Wisesa Liveaboard Cruising Raja Ampat

Location

Wisesa mainly operates its Raja Ampat cruises from Waisai, the capital of Raja Ampat, with most guests arriving via Sorong in West Papua. Transfers are included in the cruise package and typically cover pickup from Sorong Airport or your hotel, ferry transport to Waisai, and onward transfer to the vessel. Return transfers at the end of the cruise are also provided. Guests are encouraged to arrive in Sorong a day before departure to allow for any travel delays, with popular overnight hotels including Swiss-Belhotel and Aston Sorong.

Dive Overview

Raja Ampat, located in the heart of the Coral Triangle, is often hailed as the world’s richest marine biodiversity hotspot. Diving here means exploring vibrant coral reefs teeming with over 1,500 species of fish, swirling schools of barracuda, manta rays, wobbegong sharks, and stunning macro life. Expect dramatic underwater landscapes—steep walls, caves, and pinnacles draped in soft corals.

[See Also: Raja Ampat Dive Travel Guide]

Accommodation Overview

Wisesa offers comfortable accommodations designed for small groups, with just 4 well-appointed cabins onboard. Each cabin is equipped with air conditioning and a private ensuite bathroom, ensuring a comfortable and restful stay after a day of exploration. The layout is ideal for 6 to 8 guests, creating an intimate, personalized atmosphere.

Food & Drinks

Meals aboard Wisesa are freshly prepared and designed to satisfy after active days of diving, snorkeling, and exploration. Guests can expect a mix of Indonesian specialties and international cuisine, with generous portions served family-style. Fresh seafood, tropical fruits, and homemade desserts are highlights of the menu. Vegetarian options and special dietary requests can also be accommodated with advance notice.

Dive Information

Raja Ampat 8 Days, 7 Nights Including Misool

Day 1 – Boarding in Sorong 

After a welcome Mocktail and the safety briefing, the crew will weigh anchor and the Captain will set sail towards Waisai. 

 During this first navigation you will take possession of your cabins, prepare your snorkelling equipment, your cameras, and also socialise with the crew and other passengers. If the weather permits, you can do a first snorkelling dive to familiarise yourself with your equipment, regain your feelings in the water, and for the first time admire the Raja Ampat underwater world! 

First of a long list of sumptuous sunsets, dinner and night on board near Waisai. 

 Day 2 – East of Dampier Strait 

We will spend our second day East of the Dampier Strait, which is home to some of the most beautiful dive sites in the centre of the Raja-Ampat, all bordered by islands with dense and luxuriant vegetation. Depending on the conditions, we will dive the site of “Mioskon”, a very beautiful little island with a white sand beach. It is surrounded by a magnificent reef composed mainly of hard corals which is home to an important fauna: trevallies, groupers, fusiliers, moray eels, big humpback parrots and even the star shark of the Raja Ampat the Wobbegong! Something to start your stay in a good mood! 

 This will be followed by the site of “Cap Kri, one of the most famous sites in the Dampier Strait. By following the side of an underwater ridge you will observe in the blue huge schools of fusiliers and red-toothed triggerfish! Grey sharks and whitetip sharks dance in the current as a school of giant trevally passes by in search of prey. Schools of barracuda and large Napoleon wrasse are also common here. 

 At the end of the day, the Wisesa will head west of the island of Mansuar for an exceptional dive under “Saundarek” village’s jetty. Despite the village proximity, the diversity of species here is extraordinary! Indeed, Marine life seems to be used to the human presence and is therefore easy to approach: a true paradise for photographers! Night diving is also possible on this site. Dinner and overnight on board in Saundarek Bay. 

Day 3 – Pyanemo 

Very early in the morning the boat will drop anchor near Pyanemo island where we will start the day with a small ascent on the island to contemplate one of the most beautiful landscapes that Raja Ampat can offer: a uniquely star shaped lagoon. Back on board, we will prepare for our first dive of the day on the “Barracuda reef” site. The seamount with rich coral cover is home to giant trevallies, barracudas, tunas, kingfish and sharks, including grey reef! Predator hunts are commonplace here! 

 Another dive will follow on the famous site of “Melissa’s garden”, which has made its reputation by the incredible richness of its seabed. Whether we are talking about flora or fauna, “Melissa’s garden” is certainly one of the highlights of your cruise because this site is always a surprise! 

The Wisesa will then begin its long navigation of 15 hours towards the second part of the trip in the extreme south of the archipelago towards Misool! Dinner and night in navigation. 

