luckystarfish
Registered
Visa
Get an eVisa to jump the VisaOnArrival queue at the airport. If you plan to stay longer than 30 days in Indonesia, apply directly for a 60 day eVisa. Note that since June 1st 2025, just paying the fee with the credit card in the 14 days before expiry is not enough any more to extend a 30-day visa. Now, you have to go in person to an immigration office in Indonesia at a given location and time. (There is one in Sorong, though, if you are brave enough).
Transportation
We flew with Garuda (5-Star Airline) from Denpasar (DPS) to Sorong (SOQ). Garuda allows an additional 23 kg of free baggage for scuba equipment (link). As there was a several hour layover in Jakarta (CGK), upon asking, it was suggested to us to shrink-wrap our checked luggage (6 USD in the domestic terminal). For the flight back we purchased cling-film (2 USD) in Sorong as there is no wrapping station in SOQ. On the flight back our SOQ->DPS was changed into SOQ->CGK->DPS which arrived nearly 4h later and would have made us loose our international onward connection. We had to rebook and leave Raja Ampat a day earlier (free of charge by Garuda using the online chat).
To go to Waigeo you have to take the public ferry. There is a ferry running every day at 14:00 and an additional ferry running on Sun, Tue, Thu at 09:00. Conveniently the times apply to both directions.
We took the 100 USD per person transportation package (ferry and all transfers) which is quite a steep price tag. If you do this on your own, consider using the service of a porter at the ferry terminals (50,000 Rp thus about 3 USD per piece of luggage) as this may be the only income for them for the day. Depending on the flights it may be necessary to spend one night in Sorong (Aston or Swiss hotel).
Waiwo Dive Resort
The Waiwo Dive Resort is one of the first resorts that were built in Raja Ampat and gives access to all the dive sites in Central Raja. The small and quiet resort is located a short car ride away from the Waisai Ferry terminal on Waigeo. This has the distinct advantage that it is possible to check-in and out of the resort any day of the week in contrast to resorts further West. This makes Waiwo also a good option to stay before or after a liveaboard. Price-wise Waiwo it is situated somewhere in the middle between a homestay and a very fancy resort. To us Waiwo looks like a very good value for money when it comes to land-based pure 'eat-sleep-dive' in Raja Ampat. If you need a spa, massages or yoga classes, Waiwo is not the place for you. Maybe Sorido Bay or Misool would then be more suitable. If you are the homestay type, maybe look at Tarzan Diving or Soul Scuba Divers.
The resort is run by Beatrice and Peter who are super nice, helpful and laid back. The bungalows are very nice and large. They come with 24h electricity, private bathroom, hot shower, free water from a water cooler in the room, air-condition, towels, soap and shampoo and very good mattresses. Some rooms have mosquito nets. Ours didn't so we used our own. If you are very sensitive to the noise of the waves on the beach maybe pick a garden villa, we loved our waterfront bungalow though. The resort is faithfully described on their internet page which omits however that there is a cuscus (opossum) living in the trees above the resort which is really amazing.
All guests we talked to unanimously found the food to be delicious with many different dishes for each lunch or dinner (6 if we recall correctly). Food comes in enormous quantities and is different every day. As this was low season, food was served at the table and not provided in buffet form. We had to tell them to serve us less food (twice) as there was no way to finish the immense portions they gave us in the first days. Tea, coffee and water are included. Other drinks are extra.
All staff are unbelievably smiling and friendly, even for Indonesian standards.
Dive Into Raja Ampat Dive Center
The 5-star PADI Dive dive center is integrated into the resort. It is run professionally by the super friendly Sonly and his eight young, nice and smiling dive guides on staff (plus compressor staff). It is very well organized. The dive center has their own Bauer compressor with Nitrox membrane system. Nitrox costs 7 USD/tank or 20 USD per day. 15L tanks are available for a surcharge. Tanks are DIN and have INT insets. Rental equipment is in good shape. The equipment is fully taken care of by the dive center crew, from transport to and from the boat, setting up on the boat, to washing and hanging to dry each evening. There is a reserved space for each diver in the drying room with proper name tag above. Impressive. Each day at around 17:00 the dive sites, boat, divers, guides and even the names of the boat crew are written onto a large wall whiteboard. This is some of the best organization we have seen anywhere.
