Big Turtle, .. ? It's all around. Even Dolphins. Some days you're lucky and see they. Other days it's the excitement of knowing you might. And than the reef itself with all its tiny inhabitants. It will make you come back again and again. Tomorrow ... I think yes.

May 18th - Night Dive

I wanted to try yesterday, but I was asking too late for Extra Divers to arrange the needed permit (arranged in El Queisir). So tomorrow (being today) it would be. Arriving at the dive shop I understand I am the only one. Okay. "Your guide is Ghalid". "You know him?". He impersonates a very big guy. "Hulk". Sure I know him.

Jos: 65 [min] / 23.9 [m] | Petra: 65 [min] / 22.4 [m]

Jos: 51 [min] / 18.9 [m]

The guide, Ghalid, was very nice and calm. A very pleasant night dive. I need to do this more often!

May 19th - Boat Dive Day

To my big surprise Petra had entered us on the boat dive list for today. She had been insisting for days that she didn't want to do any boat dives. Even not tomorrow (Elphinestone). The boat was full, but not too full. Dive spot is Marsa Shouni. Only two other boats around so quite okay.

Jos: 63 [min] / 27.4 [m] | Petra: 63 [min] / 25.3 [m]

Jos: 61 [min] / 20.4 [m] | Petra: 60 [min] / 19.3 [m]

The dives were nice as was the reef. But the House Reef is better. If you have a Dugong encounter here I can understand it is a "Yippie ai yee"day, but without it is just okay.

May 20th - Elphinestone

As every other year we also booked a trip to this famous dive spot this year. As a nice difference to last year the sea is calm and smooth this time. Not very busy. Only 4 or 5 other boats around, we have seen that much different. Also the drop from the boat was - 1st time ever (4th time here) - spot on. The reef is as beautiful as I remembered it. No (HH) Sharks on the 1st dive (North Plateau). Half way the 2nd dive (South Plateau) a WTR Shark cruises just below us.

Jos: 56 [min] / 32.4 [m] | Petra: 56 [min] / 31.1 [m]

Jos: 54 [min] / 28.5 [m] | Petra: 56 [min] / 26.8 [m]

A pod of Dolpins plays in the bow wave on our return. What a nice day!

May 21st - Scootering

Today we want to do a Scooter Dive. We had arranged it yesterday with Mostafa, our instructor from last year. When we build up and checked the scooters, mine wasn't working. After some trying and checking for the issue I saw the wire to the battery was loose (broken out of the connector). Mostafa fixed the issue and off we went.
Fish Market and back was the plan. After half an hour we turned, well passed the last (Crown Plazza / Siva) jetty. I noticed I was slowing down. Little later I wasn't moving at all anymore. Dead Scooter. Petra had to tow me back. At he Interconti Jetty we decided to get out. No way we could still reach Fish Market on one Scooter, towing 2 divers and another Scooter! So a dive that started as a fun dive ended in a bit of a disaster. Pity.

Jos: 57 [min] / 20.4 [m] | Petra: 58 [min] / 19.4 [m]

"Oh no" she is back. Seldom have I seen/heard such a bad singer for live entertainment .. .

May 22nd - Yep ....

A new day a new dive (site)? No! The same dive again, and that was a good choice. We enter at CP/Siva which was not so easy due to the waves (yes, quite a wind today). From there slowly 'back' to the IC Jetty. It seems the current has turned? For sure there is quite a surge, so this time we really need to swim a bit. Half way Petra sees a nice big Mangrove Stingray. He's quite shy and swims away. Visibility worsens during the dive.

Jos: 61 [min] / 25.7 [m] | Petra: 61 [min] / 23.2 [m]

Not sure if it was the wind, or the many Safari Boats leaving the harbour last night ... and they stir up a lot of sand. Anyway, the closer to the harbour the worse the viz. Glad we didn't do our 1st plan: IC -> IC. That would have been a bad dive.

Petra isn't feeling too well, so no more dives today. Just relaxing.

May 23rd - Time to Go

But not before ... yes, another last time on the House Reef. We both had a bit of a funky stomach (that had been long time ago .. ) but insisted to do another - last one for this holiday. But not too late as we fly at 11:10 o'clock tomorrow, so we need to get in early. It is again a beautiful dive, as every dive on the House Reef. Bye bye colorful fish, until next time!

Jos: 65 [min] / 24.4 [m] | Petra: 64 [min] / 22.1 [m]

Lunch - Relax - Pay Extra Divers - Dinner - Pack - Sleep.

May 24th - Home

Our holiday plan, from an efficient use of time or value for many point of view, was a bad plan. Arriving late, leaving early. Often flights out are late, giving you an almost full day at the pool or beach (like we had last time). But to honest, this is better. In stead of arriving home in the morning - very tired after a night without sleep in a plane - we now arrive home in the early evening, relaxed and rested. Totally perfect, like this holiday.

Can't wait to go back ... again.


Link to all pictures ...