
Raja Ampat
Season
Also good: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr.
Getting there
- Fly to Sorong (SOQ) in West Papua, connections via Jakarta, Makassar, or Manado.
- From Sorong, fast boat to Waisai (capital of Raja Ampat, ~2 hr) or direct resort/liveaboard transfer.
- Resort stays often include Sorong airport transfers.
- Allow a buffer day in Sorong, flight delays are common.
Minimum stay
5 nights (7+ recommended for resorts)
Good for your first trip if
Open Water minimum. Advanced OW recommended for current-heavy sites in the Dampier Strait. A Raja Ampat Marine Park entry permit (~1,000,000 IDR/person, ~$60 for 1 year) is required and purchased in Waisai. Hyperbaric care here is limited and may not be available around the clock, so ask your operator for its emergency plan. Dive insurance with medevac is strongly recommended.
Know before you go
- Hyperbaric chambers are listed in Waisai and Sorong, but a recent DAN Europe report says Waisai's is largely out of use for lack of staff and Sorong's does not take patients around the clock (checked 2 Nov 2026).
- Fully staffed care may mean evacuation to Manado.
- Ask your operator for its emergency plan.
- Dive conservatively: multilevel profiles, conservative computer settings, no missed safety stops.
- Resorts carry oxygen and have evacuation protocols.
- Travel insurance with dive coverage and medevac evacuation is strongly recommended.
- Some sites have serious current - always dive with a guide who knows the site well.



