Cove Eco Resort it is! Now, how to get there...

[BigDaddyGlad]

After much deliberation, my two dive buddies and I have decided that Cove Eco Resort will be our destination for our May 2026 dive trip. We are all three in our late-50s/early-60s and figure it's now or never to get to SouthEast Asia.

Getting there from Toronto YYZ seems to be a bit of a slog. It looks like it's going to be a 30-hour+ journey no matter how we slice it. The longest I've ever travelled is to Europe, which is about 8 or 9 hours direct, so I'm a bit concerned about the timing on this trip. We obviously don't want to arrive at the resort so exhausted we miss a day or two of diving.

We need to be in Sorong on Saturday May 16 for the 9:00 ferry. Working backwards from that, I got this recommended flight plan from Copilot AI:
Toronto (YYZ) → Jakarta (CGK)
Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026 Airline: United Airlines

• Flight UA525: Departs Toronto at 06:30 → Arrives San Francisco (SFO) at 09:10
• Flight UA29: Departs San Francisco at 11:00 → Arrives Singapore (SIN) at 18:45 on May 15
• Flight SQ962 (operated by Singapore Airlines): Departs Singapore at 20:15 → Arrives Jakarta at 21:00 on May 15

Jakarta (CGK) → Sorong (SOQ)
Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026 Airline: Garuda Indonesia

• Flight GA682: Departs Jakarta at 00:05 → Arrives Sorong at 06:10

I have mapped out other routes through Abu Dhabi and Tokyo, although those do have some longer airport layovers. The question is: do I need to add a buffer day in here somewhere to rest up, or are we best just powering through and getting to the resort in the shortest time?

 

[Luko]

The question is: do I need to add a buffer day in here somewhere to rest up, or are we best just powering through and getting to the resort in the shortest time?

For such a long trip I would recommend a layover in Singapore, which is probably the best place to take a night rest.
In this case between UA29 and SQ962 have a "night/day off" dine out downtown Singapore, go to see the gardens by the bay, sleep well and take it easy.
Next day after, take your flight to CGK, the schedule will leave you enough time to enter Indonesia/get your luggage/transfer to the domestic terminal to check in from 11PM. Don't forget that on Garuda you're entitled to 23kg additional checkin luggage for Scuba equipment, mention that at the check in counter in Jakarta.
You will then arrive (semi)-fresh in Sorong at 6AM. I recommend you ask Cove Eco to drive you to the Swissbelotel and take a breakfast there, they'll then fetch you around 8AM to take the ferry. Ask them the VIP seats for that 2hrs ride with Aircon at full throttle (don't forget to carry a sweater with you), it will take then some 1hr/1,5hr more to transfer from Waisai to Yeben/Cove eco island. With a bit of luck they'll go through the Passage which is very scenic.

 

[Joneill]

I have been to Raja twice now and both times overnighted in Singapore at the Crown Plaza at Changi - lots of food choices and things to see at the Jewel mall that is right next door or grab a taxi to downtown.

The next day I took a mid morning flight to Jakarta and got a room for the day at Anara Airport hotel that is attached to the terminal (as the layover was 14 hours).

I also planned my trips to arrive in Sorong 1or 2 days before I got on the Liveaboard to allow for any potential issues with flight delays/cancelations or baggage getting delayed. I would hate to travel that far and then either miss the boat or not have my gear - arriving an extra day in advance also allows you to relax a bit and get on the time zone too! Swissbel or the Aston are good hotel choice (Aston is newer).

 

[cozcharlie]

Big picture is you have several connections in your proposed itinerary and if any of them goes wrong you blow up the entire trip. You need a buffer somewhere. Singapore is a much more interesting place to chill than Jakarta , so if you want to do something during your buffer day that is the better place to wait. Personally, I would try to make it to Jakarta and get a room at airport there and just sleep/netflix , but that isn’t optimal for most people (and the way flight times run for me I have to pay for 2 nights even though I am in the hotel for 20 hours ).

 

[TostitoBandito]

Yeah I'm going to Indonesia for the first time from the US (west coast), and I'll echo the Singapore recommendation. We elected to fly nonstop from Seattle to Singapore and spend a night and most of the next day hanging out there, on each end of the trip. For a few reasons:

• Singapore Air is a very nice airline, and my airline is Alaska so I get miles
• Singapore would be a very fun place to spend a little time
• Singapore is only a 90 minute flight from Jakarta, where the connection to Sorong departs from
• You can easily check your luggage through (to Jakarta) or re-check for the flight the next day, so Singapore Air will hold all your checked bags while you go to a hotel in the city via their easy transit

I think we arrive in Singapore at like 5-6pm, and depart to Jakarta roughly the same time the following afternoon. And then returning we get to Singapore around 5pm and then fly home the next morning at 9am.

I'd encourage you to check that out, as I know Singapore Air flies nonstop from Newark (EWR) which might be easier for you than going through SFO (definitely faster). It's famously one of the longest flights in the world, but I'd rather be on a short hop to an 18 hour flight than a 6 hour flight followed by a 15 hour flight.

