Papua Diving (formerly Irian Diving) is an eco-tourism SCUBA diving operation located near Sorong, Indonesia, on the far western end of the island of New Guinea. Papua Diving offers SCUBA dive trips based from two eco-resorts in the Raja Ampat Islands located in the midst of a gigantic reef system.
8D7N AIR Dive Package Cost
All prices in EUR € are per diver on twin-share basis
- EUR € 998 – 12 dives
- EUR €1,198 – *Unlimited dives
- EUR € 678 Non-diver
- Single room surcharge is EUR € 30 per room night
AIR Dive Package Includes
- 07 nights twin-share stay in water bungalows
- Complimentary return airport transfers to the dive resort (on Sundays only)
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks
- Tea, coffee, syrups and cold drinking water are complimentary. Ice cold soft drinks and beer are available, but are charged
- Choice of 12 guided boat dives OR *Unlimited diving for scheduled boat dives and unguided house reef dives between 0700 to 2100 hours
- Scuba tank, weight belt and weights
- All service charges and taxes
AIR Dive Package Excludes
- All airfare and airport taxes
- Indonesian visa, where applicable
- Marine Park Fees, approx. US$55 per person
- Dive equipment rental
- Pre and post-accommodation in Sorong (€ 60 for airport transfers, hotel & half-board meals)
Dive Package Validity
- May 01 – Dec 31, 2009
8D7N NITROX Dive Package
All prices in EUR € are per diver on twin-share basis
- EUR €1,058 – 12 dives
- EUR €1,295 – *Unlimited dives
- EUR € 678 Non-diver
- Single room surcharge is EUR €30 per room night
NITROX Dive Package Includes
- 07 nights twin-share stay in water bungalows
- Complimentary return airport transfers to the dive resort (on Sundays only)
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks
- Tea, coffee, syrups and cold drinking water are complimentary. Ice cold soft drinks and beer are available, but are charged (EUR €1 for soft drinks and EUR €2 for beer)
- Choice of 12 guided boat dives OR *Unlimited diving for scheduled boat dives and unguided house reef dives between 0700 to 2100 hours
- NITROX scuba tank, weight belt and weights
- All service charges and taxes
NITROX Dive Package Excludes
- All airfare and airport taxes
- Indonesian visa, where applicable
- Marine Park Fees, approx. US$55 per person
- Dive equipment rental
- Pre and post accommodation in Sorong (€ 60 for airport transfers, hotel & half-board meals)
Dive Package Validity
- May 01 – Dec 31, 2009
Diving
Papua Diving offers tailor-made diving with a maximum 6 divers in one boat with at least 2 dive guides for 6 people . The dive itinerary is developed based on the interests & requests of the guests and the dive packages are sold in 5, 10, 15 or any number of dives you may choose.
All divers and non divers visiting Raja Ampat will also need to pay an annual entrance fee for the Marine Park of Rp 500,000 per person (Rp 250,000 for Indonesians). We collect payments from guests and Rp350,000 goes towards Conservation International for conservation purposes and the remaining Rp 150,000 goes to local government.
Raja Ampat’s pristine beauty, both above the water and below the water, is truly unrivalled.
Diving conditions are good here all year round with visibility averaging 20 metres. Water temperature is a constant 28 or 29 degrees celcius. There are also currents in this area and we plan the dives according to the tides and least current.
During a typical week guests can expect to see manta rays, various species of pygmy seahorse, wobbegongs & endemic ‘Raja Ampat walking sharks’, large numbers of schooling fish such as bumphead parrot fish, giant trevally & barracuda plus just about every reef fish in the book.
This is set against a vibrant backdrop of the world’s healthiest hard and soft corals. The house reef at Cape Kri is where Dr. Gerry Allen recorded 283 different species of fish during ONE dive. This made Cape Kri not only the fish richest dive site known to science, but also the richest house reef anywhere!
