Snorkeling dream trip to Raja Ampat on the Wisesa! Ah-Maze-Ing!! I've had a week to reflect on our 11 night snorkeling safari in Raja Ampat on the Wisesa. My husband... read moreI've had a week to reflect on our 11 night snorkeling safari in Raja Ampat on the Wisesa. My husband and I have pursued adventure activity around the world, and I have to say this was one of the most incredible trips we've ever done! We've snorkeled in French Polynesia, the Caribbean, Hawaii, but they all pale in comparison to Raja Ampat! Snorkeling the dense, colorful, coral forests and spotting the variety of marine life was indescribably beautiful! Near the end of our trip, after I didn't think anything could top the snorkeling at that point, we had a "Manta Encounter" for the ages! Dylan aka "Snorkeling Guide Extraordinaire" led us to an area where we swam with 8-10 mantas while they were feeding! Mind blowing!! The reason our experience was so great was due to our guide, Dylan, and the crew of The Wisesa Liveaboard. Dylan, Stephen and Andy would check the currents and take us to the best spots for snorkeling! Dylan was fun, knowledgeable, passionate, and above all, professional! We couldn't of had a better guide and boat mate! Captain Jovi, Chef, Wayan and the rest of the crew were exceptional! The food served was abundant and delicious! We rarely return to the same place twice, but we're already thinking about returning to snorkel in Komodo on the Wisesa! Thanks again for the trip of a lifetime! read less

Excellent experience in every way! Still in complete awe of the 8 days I just spent living aboard, diving and exploring Raja Ampat on the... read moreStill in complete awe of the 8 days I just spent living aboard, diving and exploring Raja Ampat on the beautiful ship Wisesa with great fellow guests and the most wonderful and thoughtful crew ever. Ofcourse there are many operators offering liveaboard in RA but I couldn’t have made a better choice than coming along with Cruising Raja Ampat.
What’s good? A total of only 8 guests and crew of 9 made that I never felt lost, even as a solo traveler. I left ship many friends richer. The crew was super friendly and accomodating. Wisesa is a stunning well built, sturdy traditional ship with a perfect lay out of the different areas. Always room to spend time by yourself when you want to just dream away in the amazing landscapes of RA. The ship was in the hands of a very experienced captain and first mate, I always felt safe. My cosy cabin was very comfortable and was cleaned immaculately every day. Food is taken seriously on board Wisesa and all meals were outstanding.
Needless to say the diving in RA is ofcourse unparalleled and the divemasters and guides on board Wisesa know their way around there like the back of their hand. I had not been diving for a long time and was a bit insecure at first but they were super supportive and made my welcome back to the underwater world very easy and enjoyable.
Next to diving we did some really nice trips on land which gave us a chance to explore the beauty of the islands from another angle. I’ll never forget swimming in the hearth shaped lagoon with my new friends!
Whats not good? Having to leave ship after 8 days full of truly wonderful experiences ;)

Terima kasih banyak everybody on Wisea for making me feel welcome and at home. I will definitely come back! read less

Croisière Snorkeling Komodo à bord du Wisesa 7j Très beau bateau. Très confortable. Équipage très agréable, souriant et prévenant.
Cuisine excellente faite par un vrai « chef »
3 sorties... read moreTrès beau bateau. Très confortable. Équipage très agréable, souriant et prévenant.
Cuisine excellente faite par un vrai « chef »
3 sorties Snorkeling par jour. Tous les sites offrent une très bonne vision. Les coraux à Komodo sont denses, très beaux et sur de grandes surfaces. Énormément de poissons de toutes sortes. On a notamment vu plusieurs fois des raies Manta. Tortues, requins de récifs, et même dauphins une fois.
Nous avons aussi effectué des excursions à terre pour voir les dragons : y aller de bonne heure sinon il fait trop chaud et ils se cachent à l’ombre
Bref superbe voyage que nous recommandons vivement read less

Special trip to a special place Just returned from an incredible trip with a group of friends on Wisesa.
Explored Raja Ampat and North Maluku ... read moreJust returned from an incredible trip with a group of friends on Wisesa.
Explored Raja Ampat and North Maluku islands with Dylan, Jimmy and the Wisesa crew.
We arrived without itinerary and left Dylan , Jimmy and the captain to organise everything. We seemed to spend every day in surprise and wonder about the beauty above and below the water line.
Dylan found us unique and different places to snorkel and explore every day. His knowledge and love of the reef was incredible and constantly found us unique sights to see on every snorkel.
We al found the variety of coral and fish life the best we had ever experienced.
Overall an incredible holiday with the Dylan and the crew tirelessly working to make sure we had a good time.
Many thanks to Dylan , always full of humour and energy , Jimmy for finding us some good waves , and the whole crew ( their nighttime guitar and singing sessions were so memorable ) for such an enjoyable experience.
Bruce and Mary read less