 

[BigDaddyGlad]

I had a nice conversation with Copilot this afternoon (not at all creepy! LOL!). I wanted to refine the itinerary, adding an overnight in Singapore so that we don’t arrive at the resort totally jet-lagged and the connection in CGK isn't just 30 minutes. Here’s how that looks:

Trip Itinerary: Toronto → Sorong (via Singapore & Jakarta) Departure: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 Arrival: Saturday, May 16, 2026
Toronto (YYZ) → San Francisco (SFO)

• United Airlines | Flight UA525
• Departs: May 13 at 06:30 (EDT)
• Arrives: May 13 at 09:10 (PDT)

San Francisco (SFO) → Singapore (SIN)

• United Airlines | Flight UA29
• Departs: May 13 at 11:00 (PDT)
• Arrives: May 14 at 18:45 (SGT)

Stay: YOTELAIR Singapore Changi

• Check-in: May 14 evening
• Check-out: May 15 late afternoon
• Location: Jewel Changi Airport, Level 4

Singapore (SIN) → Jakarta (CGK)

• Singapore Airlines | Flight SQ962
• Departs: May 15 at 17:25 (SGT)
• Arrives: May 15 at 18:10 (WIB)

Jakarta (CGK) → Sorong (SOQ)

• Garuda Indonesia | Flight GA682
• Departs: May 16 at 00:05 (WIB)
• Arrives: May 16 at 06:10 (WIT)

There was also the option to fly through EWR (thanks @TostitoBandito!) which saves 3 hours in the air but doesn't really change much on the ground. It's a 62-hour journey. Please tell me this is worth it for 10 days of diving in Raja Ampat!

 

[Joneill]

Definitely worth it as it can be simply amazing/breathtakingly beautiful diving - I arrived in Sorong about 59 hours after I left my house, but enjoyed the travel!

I believe that May is the start of the windier/wetter season so might make for bumpy boat rides out to the sites. Others with more experience diving the area might have more insights on what to expect in May ( I was there in Dec’22/Jan’23 and Jan/Feb’25 and weather and sea conditions were great). Pretty much flat seas so we got out to distant sites from Pulau Pef where we stayed land-based for the last part of the 2025 trip.

 

[cozcharlie]

Looks pretty good . Only thoughts .

1) @Joneill raises a good point about being fairly close to windy season. It rains year round , but evidently the wind kicks up waves more in the wet season. Internet says waves worst mid June through Mid September so looks like you aren’t catching the worst of it . Hopefully someone else will chime in I have been there in September with beautiful weather, so May theoretically wouldn’t bother me but more info from board members would be useful.

2). FYI The rooms in the Yotel air are quite small. It was perfect for me crashing and watching Netflix , but I literally had my luggage piled by the door where I had to move it to get out . I have stayed there before and I will stay there again , but if you are looking to do something more than crash you might want Crowne Plaza .

3. You might think about just taking Garuda from Singapore to Raja Ampat (via Jakarta ). That way your bags are checked through and you don’t have to re-check at Jakarta. Obviously you will have to fill out a customs form, but I didn’t have to claim my bags in Jakarta. Another board member recommended double checking the belt to make certain they didn’t go there by accident (mine went smoothly ). Still best to confirm with airline at check in

4). Definitely worth getting AirTags for your bags. Last trip my bags didn’t make the connection at SFO. Untied also didn’t put them on the next flight due to weight issues on that flight. United outsources baggage issues to SAT in Singapore (guess they see affiliated with Singapore air ). They were a pain to deal with because while nice people they couldn’t get it through their thick heads that I was going to an island where the bags couldn’t be delivered (someone from hotel would have to pick them up at Sorong airport ). I had to give them the same information 3 times in writing over a 36 hour period.

 

[TostitoBandito]

Yup, 24+ hours of travel each direction is pretty standard for getting out into the remote Pacific from North America. My only advice is to just accept that going in, and make that time as comfortable and stress free as possible. Like you're doing planning the overnight in Singapore rather than trying to save a few hours powering through direct via another hub. I had the option of going via Taipei with like an 8+ hour layover in Jakarta but decided I'd much rather just be in a waterfront bar in Singapore with a hotel bed waiting, even if it means leaving a day earlier. Look at it as part of your vacation, not just a layover.

 

[Luko]

Stay: YOTELAIR Singapore Changi

• Check-in: May 14 evening
• Check-out: May 15 late afternoon
• Location: Jewel Changi Airport, Level 4

Nah... don't stay your full day at a airport hotel.
Jewel is great for transit but you don't stay a full day in a mall!

It's your first trip to SEA, Singapore is a nice/very easy place to visit a walk around, Central area/Clarke Quay is about 20 minutes cab from the airport (about 20$-30$ ride, no tipping necessary or even expected : remember that in Spore). even though hotels are expensive for Asia (about 200$/night) it's the occasion to chill at the pool, visit some places (Gardens by the bay, you need to get those legs working after all that sitting time), eat out (Lau Pa Sat for instance, the easiest for a first trip). MTR is a cheap and easy way to get to any place in S'pore.