PADI dive courses are offered from DSD up to Divemaster. In general, to really profit from Raja Ampat, we would recommend to come with an AOWD level certification or higher and have at least 50 to 100 dives, including feeling comfortable with strong currents. We also recommend to bring your own reef-hook although the dive center has enough for rent free of charge. We would definitely recommend to dive with Nitrox as that allows to stay longer at the deeper corners of reefs like Lao-Lao, Cape Kri, Chicken or Blue Magic. And it reduces Nitrogen intake on the shallower dives. In general it seems a good idea to keep well off NDL for all dives even more so as apparently there is no reliable Hyperbaric Chamber meeting international standards in Raja Ampat which means that you would need to evacuated to Bali or Manado.
Maybe the largest assets of the dive center are the four dive boats. Certainly the best day-boats we have seen passing by in Raja Ampat. They are large, stable and spacious, can hold up to 22 divers and even have a marine toilet. They come with emergency oxygen and first aid kit. The front of the boats is covered protecting the divers from the wind and rain. Two 200 hp engines allow for a cruising speed of 23 kts which is well enough to reach all the Raja Ampat dive sites. If you have a camera, the crew will provide a bucket with freshwater.
The boats leave for two dives in the morning at 08:30 and then come back to the resort for lunch before leaving for the afternoon dive at 14:30. In low season, as well as for the Piaynemo (+75 USD surcharge) or Arborek day trips, it also can happen that lunch is served on board (or on an island). This is the same delicious and varied lunch that also would be available at the resort. House-reef dives and night-dives are offered, too.
We were impressed that the dive center really tries to make sure every diver can dive according to their capabilities. At one point there were 5 dive guides on a boat for 6 divers so that people with different skill-levels and Nitrox vs. air had essentially all their private guides. This is maybe different during high-season.
Dive briefings are thorough and the maps of the dive sites are hand drawn on a large white board. They are very detailed and again include the boat crew names which we think is a nice touch. The guides know their reefs inside out. Sonly and his team create a professional, safety-oriented yet at the same time relaxed atmosphere. Like anywhere in Indonesia the quality of English the guides speak varies highly from guide to guide.
We were impressed that after our last dive, they did hang our equipment in the compressor room where it is warmer and where they have large fans so that it is near-dry when you take the ferry the next morning. They deliver the equipment to your room and go through with you item by item to make sure nothing gets forgotten. Impressive again.
The only real complaint we have is the content of the website. At the time of writing, the website does not even contain the price list, does not mention that Nitrox is available, or that this is a 5-star PADI center in the first place.
Diving
Diving was absolutely excellent. We went to all the famous sites (Blue Magic, Chicken Reef, Sardine Reef, Cape Kri, Melissa's Garden, Friwen Wall, Manta Sandy, ...). The reefs looked really good and fish-life was mindblowingly abundant. The corals seem to have recovered quite a bit from from the 2024 December bleaching event. In quite some places soft coral has grown very rapidly at the reef tops. Chicken Reef was nothing short of breathtaking. And of course the famous Melissa's Garden (together with the hike up to the fantastic platform in Piaynemo). Contrary to what can be read elsewhere stating that the manta season is only between October-April, manta rays can be seen year round at the three manta sites in Raja Ampat with a little luck. We had eight mantas circling at Manta Sandy in August for a full hour.
