indonesia-ask-julie-wayag-rajaampat-liveaboard

Snorkeling in Raja Ampat? Really?

We hopped in the water for our daily colorful snorkeling session.
indonesia-ask-julie-snorkeling-liveaboard-raja-ampat
Photocredit: @Mangiapanalain

Usually when I go to Raja Ampat, I scuba dive, 3 to 4 times a day.
One of my passions is scuba diving, I travelled the world for almost 7 years, teaching scuba diving. Raja Ampat is without a doubt my number one in the world. Above and under water! That, and the friendliness of the locals, is mainly  why I decided to live in Indonesia.
I’m based in Gili Air and organise scuba diving group travel for pleasure and fun, on the side of running our hotel Slow Villas & Spa!
indonesiaaskjulie-rajaampat-liveaboard-grouptravelPhotocredit: @GiliTravelAgency
I was invited on the Teman liveaboard. The new boat built by Xavier, a boatbuilder friend.
ibndonesia-ask-julie-teman-liveaboard
Photocredit: @Mangiapanalain

I’ve been cruising Indonesia’s islands for 7 years now, and I have to say, I still get stunned by the beauty. Every year I make time to jump on a liveaboard for some quality island-hopping. Indonesia has 17.000 islands. I can be a tourist here for life, Fantastic!
ibndonesia-ask-julie-penemu-rajaampat--liveaboardPhotocredit: @Mangiapanalain

Personally I hate snorkeling, it seemed very frustrating to hop on a liveaboard to Raja Ampat and not dive, but I decided to make the best of it. I can’t believe I was even thinking that! I really sounded like a spoiled child, right?
We are spoiled indeed. Its strange, for some reason, the more beauty we see, the more difficult we are to please.
indonesia-ask-julie-wayag-rajaampat-liveaboard
Photocredit: @Mangiapanalain

For diving and snorkeling it feels just the same. You dive Melissa’s garden, top of Raja Ampat, top of the world, at the heart of the coral triangle. The next day you dive Kri, and you feel disaapointed because yesterday was better. Ha Ha!
The next day, you dive Melissa’s garden again that afternoon, and the current picked up, there’re jelly fish everywhere, and you’re dissapointed again. Ha Ha!
We are so difficult to please sometimes, just because we are spoiled.
Photocredit: @Wikipedia

Thats why I always like to remember our lovely Belgian lake, “le lac de l’eau d’heure”. I remember, when I used to still live in Belgium, what it felt like to go diving there. I would have done anything to be underwater. Cold water, no visibility, no fish, full orientation, to find a submerged bus and helicopter and some dolls and a fisher price jeep if we were lucky. Ha Ha!
 
Diving is my therapy. 1 hour of diving is like 3 hours of yoga.
Anyway, back to Raja Ampat, as soon as we hopped on the boat, Xavier said, “Lets dive!”, “Hell Yeah!!!”, I was so happy.
Off we went into the deep. Blub Blub, like 3 fishes in the sea. 😍 I love how life surprises you at the very moment you expect it the least.
Lesson of the trip?
Really no need to dive 3 to 4 times a day. Raja Ampat has so much to offer above water. Diving 2 times a day is, in my opinion, more then enough.
Namaste 🙏🏻
indonesiaaskjulie-slowretreats-rajaampatPhotocredit: @GiliTravelAgency / Laura