Gaia Love

Located within the Indonesian archipelago off the northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula in West Papua (Irian Jaya). Comprising hundreds of jungle-covered islands, the area is known for its beaches and coral reefs rich with marine life. Raja Ampat translated directly as “four kings” was named for the 4 main islands in the area – Weigeo, Batanta, Salawati, and Misool.

Diving Raja Ampat, will take your breath away with the marine life thriving from the seafloor to the surface and the colorful reef teeming with activity. There are sites that are so pristine and packed with growth, that a photographer is hard-pressed to find a spot to place a steadying finger. Exotic sea life and macro critters will overwhelm any macro photography enthusiast. The only problem with diving here is that you’ll be so spoiled by the near-perfect conditions that you may never want to leave or dive anywhere else again!

Dive Gaia trips offer divers the opportunity to explore the entire region.

West of Sorong, Batanta Island offers incredible critter sites for the macro enthusiast.

In the south of Raja Ampat is the island of Misool. Be wow-ed by the profusion of colorful soft corals and sea fans beautifully draping the reefs. Expect to encounter both the oceanic and reef mantas. Towards the western tip of Misool, be intrigued by one of the world’s most stunning mangroves.

Located in central Raja Ampat is Dampier Strait (which flows between Waigeo and Batanta), where nutrient-rich ocean currents create an incredible underwater environment. Everything which makes for a wonderful dive can be found here. Home to iconic dive sites Cape Kri and Blue Magic, be surrounded by schools of fish and the unique thrill of “fish thunder” – the loud booming sound made when a large number of fishes move rapidly through open water. Further west is the island of Arborek, known for its jetty dive and its cleanliness. Traveling northwest of Dampier Strait is the Penemu Islands famous of its hard coral gardens and stunning lagoon view.

Northern Raja Ampat covers the islands of Weigeo, Kawe, and Wayag. Visit the pearl farm of Aljui Bay in between exploring the pearl farm’s jetties famous for its unique critters and sleeping wobbegongs. West of Waigeo, the rocks, and seamounts in the Kawe area are truly singular as they actually sit on the equator. Kawe is one of the few places in the world where you can travel between the northern and southern hemispheres while diving! Yet, this is not the only reason to be excited about this dive. A combination of currents and feeding stations in this area combine to draw in a profuse amount of fish life, as well as huge mantas. Cruising even further to the north, we visit the Wayag area. This isolated, uninhabited area sprinkled with verdant limestone islands, bordered by slivers of white sandy beaches and palm trees, represents what people usually have in mind when they think of paradise. The only thing to rival the landscape here is the diving. It is truly spectacular, with extensive and untouched hard coral reefs. As the majority of Wayag’s islands have yet to be explored, it is very likely that many more dive sites will be found in this still remote area.
Other attractions include ancient rock paintings and caves off the island of Misool and the rare crimson bird of paradise on Waigeo,

Luxury liveaboard diving with Dive Gaia offers charters out of Sorong that enables you to explore this area extensively while pampering yourself with the hospitality and comfort we provide.

Marine Life: At least 75 percent of all coral species can be found in Raja Ampat, divers can expect a range of topography from soft corals and sea fans, to hard corals, seagrass beds, mangroves, shallow reefs, deep drop-offs, caves, black sand, and white sand. Giant manta rays, sea turtles, sharks, cuttlefish, pipefish, various seahorse species and massive schools of reef fish are the norm, plus the delightful wobbegong sharks and epaulet sharks inhabit these waters too.

Day 1: Meeting at the airport, transfer to the boat, Cabin arrangement, briefing.

Day 2-11: Approx 3 dives per day

Diving in the Banda Sea offers some unique diving adventures to be found in Indonesia. Once sought by Columbus and Marco Polo, the Banda Islands were the original Spice Islands and the most coveted destination on earth, particularly by the Dutch and Portuguese, who colonized the islands and exported the indigenous nutmeg and cloves. History tells of a violent past under colonial rule.

Diving the Forgotten Islands, one can expect long walls with extremely healthy coral life and immaculate, untouched seamounts. Look for the giant barrel sponges and immense sea fans. In the shallows, the hard coral gardens are decorated with colorful anthias. ‘Big stuff’ can include schooling hammerheads, silver, white, and blacktip reef sharks, napoleon wrasse, Mobula rays, Bumphead parrotfish, eagle rays, turtles, thresher sharks, along with schooling jacks, barracuda, surgeonfish, and fusiliers. ‘Small stuff’ includes pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, octopus, triggerfish, lionfish, moray eels, scorpionfish, and dragon shrimps.

Day 12: Check out. Transfer to the airport/hotel.

Please note that the itineraries are examples only and will change depending on weather and logistics at the Captain’s discretion.