Raja Ampat with Wendy & Iris

Iris and Wendy will meet you in Sorong and we will travel as a group back to Waisai where we will board our traditional phinisi that we will call home for the next 10 days. We will find our rooms, organize diving equipment, have lunch and prepare for our first dive. This dive will be at Pulau Mioskon and is a opportunity for everyone to get used to being back in the water, test their equipment and get a glimpse of what Raja Ampat has to offer. As the sun begins to set we will enjoy a margarita and get to know each other – Let the ADVENTURE begin! That evening we will begin the overnight crossing to Misool.

After crossing the Ceram Sea, we will wake up to be surrounded by the karst limestone islands and blue water of the southern region, we will be in the north of the Misool marine reserve. Today we will be diving around the Daram Island group with a smorgasbord of options at our fingertips. Descend into the sea fan clad reefscapes of the region, here we will complete three dives for the day and get a true fishy welcome to the south. 

The evening will be filled with a photography workshop by Wendy and Iris.

We will spend the day diving the rich waters of Wayil Island group, dropping down for three dives around the area, with many sites to choose from. Wayil offers a true mix of wide angle photography opportunities as well as some unique macro species. Here we have the chance to see the Raja Ampat pygmy seahorse, a red and white denise pygmy found in this southern region of West Papua. As the afternoon approaches we will visit land and hike to the top of one of the islands to a viewing point that encompasses the 360 views of the stunning marine park expanse! In the evening we will have a workshop on Indonesian language for beginners for anyone who would like to join!  

We will spend time in the central section of Misool marine park, diving some of the most spectacular sites Misool has to offer. Here if we get lucky we have the chance to see oceanic manta rays, these ocean giants visit several different dive sites in the area and are a truly spectacular species to encounter. We will do four dives in the area at sites like Shadow Reef, Eagles Nest, Juliet Kecil and jump for a night dive.

We will spend time around the Boo Island group. Here the reefscapes are everything you imagine when you think of Raja Ampat, stacked to the surface with a multitude of different species all competing for space amongst the reef, it’s not uncommon to find yourself surrounded by fish as you make your way along the steep slopes. Here we will complete three dives. 

In the evening we will share a lecture on the population and identification of manta rays in Raja Ampat. 

Will be our final day diving in Misool before we cross to the central area again. The Balbulol island group will be our target. Karst limestone islands shoot from the sea, with shallow turquoise lagoons inside, we will dive a few of the caves found around the area, and weave through some of the black coral gardens that hang off the vertical walls. This will be a two dive day as we begin our overnight crossing. 

We will be sharing a lecture on the History of Raja Ampat and its culture.

We will be exploring the beautiful region of Piayneom, housing some exceptional dive sites. We will complete four dives here, one of my favorites being Melissa’s garden, a stunning display of hard corals combined with an explosion of reef fish diversity! Here we can also take a trek to a viewing platform to look over the lagoons! A night dive along the slopes of Batu Rufus never fails to disappoint, making our way through the soft coral gardens and down the slope searching for nocturnal critters.

We will move into the heart of the Dampier Strait calling into a small island called Arborek. This island is very special to Iris and Wendy as we have spent several years on the island. Here we will check for manta rays and spend some time in the local lillage, meet some of the friendly kids and learn from the women a few of their techniques in weaving. We will jump in for a night dive around the jetty and search for some of Arboreks finest macro critters!

We will be in the perfect position to experience some of the best diving the Dampier Strait has to offer, diving Cape Kri, Sardine and Chicken reef, experiencing the crashing thud of fish thunder in the current laden dive sites of the region. That night we will dive one of Wendy’s favorite macro dive sites, a mucky sand flat, full of critters to wrap up another epic day!

Blue Magic will be our final dive site of the trip, a seamount that pops up out of nowhere hosts a huge amount of marine life, jacks can swarm in front of you, making you think twice about where your buddy is and it’s one of the more sharky sites of the region, gray reef sharks sit out infront as the current slams into the seamount and the occasional visit from oceanic manta rays is possible! As this is our final day we will travel back to Waisai, pack our belongings, settle our bills (don’t forget to tip the local boat crew) and disembark back to Sorong that afternoon at around 1.30 pm. 

As you have been diving alot, it’s recommended you stay one night in Sorong after the trip!

This schedule is general in nature and we will be optimizing it to the weather and sea conditions during our trip. Wildlife is never a guarantee, the only guarantee we can provide is a margarita as we cheers to a great time spent together!