Duration: 14 days – 13 nights, 11 nights onboard Tour Leader: Gabby Hunter (gabby@questtours.com.au) Trip Code: WP19 Dates: Monday 29th April – Sunday 12th May, 2019 Cost: $AU 7,490 Twin Share including Airfares ex. Sydney, Mel, Perth Options: Deluxe Queen Master cabin adds $AU400 per person

Liveaboard Diving & Snorkelling Liveaboard Diving & Snorkelling5 days with The Whalesharks of Cenderawasih Bay

6 days in Raja Ampat (Dampier Straight) - Frontier Diving Exclusive Quest Tours Charter Transfer Voyage

Liveaboard Diving & Snorkelling

Cenderawasih Bay

2

The Voyage Sailing from Sorong through Raja Ampat to Cenderawasih

Bay Monday 29th April, 2019:

Depart Sydney at 1100am

Tuesday 30th April, 2019:

Arrive Sorong (Gateway to Raja Ampat) at 0700am

There is a 6-7 hour steam from Sorong to the fringe of Raja Ampat, where we will do our check dive to ensure our equipment has survived the flight and our camera housings are still water tight.

This check dive will be very simple and straightforward, with a maximum depth of around 20 metres. Expect visibility to be 25 metres ++. This site is also ideal for non-divers, with snorkelling fantastic right on top of the reef.

There may also be the opportunity for a night dive if we are feeling up to it.

West Papua 2019

3

Raja Ampat “The Four

Kings” Raja Ampat is right in the centre of the “Coral Triangle”, THE richest most diverse concentration of marine life on our planet. This diversity is brought about by the confluence of the currents from three different seas.

Raja Ampat is home to:

• Over 1,000 species of fish • More than 700 molluscs • In excess of 540 species

of scleractinian (hard) corals (75% of the world total)

• 4.6 million hectares of reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves and rocky coastline

And with a very low resident human population and minimal industrial development it is no wonder that this ecosystem attracts more and more divers to marvel at its beauty!

We will enjoy up to 18 dives here in the “Coral Triangle” before heading for Cenderawasih Bay and the Whalesharks

The formation of most of the dive sites allows for incredible open cave and coral reef snorkeling for the non-divers. If you want more to do, jump on a tender boat and do some beach combing!

4

Wednesday 1st May – Sunday 5th May, 2019: Early each morning, the MSY Mola Mola will haul anchor and head to carefully selected, brand new dive sites throughout the Raja Ampat area around the Dampier Straight. Some of the sites are outlined below!

Manta Sandy

This dive site serves as a cleaning station for manta rays – they cycle and swim over the site, which has a maximum depth of 15 metres. Expect the fish here to also clean you as you swim around (it doesn’t hurt, its just little nibbles).

Mangroves

This nutrient rich dive site provides a plethora of fish species, and lends itself to a wonderful coral reef system teeming with life. A great one for some of that deeper exploration, expect a maximum depth of 35 metres, heading up to 10 metres for coral reef investigation!

Cape Kri

This site has a world record of 374 different species in one dive – its incredible diversity will have you looking up, around and everywhere. Keep your head on a swivel and look at your divemaster – they’ll point out unusual fish and awesome stuff to look at.

Blue Magic

This is a small pinnacle with a maximum depth of 24 metres. Expect pygmy seahorses, Barracuda, turtles, black and white tip sharks as well as grey reef sharks. The Blue Magic name comes from conducting our safety stop in the incredible blue water as we drift leisurely away from the reef.

Sardines

This divesite is the one that will stay with you long after you’ve left Raja Ampat. A huge school of Barracuda also calls this reef home, and make sure you keep an eye out for the bumphead parrotfish. Photographers will have the chance to either focus on their macro OR their wide angle shots – this dive site offers both.

5

The MSY Mola Mola What to expect! For SCUBA divers, on the way to and from Cenderawasih Bay, in general we will enjoy 3 dives a day, each one of them carefully prepared and checked beforehand, reassuring the right conditions.

With the Whalesharks, the 16 passengers onboard will be split into two groups of 8, plus an accompanying guide. Each group will spend one-hour in the water with the Whalesharks, and turn about right thru each day. Expect up to 5-hours each day in the water. The day starts with a satisfying breakfast of fresh fruit juices, toast, coffee/tea and cereals to satisfy your early morning hunger. After the first dive a full breakfast is served, and in between eating and diving there will be spare time to relax on the sundeck, read a book, have a chat or check out the mornings digital photos on your laptop.

Lunch is served after the second dive and usually, a quick afternoon siesta. The food-dive-food routine follows after the third dive of the day, after which you can enjoy a lazy late afternoon on the sundeck, lounging back and soaking in the wonderful landscape with a cup of coffee or tea and some snacks. Dinner is prepared after the optional night dive (extra cost), and the food is excellent. Hailing from a long tradition of big family home cooked meals in Spain, the crew take pride in offering you a delicious menu with the carefully selected & professional chef on board the Mola Mola. Maybe a nice glass of wine, watching the stars and then a well-deserved sleep

“If your hair is dry it’s time to dive, if your hair is wet its time to eat!”

