Wicked Diving Wicked Diving

This unique trip departs in the first week of November 2013 – contact us for more details

What makes this expedition so Amazing?

• Visit some of the greatest dive sites of Indonesia
  
• Totally unexplored dive sites and World Famous also
  
• Only 12 Guests on this adventure
  
• Unbelievable Experience on our Sailing Schooner
• Experienced Expedition staff
  
• Great Safety for all our guests
  

Wicked is proud to offer several great tours through Indonesia – but among the greatest of adventures is the 15 day crossing from Bira (South Sulawesi) to Raja Ampat. This journey takes you through some of the richest concentrations of marine life on earth. Our trip for November 2013 starts where these Phinisi boats are still constructed by hand. From there we head East, and East and East…stops at Wakatobi, then onwards towards the Molukas and on to our final destination – Raja Ampat. We pass dozens of places not yet known and several places yet to be explored. We will visit uninhabited islands, dive in places that no one has ever dived before and see some of the most amazing sites on earth. Join us while we visit one of the last frontiers. Find new dive sites, encounter rare and endangered species and enjoy time on a traditional, hand-built phinisi sailing schooner.

This Trip is not for beginning divers or those seeking luxury!!! This is 15 day of remote travels with no phones, no radios and no news. Please understand that we must be selective and cautious in who joins these trips. You must be comfortable spending this much time in remote places, on a sailing schooner with like minded travellers. We ask that our guests be comfortable on boats (not prone to seasickness) as we will pass through many weather patterns. While this trip is not necessarily for hardcore divers – the conditions we encounter are totally unpredictable (did we mention unexplored dive sites?) and each guest should be prepared for such. As such we ask that each guest have 50 dives and feel comfortable in currents.

Pirate Ships, Orcas, Dolphins and Pristine reefs

We depart from Bira, in the south of Sulawesi. This is where Phinisi schooners have been built by hand for hundreds of years. The master craftsmen of this village still build boats like these – and our very own boat, The Jaya, was built here. We are happy to take any guests on a tour of the area to see the construction of boats, meet the boat builders…and if you arrive early explore the local dive sites of this up and and coming dive region. There will be a few dives near here and several un-named and/or unexplored sites as we head towards

Wakatobi for some of the famous dives sites. Several of the sites we visit are inside the park, and many are in nearby areas where there are no maps or names 🙂 Along this leg of the route is the home to a pod of warm-water Orcas as well as hundreds of dolphins, whales and hundreds of other species too…

Then across towards the Mulakas and the second richest concentration of marine life and coral on Earth. This often overlooked island is home to great dives as well as some amazing scenery.

Our last stop – Misool, is home to the most pristine reefs seen on earth.And the largest concentration of marine life on earth. No, that is not hyperbole…this is simply the must amazing reefs on a huge scale, dozens of miles of coastline in perfect shape. Research is still being undertaken to see exactly how rich these reefs are – but Conservation International List this as the second highest concentration of marine species on ony single dive site. And that’s just one…of dozens.

As through the whole of this amazing expedition, we pass by many, many islands that are barely explored and islands with limited contact with outsiders. Needless to say we will visit dive sites that are unexplored and we’ll have contests to see what we name these new sites!!! Best dressed pirate? Best at Uno? S/he who helps clean table the best? The coastline out this way is unaffected by large scale fishing – or industry of any kind. We pass hundreds of idyllic beaches, stopping at but a few.

 

Please understand that this schedule and itinerary is only for planning purposes and we will alter it to assure the safety and well-being of our guests. Operating in these areas we must be extremely cognizant of the weather, local diving conditions and many other hazards. For the same reasons – the dates are also flexible, so in planning for this trip, please be cautious with your flights 🙂

Safety on our expedition

Yes – we are going in very remote places and we do not know what we will encounter. So we prepare as much as we can. Wicked Diving is always focused on the safety and well-being of our guests, so our boat already has many safety accessories. We have radar, depth finder, GPS as well as local and international radios on the Jaya. In addition we carry a large liferaft, life jackets and beacons. We also carry a satellite phone (we communicate to our base twice a day) and an emergency evacuation beacon which alerts an international evacuation service about our location and need for immediate rescue.