 Day 4 – The Misool Region 

These three dive areas are located north of Misool Park, and are ideally placed to begin and end our exploration of this region. In Sagof you will find for example “Two tree Island”, a site of exceptional topography where myriads of fish and superb macro subjects can be observed near its overhangs.

In Wagmab, look for lurking sharks in ambushes under or on tables of branching corals. Also look for the pygmy seahorse “barbiganti ” endemic to Misool! 

Farondi is best known for its “Farondi cave” dive site, where we will dive from a shallow area that we will explore until the bottom opens up under our fins to create a huge tunnel that takes you from 5 to 30m deep. This is followed by a drift dive along a steep and winding reef covered with hard corals and gorgonians. The dive ends in a cellar whose entrance seems to be guarded by rifle benches! Sometimes in the blue, tuna and Mobula rays swim with the local resident batfish. 

Daram 

The westernmost area of Misool is full of fabulous dives that can be enjoyed from sunrise to sunset! Among the many sites, Daram is a vertical drop-off with two underwater pinnacles where sharks and kingfish are often present. The clarity of the water and the colour of the corals give this underwater landscape the look of a painting. Another site such as “Warna berwarna” also awaits you for more vertical walls, more corals and more fish! 

Juliet (& Romeo) 

Romeo and Juliet will never come together, but these two islets will be side by side forever! And above all, we will be able to explore their two reefs. On Yuliet beach is one of Misool’s “Ranger” stations. The coral plateaus of the two islands are the habitat of barracudas, napoleon fish and blacktip sharks. But it is especially home to the epaulette shark (or walking shark) endemic to Raja Ampat! Large coral potatoes on the top of the reef offer an original topography where reef fish sneak in their meanders, giving this site a dramatic effect. 

Boo 

Boo is located southeast of Misool and includes some of the most famous sites in the entire archipelago such as “Boo Window” which has one of the most impressive coral covers in the Raja Ampat Park! The site is made up of two tiny islets connected by a series of absolutely magnificent small underwater canyons. Hard and soft corals mix there and are sometimes difficult to see as the density of fish is important. “Karang bayangan” or “Magic Mountain” is the dream site of many divers! A large underwater reef that is home to an exceptionally varied fauna! Of course, what made the nickname of this majestic site “Magic Mountain” is an underwater ridge that sinks to 20m, above which oceanic Manta Rays are very regularly seen. These giants stand out from the deep blue of the ocean to come hovering above us with their absolute grace. Nearby you will also find “Boo Est”, another site that offers sumptuous corals and intense life, or “Eagle nest”, where the oceanic Manta Rays are also one of the wonders observable here. 

Day 7 – From Misool to Sorong 

Depending on your return flight times, we will make a last farewell dive in the North of the Misool archipelago. After which it will be time to salute this magical place that is Raja Ampat one last time and to begin our last 15-hour navigation to Sorong. 

Relax and enjoy the comfort aboard the Wisesa, a perfect time to share your memories and the many photos you will have taken during this cruise. And above all, keep your eyes on the ocean because it can always have good surprises in store for us! 

Day 8 – Disembarkation in Sorong 

After a last souvenir photo with the crew, it will be time to say goodbye… The team will transfer you to Sorong Airport where you will fly to your next destination.

Ambon - Ambon, 8 Days - 7 Nights

Day 1 – Boarding in Ambon 

To get to the departure port of this cruise, fly to Ambon Domestic Airport (AMQ) from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK). 

We will begin the cruise from Ambon city, where we will meet you at the airport or your hotel and transfer you aboard the Wisesa. After a welcome mocktail and a safety briefing, you will prepare your dive equipment for a first "check dive" in the Tulehu Bay. Then the crew will weigh anchor and the Captain will set sail for Suanggi Island, our first island of the Banda Archipelago. 

It's a 12 hours sail that will allow you to socialise with the crew and your fellow passengers. Keep an eye on the sea as many whales are present in this area. 

Day 2 to 6 – The Banda Archipelago 

Here are the different islands and dive sites that we can visit during the cruise: 

Pulau Hatta: 

Karang Hatta is a reef located southeast of Hatta island. The dive sites in this area are closest to the Banda Trench which plunges 6,000 metres deep, making it an intriguing area as chances of encountering large pelagic species are quite high. 

