Raja Ampat Liveaboard Diving

Overview

Raja Ampat sits at the absolute centre of the Coral Triangle: more recorded fish species (1,400+) and a larger share of the world's hard corals (around 75% of known species) than anywhere else on earth. A liveaboard is the way to reach the spread-out sites. In the Dampier Strait, Cape Kri holds the world record for fish species counted on a single dive, mantas queue at the cleaning stations of Manta Sandy, and pygmy seahorses hide in the sea fans of Mioskon. South at Misool, soft-coral walls drop into blue water patrolled by oceanic mantas, and epaulette 'walking' sharks shuffle across the reef on night dives. Current is the variable that catches people: the fish life exists because water moves, and sites like Blue Magic can start ripping mid-dive. Bring a reef hook, an SMB you can deploy in open water, and honest self-assessment — 50 logged dives is a sensible minimum. The season is October to April (Misool itineraries pause for mid-year swell). Above water, climb the Piaynemo lookout for the karst-islet panorama on all the postcards. Liveaboards run £2,500–5,000 for 7–10 nights out of Sorong, plus the marine park tag and internal flights.

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Prefilled for 1 November 2026 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.