DIVE INTO RAJA AMPAT | WHAT TO EXPECT
Dive into Raja Ampat. It will be an unforgettable experience. Whether diving or snorkelling, diving into Raja Ampat will be a memory that will stay with you forever.
You will discover one of the best places in the world to dive among hundreds of species of fish, corals, enjoying perfect conditions for diving all year round and always accompanied by our expert professionals with their great knowledge of the area. You can expect a world-class diving adventure. Plunge into the water for a unique snorkelling or diving encounters.
Raja Ampat diving is a dream and aspiration for all divers! But, what is it about? What makes it so famous? And, what can I expect?
If you are interested in dive into Raja Ampat: At Biodiversity Resort we have dive sites for all levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced! So if you’re a beginner do not worry! We are used to working with divers of all levels and we will make sure you are taken to sites within your comfort and at your level.
If you would like snorkelling in Raja Ampat: The shallow waters and the rich marine life make it a perfect snorkelling location. Wait until you see Biodiversity´s House Reef, you will be surprised what you have in-front of your cottage!
Weather: any time of year is good. Just bear in mind the windy season (August), this can disrupt water activities.
Underwater conditions: are good all year round – there isn’t really an “off-season”.
High Season: In term of tourism; September to April. This is considered high season, due to the large number of Manta Rays that come through to use the cleaning station.
Low Season: May to August. Mainly because no mantas. Since there is no plankton , the water is clearer and the visibility is much better.
The rest of the marine life is equally impressive throughout the year.
From November to April (Manta Season) the visibility drops 15mts/20mts as more nutrients in the ocean.
We take into consideration the level, experience and confidence of each diver in the group and then plan our dive sites accordingly for the day.
At Raja Ampat Biodiversity Nature Resort we have a spectacular house reef, we access from the jetty.
The coral garden is full of richness and has an abundance of biodiversity. The sandy white beach makes access easy and is hassle free.
We recommend you spend a few minutes at the jetty because the pillars are full of marine life such as, Diamond Fish, Big Eye Trevally , Batfish, Fusiliers, Turtles and BlackTip Sharks.
These are just some of our residents. A very common sight is the walking shark which is endemic to the area.
The coral garden along the reef is full of hard and soft corals and the colours sparkle when hit by the sun’s rays, making our house reef feel like an aquarium full of life!
Your safety is our priority at all times, and we dive as conservatively as possible and strictly adhering to our diving policy.
We take into consideration your diving level, requests and comforts to give you the best experience when diving with us.
Guest satisfaction is important, but we do it in the safest way possible!
We require;
- Active dive insurance: all divers must have
- Liability Release: upon checkin you will be required to read and sign Biodiversity Resort Divers and Snorkelers Code of Conduct.
- Pre-existing medical conditions: have a medical certificate from your doctor clearing you fit to dive.
- Last dive: more than two years, you will be required to do a REFRESHERcourse.
- Check dive: to assess your dive level and experience, this can be done in a nice an easy dive site. After that we will choose the dive sites according to your level and increase the difficulty little by little to make sure that you have enjoyable and safe dives with us.
- Buddy system throughout every dive
- Maximum depth of 30m: The best marine life is in shallower water, it is not necessary to spend too long in deep waters.
- Maximum of 75 minutes. Safety stop with 70 Bar, reaching 50 bars (strictly minimum 40 bar in the surface)
- NO-DECO (decompression) dives.
- Avoid any negative impact on the reefs. Do not touch any marine organism or their habitat and don´t wear gloves.
- Additionally, we recommend bringing your own mask and dive computer.
The ocean is warm year-round too, having an average surface temperature of 29oC (84oF).
Wet Suit or just Rash Guard / Lycra: You will need a light wetsuit. We have 3 mm shorties for rental.
If you have special size considerations, we encourage you to bring your own.
In the ocean current is a constantly changing component and must always be taken into account when planning dives. Our dive guides do check the current before jumping in the water.
Reef hooks may be needed: We can provide them (for experienced divers only), but we have a limited supply, so we encourage you to bring your own.
Remember that you are traveling to one the most remote corners of the earth, and diving equipment is limited. If you have any special needs (type of mask, sizes etc) you should bring your own.
