Raja Ampat, Indonesia

 From Bali and Lombok to Sulawesi and Komodo, Indonesia is an epicenter of the world’s best scuba diving, and there is no place on the planet like Raja Ampat in West Papua. The remote region’s dive sites come with pristine coral gardens, teeming fish life, and majestic karst landscapes surrounded by turquoise seas.  

Best time to dive

• Dry season - Oct to Apr (Best time of year to go)
• Calmest seas Oct & Nov
• Mantas - highest convergence of manta rays from September to April and May to Oct
• Warm water diving, choose anywhere from November to April and enjoy the 86°F / 30°C average water temperature.

Marine Biodiversity

• Coral Triangle - 75% of all known coral species in world
• 2500 Islands make up the Raja Ampat region
• 1400+ fish species
• 550+ coral species
• Typical dives you could see:  technicolor nudibranchs, manta rays, sharks, great barracudas, sea turtles, and nearly every other kind of tropical marine creature. Wobbegong sharks, manta rays, dolphins, macro life, hard and soft corals, giant trevally, tuna, reef sharks, pygmy seahorse and sea turtles are considered a regular attraction in Raja Ampat.

Live Aboards

 If you’re looking to dive Raja Ampat’s wonders via a liveaboard dive boat (where you sleep onboard, dive, eat, and repeat) to get in as much underwater time as possible and in as many different areas, Damai and Arenui, Wallacea all classic Indonesian Phinisi sailboats are great options. Aqua Expeditions is a great choice for something more yacht-like (i.e. Aqua Blu or Aqua Mare) to dive and explore the area in modern comfort.  

• Four main islands that Raja Ampat liveaboards visit: Salawati, Batanta, Waigeo and Misool
• There are two types of liveaboard accommodations:
  • Modern Motorboat (Luxury) dive charters
  • The more traditional sailing tours on the grand Indonesian Phinisi sailboats

Resorts

 Misool Resort, surrounded by coral reefs right at your bungalow’s doorstep. And Meridian Adventure has incredible homestay and boutique hotel accommodations that cater to divers.

• There are a few resorts, but the vast majority of diving is from dedicated live aboard dive cruises.

Dive sites of Raja Ampat

The dive sites of Raja Ampat can be varied in the fish and critters living on the different reefs but they are almost all spectacular in their own way. Check out this list of the 10 Best Dive Sites in Raja Ampat in 2023.

• Misool Island, nicknamed ‘the kaleidoscope’, is special because of the riot of colors across the reefs. Macro lovers will be mesmerized with a huge variety of corals full of all kinds of critters and small reef fish. Pygmy seahorses, ghost pipefish and a rainbow of nudibranchs make ideal subjects for macro photographers.
• Waigeo is similarly blessed with a rich variety of fish life. Lionfish are hanging around between rocks and you might also catch a glimpse of a juvenile emperor angelfish with its hypnotic color scheme and clownfish peeking out of an anemone. Fish life is also the main spectacle at Dampier Strait with shoals of trevallies and tuna which can be so huge they affect the visibility in places. The current is particularly hard in this area, and it is normally a drift dive. A must-visit during your dive safari.
• Mansuar is the place to be for bigger stuff. Here is where the groups of mantas can be seen gracefully swooping past. Turtles are also frequent visitors feeding around the reef along with a host of fish life and beautiful corals
• Cenderawasih Bay, on the other hand, is where you can go to try and find whale sharks. There is a special relationship between these gentle giants and the local fishermen who believe in the luck. They traditionally give fish to the whale shark to bring luck as well which means that there can be several in this area at a time. There isn’t really a season for whale sharks here either so there really is a good chance to dive with them all year round.

Top Tips For divers

• Sea conditions are usually good here but the currents are quite strong, so this isn’t really a place for brand new divers. Divers should have Advanced Open Water certification at a minimum.
• There is a one-hundred-dollar marine park fee (per person) to be paid upon entering the protected area. This fee pays to continue conservation in the region.
• October to April is the most popular season for diving liveaboards here, although you can dive all year round.
• The water is warm, 79°-86°F (26°-30°C) but be mindful of fire urchins when choosing your skin coverage.

Getting to Raja Ampat from the USA

Although getting to Raja Ampat is not difficult it does require several flights and boat journeys as there are no direct international flights. You can fly to Sorong from Jakarta, but not many other airports fly into Sorong.

      Option 1

• Tokyo, Japan (HND)
• Jakarta (CGK)
• Sorong (SOQ)

      Option 2

• Amsterdam (AMS)
• Jakarta (CGK)
• Sorong (SOQ)

      Option 3

• Sydney, Australia (SYD)
• Jakarta (CGK)
• Sorong (SOQ)