Booking
Request the official price list and book here. It might be however better to book through your local scuba travel agent who then would also help in case of unforeseen events. Without any warranty, here are some example travel agents: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Get an eVisa to jump the VisaOnArrival queue at the airport. If you plan to stay longer than 30 days in Indonesia, apply directly for a 60 day eVisa. Note that since June 1st 2025, just paying the fee with the credit card in the 14 days before expiry is not enough any more to extend a 30-day visa. Now, you have to go in person to an immigration office in Indonesia at a given location and time. (There is one in Sorong, though, if you are brave enough).
Transportation
We flew with Garuda (5-Star Airline) from Denpasar (DPS) to Sorong (SOQ). Garuda allows an additional 23 kg of free baggage for scuba equipment (link). As there was a several hour layover in Jakarta (CGK), upon asking, it was suggested to us to shrink-wrap our checked luggage (6 USD in the domestic terminal). For the flight back we purchased cling-film (2 USD) in Sorong as there is no wrapping station in SOQ. On the flight back our SOQ->DPS was changed into SOQ->CGK->DPS which arrived nearly 4h later and would have made us loose our international onward connection. We had to rebook and leave Raja Ampat a day earlier (free of charge by Garuda using the online chat).
To go to Waigeo you have to take the public ferry. There is a ferry running every day at 14:00 and an additional ferry running on Sun, Tue, Thu at 09:00. Conveniently the times apply to both directions.
We took the 100 USD per person transportation package (ferry and all transfers) which is quite a steep price tag. If you do this on your own, consider using the service of a porter at the ferry terminals (50,000 Rp thus about 3 USD per piece of luggage) as this may be the only income for them for the day. Depending on the flights it may be necessary to spend one night in Sorong (Aston or Swiss hotel).
Waiwo Dive Resort
The Waiwo Dive Resort is one of the first resorts that were built in Raja Ampat and gives access to all the dive sites in Central Raja. The small and quiet resort is located a short car ride away from the Waisai Ferry terminal on Waigeo. This has the distinct advantage that it is possible to check-in and out of the resort any day of the week in contrast to resorts further West. This makes Waiwo also a good option to stay before or after a liveaboard. Price-wise Waiwo it is situated somewhere in the middle between a homestay and a very fancy resort. To us Waiwo looks like a very good value for money when it comes to land-based pure 'eat-sleep-dive' in Raja Ampat. If you need a spa, massages or yoga classes, Waiwo is not the place for you. Maybe Sorido Bay or Misool would then be more suitable. If you are the homestay type, maybe look at Tarzan Diving or Soul Scuba Divers.
The resort is run by Beatrice and Peter who are super nice, helpful and laid back. The bungalows are very nice and large. They come with 24h electricity, private bathroom, hot shower, free water from a water cooler in the room, air-condition, towels, soap and shampoo and very good mattresses. Some rooms have mosquito nets. Ours didn't so we used our own. If you are very sensitive to the noise of the waves on the beach maybe pick a garden villa, we loved our waterfront bungalow though. The resort is faithfully described on their internet page which omits however that there is a cuscus (opossum) living in the trees above the resort which is really amazing.
All guests we talked to unanimously found the food to be delicious with many different dishes for each lunch or dinner (6 if we recall correctly). Food comes in enormous quantities and is different every day. As this was low season, food was served at the table and not provided in buffet form. We had to tell them to serve us less food (twice) as there was no way to finish the immense portions they gave us in the first days. Tea, coffee and water are included. Other drinks are extra.
All staff are unbelievably smiling and friendly, even for Indonesian standards.
Dive Into Raja Ampat Dive Center
The 5-star PADI Dive dive center is integrated into the resort. It is run professionally by the super friendly Sonly and his eight young, nice and smiling dive guides on staff (plus compressor staff). It is very well organized. The dive center has their own Bauer compressor with Nitrox membrane system. Nitrox costs 7 USD/tank or 20 USD per day. 15L tanks are available for a surcharge. Tanks are DIN and have INT insets. Rental equipment is in good shape. The equipment is fully taken care of by the dive center crew, from transport to and from the boat, setting up on the boat, to washing and hanging to dry each evening. There is a reserved space for each diver in the drying room with proper name tag above. Impressive. Each day at around 17:00 the dive sites, boat, divers, guides and even the names of the boat crew are written onto a large wall whiteboard. This is some of the best organization we have seen anywhere.
