RAJA AMPAT DIVING

The dive sites in Raja Ampat are among the world best. Diving in this region offers the highest marine biodiversity with impressive schools of fishes, outstanding colourfull hard and soft corals, critters, and breathtaking landscapes.

Raja Ampat is an archipelago consisting of four main islands—Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, and Misool—surrounded by over 1,500 smaller islands and reefs. 

That region certainly represents the world’s richest marine diversity, with the highest number of known species of fish, corals, and mollusks. Certain areas are known for their density of fish; one with groups of Manta Rays, the others with schools of barracudas, parrotfish, humpback groupers, and the list goes on. Not to mention the best macro you will see everywhere. Photographers, please bring your full set of lenses for cruising: wide-angle & macro are equally represented.

The rich variety of reefs are also not to be overlooked with vertical walls, slopes, dry rocks, caves, and lagoons; some covered with hard corals while the others with brightly colored soft corals. Also renowned as the center of pygmy seahorses and gorgonians, everywhere you go you will be amazed by the profusion of marine life that Raja Ampat has to offer you. Raja Ampat is a great snorkeling destination.

RAJA AMPAT DIVE SITES MAP

WAYAG - KAWE 

• ✔︎ Northern Raja Ampat is mainly rocky bottoms, gorgonians but also true forests of black corals; some excellent macro sites too.
• ✔︎ Wayag are those Raja Ampat Islands iconic landscapes. Visitors are being overwhelmed by a series of uninhabited islands, rises out of the most biodiverse waters on the planet.
• ✔︎ The landscape of the small islands there is absolutely breathtaking. Many fishes also.. Kawe is excellent. Great macro in Aljui bay. Underwater life is less spectacular than in the South though. 

DAMPIER STRAIT - CAPE KRI 

• ✔︎ Dampier Strait lies in the central part of Raja Ampat. Diving these sites is a sensational and very rewarding experience! Colorful coral and pinnacles buzzing with tropical fish. 
• ✔︎ Strong currents: because the Strait is the principal channel through which the nutrient-rich waters of the Indonesian throughflow pass through on their way south and the deep basins of the Banda Sea. These powerful currents bring an abundance of nutrients and marine life.
• ✔︎ Coral reefs where hard corals dominate. Majority of sites for "wide-angle" photography, but a large number of pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, and other Indonesian specialties also provide fortunes for beautiful "macro" subjects.
• ✔︎ Look for nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, crinoid shrimp, reef octopus, and tons of small tropical fish, as well as a number of shark species. 
• ✔︎ Land excursion in search of the famous birds of paradise

MISOOL

• ✔︎ Exceptional for wide-angle and macro, underwater life with hunting, manta rays, many fish, soft corals, gorgonian fields.
• ✔︎ Magnificent landscapes to explore: labyrinths of quartz islands, mangrove forests, deserted beaches, lagoon, jellyfish lakes

BEST TIME TO DIVE

• ✔︎ The Dampier Strait and the North part are dive-able 12 months per year. 
• ✔︎ Nested on the equator, the weather is pretty much the same all year long.
• ✔︎ Misool is not protected from the wind and can not be visited from June to early September.

Meanwhile, during summer, the beauty of the Centre and North Raja Ampat is even more exclusive with little liveaboards on site. Expect better visibility than during the rest of the year and as an additional main advantage, the rates of our cruises are cheaper than during the peak season!

Visiting the entire Raja Ampat, meaning the 3 zones (Misool + the Dampier Strait + Kawe, up to Wayag) is only possible from late September to early June.

HOW TO GET TO SORONG

Sorong Indonesia is a gateway to Raja Ampat.

Our cruises depart from Sorong (Usamina harbor to be accurate). Sorong is a little coastal city on the North West part of the Indonesian  Papua well served with many daily morning flights from the main International  Indonesian Airports such as  Jakarta,  Manado, Makassar, and Denpasar. Sorong is Jakarta time + 2.

• First step: fly to Jakarta

Although Bali is a bit closer, Jakarta is the recommended International airport if your journey is limited to your cruise - to reach the Capital city from Europe, we suggest Emirates with its EK356 flight landing at Jakarta airport (the day before the departure of your cruise) at 15:40.  Return the last day of the cruise + 1 with  EK357 at 00:20. 

Shall you wish to stay overnight (or just a day used) before or after our cruise in a hotel room close to the airport, the FM7 is way the best. Something like 2 km away from the airport, its staff will arrange your transfers FOC 24/7. Its swimming pools, bars, and restaurants will make your experience there a delightful one! Meeting points depending on your Terminal arrival are detailed here.

• Second step: fly from Jakarta to Sorong

Airlines	Flight	Jakarta - Sorong	Flight	Sorong - Jakarta
	QZ706	23:55-06:10	QZ707	06:40-08:25
	GA682	00:20-06:35	GA683 GA699	08:25-10:05 14:35-18:40
	ID6196 ID7797	00:05-07:30 00:30-06:30	ID6265 ID6285	08:05-12:25 14:05-17:15

Shall you need to arrive from another airport, Wallacea is happy to assist you with flight suggestions but can also purchase your tickets (it can be complicated to buy them online from abroad since Credit Card payment are rarely available).

ULTIMATE RAJA AMPAT

• ✔︎ With our Raja Ampat Ultimate itinerary (10 nights and more) Wallacea Dive Cruise is one of the few operators that visit the entire Raja Ampat - down to Misool (south part of the Park), up to Wayag island (top North) to end in the Dampier Strait -  with a great selection of the very best scuba dive sites of all the area. Strongly recommended.
• ✔︎ It's a minimum of 30/33 dive sites you will discover with our Raja Ampat Ultimate itinerary - navigation is around 445 nm (750 km).
• ✔︎ For underwater photographers, a Raja Ampat liveaboard experience is really effective to get the best shots: diverse and unique pristine dive spots on each dive. 

SHORT LIVEABOARD SAFARIS

We offer different itineraries from 8 to 10 nights. No matter the length of the cruise, we will always do our very best to be at the right place at the right time. Please check our schedule for more details. Please click to zoom in on our Raja Ampat Liveaboard itinerary maps

RECOMMENDED HOTEL IN SORONG

We recommend Vega Hotel Sorong if you wish to stay in Sorong one day before the departure of your cruise or to stay overnight after. Certainly one of the best hotels in town, International standard, this hotel will authorize you an early check-in, even if you arrive there at 07:00 am.

WHY A LIVEABOARD

Raja Ampat is a large and remote paradise for diving.

That makes Raja Ampat diving liveaboard the best way to experience its pristine waters and green landscapes. Nothing more amazing than discovering a new environment every morning after wake up. Every day is a surprise: so much different from the one before. That's part of that great adventure.

And yes, to reach its equatorial hot waters, you have to fly and fly again... but after all, do we imagine heaven at the corner?

Raja Ampat has more species of fish, hard and soft corals, sea fans, rare species of sharks like wobbegong and walking sharks, than anywhere else in the world. However, its fantastic biodiversity and marine life are spread all around this 40000 km2 archipelago (pretty much Switzerland's surface). To experience the best scuba diving in the world with limited time, Liveaboard safaris is by far the best option.