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Raja Ampat Liveaboards
Top Dive Trip Options and Travel Information
Recent studies have shown that the marine diversity in Indonesia's West Papua Province is considerably greater than all other areas sampled in the Coral Triangle (made up of Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea), which simply means it is the best of the best.
Among the best experiences you can have whilst scuba diving in Raja Ampat are encounters with indigenous wobbegongs, the incredible topside beauty of Waigeo, the mushroom islands and lagoons of Misool, and the sheer joy of simply drifting over some of the most pristine and colourful coral scenes on Earth.
Raja Ampat liveaboard cruises include dives at Fabiacet; a site that proves that you can believe the hype, with more fish life than you thought possible. Here are great hammerheads, green turtles, schools of fusiliers and pale-lipped surgeonfish, red-toothed triggerfish and bannerfish, to name but a few.
Farondi Island offers tunnels, caverns and walls festooned with fascinating marine life. There is plenty of action in the blue, but the highlights are to be found in and around the reef, such as ornate ghost pipefish and pygmy seahorses (up to 40 on 1 fan!). Manta Ridge at Mansuar Island is one of many dives sites where manta rays can be seen, but it stands alone in terms of numbers. Up to 30 different mantas can be seen here making it surely one of the best manta dives in the world. [More details on these dive sites: Raja Ampat].
Liveaboard Diving Safari Options in Raja Ampat
• Raja Ampat
The liveaboard routes used by diving charters in the Raja Ampat National Park cover a huge area of sea in this eastern section of Indonesia. They take in both the northern section and southern dive areas like Misool, Fabiacet, Daram, Farondi, Kaleidoscope and Boo Island. Trips tend to be between 8-14 nights' duration.
However, there are some 6 to 9 night Raja Ampat National Park North safaris available, in and out of Sorong. These tours often focus on sites like Cape Kri, Mansuar, Gam, South Penemu, Sel Pele, Mioskon and Waigeo. The longer of these trips may travel as far as the central region dives sites of the Jef Fam Group and Manta Ridge.
Cruises of such length and the remoteness of the location means that the normal clientele on these tours are experienced scuba divers who have visited in many other countries before treating themselves to this pinnacle of liveaboard destinations.
Raja Ampat is also a frequently included in the routes of transit trips to other Indonesian diving hot spots such as Cenderawasih Bay, Triton Bay, the Banda Sea & Ambon, Halmahera, Lembeh Strait, The Forgotten Islands and Alor. See our dedicated Transit Trips section for more details.
Customer rating: Excellent!
- Cruises Raja Ampat, Komodo, Trit...
- Cabins have private en-suite bat...
- ENOS diver locator devices
- Fully-closed re-breathers for re...
- Large boat with dedicated restau...
Customer rating: Excellent!
- Cruises Raja Ampat, Komodo, Band...
- All cabins with private bathroom...
- 24 hour satellite Wi-Fi internet...
- Complimentary laundry service
- Designated dry camera room, came...
- Large, steel-hulled boat
Customer rating: Excellent!
- Visits Raja Ampat, Komodo, Banda...
- Maximum of only 10 guests
- En-suite cabins
- Multi-lingual crew of 8
- Beautiful teak interiors
Customer rating: Excellent!
- Visits Komodo National Park, Raj...
- Maximum of 8 guests only, small ...
- Uses solar panels and a battery ...
- Budget-friendly option, popular ...
- Activities: trekking, kayaking, ...
- Communal bathrooms
Customer rating: Excellent!
- Visits Komodo, Raja Ampat, Banda...
- Cabins have en-suite bathrooms, ...
- Cabin for single traveller
- Most cabins have seaview windows...
- Spacious, steel-hulled liveaboar...
Customer rating: Excellent!
- Visits Komodo, Raja Ampat, Banda...
- Komodo cruises use port in Bali
- Cabins with en-suite private bat...
- 2 saloons on board
- Steel hulled boat
Customer rating: Excellent!
- Specialises in cruises around Ra...
- Runs shorter trips than others -...
- All cabins have ensuite bathroom...
- Ideal for those with limited tim...
Customer rating: Excellent!
- Cruises Raja Ampat, Sangalaki, K...
- Cabins with ensuite bathrooms, T...
- 1 free local beer or glass of wi...
- Dedicated camera room, lost dive...
- Thick steel double hulled boat
Customer rating: Excellent!
- Cruises Komodo, Raja Ampat
- All cabins have private bathroom...
- Free rental scuba equipment
- Free local beers
- Sea canoes, massage and laundry ...
- Large luxurious boat
Customer rating: Excellent!
- Includes Raja Ampat, Banda Sea, ...
- Most cabins have ensuite bathroo...
- 4 dive tenders
- Large, steel-hulled boat purpose...
Customer rating: Very good!
- Cruises Komodo, Sumbawa, Alor, F...
- Cabins feature private en-suite ...
- 4 cabins for single travellers
- Cinema room
- Large boat, plenty of relaxation...
Customer rating: Very good!
- Visits Raja Ampat, Komodo, Wakat...
- 14 guest maximum, with 13 crew m...
- All cabins have ensuite bathroom...
- Grand Suite has TV, DVD, panoram...
- Dive The World Gold Range produc...
Customer rating: Very good!
- Visits Raja Ampat, Komodo, Banda...
- Cabins with en-suite bathrooms
- Small dive groups and flexible i...
- Specialist photography and explo...
Customer rating: Very good!
- Cruises Komodo, Raja Ampat, Alor...
- All cabins with private bathroom...