PADI dive courses are offered from DSD up to Divemaster. In general, to really profit from Raja Ampat, we would recommend to come with an AOWD level certification or higher and have at least 50 to 100 dives, including feeling comfortable with strong currents. We also recommend to bring your own reef-hook although the dive center has enough for rent free of charge. We would definitely recommend to dive with Nitrox as that allows to stay longer at the deeper corners of reefs like Lao-Lao, Cape Kri, Chicken or Blue Magic. And it reduces Nitrogen intake on the shallower dives. In general it seems a good idea to keep well off NDL for all dives even more so as apparently there is no reliable Hyperbaric Chamber meeting international standards in Raja Ampat which means that you would need to evacuated to Bali or Manado.
Maybe the largest assets of the dive center are the four dive boats. Certainly the best day-boats we have seen passing by in Raja Ampat. They are large, stable and spacious, can hold up to 22 divers and even have a marine toilet. They come with emergency oxygen and first aid kit. The front of the boats is covered protecting the divers from the wind and rain. Two 200 hp engines allow for a cruising speed of 23 kts which is well enough to reach all the Raja Ampat dive sites. If you have a camera, the crew will provide a bucket with freshwater.
The boats leave for two dives in the morning at 08:30 and then come back to the resort for lunch before leaving for the afternoon dive at 14:30. In low season, as well as for the Piaynemo (+75 USD surcharge) or Arborek day trips, it also can happen that lunch is served on board (or on an island). This is the same delicious and varied lunch that also would be available at the resort. House-reef dives and night-dives are offered, too.
We were impressed that the dive center really tries to make sure every diver can dive according to their capabilities. At one point there were 5 dive guides on a boat for 6 divers so that people with different skill-levels and Nitrox vs. air had essentially all their private guides. This is maybe different during high-season.
Dive briefings are thorough and the maps of the dive sites are hand drawn on a large white board. They are very detailed and again include the boat crew names which we think is a nice touch. The guides know their reefs inside out. Sonly and his team create a professional, safety-oriented yet at the same time relaxed atmosphere. Like anywhere in Indonesia the quality of English the guides speak varies highly from guide to guide.
We were impressed that after our last dive, they did hang our equipment in the compressor room where it is warmer and where they have large fans so that it is near-dry when you take the ferry the next morning. They deliver the equipment to your room and go through with you item by item to make sure nothing gets forgotten. Impressive again.
The only real complaint we have is the content of the website. At the time of writing, the website does not even contain the price list, does not mention that Nitrox is available, or that this is a 5-star PADI center in the first place.
Diving
Diving was absolutely excellent. We went to all the famous sites (Blue Magic, Chicken Reef, Sardine Reef, Cape Kri, Melissa's Garden, Friwen Wall, Manta Sandy, ...). The reefs looked really good and fish-life was mindblowingly abundant. The corals seem to have recovered quite a bit from from the 2024 December bleaching event. In quite some places soft coral has grown very rapidly at the reef tops. Chicken Reef was nothing short of breathtaking. And of course the famous Melissa's Garden (together with the hike up to the fantastic platform in Piaynemo). Contrary to what can be read elsewhere stating that the manta season is only between October-April, manta rays can be seen year round at the three manta sites in Raja Ampat with a little luck. We had eight mantas circling at Manta Sandy in August for a full hour.
Booking
Request the official price list and book here. It might be however better to book through your local scuba travel agent who then would also help in case of unforeseen events. Without any warranty, here are some example travel agents: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
and diving with soul scuba(good but crowded with backpackers and not cheap for the service).. the first day we were 15 divers and 6 guides on a small boat with only 200hp… 
never again… 