NO SE PUEDE PEDIR MAS Si además de tener a tu alrededor un paisaje tan divino y de bucear con una exuberancia de vida marina... read moreSi además de tener a tu alrededor un paisaje tan divino y de bucear con una exuberancia de vida marina excepcional, lo haces con Wisesa y Dylan su director del crucero no podrás pedir más. Su rigor y organización no le impide adaptarse y modificar planes si es necesario para aprovechar lo máximo posible tu estancia.
El barco tiene todo lo necesario al detalle y el equipo está siempre atento a lo que necesites. Comida variada y riquísima. read less

Trip of a Lifetime on Wisesa We chose Wisesa as we really liked the look of her, and because we wanted a reasonably priced snorkel only... read moreWe chose Wisesa as we really liked the look of her, and because we wanted a reasonably priced snorkel only trip (quite hard to find). We truly had the trip of a lifetime! Dylan the dive master was fun, passionate and professional. The crew of 8 took fantastic care of us throughout our 12 day trip, and ensured the smooth-running of Wisesa. We snorkelled over stunning coral reefs for 4-5 hours a day, seeing a wonderful variety of sea life and corals. The Raja Ampat Islands are out of this World! Dylan was always flexible and determined to find us places we would enjoy, but he also taught us how to respect and care for the precious coral reefs and their inhabitants. We were mostly the only people in our watery wonderland! The highlight for me was swimming with Manta Rays which was both breathtaking and humbling. Delicious meals were freshly prepared three times a day, with cake or banana fritters at tea time. Cabins were comfortable enough, with air con at night, and cleaned daily. Wisesa crew also entertained us with a concert or two! The boat feels perfectly designed for guests to enjoy time together ( as we did), and also curl up quietly with a good book and a chilled drink ( as we also did)!
Thank you to Dylan and Wisesa crew for making our adventures in paradise so wonderful. read less

The most amazing experience Living aboard Wisesa for 8 days and 7 nights, cruising around Komodo National Park was such a wonderful experience. My... read moreLiving aboard Wisesa for 8 days and 7 nights, cruising around Komodo National Park was such a wonderful experience. My best friend and I dived everyday and had the experience of a lifetime.

Firstly, although the sail was not put to use, the boat is gorgeous. It is comfortable and always kept clean. There are a lot of community spaces so it was a very social trip. The top sun deck is a favourite spot and the crew are able to pull up and remove the overhead canvass so that you are not constantly baking in the sun. Some rooms below were a little smaller (mainly Lombok and Flores cabins). But the room we stayed in, Bali Cabin, was spacious although a bathroom must be shared with Lombok cabin.

Aside from the boat, which we loved a lot, the crew onboard really made the trip magical. Everyone was very friendly and accommodating. Even if they are not fluent in English, they always greeted everyone with a smile. And how could I forget their music sessions? They were always whipping out their guitar and drum to play a tune which everyone would fall in love with. There's just nothing better than sitting on the sun deck reading a book whilst the crew are inside strumming away and singing. Those who handled the dive equipment were also very helpful, helping us bring our tanks from the dive boat onto the deck and changing them for us.

The diving in Komodo was just superb. There's so much to see underwater. Even when we go back to the same dive site, we see different things. Sharks hunting, sea horses, massive sting rays, sponge crabs, lion fish hunting etc. Before each dive, we would always get a dive briefing and Edwin (the cruise director) would always jump in the water to check the strength of the current before we dived, which you need to do in Komodo. We really enjoyed the schedule on Wisesa as we got to fit in 16 dives but also got to see the Komodo dragons, visit a small village and enjoy afternoons on the beach. The flexibility in schedule meant that if there were any places we really wanted to go to, Edwin would try to arrange it for us.

