Raja Ampat

At the cross roads of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, everything is enchanting, from the seabed to the tropical forests, birds of paradise and multicolored coral gardens. Departing from Sorong, you go on a ten-day diving cruise in the Center and North of the Raja Ampat. The program offers two to three dives per day with night dives if you wish. The delicate island of Kri, the karst cliffs of Wayag, the ascent of Mount Pindito, the plankton-rich waters of Aljui, the ballet of Manta rays near the Dampier Strait and more.

Please find below our additional itineraries. Jakaré can cruise there as well, feel free to contact us for more information.

• Raja Ampat North or South: these complementary routes include either Raja Ampat south and Central, or Raja Ampat North and Central.
• Raja Ampat South (Misool) and Triton bay towards the East of Raja Ampat.
• Raja Ampat South (Misool) and Almahera, toward the west of Raja Ampat.

Guests will be picked up at the airport or their hotel in Sorong and then will board Jakaré in the Harbour of Sorong. Welcomed drinks and snacks will be served while Cruise Director will brief the guests on the safety, onboard organization, overall itinerary. Guests will then be shown their cabins to settle in, take shower and get ready for the start of the Cruise.

Jakaré will sail North toward Pulau Waigeo, approximately 40NM. This sailing time is usually a good time for resting and briefing on the activities including scuba-diving. A check / discovery dive and snorkeling session will be organized at Saonek Kecil.

Overnight:
Anchorage in Waisai or Friwen village.

Dive or snorkel at Pulau Mioskon, Blue Magic and beautiful Cape Kri. Mioskon reef is a beautiful snorkelling site and an easy dive site. Schools of Yellow Snapper, Napoleon Wrasse, trevallies, big groupers and many wobbegong sharks can be found in Mioskon. Pigmy seahorses, different species of nudibranch can be seen as well. The Famous Blue Magic is a non-emergent pinnacle located in the north west of the Dampier Straight and offer current dives on dynamic reefs facing directly the current. The all food chain is on open display there, from reef fishes feeding on rich waters full of nutrients to big pelagic including sometime Mantas Rays. Schools of yellow fins barracudas, yellow snappers, silver trevally are very common as well as dogtooth tunas, giant trevally and black tip and white tip sharks.

Cape Kri is a unique snorkelling and diving site. Schools of yellow sweet lips and silver trivalis, Dogtooth tunas, mackerels and Barracudas can be observed as well as reef sharks. It has been recorded 374 different species in the area which became a world famous dive site for its huge numbers of diversity. It is a steep slope with a vast garden of colourful hard and soft corals.

Sail to nearby Saunderek for snorkelling and village discovery / beach in the late afternoon. Saunderek Jetty is famous for schools of big fishes and giant clams right at the jetty. It is an easy snorkelling site with lots of healthy coral and abundant marine live.

Overnight:
Sail to Pulau Wayag Overnight.

Wake up and Ascent Mt Pindito early morning and then dive or discover Wayag inner lagoon and its pristine white-sandy beaches with kayaks, paddles or speed boats. Wayag lagoon includes beautiful snorkelling and diving spots where giant clams and many other coral life can be observed.

Divers will dive at Batu Seven and a secret dive spot in Pulau Wayag where we often encounter mantas rays, giant clamp shells, coral gardens, and so many others. Then by midday Sail to Kawe West (Eagle Rock or Black Rock). Both snorkellers and divers will share the same spots: Black Rock or Eagle Rock which are both considered as currents snorkelling and diving spots.

Black Rock is well known for its wonderful soft coral gardens, profuse fish life (sharks, Napoleon and other can be observed) and its fields of ancient black coral bushes. Eagle Rock where you are likely to spot mantas using the many cleaning stations or feeding on the surface in the channel between two of the islands. In a labyrinth of gigantic boulders covered with an array of citrus colored soft coral, wobbegong sharks like to hide.

Overnight:
Jakare will then further continue south to Pulau Wofoh. Arrival early evening, anchoring and overnight at Pulau Wofoh.

Wake up in beautiful Pulau Wofoh. From the Jakaré anchored close to the island, guests can discover Wofoh pristine beaches in the south and north parts using kayaks or paddle. The snorkelling is just amazing there with unspoiled hard and soft coral gardens. Easy diving will be proposed for the divers in the south part of the island, on a beautiful wall and sandy valley surrounded by amazing soft and hardcorals. School of trevallies, blue and yellow fusiles, turtles are usually encountered. By Midday sail to Pulau Yeben. Enjoy the beach, snorkel, dive and get ready for a beach BBQ.