The dives included in the package prices are for dive sites within a 10km radius of the resort. Outside of this zone there are fuel surcharges ranging from €20 to €60 p/p for far-away dive sites such as Fam Islands and the Passage, although there is no charge for the first trip to Manta Point to see manta rays.
You do not need to go outside of the 10km radius as there are countless local dive sites which are so good that you will want to return to each several times.
Special Expeditions
Each year we arrange one or more special trips. Such trips could be to explore remote places, have a scientific purpose or search for shipwrecks or aircraft wrecks. This year a visit to Amsterdam Island for some Pioneer Diving and to visit the vast Leatherback Turtle nesting area is planned. Wayag, an area of beautiful landscapes, is a must-see location. We have found some world-class dive sites while exploring the area between our eco-resort and Wayag.
We also have scheduled trips escorted by professional photographers. If you are interested to join a special trip or would like to schedule a special trip, you may email us @ info@adventures.com.sg.
Fam Islands, The Passage day trip surcharge, minimum 4 persons
- EUR €26-60 per person
Additional charges
- Non Sunday transfers: EUR €350 per boat (seats 8 persons plus luggage) or EUR €450 per boat (seats 12 persons plus luggage) per way
- Sorong hotel package: EUR €60 (transfer to hotel, dinner, breakfast)
- Nitrox fills: EUR €6 per fill or €50 per 10 fills
- Dive equipment rental (day/additional day /week): EUR €30/25/150
- Digital camera rental (Olympus 5050), including CD-ROM burning: EUR €45
- CD-ROM burning (per CD): EUR €5
- Telephone/fax (costs depending on call): EUR € variable
- Internet charges: EUR €0.25 per minute (in blocks of 15 mins)
IMPORTANT NOTES!
- Trips will be booked under the following conditions, please read carefully
- All dive packages are non refundable!
- Each Sunday, transfers by boat take place from the airport/coastal city of Sorong (Papua) to the dive resorts, located on Kri Island. The trip takes about one and a half hours and covers 75 km. These transfers are free of charge. If you do plan to arrive in Sorong on a Saturday, we are more than happy to arrange accommodation for you in Sorong.
- For transfers other than our regular Sunday transfers, a charge of EUR €350 per transfer applies. This is a charge for the boat, in which a maximum of 8 persons can be transferred (EUR €450 for a boat seating 12 persons). The transfer price per person depends on the number of persons that are being transferred. Therefore the transfer cost is EUR €59 per person if you are traveling with a party of 6 or EUR €350 if you are traveling alone. Of course we will always try to combine as many passenger transfers as possible, to minimize the charges per person. Upon receiving your booking request, we will advise you what the charges will be on the date you wish to travel. Children under the age of 4 can stay free of charge. Children between 4 and 8 years old are charged 25% of the accommodation price, children between 9 and 14 years old are charged 50% of the accommodation price and children over 14 are charged full price.
Liveaboard Diving
- We now also offer live-aboard diving. Please contact us @ info@adventures.com.sg for more information.
Please note the following
NO DIVING on Saturdays There is no diving between 6pm Friday and 6pm Saturday as this is the day of rest for all staff. Night diving at 7pm is possible. Saturday is used for relaxing, exploring the island and bird watching on Saturday morning. ( See Red Bird of Paradise Trip)
Currents Please also be aware that there are sometimes strong currents in this area which is one of the reasons for so many fish. If you have a reef hook please bring it.
Equipment Rental We do not rent wetsuits so please bring your own. We have a limited supply of other dive equipment for rent so if you need to hire gear please let us know exactly what you need in advance with sizes required.
Marine Park Entrance FeeAll divers and non-divers visiting Raja Ampat will need to pay an annual entrance fee for the Marine Park of Rp 500,000 per person (Rp 250,000 for Indonesians). We collect payments on behalf of Conservation International . Rp350,000 goes towards conservation purposes and the remaining Rp 150,000 goes to local government.
