Duration
10 days
Cabins left
14 / 18
Capacity
18 divers
Operator
Dewi Nusantara
Included
Mandatory surcharges
Optional extras
Certification
OWD or equivalent
Min. dives
20 logged
Check-in
12:00–12:00
Check-out
09:00–09:00
This exciting new cruising itinerary takes Dewi Nusantara from Kaimana, on the West Papuan mainland, all the way north to Sorong, the principal port for the Raja Ampat region. Along the way, our guests will be able to explore not just one but three of the major cruising grounds and scuba diving hotspots in eastern Indonesia. Triton Bay To begin our journey along the West Papuan coastline we will explore the hidden gems of Triton Bay, Indonesia’s latest must-see destination, just a short motor from Kaimana harbour. Expect abundant soft corals, literally light-blocking schools of fish, and a plethora of magnificent macrolife. In addition to these wonders, Triton Bay is home to one of the most spectacular whale shark experiences anywhere on the planet. The Bomberai Peninsula Sailing a little further north, we come to the sprawling Bomberai Peninsula, where a wealth of brand new marine adventures await. Offshore, there are numerous newly discovered seamounts literally buzzing with marine life. Closer to the peninsula’s dramatic coastline, there is plenty more to see, along with some exciting surprises. The Pisang Islands The Pisang Island group is now much more than just a waypoint between Raja Ampat and Triton Bay. Dewi Nusantara’s personnel have had the fortunate opportunity to extensively explore the area’s scuba diving potential and discover a whole host of exciting new sites. Misool & Batanta Our next destinations are Misool and finally Batanta. Misool is the most southerly of the famed Raja Ampat islands. As many of our guests already know, Misool is overflowing with some of the world’s most iconic and well-known dive sites. Our last morning of adventure we will be hunting for wild and wonderful critters at the famous Batanta dive sites. Get On-Board with Dewi Nusantara We have designed this exciting new itinerary to allow our guests to explore even more of eastern Indonesia’s unique marine environments while also taking in some of the planet’s most breathtaking topside scenery. For selected expeditions, Dewi Nusantara will depart on this exciting new cruise adventure, traveling between two of Indonesia’s most iconic dive destinations and taking in a brand new one along the way. Begin your next scuba adventure on board the Indonesian archipelago’s premier liveaboard and experience the best that Indonesia has to offer, along with Dewi Nusantara’s outstanding service, exceptional facilities, and her highly experienced crew.
If Namatote Island is known for one thing, it’s the extraordinary, up-close encounters with majestic whale sharks. Separated from the West Papuan mainland by a narrow strait, this island is home to numerous traditional fishing platforms, or bagans, which are strategically positioned at both the northern and southern ends of the waterway. These intricate wooden structures, suspended with wire and rope, are used by local fishermen to attract vast schools of anchovies, sardines, and sprats. By illuminating the waters with powerful lights, they draw in the baitfish before hauling up their nets to secure the catch. Over time, this practice has captivated the region’s whale shark population, which now frequents the area in search of an easy meal. In a remarkable display of coexistence, the fishermen have embraced these gentle giants, considering them symbols of good fortune. Today, divers and snorkellers have the incredible opportunity to swim alongside these awe-inspiring creatures, witnessing their graceful movements first-hand. As an added thrill, the surrounding waters teem with marine life drawn to the commotion - expect to spot pods of dolphins, schooling tuna, and even the occasional sailfish or marlin slicing through the currents. Whether you’re diving beneath the surface or simply observing from above, Namatote Island offers an unforgettable marine spectacle unlike anywhere else. Mauwara Island, located just two nautical miles east of the Namatote Strait and separated from the West Papua mainland by a narrow 30-meter channel, is a hidden paradise for divers and adventurers alike. This jungle-clad island rises nearly 200 meters at its highest point, boasting a rugged and intricate coastline with numerous inlets, points, and sheltered bays. A couple of sturdy wooden stairways lead explorers to breathtaking viewpoints, offering panoramic vistas of the surrounding islands, the Iris Strait, and Aiduma Island to the south. Beneath the surface, Mauwara Island is a diver’s paradise. The reefs and channels around the island are teeming with marine life and feature numerous excellent diving opportunities. Crystal-clear waters reveal an array of vibrant coral gardens, dramatic drop-offs, and deep walls that provide a sanctuary for everything from reef fish to pelagic species. For topside adventurers, the island’s sheltered bays are ideal for kayaking, while the shallow reefs extending from the pristine beaches offer excellent snorkelling opportunities. Whether descending into the depths or gliding along the coastline, Mauwara Island delivers an unforgettable experience for watersports enthusiasts of all kinds.
