Raja Ampat Resort / Land Based Dive Options / Recommendations

[John Trecker]

It has been some time since there has been a thread on recommendations and input for Raja Ampat / R4 resort and land based dive options.
Am planning a trip in Dec / Jan for 2 weeks and have been a bit surprised at how limited the options are.
Many places are booked up for large parts of the year (Misool Resort is completely full for all of 2022 with prior rebookings).
Any recommendations, suggestions, hints, concerns, or other input appreciated! Please feel free to add in other input. Thank you everyone!

1. Location / Dive Site Access: Are diverse sites close / far? Long boat rides? House reef?
2. Dive Ops / Team: Safety / boats? Especially any recs for good guides / spotters.
3. Dive Equipment : Considerations on Nitrox / tank size / type, etc. Concerns with quality?
4. Accommodation / Food: Basic / Luxury / Value? Aircon? Food quality / variability. Recs on room type / location?
5. Wifi / Mobile Access Experience: Especially in these days of remote work.
6. Overall Impressions / Recs: Would you go back? Good value? Cater to serious divers? Anything you would do differently?

PS: Of course any input is in the context of Covid 19 pandemic and related impacts which we all know obviously has affected and will continue to affect ops, but his is not intended to be a posting to discuss Covid 19 (such as entry requirements) which has been covered in depth elsewhere.

 

[Blackcrusader]

I am diving there in October land based with Soul Divers. Soul Scuba Divers | Raja Ampat | Scuba Diving Center
Run by a French chap.

No nitrox available but as dive sites are often fairly shallow not really an issue tanks are AL80. Homestay has power from 6pm to 12am.
It's really living in a hut in the jungle. The simple life. Homestay provides you three meals a day I hope you eat fish.

Lodges are basic with shared bath and shower which is often a hole in the ground and a bucket of water for washing.
I own a business that operates 24 hours a day so having a sim card and whatsapp & Line is what I will use. I do not plan on contacting my office as I am on vacation and my staff have to deal with any issues when I am away.

There are no shops or places to buy anything you are in a very remote place. You could take a trip back to Sorong but not sure any better for wifi if you needed to contact your work.

Not sure the sim card speed would allow me a remote connection into one of my office servers. Buy a sim card at the airport in Jakarta.

You need to be vaccinated to enter Indonesia but no PCR test required from 18 May.

 

[John Trecker]

Their website is super well organized and informative. One of better I have seen after lots of research. Unfortunately I have to remain connected. Sim card is grest suggestion.

 

[Darnold9999]

Spent 10 days at Papua Paradise a few years ago and was impressed. West facing huts on stilts over the water, very comfortable. I don't recall if their was aircon but wouldn't have used it and didn't need it. Meals were buffet style and very good with lots of variety. Guides were very good. Diving was good, boat travel to both sides of Dampier Straight. Some sites are really close to the resort, some a bit further away, and some quite a bit further away so you are on the boat all day for those sites. They have two house reefs, one on each side of the island so one side is always diveable.

The trip was a test to see how I liked diving from a land resort in RA. Was really nice, but I prefer a liveaboard. You get to see more of the entire RA area rather than just one area. With a resort you always have people coming and going, on a liveaboard you are with a specific group the entire time. Both work, just different.

My recollection is that WiFi existed and I was able to email home, but doing remote work would have been iffy as the speed was fairly low and I suspect latency might b an issue. For keeping in touch sure, more than that I doubt it.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Their website is super well organized and informative. One of better I have seen after lots of research. Unfortunately I have to remain connected. Sim card is grest suggestion.

If you have to remain connected then I would suggest that only if you mean text messaging and not document transferring. It is a remote area and Elon Musk hasn't donated any of his star satellites to that area yet.

I am diving Raja with some friends. I go diving to get away from my business so only my wife will have access to me when I am away as she does not dive and runs the business when I am away.

 

[drrich2]

They have two house reefs, one on each side of the island so one side is always diveable.

Could you shore dive at those, and would they let you do it solo? Those answers would be of interest to some people.

Richard.

 

[JohnN]

It has been some time since there has been a thread on recommendations and input for Raja Ampat / R4 resort and land based dive options.
Am planning a trip in Dec / Jan for 2 weeks and have been a bit surprised at how limited the options are.
Many places are booked up for large parts of the year (Misool Resort is completely full for all of 2022 with prior rebookings).
Any recommendations, suggestions, hints, concerns, or other input appreciated! Please feel free to add in other input. Thank you everyone!

1. Location / Dive Site Access: Are diverse sites close / far? Long boat rides? House reef?
2. Dive Ops / Team: Safety / boats? Especially any recs for good guides / spotters.
3. Dive Equipment : Considerations on Nitrox / tank size / type, etc. Concerns with quality?
4. Accommodation / Food: Basic / Luxury / Value? Aircon? Food quality / variability. Recs on room type / location?
5. Wifi / Mobile Access Experience: Especially in these days of remote work.
6. Overall Impressions / Recs: Would you go back? Good value? Cater to serious divers? Anything you would do differently?

PS: Of course any input is in the context of Covid 19 pandemic and related impacts which we all know obviously has affected and will continue to affect ops, but his is not intended to be a posting to discuss Covid 19 (such as entry requirements) which has been covered in depth elsewhere.

I'm diving with Papua Explorers this November. It comes highly recommended by some local divers/friends and their Trip Advisor reviews are all very flattering. It is certainly worth checking out.

 

[scubaozy]

I'm diving with Papua Explorers this November. It comes highly recommended by some local divers/friends and their Trip Advisor reviews are all very flattering. It is certainly worth checking out.

That is my recommendation as well, I do not know how you can top that experience.

 

[Darnold9999]

Could you shore dive at those, and would they let you do it solo? Those answers would be of interest to some people.

Richard.

Definitely the reef in front of the resort was available to dive or snorkel from the dock. Not something you would get too from shore as you would damage the reef, but the dock gave great access. Not sure about solo access as I never did dive the house reef. Had an unlimited dive package so no particular incentive to dive the house reef. Did dive the reef on the other side of the island but was a guided dive. Doubt you would want to shore dive that one solo as it is a bit of a hike across the island to get to it.

Diving solo in RA is discouraged. Mostly until you have been there a few times you really need a guide so you don’t miss everything.

 

[Wisnu]

By regulation, solo diving is not allowed in Indonesia for recreational diving.