- Sea kayaks
- Good specials for dive groups
- Large, luxury boat with many rel...
Customer rating: Good
- Visits Komodo National Park, Raj...
- Maximum of 8 guests only, small ...
- Budget-friendly option, popular ...
- Activities: trekking, kayaking, ...
- Communal bathrooms
Customer rating: Good
- Visits Komodo, Raja Ampat
- Maximum of 12 guests only
- Unlimited diving
- Cabins have en-suite bathroom
- Large boat with spa, camera room...
Customer rating: Good
- Visits Komodo, Raja Ampat, Banda...
- Maximum of 12 guests only
- Dive deck with individual rinse ...
- Cabins have en-suite bathroom an...
- Complimentary beer and wine
- Large boat with camera room
Customer rating: Good
- Maximum of only 12 guests
- Visits central, northern and sou...
- Year round Raja Ampat liveaboard...
- Short, affordable cruises
- Small dive groups
Customer rating: Good
- Maximum of 10 guests, normally 8...
- Visits Raja Ampat and The Banda ...
- Year round Raja Ampat liveaboard...
- Short, affordable cruises
- Small dive groups
Customer rating: Good
- Visits Komodo, Raja Ampat, Alor,...
- All cabins have ensuite bathroom...
- Spacious, traditional Phinisi sc...
- Nitrox available
Customer rating: Good
- Cruises Raja Ampat, Lembeh
- All cabins have ensuite bathroom...
- Air conditioned restaurant
- 4 decks, so there's always a qui...
Customer rating: Good
- Short trips focus only on the Ra...
- All cabins have en-suite bathroo...
- 2 air-conditioned saloons, spaci...
- Cameras: table, rinse tanks, com...
Customer rating: Good
- Visits Raja Ampat, Komodo, Banda...
- Suites with private en-suite bat...
- Dive The World Gold Range produc...
- Cameras: table, rinse tanks, air...
- 2 single bed rooms for solo trav...
- Steel hulled boat
Customer rating: Good
- Cruises Komodo, Raja Ampat, Band...
- Tauchen Magazine "Best Liveaboar...
- All cabins have en-suite private...
- Camera room, charging points, la...
- Individual diver locator devices...
- Free spirits and beer
Customer rating: Good
- Visits Raja Ampat, Banda Sea & K...
- All cabins have ensuite bathroom...
- Dedicated camera room with editi...
- Spacious, fast, luxury aluminium...
Customer rating: Good
- Cruises to Komodo, Raja Ampat & ...
- Classic Borneo tallship
- En-suite cabins
- Maximum of only 12 guests
- No hidden extras
- Small dive groups
The Climate, Diving Season and Best Time to Visit
The West Papua Province has some liveaboard boats operating all year but many Raja Ampat diving operators restrict their charters to October-April as there is less chance of rain and choppy seas then. Outside of these times, the Indonesian liveaboards often move onto Komodo and Banda, or over to the north coast of Papua into Cenderawasih Bay for the whale shark season.
Water temperatures in Raja Ampat are warm all year round, ranging from 30°C in November to April, to 27°C from May to October. October to April is peak manta ray season as they come in great numbers to feed on the plankton blooms.
Liveaboard Ports of Departure for Raja Ampat and How to Get There
Raja Ampat liveaboard cruises normally depart from Sorong in West Papua. You can fly to Sorong direct from Bali, Jakarta, or via Ujung Pandang or Manado. Raja Ampat liveaboards that include Cenderawasih Bay may use the ports of Manokwari in West Papua, Nabire or Biak in Papua Province. From Jakarta you can fly to Manokwari via Ujung Pandang. You can fly direct to Biak from Ujung Pandang and Jayapura. You can fly to Nabire from Jakarta and Surabaya via Ambon. If your Raja Ampat cruise includes Triton Bay it may use the port of Kaimana in the south of West Papua, which you can fly to from Ujung Pandang (via Ambon), or from Sorong.
You can view which ports the various boats use on their trips in the 'Departures & Prices' section of each boat's webpage. We will send you full departure details during the booking process. Whichever ports your boat uses, normally the boat operator provides a transfer to the boat from the local airport or hotels (if you overnight beforehand).
Most people fly into Indonesia to Jakarta (Java), Manado (Sulawesi) or Denpasar (Bali). More information on: how to get to Indonesia.
We recommend you take out insurance to cover diving and travel activities, including trip cancellation. See our insurance programme for a competitive quotation:
Places to Stay
If you plan on staying in Indonesia before or after your Raja Ampat liveaboard diving safari, you can find a large range of accommodation options at hotelscombined.com, our affiliated hotel reservation specialists. Browse their website, use their on-line chat to ask questions, then simply use your credit card to make your booking:
All bookings carry a 'Low Price Guarantee' to ensure you get top-dollar value for money.
It's also possible to dive in Raja Ampat by staying at a resort, if you prefer: Raja Ampat resorts.
Useful References
- Raja Ampat dive sites
- Diving videos
- Trip reports: Cheng Ho - MV Pindito - Raja Ampat Aggressor - Sea Safari VI - KLM Shakti
- Raja Ampat: MPA - Marine diversity study - Scientific expedition
- Map of Papua/West Papua
- Frequently asked questions
CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS OF DIVE THE WORLD
... Super speedy service from Beef as always. I have booked several dive packages with Beef and have always been satisfied with him. Your website is very informative and the best thing about your service is the speedy, prompt replies. ... -- Enoka De Zoysa, Sri Lanka. [More customer reviews]