Triton Bay carves into the breathtaking southwestern coastline of West Papua, forming a dazzling underwater paradise at the neck of the Birdshead Peninsula. Just offshore, Aiduma Island runs parallel to the mainland, separated by the narrow Iris Strait - at its tightest point, less than a mile wide. This remote and pristine region is a gateway to one of Indonesia’s most extraordinary marine ecosystems. Long revered by adventurous scuba divers, the dive sites of Aiduma and the Iris Strait are loaded with astonishing underwater seascapes, where nutrient-rich currents fuel an explosion of marine biodiversity. The shores of Aiduma Island, along with the surrounding smaller islands and rocky coves, offer world-class dive and snorkel sites fringed by dazzling coral reefs. These waters form a unique micro-ecosystem, where natural channels and tidal bottlenecks create ideal conditions for thriving soft coral gardens, towering sea fans, and an incredible diversity of marine life. Schools of fish swirl around dramatic pinnacles, while encounters with reef sharks and even elusive wobbegong sharks add to the thrill. For macro enthusiasts, the reefs reveal a treasure trove of pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, and other rare critters. The breathtaking topside landscape of features a labyrinth of limestone islands and islets, reminiscent of Raja Ampat’s iconic karst formations. These jungle-clad rocks rise dramatically from crystal-clear waters, creating an otherworldly panorama of untouched beauty. Hidden lagoons, and lush rainforests invite exploration, offering an idyllic escape for nature enthusiasts. The coastline boasts pristine white-sand beaches and secluded coves, with vibrant coral reefs fringing the coastline, teeming with marine life and providing exceptional opportunities for snorkelling, kayaking, and paddleboarding. Whether you’re a seasoned diver, an underwater photographer, or an avid snorkeller, every immersion in these waters promises an unforgettable adventure in one of the world’s most biodiverse marine sanctuaries.
South Aiduma and the nearby Dramai Island, situated at the southern tip of the Iris Strait, offer a breathtaking seascape that is a paradise for scuba diving enthusiasts. This untouched marine haven boasts vibrant coral reefs teeming with diverse marine life, while its nutrient-rich waters nurture vibrant soft corals, extensive hard coral gardens, and towering seamounts, all densely packed with an astonishing variety of marine life, creating a dazzling underwater spectacle. The rocky outcrops and reefs surrounding Dramai Island and South Aiduma are full of surprises, promising thrilling discoveries for adventurous divers. With so much left to explore, this hidden gem remains an exciting frontier for those eager to uncover its underwater wonders. A small rock island called Pulau Maunus, better known as The Last Frontier, is one of the area’s typical sites. This is a magnificent dive that rivals the very best at Komodo and Raja Ampat. The underwater architecture is mind-blowing; it even features a swimthrough, and the reef fish are strangely unafraid of divers. Excellent soft and hard corals cover the rocky sides of the island, giving way to scattered fields of house-sized boulders and rocky ledges. The action usually takes place on the ridges that extend from each end, where schools of baitfish are often under the furious attack of the huge giant trevallies that patrol the site. Another standout dive is Batu Jeruk, located at the southern tip of Aiduma Island. This site is renowned for its orange soft coral coverage, offering a unique and visually stunning diving experience. Divers can expect to encounter a variety of marine species, including schooling fish and macro life, making it a must-visit spot for underwater photography enthusiasts. Exploring the waters around South Aiduma and Dramai Island provides a sense of discovery, as the region is remote and difficult to travel to, preserving its natural beauty and teeming reefs.