Papua Travel Permit Please bring 3 passport photos and 3 copies of your passport for the Papua Travel permit (Surat Jalan) which we organize free of charge at the resort. If you already have your visa in advance please bring 3 copies.
Saturday Red Bird of Paradise Trip On Saturday morning we offer free transport to see the Red Bird of paradise on the neighbouring island of Gam. Departure is at 05.30am. Guests should pay a conservation fee of Rp 100,000 p/p which goes towards conservation of these birds – this fee added to your final bill and we then pay the villagers.
Fuel Surcharge the majority of our best diving is located within 10km of the resort so there is no need to travel outside this zone – there are many amazing dive sites on our doorstep. However we do offer special day trips to sites located about one hour away from the resort and if people request to go outside the 10km zone we charge extra for fuel depending on the distance. Fuel is very expensive here and increasing constantly. Our current fuel surcharges range from Euro 20.00 p/p to Euros 60.00 p/p based on 4 people sharing a boat.
Payment for Extra Charges For extra charges at the resort we can only accept cash payments in Euros, Indonesian Rupiah or US $ Dollars. Credit card payments can be processed in Sorong but you will need to inform us in advance and you will need to allow extra time in Sorong to do this. Please note for US$ Dollars we can only accept clean notes in good condition, series 2005 or later.
Domestic airlines baggage allowance
Merpati Airlines – 20kg allowance for checked luggage
Lion Wings Air – 15kg allowance for checked luggage
Express Air – 20kg allowance for checked luggage.
Domestic airlines overweight charges
Merpati Rp 23,000 – 30,000 depending on route
Lion Air Rp 16,500 p/kilo
Express Air 25,500 – 37,500 p/p depending on the route.
Airport departure tax
Ex-Sorong Rp 16,000 p/p
Ex-Manado Rp 100,000 p/p
Ex-Bali Rp 150,000 p/p
Kri Eco Resort
The Resort consists of traditional buildings over the water, along a jetty and offers traditional Papuan accommodation with excellent food and a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Here you find water bungalows – for a maximum of 20 guests. Because of the construction, you have a cool sea breeze flowing through and great panoramic views of the surrounding area – so even from your bed you can hear the sound of the sea!
Some bungalows are located on the jetty itself, while the others have their own piers from the beach. All of them are traditionally built with local materials, such as round wood, bamboo, palm trees leaves – all lashed together with vines from the jungle.
Each building contains two sleeping rooms and at least one separate sitting area, furnished with locally made bamboo table, benches and hammocks. The guest accommodations are divided by partitions, and each room has sliding doors which can be closed for privacy.
Each room has 24-hour electricity, western style bed & mattress, mosquito net, an electric fan, chairs & desk, side tables & reading lamps.
There is also a camera table with several sockets where guests can work or charge their camera gear.
Housekeeping provides fresh drinking water and towels everyday to the room. Close to the sleeping accommodation, on land, are six very clean & spacious Indonesian style bathrooms (called mandis) for our guests to share.
Our house reef is Cape Kri, where Dr. Gerry Allen in 2001 broke his former record sighting of 203 fish species, to set a new record of 283 fish species spotted in one dive!
Sorido Bay Resort – Luxury in Paradise
Sorido Bay Resort is the upscale option on Kri Island and offers two kinds of ocean-front bungalows, both very spacious and elegant. The “Sentani” is 65m² and the “Kaimana” is 90 m².
The resort has been built combining modern and traditional Papuan building styles and materials. Each bungalow has TV with individual satellite programs, plus air conditioning, large bathroom, and mini bar – and the bungalows are decorated with authentic Papuan artifacts.
For the photographer, there is also a 3 meter long camera work table with 220V and 110V power outlets and rinse sink in each bungalow. The resort is limited to 18 guests in total.
The main buildings are also very spacious and have wireless internet connection. There is a dedicated library and a photo/video lounge (with 2 iMac computers) and the kitchen prepares delicious Asian meals. Vegetarian meals or other requirements on request. Fresh fruit juices and snacks are served after the dives.