Jaya Liveaboard, Indonesia

Day 1:
Onboarding, meeting the crew & briefing.

Routes can be affected by adverse weather conditions and unforeseen events, force majeure or other similar reasons

Day 1:
Onboarding, meeting the crew & briefing. The check dive is usually at Friwen Bonda, a beautiful reef teeming with colorful fish.

Day 2:
(3 dives). We start the day with a drift dive at Sardine or Chicken Reef. Both sites are seamounts with a shallow top that gently slopes down to about 30m. Schools of snappers, fusiliers and surgeonfish provide a snack for pelagic predators such as barracuda, giant trevallies or reef sharks. A little bit further west in the Dampier Strait on the eastern tip of Pulau Mensuar lies Yenbuba, a local village with a rugged jetty that provides shelter for schools of sergeant majors, snappers and sweetlips. Our third and last dive of the day is at Mioskon, also called “Bat Island” because of its residential fruit bat population. At dusk they fly to the bigger islands to snack on fruit and return at dusk to settle in the trees for the day. After our last dive we head south to Batanta.

Day 3:
(3 dives (incl. sunset dive) & waterfall visit).
Batanta, one of the four kings and southern border of the Dampier Strait, is a lush jungle paradise. An enchanted path leads up to a dramatic waterfall where we stop for a dip in fresh, clear water. For the first dive of the day we have something special in store. On the southern side of Pulau Wai is the last resting place of a U.S. Air Force P47. This Fighter Aircraft from WW2 is overgrown with beautiful coral and a joy to dive. After a big breakfast we go on a little hike to admire a stunning waterfall embedded in the lush jungle near Arefi Village. Now that we have dispensed of our energy, we are ready for some calm muck diving! On the southwestern side of Batanta are several bays and inlets crawling with alien critters like blue ringed and mimic octopus, ornate ghost pipefish and flamboyant cuttlefish. We like to do a day dive and a sunset dive in this area to give all creatures an equal chance to show off. Some of our favourite sites are Black Beauty and Happy Ending. After our last dive we start our 12-15h crossing south to Misool.

Day 4:
(3 dives & jellyfish lake visit). Our first day in Misool we spend in the Goa Farondi region. Unusual topography, clouds of fish and enchanted coral gardens give you a warm welcome to the south. Also - what little mermaid wouldn’t want to play with (non-stinging) jelly fish! The opening dive will most likely be at Farondi Cave for some light cavern diving where we navigate through a few swim throughs in search of the local bumphead parrotfish population. As a second dive we love the spectacular Three Rocks, a collection of submerged pinnacles busy with barracuda and trevallies. If weather permits, a truly unique island visit waits for you. Close by lies the Lenmakana lake, home to a multitude of stingless jellyfish. And guess what - you get to swim with them! We end the day with a dive at No Contest – if there is enough daylight left. If the time has gotten away from us, we jump at one of the surrounding sites for a night dive, like Love Potion or Number 9.

Day 5:
(4 dives (incl. night dive)). On our second day in Misool we explore the Fiabacet chain. Conditions and logistics with Misool Eco Resort will decide which of the sites are dived and in which order. We hope you are well rested, because this is going to be a spectacular day. Good morning! This is the dive site you all came here for. Shadow Reef, also called Magic Mountain is one of the signature sites of southern Raja Ampat. This offshore pinnacle with a long ridge boasts everything you could possibly wish for. Coral encrusted reef teeming with butterfly fish and yellow snappers, persistently hunted by giant trevallies and reef sharks. Massive schools of fusiliers and bannerfish make it hard to spot the passing napoleon wrasses and barracudas. But what we really hope to see here are the gentle giants - the site is a cleaning station for reef and oceanic mantas. Another signature dive site is Boo Window. The reef features picturesque, a window like swim-throughs, ideal for some wide-angle photos and a magnificent reef draped in soft corals. West of Pulau Boo a rock protrudes out of the water that looks like a nudibranch from a distance, hence the name Nudi Rock. The dive site delivers what was promised, lurking among the soft corals we usually find an abundance of nudis. For the night we retire to Yilliet. But before we go to bed, we take a peek at the underwater action at Yilliet Kecil.

