Diving Raja Ampat

● Arenui ● Ondina ● Paradise dancer ● Seahorse ● Choose your date ● The diving ● Photos ● Getting there ● Rss ●

The area known as Raja Ampat (or the Four Kings) is an archipelago consisting of the islands of Misool, Salawati, Batanta, and Wiageo which are surrounded by over 1,500 small islands and cays.

Paradise dancer Raja Ampat liveaboard

Seahorse Raja Ampat liveaboard

Ondina Raja Ampa liveaboard

Arenui Raja Ampat liveaboard

Formerly known as Irian Jaya, this area is now part of the newly named West Papua province of Indonesia and is located on the northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula,on the island of New Guinea.
















Put simply, Raja Ampat diving could quite possibly be the best diving in the world. It is certainly the world's most biodiverse marine region with more recorded fish, coral and mollusk species than anywhere else on the planet. The variety of marine life can be staggering. Some areas boast enormous schools of fish and regular sightings of sharks, such as wobbegongs. In Mansuar, you may encounter large groups of manta rays and turtles. From the boat and often close to shore you may get the chance to don your snorkeling gear for some unforgettable interaction with resident pods of dolphins or even some passing whales. Other highlights include the innumerable war wrecks, both ships and planes (with new wrecks being discovered constantly). The reefs of Raja Ampat are just as varied as the marine life. There are vertical walls, reef flats, slopes, sea mounts, mucky mangroves, lagoons and pinnacles.
Paradise dancer, Msy Seahorse, Arenui and SMY Ondina all run fantastic Raja Ampat liveaboard safaris visiting all the best places each with their own unique itinerary and features-Raja Ampat photos
Diving Raja Ampat with Paradise dancer from September to May is a luxury experience that guests come to expect from the high standards provided by a Peter Hughes boat.
SMY Ondina's Raja Ampat liveaboard safaris are an adventure in exploration as they travel through the area continuing to expand their reputation as one of Indonesia's pioneer liveaboards.
Seahorse is a large and extrmely comfortable boat that guests return to time and again for their degree of quality diving and service.
Arenui's Raja Ampat liveaboard safaris are an experience in luxury and fine dining complete with the best of the north and the south of the four kings.

Check out our deals page for last minute Raja Ampat liveaboard offers.

● Diving in Thailand ● Diving in Burma ● Diving in Komodo ● Diving in Sulawesi ● Diving in Bali● Diving the Maldives●

Paradise Dancer - Raja Ampat liveaboard

● Schedules ● Itinerary ● The diving ● Specifications ● Getting there ● Prices ● Faqs ● Inquiries ● Ondina ●

Paradise dancer's interior style is that of a “floating boutique resort” featuring the high end amenities guests expect from one of the Dancer Fleet! All of the state rooms are larger than traditional liveaboard state rooms (at 180 sq. ft. each, more than 60% larger than an average liveaboard cabin) each cabin has private ensuite facilities and air conditioning. There isalso a 470 square foot "Master and Commander Suite " at the stern of the main deck that features a king size bed, separate sittingarea with a sofa, and table with chairs that reminds guestsof the "captains quarters" from the schooner design that inspired her.
Charters are 11 nights with 3-4 dives per day. From September to April Paradise dancer will be exploring the Raja Ampat archipelago one of the world's newest top destinations. From April through the September, Paradise Dancer will cruise out of North Sulawesi (Bunaken Marine Park, Bangka Straight, Sangihe Islands, and Lembeh Straight, a top critter destination).
According to the vessel's managing partner, Guido Brink, "Our goal is to build the finest liveaboard yacht in the region and then put it in the best diving locations during the best diving season for that area."

SMY Ondina - Raja Ampat liveaboard

● Schedule ● Itinerary ● The diving ● Specifications ● Getting there ● Prices ● Faqs ● Inquiries ● Paradise dancer ●

Smy Ondina offers a different way to enjoy adventure and exploration diving in the inner seas of Indonesia. SMY Ondina travels year round moving with the seasons to visit the best diving Indonesia has to offer at the right times - Raja Ampat, Fak Fak, Komodo, Sulawesi and Flores, we have an itinerary like no other. Travelling aboard a classic buginese schooner built entirely of teak and tropical woods you will have the opportunity to explore the most exotic and remote islands of Indonesia seeing places where you could possibly never get to by yourself. On board Ondina you will have enough space to relax alone, or to share a nice chat sitting in the cool atmosphere of our a/c dinning room or enjoy a full moon evening from a comfortable hammock on our spacious sun deck before taking a rest in your a/c cabin.  We have tried to create a comfortable accommodation to be your home and base camp as we sail and dive from island to island.
In the unlikely event you don't feel like diving, swimming or snorkeling, we can arrange a walk through isolated forests, along desert beaches or in the undisturbed villages we will come across during our sail.