Again, thank you for a wonderful trip that we'll always remember. We left with 16 more dives, a tan and lot of new friends. read less

Amazing snorkelling with Dylan and the fantastic crew What a wonderful holiday we experienced - 4 older couples all looking for a magic experience, snorkelling over the beautiful... read moreWhat a wonderful holiday we experienced - 4 older couples all looking for a magic experience, snorkelling over the beautiful corals and amongst the myriad of fish. There were many highlights but snorkelling with the Manta Rays and seeing reef sharks and turtles as well as so many different fish and coral was amazing. On land we were lucky yo see the red Bird of Paradise and also visit a couple of villages. The food on board was delicious and plentiful, the crew were there to help you at every turn and Dylan was brilliant in choosing different places for snorkelling depending on the tides, weather and currents etc. Definitely recommend this trip. read less

The Trip of a Lifetime My husband and I have just returned from an amazing 7 nights snorkelling aboard the WISESA live aboard to celebrate... read moreMy husband and I have just returned from an amazing 7 nights snorkelling aboard the WISESA live aboard to celebrate his 50th birthday. It was by far the most relaxing holiday we've ever had. Everything about our adventure was incredible and a large part of that was due to our cruise director Edwin and the rest of the crew. Days were so well planned with a lot of variety and always something happening yet everything still felt so relaxed.

We mostly did 3 snorkels per day which always revealed something new and blew our minds and on top of this there were other land activities to vary things up. Our trek to see the Bird of Paradise did not disappoint, we visited a local village, had a beach BBQ and walked up to the Pianemu viewing platform. We also did a night snorkel which was a different experience for us. All of these activities were amazing.

We were so well looked after on the boat - The food was absolutely fantastic. For anyone thinking about doing this adventure with kids, there were two children on our trip. For snorkelling there was always two crew in the water with someone nearby with a life saver ring if anyone needed a rest as well as a small boat at the ready to assist. Edwin described the snorkelling spots in detail before we left WISESA and also tested out the visibility and currents before we entered the water.

The small capacity of the WISESA is also wonderful. The other travellers were like-minded and there was plenty of space for everyone to escape if they needed to. Our cabin Bali was quite spacious, though the only negative perhaps was the very small bathroom.

As for Raja Ampat - I didn't even know it existed until we started looking into the holiday. It was difficult for us to get there from Brisbane (3 flights over two days), but so completely worth it. We arrived via Singapore, Manado and Sorong and really enjoyed our time at S Loft in Manado. Manado was a great choice for us for a stopover. It is on the island of Sulawesi and you can also visit the marine national park of Bunaken from there. We chose to do a land excursion to Tangkoko National Park which was also great, we saw a number of different animals/creatures.

What a beautiful untouched marine wilderness Raja Ampat is. The coral is in many areas colourful and pristine and the variety is amazing. The fish are also very abundant and we saw all manner of strange creatures - eagle, devil and manta rays, a raja walking shark, a wobbygong, schools of dolphins, turtles, squid, lion fish, huge schools of parrot fish, trevelly, plenty of reef sharks ...

I had tears when we left the boat to catch our plane back. Need I say more ... read less

3 Tips for WISESA Raja Ampat liveaboard trip We are New Yorkers who took the 8 day WISESA boat snorkeling trip through Northern and Central Raja Ampat from... read moreWe are New Yorkers who took the 8 day WISESA boat snorkeling trip through Northern and Central Raja Ampat from Jan. 5 - Jan 12. We were lucky in that the seas were relatively calm with almost no current at any of the snorkeling sites that we visited during the 8 days.
Here are some tips:
1 Snorkelers: Bring a 3 mil wetsuit. We started with just full body Lycra suits but soon got cold after repetitive snorkeling. Yes, the water is 80 F degrees this time of year but you will be doing 3 one-hour snorkels each day which will drop your core body temperature.
2. Bring a tropical diving hood. The sun beats down mercilessly on your head so you need to protect your scalp from sunburn. Hoods are better than sunscreen.
3. Select the right cabin. There are four choices of cabins. My wife and I chose the back two (Bali and Lombok) which provide more privacy than the front cabins. WISESA charges per person rather than per cabin so there was no extra charge for having two cabins. Of the two cabins we had, Cabin Bali was larger and better than Cabin Lombok. Having the back two cabins meant we didn’t have to share the bathroom with others. read less

Raja Ampat snorkel 1 week Excelente semana, buen rapport calidad precio, tripulación gente competente y agradable. “Cruise manager”excelente profesional y muy competente.
Recomiendo vivamente!!!

Surpassed very high expectations Just departing Indonesia after a simply wonderful week on Wisesa with Edwin and the crew. Best snorkelling we have ever... read moreJust departing Indonesia after a simply wonderful week on Wisesa with Edwin and the crew. Best snorkelling we have ever done, superb food at every mealtime, delightful crew who couldn’t do enough and a beautiful boat. We’ve been looking forward to this trip for a long time and Raja Ampat, Wisesa, Edwin and the wonderful crew ensured that our unreasonably high expectations were comfortably surpassed. Thank-you for a truly unforgettable week. We are very privileged. read less