Scuba diving along the rarely travelled coastline of the Bomberai Peninsula is legendary, and the sites at Momon are no exception. The reefs surrounding the small islands around the headland are proving to hide some prolific dive sites, as well as some very unusual marine life sightings. One such site, the spectacular Batu Cantik, is centred around a set of small rocky islands that run parallel with the mainland shore. As well as being a great site for critter spotters, Batu Cantik has also produced some wonderful, and rare, marine life sightings, such as guitar sharks and absolutely huge groupers. For open water excitement, six nautical miles directly to the west, lies a vast marine mountain that rises up to within 10 metres of the ocean’s surface. Stretching for hundreds of metres before sloping off into the depths, it is possible to encounter several different species of shark, manta rays, and huge schools of fish over the dense, undulating coral fields that cover the northern edges of the seamount. When it comes to scenic topside attractions, Momon is hard to beat. The star of the show is the spectacular Kiti Kiti waterfall that thunders directly into the sea from the high forest above. This natural wonder stems from a fast-flowing river that originates up in the Bomberai highlands before terminating in glorious fashion amongst towering trees and primordial rocks at the shoreline. Easily spotted from miles offshore, the falls can be approached with a tender. Explorers who are feeling adventurous can then jump into the ocean and swim to the plunge pool for a refreshing cold shower. The water pouring over the edge creates a transparent curtain of fresh water. Tucked in behind is a small, protected rock ledge; swimmers can enter this space and take photographs through the screen of rushing water for an unusual image of the ocean beyond. Swimming out from behind the waterfall is like swimming down a white-water river. A word of warning, though: the water plunging down from the falls is significantly cooler than the ocean it flows into. The forest above the falls can be a little tricky to explore upriver as there are no trails to follow, but there are some spooky caves and tree-shrouded lakes. It is also possible to spot some unusual wildlife, such as endemic tree kangaroos and flightless cassowary birds.
Teluk Sebakor extends deep into the western coastline of the Bomberai Peninsula, framed by Tanjung Turkanggur to the north and Tanjung Tongerai to the south. This vast bay is a stunning mosaic of shallow reefs, winding waterways, and dense mangrove forests that transition into the untamed interior of Papua. Scattered within its waters, the islands of Karas, Taburuasa, and Faur hold immense potential for new dive site discoveries. However, the standout sites at Sebakor lie offshore - its spectacular seamounts. Recently discovered, these underwater mountains rival Indonesia’s most renowned dive sites. West of Karas Island, which acts as a natural barrier for the bay, two remarkable seamounts - Great Expectations and Lucky Thirteen - have quickly gained recognition. Towering from the depths, they attract massive schools of fish and frequent visits from larger pelagic species, offering breathtaking encounters for divers. Closer to Karas Island’s shoreline, Knucklehead delivers equally thrilling underwater experiences, featuring swirling columns of barracuda, impressive Napoleon wrasses, and an abundance of macro life for critter enthusiasts. Further south, the Tongerai headland reveals an uncharted diving frontier where oceanic manta rays, whale sharks, and even the elusive Omura whale have been spotted gliding above vibrant reefs. The surrounding karst islands create a maze of narrow waterways, concealing secluded sandy coves backed by lush rainforest - an unspoiled paradise both above and below the surface. Back up in the northern reaches of the bay, inside the Turkanggur headland, a true topside highlight is the shoreline bat cave. Bordered by two fine white and beaches, this magnificent rocky cathedral offers easy access for tenders to glide over its shallow blue waters. Inside, a colony of screeching bats clings to the walls and ceiling, while at the cave’s mouth, a striking blue hole plunges 50 metres into the rocky sea floor - a mesmerising sight for explorers above and below the surface. With its pristine reefs, diverse marine life, unexplored dive sites, and exciting topside excursions, Teluk Sebakor stands as one of Indonesia’s most exciting new frontiers for scuba divers seeking adventure in truly untouched waters.