Msy Seahorse - Raja Ampat liveaboard

● Seahorse ● Destinations ● Schedule ● Itinerary ● Cabins ● Specs ● Diving ● Prices ● More boats ● Inquiry ●

At 33 meters long and 8.5 meters wide, the MSY Seahorse is a majestic and spacious vessel, accommodating up to 16 guests attended by 12 crew. All cabins have individually controlled air-conditioning, private en-suite bathrooms with hot water and plenty of room for storage.
The 5 standard twin cabins are 12 square meters and have two single 90 X 200 cmts beds, the 2 deluxe double cabins are 13.5 sq. meters, have a 150 x 200 cmts bed, desk, TV and dvd player, and the master cabin is 15 sq. meters, plenty of space for a 150x 200 mts bed, big desk, TV and dvd player.
The classic beauty of the MSY Seahorse combines traditional craftsmanship with fully modern conveniences and safety features, providing charming comfort in the remotest waters of Indonesia - Seahorse photos

Mv Arenui - Raja Ampat liveaboard

● Mv Arenui ● Indonesia ● Schedule ● Itinerary ● Cabins ● Specs ● Diving ● Prices ● Faqs ● More boats ● Contact ●

Arenui liveaboard is a traditional Phinisi, a classic Indonesian wooden sailing vessel, set to raise its anchors in June 2009 to begin its explorations of the majestic underwater world of the Indonesian archipelago. The underlying concept of the Arenui is to provide you with the convenience of a fully equipped dive liveaboard together with all the richness, artistic touches and comforts of a top-notch luxury boutique hotel. This is the only boutique hotel that drops you off directly onto the best dive sites that Indonesia has to offer! The same attention to detail was given in designing our cruise itineraries which include not only all of theusual popular diving sites in Indonesia, renowned worldwide for its biodiversity, but other world-class destinations which havebeen overlooked so far by most recreational diving operators. Our cruise programs include: Komodo, North and Central Sulawesi, Wakatobi and, for those looking for more unusual journeys, the New Frontiers of Raja Ampat, Maluku, Cenderawasih Bay, Alor, Flores and the Taka Bone Rate Atolls - Photos of Arenui

Raja ampat diving

● Arenui ● Ondina ● Paradise dancer ● Seahorse ● Choose your date ● The diving ● Photos ● Getting there ● Rss ●

Raja Ampat diving doesn't really have a high and low season as the seasons don't vary all that much. From May to September there is a light rainy season and from mid-July to mid-September there is some small surface swells, but these do not usually get serious enough to interfere with your diving. The water temperature stays around the 27-30 degrees celcius mark all year round. The reefs are in pristine condition with miles of perfect hard corals and many varied colorful species of soft corals. The diving is predominantly drift dives due to the moderate prevalent currents in the area which provide nutrients for the myriad fish and coral. Currents average moderate and vary from none to very strong. Due to these currents and the number of wrecks, Irian Jaya is not really considered a destination for absolute beginners, rather for divers with a few dives under their weightbelts looking to get away from the crowds. Visibility is normally very good but can vary and is normally at its best earlier in the day so your pre-breakfast dives are not to be slept through! According to the Conservation International Rapid Assessment Bulletin the marine life diversity for scuba diving in Raja Ampat and Papua is considerably greater than all other areas sampled in the Coral Triangle. The Raja Ampat area is considered home to more than 1,000 fish species, 101 of which were previously unknown in the area and four that are new to all of Indonesia. A world record 284 sightings on one single dive was set at Kofiau Island. A benchmark figure for an excellent dive site is 200 fish species sightings, this was surpassed on 51% of Raja Ampat dives! There were 537 coral species and 699 mollusk species - again another world high.
The pristine beauty of the area, both above and below the water is truly unrivalled. This success of area's staggering abundance of marine life can also be attributed to the areas incredibly low human population density. Its remote location and lack of infrastructure have inhibited the growth of tourism.
This is truly "Frontier Diving". Topside the beautiful islands stretch as far as you can see and are largely uninhabited. At night the lights of local fishing boats twinkle in the dark along the few inhabited shorelines while in more remote areas you may only see a distant spec of light over the entire horizon.
Not many liveaboards dive the Raja Ampat area, making this adventure even more unique and special. The newly constructed Paradise Dancer is the perfect platform that delivers modern comforts and outstanding service to adventurers exploring this remote outpost of civilization - Raja Ampat diving photos

Getting to Raja Ampat

● Arenui ● Ondina ● Paradise dancer ● Seahorse ● Choose your date ● The diving ● Photos ● Getting there ● Rss ●

Getting to Raja Ampat is a two step process.
Step 1: Arrange your international air transportation to one of three Indonesian Gateway cities—Manado, Bali, or Jakarta.