We will send you a Guest Registration form where you can fill out your requested equipment so we have it available for your arrival!
- Dive computer (recommended)
- SMB – safety surface marker buoy (recommended)
- Diving certificate or other documentation that you are a certified diver (Required)
- Adapters INT, if your regulator is DIN. We have a limited stock at the resort.
- Diving hook
- Pointer or noise maker
We ask all our guests to tell us:
- How you want to dive,
- What do you want /don’t want
- Any particular interest
We offer;
We want to offer diving as divers want and how we prefer our own dives!
- Long Bottom Time
- Short Boat Rides
- We make sure all our guests visit all the major sites (if your safety permits)
- Personalised diving experiences in small groups (a maximum of 6 or less, normally 4, per guide).
- Dive planning in collaboration with all our guests, to ensure that your Raja Ampat diving experience is complete and lives up to everything you expected.
If you dive responsibility, every dive will be amazing and you will be able to enjoy the wonders of the diverse marine life!
Due to our remote location, we require all divers to have active DIVE Insurance. Dive Insurance is mandatory when diving with Raja Ampat Biodiversity Nature Resort. If you do not have coverage, don’t worry! We offer DAN Short Term insurance for you to purchase.
- You can purchase insurance here upon arrival.
- The short-term insurance we offer is provided by our partners, DAN Asia Pacific.
- In our experience, DAN always offers excellent service and coverage and is very well priced.
- This insurance is activated immediately.
- After departing Biodiversity Resort you can still use it to dive with any other registered operator in Indonesia, a big advantage if you are travelling to another dive location after your visit with us.
DIVE INTO RAJA AMPAT AND PHOTOGRAPH YOUR EXPERIENCE
For photography Raja Ampat is considered as a wide-angle destination, because of the spectacular coral gardens and the characteristic seascapes.
For the third year running now, reef diving in Indonesia was again crowned the best scuba destination in the world: Follow this link
As such, the diving industry has been growing and rightly so. There are many beautiful places to go dive and it will probably take a lifetime to visit all of them.
WIDE ANGLE
Dive into Raja Ampat is all about opening your eyes and taking it all in. With so much going on at any one time, be sure to bring your wide-angle camera lenses.
The underwater topography around these unique rock islands includes swim-through passages, mushroom-shaped features, and cracks and pinnacles. It’s no wonder that Raja Ampat’s wide-angle photos often adorn the covers of famous dive books or dive magazines. Particularly noteworthy are the reefs, which are in a perfect condition, with all the vibrant colors and corals. In these privileged waters, you will find: hunting tuna, trolling sharks, fusiliers, giant groupers, schools of humpbacked parrotfish and the most colourful fish in the world the Mandarin fish!
Without a doubt, diving in Raja Ampat is a highly recommended experience for macro and wide angle lovers!
MACRO
If you are a lover of macro photography, you will love the variety of small creatures that you can discover while diving in Raja Ampat. With a little luck, you will see up to three different types of Pygmy Seahorses: Barginbanti, Denise and Pontohi. In the sand, colourful tiny Gobies await you, and search for hidden Blennies will keep you busy!
On almost every dive, you will find a few nudibranchs as there is a great variety of them in Raja Ampat. You may even encounter the remarkable blue-ringed octopus! With some patience, you can find ghost pipefish: Robust, Ornate and Halimeda. Check out the fire urchins for zebra crabs, the sea cucumbers for pearlfish, and the sandy rubble for peacock mantis shrimp, flying gurnards.
Endemic species of
Raja Ampat
Every once in a while we hear the news about new marine species being “discovered” in the Raja Ampat waters. You will definitely think to yourself: “what is this organism here?” when you are diving! Find out which species are endemic to the region.
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DIVING COURSES
Are you ready for a diving course in Indonesia? or for the best guided fun dives! The warm and clear waters are waiting! We make sure that you make the most of diving and snorkelling in Raja Ampat!
RAJA AMPAT DIVE SITES
Raja Ampat Biodiversity is located in the heart of Dampier Strait, minutes away from the most famous dive sites like Mioskun, Blue Magic, Sardines, Chicken or Cape Kri.