The Pisang Islands are situated on their own in the Ceram Sea, only 62 nautical miles from the southeast Misool archipelago and 24 nautical miles from the north-western corner of the Bomberai Peninsula. The healthy reefs and abundant marine life make these anchorages much more than just a waypoint for dive yachts transiting between Raja Ampat and Triton Bay. The dive sites here include large schools of reef fish, occasional manta ray flypasts, wonderful macrolife, and some magnificent marine topography, all of which combine to make the Pisang Islands a remote underwater paradise. Sabuda, the largest island in the group, divides the dive environment into two sections: the north side is home to numerous newly explored seamounts, while the south side boasts spectacularly colourful coral reefs teeming with critters.
The dive sites in and around Fiabacet and Boo are, without exaggeration, among the most exceptional not only in Raja Ampat and Indonesia, but arguably across the entire planet. This remote corner of the Coral Triangle offers a truly world-class underwater experience that continues to captivate even the most seasoned divers. Beneath the surface, the southern region’s deep ocean floor rises dramatically into a stunning marine landscape - an intricate maze of ridges, seamounts, and channels. This unique topography acts as a natural funnel for the nutrient-rich currents flowing in from the open ocean. As these currents surge over and around the rock and reef formations, they feed the vibrant coral ecosystems, igniting an explosion of life and colour that is nothing short of breathtaking. Each dive site here offers its own distinct wonders, but they all share an extraordinary level of biodiversity. Divers are treated to scenes of immense beauty: clouds of schooling fish so thick they can obscure the reef behind them, kaleidoscopic coral gardens teeming with life, and an ever-present sense of awe. It’s not uncommon to spot grey, whitetip, and black-tip reef sharks weaving through the masses, accompanied by formidable pelagic predators like dogtooth tuna, Spanish mackerel, giant trevally, and the graceful, sweeping forms of mobula rays as they hunt amid the chaos of baitfish. Many of the most celebrated sites cluster around striking karst limestone outcrops and along the rugged shores of Boo and Kalig Islands. Here, the dynamic currents and nutrient-rich upwellings from the Ceram Sea to the south nourish the reefs, sustaining an ecosystem of remarkable abundance and resilience, as well as a magnet for marine life.
The Wayil dive sites are mostly clustered around the western end of Wayilbatan Island. Comprising multi-peaked seamounts, karst island ridges, and exciting passages, they all feature abundant coral growth and a wealth of both pelagic and reef-dwelling marine life. At Wayil, there is something for every level of diver. These include easy and pretty reef sites, majestic open-water seamounts, and gentle drift dives that flow down some of the most otherworldly marine seascapes imaginable. One of the most popular sites is “The Four Kings.” This incredible underwater experience takes place in open water, west of the anchorages, where an astonishing four-peaked seamount rises from the deep sea floor. This massive rocky marine structure acts as a magnet for all manner of marine life, large and small.
The large island of Jef Pele, as well as the nearby Lili and Kepotsol groups, do not suffer from the concentration of divers and yachts that now visit the anchorages and marine attractions further east. However, they do feature some excellent diving opportunities. The north-western edge of Jef Pele is home to Kaleidoscope Ridge, the anchorage’s signature site. This is a fine example of Raja Ampat’s underwater world, with a dizzying array of corals and marine life, both large and small. This impressive coral-covered ridge’s incredible underwater architecture combines with a deeper seamount, attracting some of the larger animals that inhabit the abundant reefs and seas of the Misool region. Jef Pele’s complex coastline, as well as the numerous offshore islands further south, allow for more dive site exploration. The sites at Lili and Kepotsol, just under two nautical miles north of the Jef Pele shoreline, share the same amazing marine life and coral characteristics as those around the more well-known anchorages. The scope for new discoveries is considerable, especially in the Kofani group, situated between Lili and Kepotsol.
