FAQ

Departure and Arrival time

For our scheduled trips departure time is 11AM, so all guests should be onboard before 10AM.
As for the private charters, it can vary depending on the guest’s arrival time.
We return back to harbor on the final night of the trip, so guests are able to take early morning return fights.

Pick up and Drop Off

Cruises depart around 11 am. All guests should be onboard before this time, but preferably before 10 am.

Our driver will meet you at the airport holding a sign with your name and Calico Jack / Anne Bonny logo on it.
If you choose to stay overnight in hotel, we suggest staying in the Swiss Bell Hotel in this area. The driver will pick you up from the reception. Normally pick-up time is 9-10 am with slight changes.

We will drop you off at the airport or hotel any time on the last day of the cruise. Normally drop off is after breakfast, but early or late drop off is possible as well.

Be advised we have a 24 hr no-fly policy onboard so guests should book return tickets departing at least by 12.30 pm so they won’t miss any dives on the last day of diving.

Pick up and drop off are included in the cruise price.

Park Fees, Port Clearances and Fuel Surcharge

Within a cruise, there are clearances, local payments, trekking fees, contributions to villages and licenses for dive sites. We cover all costs and the guest will not have to pay anything. We try to average out these costs within the price. Some operators play with this cost and hence the variation between operators.

Park fees and other surcharges for all destinations are $250 per person to be paid onboard.

Diving routine

We will have 3 dives per day with alternating night dive, 33 to 34 dives in total for 11 nights trip.

The morning schedule begins with a Light breakfast and coffee, the first dive at 7 a.m. followed by breakfast at 8:30 a.m. The second dive is at 11:30 am followed by lunch at 1 pm. A third dive is 2:30 p.m. The Night dive starts at 7 p.m.

Dive surface intervals are 2.5 – hrs between dives.

Our last dive of the cruise will be on the day before last and will finish around 1 p.m. Please keep it in mind when booking your return flights. 

Diving and snorkeling equipment

We have a full range of diving and snorkelling equipment onboard. Please check our Price List Onboard.

We use Mares and ScubaPro labels of dive equipment.

You can pay for equipment rental onboard by cash, credit card or bank transfer.

What tanks and tank valves do you use?

We use aluminium 12L tanks with both DIN and Yoke tank valves onboard.
The 15 Lt tanks are available onboard Calico Jack for $60 per trip.

Nitrox

We offer 32 percent Nitrox mix with the price $15 per day (3-4 dives).

 

What is Dive Guide to Guests ratio and how are the groups composed?

Every dive is accompanied with 2 dive guides and 1 cruise director (instructor level). A max of 5 divers per guide allowing more space and flexibility for each group.

Each day we will alternate the dive guides so everyone has a similar experience underwater.

Depending on the group more experienced divers will be diving together and guests with less experience in another, so everyone can enjoy in their own rhythm.

I don’t have necessary 20+ dives / have OW certification only, what then?

No worries, we will make the plan according to your experience. Our dive instructor will be looking after you during the dives to ensure your safety and ascend with you if needed.

The cruise director may advise you to skip deep and current dives, which are 20% of the overall dives during the cruise and enjoy kayaking, SUP boarding, snorkelling or island visiting instead.

However, for diving cruises in Komodo, we require AOW and 10+ dives.

 

Cabins

All cabins are equipped with AC and fans. On Calico Jack, we prefer to switch off AC between 12am and 6am. Usually this does not create any issues as cabins are well ventilated. On Anne Bonny the AC runs all night long.

Each cabin has its own en suite bathroom with marine electrical toilet and hotwater shower.

We provide towels for both cabin and diving. We will change towels at least 3 times per trip.

We use CEE 7 standards electricity sockets on board.

Special food requests

Each meal on Calico Jack is buffet style with a choice of a minimum of 4 dishes: meat, fish, veggies, salad and rice/pasta, so everyone can choose according to their diet.

Onboard Anne Bonny, we alternate buffet for breakfast and lunch with ala cart servings for dinner.

Let us know if you have special food requests. Our chefs can cook amazing vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free dishes.

Also, there is coconut cream and soy milk available onboard (for dairy-free guests) and we can substitute meat/fish dishes for soy alternatives

We aren’t diving, so we don’t need dive insurance?

Yes, if you are not diving, the dive insurance is not required. Travel insurance is enough.

 

Can my kids join the cruise?

– Calico Jack –

Kids are welcome onboard Calico Jack. However, from our experience, we recommend children should be of the age 4 yrs and older, so they can avoid any hazards onboard and fully enjoy snorkelling, kayaking and island hopping.

We have kids’ life jackets onboard to ensure their safety.
Please be mindful that there is no nanny service onboard and all responsibility for children is on the parents.

If the child shares a bed with parents (under 7y.o.), the cruise cost will be half of the original cost. Older kids, who need their own bed are offered 5% non-diver discount.

– Anne Bonne –

Kids are welcome onboard Anne Bonny. All cabins are equipped with bunk beds, creating a perfect setup for family travel.

 

Do people ever get sea sick?

This is a very personal thing and depends on the wind, waves and the person. If a guest that possibly has an issue, we recommend they carry their own preferred prophylactic. We also have a large supply sea-sickness pills onboard.

Is alcohol beverages included in the cruise cost? Can I bring my own?

Non-alcoholic beverages (soft drinks, juices, tea and coffee) are free but alcoholic drinks are not. We have alcoholic beverages variety of imported and local beers ($4 per bottle/can) and imported wine available by the bottle at $40.

Guests are welcome to bring their own duty-free alcohol and spirits onboard.

Can non-divers join the cruise?

We have snorkelers joining our dive trips all the time. Almost every dive site in Raja Ampat and Cenderawasih bay can be snorkeled depending on currents and wave conditions. The corals and fish life are stunning. In some cases, you able to have even better encounters with Manta rays and Whale sharks.

One of the speed boats will follow her to ensure safety. We also have kayaks and SUP boards. During the cruise, we will offer multiple land activities such as trekking, beach BBQ, and village visiting. From our experience, non-divers have always had a fantastic time on board.

We offer 5% discount from the original price for non-diver guests.

What about the Cellular / Internet coverage?

There is limited cellular and internet coverage in remote areas such as Cenderawasih bay, Triton Bay and Banda Sea. However, Raja Ampat has better coverage with the recent addition of new telecom towers.
We have Wi-Fi router onboard, so you can connect to the internet when available.
If you prefer to have cellular connection as well, you can get a local sim card at most Indonesian International Airports.

Simpati is most popular followed by Kartu As and Loop.
Simpati can be used for cheap overseas calls.
Telkomsel has a booth at the Bali airport, both at the international and domestic arrival terminal. Their latest standard size SIM cards now have pop-out for Micro SIM.

All SIM-cards in Indonesia should be registered with your passport. This sort of SIM card will cost you around $3. Some shops register it to their own passports, which is fine, but the price will be around $10. Both options are safe.
Don’t forget to buy phone and internet credit. $15 (150,000 Rp ) is usually enough credit for calls and internet packages.

To get cheaper rates for overseas calling, you need to dial either 01017 before your country code, e.g;
(01017) (country code) (phone number)

When is the best time to visit RAJA AMPAT?
During November to April, large pelagic species migrate through the area, providing a greater chance of sightings. Additionally, there are more boats present in the park at this time. From end April onwards, many boats start to leave for Komodo, also change of monsoon season offers clearer waters with better visibility in central and northern Raja Ampat but Misool, South Raja Ampat becomes more difficult to operate due to wind and waves.