Further – our staff and crew are trained and focused on safety and will always put your well-being ahead of convenience or cost.

We provide each guest with a detailed itnerary, as well as numbers of SAR, hospitals and emergency contacts along the route we expect but please understand that we have to be completely adaptable in both itinerary and schedule. We also have a land-based staff member in constant contact with the boat via satellite phone.

15 Days Sulawesi to Raja Ampat Expedition – 3150 USD

This expedition includes almost all your expenses. All park fees are included in this price. In addition all room and board. Alcohol and soft drinks become the responsibility of the individual (we can not guarantee that drinks can be kept cool). While we do supply 2 sheets, pillow and towel, we do not have laundry facilities on the boat, so please being your own sheet liner and/or sleeping bag.

Not included:  flights either domestic or international (though we can help arrange these

for you). We do not include gratuities in our prices – not for our staff, the guides we hire or our crew. Alcohol or soft drinks are not included. We provide accommodation on the boat for the scheduled dates of the trip, but not land based. Other incidental expenses can not be covered by Wicked Diving.

Finally a note about insurance. As always, Wicked Diving and our staff make every effort to assure your safety but there is no way that we can prevent accidents and acts of God. This is not an ordinary trip, so please purchase travel insurance that covers you for remote locations and potential evacuations. We have continual contact with land and can arrange care for almost any accident or incident that happens – but we may not be near to a facility that can cater to our needs. We recommend Nomads as a very good company designed for these kind of expeditions.

 

 

Safety Procedures and Emergency Evacuation Information:

Hyperbaric chambers (or recompression chamber) in Indonesia*

There are 6 recompression chambers in Indonesia to treat decompression sickness
Bali: Sanglah General Hospital (in Indonesian language) USUP Sanglah Denpasar JI. Diponegoro, Denpasar 80114 Bali, Indonesia: Phone 62-361-227911 through -15 ext. 232 (hyperbaric medical department) Fax 62-361-22426 Run by Dr. Antonius Natasamudra and Dr. Etty Herawati

Manado (Sulawesi): At the Malalayang Hospital (chamber for 3 to 4 persons) Phone: 0811430913 and ask for Dr Jimmy Waleleng (Phone home 860953).

Makassar (Sulawesi): Rumah Sakit Umum Wahidin Sudirohusodo. Contact person: Pak Daniel Address: Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan Km. 11, Tamalanrea Kampus UNHAS Indonesia TEL:++ 62 – 0411 (584677) , 584675. Said to be for 3 to 4 persons.

Jakarta (Java): Rumah Sakit Angkatan Laut (Navy Hospital) in Jl. Bendungan Hilir No.17, Central Jakarta (see text in italian with some addresses – list of help)

Kalimantan: The Borneo Divers have the only professional recompression chamber located on Sipadan island (Borneo – Malaysia)

Surabaya (Java): Rumah Sakit Angkatan Laut (RSAL) (Military Marine hospital) Jl. Gadung no. 1, Surabaya: Phone 031-45750 and 41731 (another number given was 031-838153 and fax 031- 837511) Run by Dr Suharsono

Available SAR (search and rescue) contact information:

SAR Bali    : ph 0361 – 751111       Radio : 13545.0

Lombok      : Ph 0370 – 633253       Radio : 13545.0

Makassar   : Ph 0411 – 554111       Radio : 13545.0

Manado     : Ph 0431 – 825986

Kupang      : Ph 0380 – 831111

Ambon       : Ph 0911 – 351111

Sorong      : Ph 0951 – 323816

 

We strongly urge all guest to bring long sleeve shirts and pants as well as DEET insecticide for our land based tours. This is not necessary while on the boat. It is up to the individual about taking Malaria medicine, but there are several other potential diseases in the regions we operate and they are not affected by anti-malarials so we recommend the overall prophylactic of prevention.