The large island of Daram marks the easternmost boundary of the Misool region. The vast majority of the dive sites are not located around the island itself, but rather a short distance to the north-west. They are undoubtedly some of the most astonishing and colourful in the entire area. Small collections of karst islets, located along the eastern end of a long island line that extends away from the east side of Misool, are the focal point for most of the site. Many of them boast incredibly abundant coral reefs and jaw-dropping topography. They are also home to so much marine life that, at times, it defies description. The anchorages and sites are vulnerable to adverse sea and weather conditions due to their remote location. However, if the weather and sea conditions are favourable, the diving here is some of the very best that Raja Ampat has to offer. In addition, there are numerous opportunities to find many more new sites around these iconic rocky islands and ridges.
While the southern side of Batanta may lack the postcard-perfect vistas often synonymous with Raja Ampat, it more than makes up for it beneath the surface. This area is renowned among seasoned divers and underwater photographers as one of the region’s premier destinations for discovering bizarre, elusive, and utterly fascinating marine critters. Most diving activity in this part of Raja Ampat has traditionally focused along the south-western coastline of Batanta Island, rather than further up the strait or along Salawati’s opposing shoreline. This focus has yielded some of the most rewarding critter-hunting dive sites in the archipelago. Yet this stretch of coastline continues to surprise - new dive sites and previously undocumented marine species are still being discovered, often in the most unassuming locations. These dive sites are typically found around a series of sheltered bays and the vibrant coral reefs that extend from their edges. Beneath the surface, the seabed is composed of a mix of sand, gravel, and rubble, interspersed with isolated coral bommies that serve as havens for macro life. Above water, narrow strips of dark-sand beaches line the coast, giving way to steep forested slopes that rise dramatically into the tropical canopy. The surrounding highlands of both Batanta and Salawati receive substantial rainfall, much of which flows down through streams and rivers, eventually draining into the Sagewin Strait. This steady influx of freshwater mixes with the nutrient-rich saltwater currents moving through the channel, creating the perfect environment for unique marine life to thrive. It’s this interplay of freshwater outflow and oceanic movement that cultivates the ideal conditions for critter diving. Thanks to these naturally rich habitats, the south-western shores of Batanta particularly those within the Sagewin Strait, have earned a special place in the hearts of macro enthusiasts and underwater photographers. With each dive, this enigmatic stretch of coastline continues to reveal new secrets, cementing its reputation as a must-visit site for those in search of Raja Ampat’s more mysterious and unusual marine residents.
• Flexible Itineraries: Our cruise routes are intentionally adaptable. Throughout the journey, the captain and cruise director continuously assess sea conditions, weather, and tides to ensure the best possible experience. Guest preferences for specific dive sites are always considered whenever feasible. • More Than Is Listed: The locations featured in these itineraries represent only a portion of what’s possible. Numerous additional anchorages and activity options are available along the way, making each voyage truly unique. • Simplified for Clarity: The destinations shown in our presentations are not necessarily listed in the order they will be visited. They are organized for clarity and to help guests visualize the overall routing. • Extended Stays: If a particular anchorage offers exceptional experiences, guests may opt to linger a bit longer. The captain and cruise director have the flexibility to accommodate such preferences, provided they align with the overall cruise schedule. • Overnight Passages: To maximize daylight hours at our most spectacular destinations, longer transits between anchorages are typically conducted overnight. • Escape the Crowds: With the exception of embarkation and disembarkation points, our itineraries are carefully crafted to avoid congested areas and busy commercial ports, allowing for a more tranquil and immersive experience. • Beyond the Dive: Many of our anchorages offer more than just diving and snorkelling. Guests can enjoy kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and occasional visits to local villages and cultural sites — adding even more richness to the journey.
Price per person
$7,690
All taxes included
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