Schools of trevally, barracuda, tuna, turtles, as well as hammerhead and grey reef sharks can be spotted near this seamount. You will dive twice in this area depending on the conditions. The Wisesa will then sail to the main island of Pulau Hatta where you will dive past the west coast beach, where a 5 meters hole in the reef opens into the depths. 

You can dive through this hole to find yourself on what appears to be a bridge within the reef. Its “deck” is covered in soft corals and large gorgonians which are home to various pygmy seahorses. 

 At the end of the afternoon, you will do a sunset dive under the Banda jetty. In the shallow waters and among the stones of the collapsed dykes, you will be in one of the best places in the world to observe mandarin fish! 

Pulau Suanggi: 

An almost secret location, this small island in the middle of the Banda Sea is one of the most isolated. Perfectly preserved reef where very few divers have the opportunity to dive. This area acts as an oasis for pelagics patrolling near these pristine hard coral reefs teeming with fish. High potential for hammerhead sharks and large pelagics. 

Pulau Ai and Pulau Run: 

Among the dive sites on the Ai island is “Umbrella Rock”. Its name is explained by the many overhangs located along the drop-offs of the island. You can drift along the wall and enjoy the sight of thousands of tiny reef fish moving in and out of cracks and crevices. We will also explore “Little Manhattan” which is next to Run Island. 

 In 1667, the English exchanged Run Island for “Little Manhattan”, giving the Dutch full control of the Banda Archipelago. Slopes of white sand interspersed with large coral heads, and a healthy reef makes this place a very beautiful dive site. 

 A shoal of resident humpback parrot fish can be spotted here, as well as passing eagle rays. The third dive in the sector will be an exploration dive off Pulau Run. This region is full of virgin dive sites, so the Banda Sea is the ideal place to discover new underwater treasures. 

Banda Island 

We will dive at Batu Kapal, which when translated means “the rock boat”. This submerged pinnacle has a boat-shaped rock breaking the water surface, hence its name. Various types of fish are present here such as, Dogtooth tunas, trevallies, groupers in large numbers, as well as huge gorgonians and truly monumental sponges. 

Your second dive will be at Pohon Miring. On this site, a large reef fissure creates a deep passage through which you can drift and observe the sponge-covered wall. Large moray eels can be spotted at the top of the wall as well as shoals of humphead parrotfish and a very varied fauna. 

We will go back in time together as we walk through the village of Banda Neira. 

We will then enjoy the view of Gunung Api, a 650 metre high active volcano, from the top of Fort Belgica, located in the historic town of Banda Neira, and built by the Dutch in 1611. Cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon are still the main spices grown here. You will stroll through this village with the magical smell of spices that once ruled the world. 

Pulau Manuk: 

If the sea conditions allow it, we will set sail for Manuk Island, which requires a night navigation of around 14 hours. As you approach this volcanic island, you will smell sulphur and see fumaroles rising from the steep slopes that plunge into the sea. Underwater, hot rocks and rising bubbles remind us that we are indeed on the “ring of fire”. On land, Manuk is a haven for myriads of magnificent seabirds, including frigatebirds and boobies soaring overhead as they flock to enjoy the rich marine life. 

Underwater, Manuk is home to many sea snakes who ripple in the waters. Lots and lots of sea snakes… 

 The geothermal vents present in these waters are thought to attract cold-blooded snakes in droves. In addition to these distinct natural wonders, the island’s reefs are a stunning combination of walls and slopes covered in corals of all sizes and colours. Exceptional quantities of reef fishes congregate on the shelves while predators such as tuna, trevallies and sharks, including hammerhead sharks, lurk along the walls! 

Day 7 – Nusa Laut 

Early in the morning, we will arrive at the beautiful Amet reef. Although located only a few hours from Ambon, it is an excellent example of successful conservation efforts. Locals have implemented sustainable methods to protect their reef and, as a result, the corals are exceptional! This makes it a site of choice for diving enthusiasts. White tip sharks and other reef sharks patrol the depths while playful turtles can also be spotted. For the lucky ones, hammerhead sharks and dugongs have also been seen on this site. After lunch, we will sail toward Molana Wall. 

It’s a shallow wall broken in places where at the bottom of which, in the sandy slopes, one can find ribbon moray eels and small pipefish. On the top of the reef, we see turtles feeding in the magnificent coral garden. In the afternoon, we will sail toward Ambon. 

Day 8 – Disembarkation in Ambon 

After a last souvenir photo with the crew, it will be time to say goodbye… The team will transfer you to Ambon Airport where you will fly to your next destination.