Dive Curated
Oceanic manta while diving in Raja Ampat
2015 01 Koh Lanta 27 entering cleaning station · CC BY 2.0 · source

Guides · Price overview

Raja Ampat Dive Prices 2026: Local Day Trips to Liveaboards

Raja Ampat has one of the widest price ranges of any destination we track, because "diving Raja Ampat" covers two genuinely different trips: a village homestay booking day boats one dive at a time, or a full-board eco-resort or liveaboard reaching the same reefs with none of the planning. Our tracked operators run from IDR 600,000 (about USD 34) for a single guided fun dive out of Arborek village to USD 8,020 for a 12-night luxury liveaboard-style resort package. Almost everything written about Raja Ampat online only covers the expensive end; the number below fills in the gap most searches don't answer.

Real prices from our tracked Raja Ampat operators, from a USD 34 village day-boat dive to an USD 8,020 luxury eco-resort package, so "how much does Raja Ampat cost" gets an actual number.

Prices shown in

  1. blacktip reef shark underwater
    Franziska_Stier · Pixabay Content License · source

    Indonesia / West Papua

    Raja Ampat

    Intermediate

    Open Water course from EUR 580 · Day trip from IDR 600,000

    Local, village-based diving (Arborek Dive Shop, on Arborek Island in the Dampier Strait): a single guided fun dive runs IDR 600,000 (about USD 34), or IDR 900,000 (about USD 51) with extras included. Multi-dive packages bring the per-dive cost down to roughly USD 31-32: a 6-dive package runs IDR 3,450,000 (about USD 195), a 10-dive package IDR 5,500,000 (about USD 311). This is the only genuinely budget way we track into Raja Ampat's reefs. A PADI Open Water course at Raja Ampat Biodiversity Eco Resort runs EUR 580. Full-board land resorts (accommodation, meals, and diving bundled) run USD 1,094-1,894 for 7 nights at Kri Eco Resort and Papua Diving's Papuan Unlimited package, up to USD 1,849 at Raja Ampat Biodiversity Eco Resort; at the upscale end, Misool Eco Resort runs USD 4,175 for 7 nights up to USD 8,020 for 12 nights, and Papua Diving's Sorido Bay packages run EUR 2,663-3,488. Liveaboards run USD 2,800-8,459 depending on vessel and itinerary length (7-15 nights), with Mermaid II, Seven Seas, and Dewi Nusantara all covering multi-region routes through Raja Ampat. Whichever tier you book, Raja Ampat's Marine Park entry permit (about USD 60, valid one year) is a mandatory add-on almost never included in any of the prices above -- budget for it separately.

Before you book

Coral reef
joakant · Pixabay Content License · source

Raja Ampat

Season

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

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. Nearest hyperbaric chamber is in Sorong, a boat journey away from most dive locations. Dive insurance with medevac is strongly recommended.

Know before you go

  • The nearest recompression chamber is in Sorong, a 2–4 hour boat trip from most dive locations.
  • 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.

Top dive sites

Top sites in Raja Ampat

shark underwater
Franziska_Stier · Pixabay Content License · source

Cape Kri

Intermediate

Depth5–40 m

Site of the world record reef fish count, 374 species on a single dive. Dense schooling fish, whitetip sharks, and the visual overload of Raja Ampat at its most intense.

  • world record reef fish diversity
  • whitetip sharks
  • schooling fish
  • pelagics
Coral reef
MonicaVolpin · Pixabay Content License · source

Manta Sandy

Intermediate

Depth5–25 m

Sandy-bottomed manta feeding station with reliable aggregations of reef and oceanic mantas. The soft coral backdrop makes it photogenic even without the mantas overhead.

  • reef mantas
  • oceanic mantas
  • feeding aggregation
  • soft coral

Common questions

What's the cheapest way to dive Raja Ampat?

A village-based day-boat operator: Arborek Dive Shop's single fun dive runs IDR 600,000 (about USD 34), with a 10-dive package bringing the per-dive cost down to about USD 31. That's diving only -- you'd book a separate village homestay (from roughly USD 30-50/night with meals, per our destination research) rather than an all-in resort package.

How much does a Raja Ampat dive resort package cost?

USD 1,094-1,894 for 7 nights all-in (accommodation, meals, diving) at the mid-range end -- Kri Eco Resort and Papua Diving's Papuan Unlimited package -- rising to USD 4,175-8,020 for 7-12 nights at Misool Eco Resort's upscale end. Longer stays and more remote resort locations (Misool sits further south, with less boat traffic) push the price up.

How much does a Raja Ampat liveaboard cost?

USD 2,800-8,459 across the liveaboards we track, for trips running 7-15 nights. Price scales mostly with trip length and vessel class, not just Raja Ampat specifically -- several of these itineraries also cover Komodo, Bali, or other Indonesian regions in the same booking.

Is there a required fee on top of the dive/package price?

Yes -- the Raja Ampat Marine Park entry permit, about USD 60 and valid for one year, is required of every visitor and almost never included in an operator's quoted price. Budget for it as a separate line item regardless of which tier you book.

How this guide was built

Every fact above is pulled live from the same destination and operator records used on Dive Curated's destination pages. It can never drift out of sync with what those pages say.

Beginner-friendly
Rated on the destination's own current strength, depth range, and visibility.
Budget tier
Verified accommodation, food, and diving costs; not marketing claims.
Price
Lowest tracked operator listing at time of publish. Check the destination page for current pricing.