Day 6:
(3 dives). For our third and last day in Misool we venture further west to Pulau Wayilbatan. We start the day at Four Kings, a dive site that is made up of four underwater pinnacles. Enjoy a kaleidoscope of colors, abundant fish life and coral munching turtles diving from one rock to the next. Up next is Barracuda Rock with large schools of predatory pelagic species. We’ll do our final dive in Misool at Wedding Cake, home to part of Misool’s pygmy seahorse community. Exhausted from the sensory overload we can now rest for a while. The Epica starts her 15-18h journey back to central Raja Ampat, where new adventures await.

Day 7:
(3 dives & Piaynemo viewpoint). Whether you climb on top of a hill to admire the stunning view of Piaynemo or plunge into the depths of the underwater realm, it’s not just the destination, but also the journey that changes your perspective of the world. Early in the morning, we dive Melissa’s Garden, named after the pioneer Max Ammer’s daughter. Moving on to Kerou Channel we hope for current! The spectacular drift dive rushes us past a rich, coral covered reef where huge sea fans hold on for dear life feeding on the current. But don’t worry – there are also some sheltered areas where we can search for pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs and other colorful reef critters. Batu Rufas - dive site number three - is on the east side of Piaynemo and features a very photogenic submerged arch.
We conclude our day with a trip to the iconic viewpoint at Piaynemo. 341 steps lead to a platform where we can observe one of nature’s most artistic designs. The spectacular view is composed of the turquoise sea framed by jungle where a handful of karst islets jut dramatically out from the calm surface of the lagoon.

Day 8:
(3 dives & beach BBQ). This is the last full day to show off the biodiversity in Raja Ampat. We chose lush, healthy reefs in the Dampier Strait, that foster a large number of species. From pygmy seahorses to mantis shrimp to sharks and Mantas – chances are we see them all. A morning dive at Citrus Ridge is a sure way to put a smile on your face. Teeming with fish the reef is coated in yellow and orange soft coral creating a fresh and happy backdrop for large schools of barracudas, playful sharks and hungry tunas. Heading further east we stop for an adrenaline rush. Manta Ridge is prone to very strong currents, but it is also a cleaning station for reef mantas where you have a chance to swim eye-to-eye with one of the majestic giants. On the eastern tip of Pulau Kri lies the famous Cape Kri, the record holder for the most fish species found in one dive. The sunset can be enjoyed on the white sandy beach of Mioskon with a cold beer in your hand. If you’re lucky and weather permits - there will be a beach BBQ later on!

Routes can be affected by adverse weather conditions and unforeseen events, force majeure or other similar reasons

Day 1:
Meet & greet at the airport. Group transfer to the port. Onboarding, meeting the crew & briefing.
Check dive.

Day 2:
Diving Dampier Strait with sunset beach visit to Mioskon.

Day 3:
Diving North Misool.

Day 4:
Diving in Misool.
Overnight crossing to Pulau Koon

Day 5:
Dives around Pulau Koon and Mandorang.
Overnight crossing to Banda.

Day 6:
Diving around Banda

Day 7:
Diving around Banda area. Mandarin fish sunset dive.

Day 8:
Diving around Banda area.
Overnight crossing to Suanggi

Day 9:
Dives around Suanggi.

Day 10:
Dives in Nusa Laut area.

Day 11:
Check-out from the yacht, group transfer to the airport.

Routes can be affected by adverse weather conditions and unforeseen events, force majeure or other similar reasons

Day 1:
Meet & greet at the airport. Group transfer to the port. Onboarding, meeting the crew & briefing.

Days 2-9:
Departing & check dive. Safari according to the planned route.

Day 10:
2 dives on the last day. Return to the port.

Day 11:
Check-out from the yacht, group transfer to the airport.

Routes can be affected by adverse weather conditions and unforeseen events, force majeure or other similar reasons

Day 1:
Onboarding, meeting the crew & briefing.

Check-out from the yacht.

Routes can be affected by adverse weather conditions and unforeseen events, force majeure or other similar reasons