Jakaré will sail early morning to Pulau Pienemu. On our way to the dive sites, we will stop at central Pienemu for a Lagoon walk on top of a limestone mount and refreshing swims. Then Jakaré will continue further southward toward the dive sites Keruo Chanel and the enchanting Melissa Garden. Keruo Channel is an easy wall drift snorkelling and dive location with wall slopes covered in beautiful and untouched soft and hard corals. There are many different crabs, sea spiders, clams, shrimps, and sea urchins amongst the corals as well as many varieties of reef fish with schools of barracudas, snappers…etc.

After Keruo Chanel, beach / snorkel and a second dive will be proposed at Melissa Garden. Melissa Garden is a current dive. Made of fantastic pinnacles covered in soft corals and anemones of all different colours. The pinnacle is home to large schools of fusiliers, jack fish, and batfish. Giant trevallies are also spotted here along with snappers, and rainbow runners. In the shallower parts, there will be larger groups of sweetlips and lionfish, as well as many other reef fish of the area. Alternatively or in addition we will propose dive at My Reef or Blue Window.

Overnight:
After the dive / snorkelling, we will continue sailing southward overnight to Misool.

We will arrive by morning in the Balbulol Area and will start the discovery of underwater and above water wonders in coordination with the local authorities and hotels. Hence the locations and dive sites below may be explored in a different sequence depending on the situation at the time of the cruise.

Balbulol offers not only excellent diving sites but also amazing landscape above water with crystal clear water, limestone mounts and small hidden lagoons. The dive sites include Baby Rock, Balbulol Corner, Balbulol plateau and many others. Drop off, canyon, pinnacle and a healthy fish life with beautiful hard and soft corals in shallow waters.

Guest may enjoy discovery of the surrounding with Kayaks and SUP as well as superb snorkelling. Farondi dives include Long Island and 3 rocks which offers great underwater seascape, good corals and profuse sea life.

Overnight:
Anchorage in Balbulol area.

In the Boo area, we will dive Boo Window, a reference dive site with extraordinary tunnels or openings piercing the rock from the surface to underwater below. Other dive sites include Bo West, Magic Mountain and / or Yiliet Kecil, both sites knowns for their huge gorgonian sea fans and lots of reef fishes and sea life including turtles, reef sharks and barracudas and even some mantas if we are lucky.

Boo, like other locations, offer beautiful snorkelling and kayaking area to discover above and underwater exceptional sites. The anchorage around the Pulau Yiliet not far from the Rangers Station and beach is one of our preferred overnight location, to rest on the white sand beach or play in the sheltered and warm waters with the numerous baby sharks from the nursery.

In the Fiabecet area, the famous Fiabacet Ridge offers amazing dive and snorkelling sites where pelagic fishes and turtles can be seen. This site offers great underwater ridges connecting Tank Rock and Nudi Rock sites. Fiabacet Pinnacle and Whale Rock offer great soft corals and are rich in healthy fish life including small creatures like seahorse Barbiganti and Denise pygmy.

Wayil and its lagoon with beaches and blue water surrounded by karstic mounts and tropical vegetation has a lot to offer. Dive sites include the breath-taking Neptune Fan Sea channel and its profusion of big gorgonians sea fans, the famous Four King where a very healthy fish life (both pelagic and coral fishes) can be observed in avery specific underwater topography made of four pinnacles. Other nice dive and snorkelling sites include Barracuda point, wedding cake and dunia Kecil around the Pulau Wayil.

Wayil anchorage is usually quiet and well protected.

Pele’s Playground, the most westerly site of the Waaf’s island group delivers often a spectacle with schools of anchovies and pelagic predators. Kaleidoscope, on Pele North West side, is well known for its black coral and multi colors soft corals and gorgonian fans. Manta rays have been spotted in this area where again very healthy fish live can be observed in shallow and deeper parts.

At the extreme East of Misool lays the Daram Island with superb dive and snorkeling sites including Andy’s Ultimate, Candy Store and Mary’s pinnacle.

We will depart early afternoon from our last location to Sorong for an overnight sail thru the Selat Sele bypass.

The last day will be dedicated to travel back to Sorong (mainly overnight) and get ready for the end of the cruise. Filling the diving log books, stamping the logbook by the Diving Instructor / dive master and exchanging addresses and photos from the wonderful time spent together. A small ceremony will be organized on board the Jakare before leaving the boat to the airport or hotel.