Diving Raja Ampat in one paragraph
Open Water is the minimum certification; Advanced is recommended for the current sites.
374
Fish species in one dive — Cape Kri
12
Signature dive sites
27–30°C
Water temperature, year-round
4:1
Divers per guide
The Dive Sites
World's highest recorded fish count in a single dive — 374 species. Schools of snapper and sweetlips over the ridge.
Manta cleaning station on a sand patch. Divers hold behind a marker line while mantas queue. Best December–March.
Seamount cleaning station with diverse macro life on the slopes. One of the two headline manta sites.
Limestone arches punched through the reef wall, hung with soft corals. A photographer favourite.
Pelagic schools, reef sharks and mantas working the pinnacles.
Deep wall carrying large corals, sharks and mantas. The most demanding current in the south.
Enormous sardine baitballs, with reef sharks and turtles working the edges.
Soft and hard coral cover with pygmy seahorses on the sea fans.
Shallow soft corals and anemones. A forgiving site for the first dive of a charter.
Large rose-shaped corals with snapper schools stacked over the seamount.
Shallow reefs beneath the karst islands. Snorkelling and topside photography as much as diving.
Whale sharks feeding at the fishing platforms year-round. A separate national park ~600 km east, reached on 14-night charters.
When To Come
What You Will See
Hard and soft coral built up in banks, with clouds of fusiliers streaming over the top on the current lines.
Gorgonian fans in pink, magenta and yellow across the walls — the colour Raja Ampat is known for.
Anemonefish, pygmy seahorses and nudibranchs. The macro is as much of the draw here as the big stuff.
Reef tops in three to eight metres beneath the karst — where snorkellers and divers share the same water.
Certification
The entry requirement. Around 20 logged dives makes a charter comfortable. Opens the calm reefs — Mansuar, Mioskon, Friwen, Chicken Reef.
Recommended before the headline sites. Cape Kri, Blue Magic and Manta Ridge are dived in current, with negative entries and reef hooks.
Optional but worth it. Extends bottom time across every site and matters most on the deeper Misool walls.
Required if you intend to dive solo. Redundant gas, redundant computer and dual SMB, with surface watch and a chase boat.
Dive Operations
4:1 standard, 3:1 on photography charters — enough attention to manage a group safely at the headline sites.
Three guided dives standard, with an optional dawn or night dive at the captain's discretion based on the tide.
AL80 standard. AL100 and steel on request with 30 days' notice. Compressor isolation on the luxury and motor tiers.
Full kit at USD 35 per day — regulator, computer, BCD, fins, mask and a 3 mm suit, pre-fitted to your sizes.
Rinse tanks, charging stations and dry storage. The luxury tier carries a dedicated photo deck.
Oxygen aboard, DAN Asia-Pacific contact, AED on the luxury and motor tiers, EFR-certified crew, captain-coordinated evacuation.
Underwater
Permits & Logistics
Marine park permit
IDR 1,700,000 per international visitor (TLPJL 700,000 + UPTD 1,000,000)
Indonesian citizens
IDR 725,000 per person (TLPJL 425,000 + UPTD 300,000)
Children under 12
Exempt
Validity
12 months from purchase, unlimited entries
Where to buy
kkprajaampat.com, or the Marine Park Authority office in Waisai — we arrange it before you arrive
Airport
Domine Eduard Osok (SOQ), Sorong — connections via Jakarta or Makassar
Sorong to Waisai
Roughly 85 km, about two hours by ferry — or board directly in Sorong
Minimum charter
Four nights. Seven, ten and eleven-night routes cover progressively more ground
Questions
The prime season runs October to April, when the seas are calmest and visibility is at its best. Manta activity peaks December to March. Whale sharks in Cendrawasih Bay are a year-round encounter.
Fly to Sorong (SOQ) via Jakarta or Makassar. From there you either board in Sorong directly or take the ferry to Waisai, roughly 85 km and about two hours. Our ground team meets every arrival.
Open Water is the minimum. Advanced Open Water is strongly recommended if you want the headline sites — Cape Kri, Blue Magic and Manta Ridge are dived in current with negative entries. Nitrox is optional and extends bottom time.
Every visitor over 12 needs the marine park permit: IDR 1,700,000 for international visitors, made up of the TLPJL conservation levy and the UPTD entry ticket. It is valid for 12 months. We secure it before you arrive.
Go Deeper
Silo 4
The shallow-reef programme that runs alongside every dive day, and the sites that suit it best.
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Silo 4
Open Water and Advanced certification run from the yacht, with real course prices.
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Silo 4
The full TLPJL and UPTD breakdown, who needs it, where to buy and what it funds.
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Silo 4
Dive decks, nitrox, guide ratios and what a dive-dedicated private yacht actually includes.
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Silo 4
Shared cabins against whole-boat charter, itinerary lengths and the vessels that run them.
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Silo 4
Selection criteria, the red flags worth walking away from, and honest cost bands.
Read guidePlan The Diving
We build the dive plan around your group's levels and the tide windows at the sites you want. Tech and rebreather divers get a dedicated logistics call.