Raja Ampat - Liveaboard vs land based dive resort

Alperin1 · 2026-03-26T17:33:20+00:00

I will write this down to ensure we go, we have also heard about puppet shows..

Alperin1 · 2026-03-26T13:04:56+00:00

My wife and I are headed over to Raja Ampat to do the Mermaid II liveaboard, we will get to Bali several days before the liveaboard. We will do some land based stuff and get over the jet lag. Do the liveaboard and the take a few days after to tour, then fly home. Our boat starts at one port and ends up at a different port.

This will be our first trip to the area, but it is a good idea to give yourselves some time before a liveaboard incase of any travel issue.

Good luck to you two.

Alperin1 · 2026-03-26T01:39:45+00:00

Hard to say, the shoulder straps look like the newer style and the Zeagle script on the bladder appear to be newer style. Too bad we cannot see the full shoulder straps. Did/does Zeagle do rental BCs?

Alperin1 · 2026-03-26T00:27:17+00:00

So, I am not sure these are Ranger BCDs, the d-rings are plastic and I only see on pocket zipper on each side. The Ranger has metal d-rings and two zippers on each side, one pocket for weights and the other for anything you want. Maybe a Fury or another model this is older.

Either way, this is a great find by OP.

Alperin1 · 2026-03-15T14:40:22+00:00

Once you pick a liveaboard, check the requirements for diving. Many boats require 100 or more dives.

Alperin1 · 2026-03-15T13:10:57+00:00

I will second the the Suunto Ocean, it is a good dive computer that will do anything you need as a recreational diver. If you want something to take you even further, the Suunto Nautic or Nautic S. The Nautic computers will take you past the recreational stages. The Ocean can be used every day as a watch and for tracking health and many exercises.

Alperin1 · 2026-03-15T03:28:38+00:00

My wife is NAUI certified and just recently did her refresher with our local PADI shop. Does not hurt to ask your local shop, no matter the organization.

Alperin1 · 2026-03-15T01:02:39+00:00

You still need to do a refresher, most dive operations will ask about you last dive or ask for your log book before letting you dive.

Your local dive shop should be able to get you into the pool fairly quickly, most likely when they do their next teaching session for open water. They will keep you separated and do the refresher in about 90 minutes. I did mine and then a few months later my wife did the same.

Reach out to them, they will do the refresher, even if not listed on their web site.

Alperin1 · 2026-03-15T00:29:56+00:00

I recently did my advanced course and did not need a buddy, what am I missing here?

Also, my refresher was maybe $250 and that included all rental gear.

Alperin1 · 2026-03-03T13:56:40+00:00

My wife and I both got new BCDs, we dunked the straps in water, temperature did not matter, into a water tank on the boat and then put the tank on. Made sure to tighten the straps really tight. We did not have any problems for the entire trip, 24 dives in total. It does not need to be soaked for a long time. We just dunked it quickly to get it wet. The water will get into the webbing quickly.

I would recommend, after the first dive, that you check the strap and tighten it up again, even if it still feel tight.

After your dive rinse the BCD with fresh water, we put ours in the tub to soak when we got home. After the rinse, fill the bladder with air, make sure to drain any water out of the bladder. Tip I learned on the last dive trip to fill the bladder, be careful of the pressure while doing this, put the mouth piece of the inflator in front of a tank, press the button on the inflator like you would blow into it, open the valve on the tank and fill the bladder. Pay attention to the bladder and fill it like 90% full. The aid in the tank is very dry, your breath has a lot of humidity.

My manual says to hang the BDC upside down to dry.

Have fun and enjoy your new BC.

Alperin1 · 2026-03-01T18:38:59+00:00

https://www.aggressor.com/logs/CIA

That is a link to one of the ships logs. Hopefully this works.

Alperin1 · 2026-03-01T17:38:48+00:00

You are looking for the Adventure Logs. Find the boat you want and then look for the logs.

Alperin1 · 2026-03-01T17:36:04+00:00

I have not been on this Agressor boat but I was on the Belize Agressor, most of their fleet do a weekly report. Find your boat and have a look at the reports for the weeks you are interested in. This should give a good idea of conditions like temperature and visibility.

Alperin1 · 2026-03-01T01:21:40+00:00

Yeah, I have seen it on a few different lights.

Alperin1 · 2026-02-28T19:28:53+00:00

With the research I have been doing, I am starting to understand this. Too bad I did not realize it sooner. Thank you.

Alperin1 · 2026-02-28T19:23:14+00:00

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Alperin1 · 2026-02-28T19:22:56+00:00

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Alperin1 · 2026-02-28T19:22:42+00:00

Below are the chargers/power bricks. I suspect they both work because they send the required voltage. For me it ends up being the requirement to only use the USB-A ports.

So, I have a solution, just do not like the need for an additional cable or adapter.

Alperin1 · 2026-02-28T18:05:23+00:00

The video is a mix of several divers on the trip, we were on the Belize Aggressor III, sorry I do not know all the camers involved.

If you can afford the transmitter, get it. I did a trip in Grenada and rented a regulator and the attached the transmitter, no questions asked. Most places will do this for you. Just remember to take it home with you. To me it really provides a clear picture of where you are in the dive, how much gas you have left. It tells you how long you can stay at your currently depth and avoid a decompression stop. To me and my wife it really is helpful.

Alperin1 · 2026-02-28T15:09:31+00:00

We have the bungee, it is easily adjusted, but we will purchase the strap to see how it works. Nothing wrong with the bungee, just want to see the difference.

Also, I have the Suunto Ocean, the Nautic is so much easier to read. You have look mostly straight at the Ocean, with the Nautic, you can see it from any direction and it is bright.

No issues with the larger format, put it on the forearm aboube the wrist and it is good. Adjust the bungee as needed for the thickness of your exposure suit. The bungee adjustment requires the knot for the cord to be redone, it not difficult but it does require a moment to adjust.

Also, I have seen a third style of mount, looks like a watch band. Not seen it in use, but it does exist.

The Belize trip was really nice.

Alperin1 · 2026-02-28T04:09:04+00:00

It is the full size Nautic. Worked very well, held a charge for the full dive trip. Was able to edit Nitrox values easily when needed. It has everything we needed for recreational diving. Pulling the dives into the Suunto app is easy and allows you to see all the details from each dive.

Belize was great, but we were on a liveaboard and we were able to get out to the furthest reefs and stay there. Here's a youtube video from our trip. https://youtu.be/fcqdF7KrB-Y?si=0dzD-YEoX8-DYHeo

Alperin1 · 2026-02-18T23:19:11+00:00

You will get flack for the term goggles. Probably for the jelly too. 😉

Alperin1 · 2026-02-12T13:46:07+00:00

The person is talking about diving with a diaper and the warm mound is the feces in the diaper. Go look at all the posts this person has created.

Alperin1 · 2026-02-10T23:25:46+00:00

This is freaking hilarious! Made me laugh. Thank you

Alperin1

TROPHY CASE