Description
Raja Ampat, Indonesia: Itinerary – 7 Days & 6 Nights
• Embarkation: Sorong (SOQ)
• Disembarkation: Sorong (SOQ)
Following is a sample of dive sites that we may visit during your time aboard MV SEAISEE I. The safety of our guests is paramount, and we always do our best to offer diving at alternate locations, should we be unable to visit those sites listed below. Guests are welcome to suggest preferred dive sites to the Cruise Director. He will be happy to accommodate guests’ wishes, providing it is possible and the schedule allows for it.
Dive sites we visit include but are not limited to:
The Dampier Strait
- Fast drift dives and big fish schools characterize the sites in the Dampier Strait. Numerous dive sites are clustered together providing a variety of “Big Fish” dives with currents and more relaxed dives where smaller creatures can be found and photographed. Your dive team will check currents and choose sites based on the optimum conditions each day.
Manta Sandy
- The two large bommies situated in the middle of a sandy bottom at just 18 meters (60ft) is a world-renowned cleaning station that attracts many reef manta rays of a variety of shades and sizes, including all–black mantas, distinctive to Raja Ampat. Divers can simply rest on the bottom and watch the show. The reef itself has many smaller creatures with dragonets and various pipefishes as well as Bumphead parrotfish and Black-tip reef sharks. Therefore, in case the mantas are not performing, there is still plenty to look at and discover.
Cape Kri
- One of the best known sites in the Dampier Strait, the variety of reef fish is astounding. A world record setter with 374 species of fish seen during one dive, Scribbled filefish, Harlequin sweetlips, Bumphead parrotfish, Pinnate batfish, hawkfish and Napoleon wrasse are all commonly seen. In the blue, myriad Bignose unicornfish and Bluestreak fusiliers are closely watched by giant trevallies and dogtooth tuna, whilst black tip reef sharks, pick handle barracuda, turtles, and pipefish are all regularly spotted as well.
Blue Magic
- A long finger-shaped reef sloping down at the points from 8 meters to 30 meters (26ft – 98ft) with hard and soft corals, sea fans, and black coral bushes, where schools of jacks and barracuda hover close to the reef while grey reef sharks cruise in the blue and mantas sweep through the cleaning stations. For the keen-eyed, wobbegong sharks and pontohi pygmy seahorses add to the appeal and wonders of this magical dive site.
Sardine Reef
- Swarms of fusiliers, snappers and sweetlips, schools of bumphead parrotfish and banner fish, barracuda, and trevally all make this site a very fishy dive. Rock mover wrasse, dragonets, and jaw fish are amongst the smaller fish species seen here whilst white-tip and black-tip reef sharks can also be spotted.
Mike’s Point
- As we approach the tiny island known as Mike’s Point, eagles can be seen resting in the treetops. Underwater, the site offers a varied topography with one side full of overhangs and crevices whilst the other has “steps” dropping down to the deep with a field of whip corals adorning the slope. With the right current, this site is superb and the island can be circumnavigated in one dive seeing sweetlips, batfish, jacks, Spanish mackerel, grey reef sharks, and wobbegong sharks.
Yangeffo and Penemu Islands
- Located west of Gam these mushroom islands are surrounded by turquoise seas full of pristine coral. These islands provide a range of dive sites for us to choose from, including:
Melissa’s Garden
- This site is home to some of the best hard coral gardens in Raja Ampat. Featuring a shallow flat reef with beautiful blue-tipped staghorn corals inhabited by myriads of damselfish, trevally, black tip reef sharks and wobbegong sharks, along with orangutan crabs and spiny lobsters are common sightings here.
Mayhem
- This dive spot is notorious for its strong currents, making for an exhilarating dive with lots of action. It is a superb site for larger fish sightings including Barracuda, Mackerel, Blue-fin trevally, Tuna, Napoleon wrasse, and Bumphead parrotfish, as well as eagle rays and wobbegong sharks.
Citrus Ridge
- A stunning reef named after the carpet-like orange, pink, yellow, and green soft corals that cover the entire area. Gorgonian fans shelter pygmy seahorses, jawfish bob out of their ground holes, wobbegong sharks rest lazily amongst table corals and harlequin sweetlips can be found tucked into the many bommies that are dotted over the reef. The up-current side offers sensational pelagic encounters such as roaming grey and blacktip reef sharks, schooling jacks, and a vortex of blackfin barracuda.
Alyui Bay
- A unique place and a breathtaking landscape to witness. Divers may discover the critters and residents of this place during a night dive (Frogfish, Wobbegong Sharks, Pipefish, Seahorses, Octopus, Cuttlefish).
Batanta Island
- Batanta Island, one of the Four Kings, which we will visit during your liveaboard cruise, offers something truly exceptional. Known for its muck diving, there is really nothing that cannot be seen here along the dark sand slopes. Mimic octopus, wonderpus, snake eels, dragonets, cuttlefish, flasher wrasse, solar-powered nudibranchs, and ornate and robust ghost pipefish to name just a few. Dependent on the weather and tidal conditions we will choose from sites including Algae Patch I and Algae Patch II and Happy Ending!
Day 1
- Meet the crew & welcome briefing
- According to the sea situation, we may do a check-dive after departure in the afternoon.
Day 2 to 6
- 3-4 dives each day, including night dive.
Day 7
- Check-out from the boat before 12:00. You will be transported to the airport for a domestic flight back or to a local hotel if you are extending your stay.
(*) the itinerary description provided by the boat operator.
The last dive will be on the penultimate day of the trip. Divers are recommended to wait for 24hours before flying after the last dive.
Sample itineraries and maps are for illustrative purposes only. The exact route and sites visited are subject to change based on local regulations, guest experience, weather, and logistics, and are at the Captain’s discretion.