Step 2: Purchase a domestic air ticket from your Indonesian Gateway city to Jefman Airport in Sorong (city code SOQ) on Papua Island (formerly known is Irian Jaya). This is the starting point for your Raja Ampat voyage.(Please note that without an Indonesian crecit card you will be unable to purchase Indonesian domestic flights - we can arrange these for you at a nominal charge)

Bali Gateway Using this routing you would fly to Denpasar Airport in Bali (DPS) using your international carrier. This route to Raja Ampat requires two legs. First is a 75 minute flight from Bali (DPS) to Ujung Pangdang (UPG - also called Makassar), a city on the island of South Sulawesi. An overnight hotel stay will be required in Ujung Padang as the onward flight does not depart until the following morning (We recommend the Imperial Aryaduta Hotel) for your overnight stay. The two hour and ten minute flight to Sorong (SOQ) the following day is operated daily with early morning departures. On the return guests can route through either Ujung Pandang or Ambon (AMQ) to return to Bali. The return to Bali can be accomplished in a single day.

Manado Gateway: Using this route you would fly into Manado (MDC) on North Sulawesi with your international flightn normally from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. An overnight stay may then be required in Manado at this point, depending on your flight schedules. From Manado connections can be made using either Lion Air or Merpati Airline for the flight into Sorong (SOQ). Flight times range between one hour fifteen minutes to two hours ten minutes depending on the carrier and whether they route through Makassar or fly direct. Between the two carriers, there are flights every day, except Sunday. The return flights work just the opposite. Again, an overnight stay may be required in either Manado, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur to sync up the international segments.

Jakarta Gateway: A third alternative for guests is to use Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta (JKT), Indonesia as their gateway. The journey to Sorong (SOQ) can then be completed in a single day with flights on either Xpress Air or Merpati Airline that connect in Ujung Padang (UPG - also known as Makassar) on South Sulawesi Island. The return trip from Sorong to Jakarta can also be completed in a single day.

No matter which gateway city guests choose to utilize, we recommend two hotel nights be built into your travels. One upon arrival between the international and domestic legs, and one on your journey home between the domestic and international legs. Should a flight delay (or baggage delay) be encountered in either direction, your domestic and international airline tickets are not “linked”, and as such, no compensation or assistance would be offered by the airline. The only protection available would be Trip Interruption and Cancellation insurance.

Domestic Air Carrier Notes:
We recommend two hotel nights be built into your travels. One upon arrival between the international and domestic legs, and one on your journey home between the domestic and international legs. Should a flight delay/cancellation, baggage delay, or schedule change be encountered in either direction, your domestic and international airline tickets are not “linked”, and as such, no compensation or assistance would be offered by the airline. The only financial protection available would be Trip Interruption and Cancellation insurance.
Domestic airlines have different baggage weight restrictions than international carriers. Many times these flights are on smaller turboprop aircraft and not jets which do not have as much space and cannot take as much weight. Therefore they have more restrictive luggage reqirements. A rule of thumb is that passengers are allowed 44lbs (20kg). Above that - expect excess baggage charges. All guests are advised to please pack carefully and light using soft bags for easier storage on the boat. Just because excess luggage charges are paid it does not necessarily mean that your luggage and you will travel on the same fight or arrive on the same day.
Premier liveaboard diving and its local agents will schedule domestic flights and purchase a tickets on behalf of guests as a service for a nominal fee, however, in doing so, Premier liveaboard diving is only acting as an agent for the airline and is not responsible for, and can accept no responsibility for, cancellations, delays, schedule changes, or problems caused by the air carrier.

Raja ampat liveaboard diving

● Arenui ● Ondina ● Paradise dancer ● Seahorse ● Choose your date ● The diving ● Photos ● Getting there ● Rss ●

Diving Raja Ampat

● Arenui ● Ondina ● Paradise dancer ● Seahorse ● Choose your date ● The diving ● Photos ● Getting there ● Rss ●

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