West Papua 2019

6

+

Monday 6th May, 2019 – Friday 10th May, 2019:

Awakening early on the 5th day we will find that the crew of the MSY Mola Mola are already busy locating the “bagans” (traditional fishing platforms) that have the healthiest number of Whalesharks beneath them. It is quite normal for a number of the nearby platforms to have whale sharks around them, so it may be possible over the coming days to split the dive groups onto different sites simultaneously, allowing us to get the maximum time in the water without overcrowding.

Around the world, policies are put in place to regulate divers as the sharks are not that fond of bubbles. The whalesharks of Cenderawasih Bay are different, they swim into the bubbles on purpose (they seem to like the feeling) and will even gulp the bubbles as they float to the surface in front of the sharks.

The Whalesharks are attracted to the bagans by the nets full of anchovies that hang under the platforms. Many of the nets are in poor states of repair, and the whalesharks don’t miss the opportunity to snag a free lunch by sucking the fish out of these nets.

Rather than persecuting the sharks for this, the Papuan fishermen encourage this by feeding sardines to the whalesharks, as they believe the sharks bring them good luck, in addition to keeping them company during their lonely stints at sea.

At a time when sharks are so heavily fished and slaughtered world wide, it is incredible to watch such a harmonious relationship between the fishermen and the Whalesharks.

Expect the time in the water with the Whalesharks to be virtually unlimited – SCUBA Diving and Snorkelling in the shallows afford the best opportunity in the world to see and photograph these incredible creatures.

Saturday 11th May, 2019

Today we disembark the Mola Mola in Biak, and begin our journey home. We will arrive in Sydney early in the morning on Sunday 12th May, 2019

7

• Maximum number of passengers on MSY “Mola Mola” is SIXTEEN, plus TWELVE crew

• 33 metres long and 8.5 metres wide, the MSY Mola Mola is a majestic and spacious vessel

• A 380 hp MAN engine allows a cruising speed of 9-12 knots to ensure swift travel

• All cabins have individually controlled air-con ditioning

• All cabins have private en-suite bathrooms with hot water and plenty of room for storage

• The 6 standard double cabins are 12 square metres and have two single beds

• The 2 deluxe cabins are 13.5 square metres, have a Queen sized bed, desk, TV and DVD player

West Papua 2019 The

Vessel

8

Fact File

Fact File

Included in this price:

• 11 nights on MSY Mola Mola with a/c accommodation + ensuites

• All meals, tea/coffee and water while onboard

• All diving (normally 4 per day), tanks, weights

• Cruise director & experienced dive guides

• Fuel surcharge

• Land tours and group activities organised by MSY Mola Mola

• Return transfers from the airport/hotel to the boat

• Marine park/ port fees

• International & domestic flights

Budget For:

• Nitrox

• Equipment rental

• Alcoholic drinks, Laundry, Crew tips and any onboard telecommunications

• Hotels before or after the cruise

West Papua 2019

Flight times and details are all as at September, 2018 and are subject to change. The flight plan is our recommended one and the flights that your tour leader will be taking. We strongly suggest following this plan. Business class options are available for an extra cost, available on request.

This is an exclusive Quest Tours Transit Charter, offering the BEST coral reef diving in the world in Raja Ampat, combined with the BEST Whaleshark interaction you will ever experience.

The service, food and quality of diving onboard the Mola Mola are guaranteed to be second to none.

Don’t miss out on this Bucketlist Journey to West Papua & Cenderawasih Bay in May, 2019

Price is costed at AU1.00 = US0.75 and subject to fluctuations in exchange rates. The price of the tour will be recalculated at 60 days prior to departure when the balance is due.

9

+

MSY “Mola Mola” – General Diving Rules

Obviously on all dive tours, safety is our main concern. The quality of diving

is guaranteed. Indonesia has the best reef diving in the world and operating

from a liveaboard will give you the chance to reach unbelievable sites, but it

must be understood that being remote means potential risks.

The use of a computer, octopus and SMB are mandatory. If you don’t have

these, let us know in advance and we will prepare them for you. There is

some spare rental gear onboard, however we strongly recommend that you

have your gear checked before the trip. Don’t take brand new gear unless

you’re absolutely sure it will function adequately.

Quest Tours – Forster NSW Australia (Licence number: 2TA 10493)

We may be flying a different combination of airlines to ensure that our

connections all work on all legs of our journey.

We flew Garuda Indonesia last year and they were faultless. It is more than

likely we will fly with them again as per the flight plan above. If you choose to

book your own flights, in the event of any schedule changes we will not be

responsible for any punitive charges that may be applied by other travel

agents or airlines.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our tours. We strongly recommend

taking out travel insurance at the same time as paying your deposit.

SureSave, our recommended insurance provider, will cover you at the time

of taking out your policy and until your tour’s return date. We suggest

carefully checking conditions of any other travel insurance you may be

considering.

Please note that DAN Insurance do not cover you for things such as flight

cancellations, lost baggage or similar. They only cover you for diving related

injuries. We recommend additional insurance to cover cancellations, airline

changes and baggage if you wish to use DAN.

The fine print!

+

+ West Papua 2019

Tour cost: $AU 7,490 Dates: 29th April – 12th May, 2019

Quest Tours info@questtours.com.au | www.questtours.com.au +612 6554 7478