This Misool and Halmahera cruise gives you the opportunity to indulge the Raja Ampat’s underwater paradise, and discover the underknown area of West Halmahera.
The National Park of Raja Ampat, is the epicentre of Biodiversity on Earth. Dampier Strait, Penemu Island and the unmissable Misool are the main stopovers of this cruise. Dive with with reef sharks, napoleon wrasses, big eye trevallies, barracudas and oceanic manta rays. Macro lovers will be delighted with a great variety of nudibranchs, and pygmy seahorses such as the Denise or the Barbiganti but also the Pontohi -way rarer!
The reefs of Halmahera are just as good as those in Raja Ampat. Years of exploration in this area, have enabled us to discover amazing and unfrequented dive sites. The reefs are very colourful, and there is a great amount of healthy soft and hard coral. Obviously, an abundance of life is growing here.
Alexis, CEO and founder of Konjo Cruising Indonesia will be escorting you on board this cruise. Thanks to the years he spent, working as Cruise Director on Liveaboards in Indonesia, he takes you to this unforgettable voyage. He shares with you his knowledge and offers you the very best of Raja Ampat and Halmahera. North Maluku is one of his favorite playground. He will personnally guide one of the dive groups.
Launched in November 2017, Jakare is perfectly adapted to diving and snorkeling cruises. She caters a maximum of 12 guests for a more intimate experience. Finely decorated, this Pinisi is designed for relaxation and peace of mind.
EXPLORE
We pick you up at the hotel or directly at the airport (depending on your travelling plans) and we take you to the vessel. Welcoming drink and installation in your cabins. General briefing about life and safety on board. Navigation to the Dampier Strait and check dive around Mioskon.
Total navigation of the day: 35 miles | 6 hours
Blue Magic is an underwater ridge located on the south-East of Mioskon. Grey reef sharks, barracuda, wobbegong, giant grouper, schooling jack and spanish mackerel keep the show running. Oceanic manta rays are sometimes joining this underwater festival. Cape Kri is a legendary dive site. Hundreds of species are hoovering along this beautiful reef. Unbelievable. Manta ridge is the best place to observe manta rays in the Dampier Strait. Exposed to fierce currents, it makes the perfect place for those elegant animals for feeding and getting clean by wrasses and butterfly fish.
A visit of the lovely village of Arborek could be organise. Over night anchored in Yangeffo. Total navigation of the day: 25 miles | 4 hours.
Two hours West from Gam Island, stands the gorgeous island of Penemu. Barracuda Ridge is a submerged reef bursting with Life. Its massive boulders are colonized by yellow and orange soft coral. Mellissa’s garden offers an unbelievable acropora coral garden, with extended underwater ridges. Cleaning station for napolean wrasse, giant trevallies, and blacktip sharks, it is clouded by thousands of anthias on the shallow. My reef is another underwater reef, with schooling fish like snappers, sweetlips and barracudas.
Total navigation of the day: 12 miles | 2 hours. Over night navigation to reach Misool | 90 miles, 15 hours.
Farondi Cave and Arch is one of Misool’s famous dive site. Divers start the dive swimming through a sumptuous arch covered with soft corals. They reach the cave after a nice drift along a curved wall, for an unforgettable safety stop. This site, full of giant gorgonians, hosts many pygmee sea horses.
Puri Pinnacle is an submerged reef which stands at 7 meters below the surface. Its three pinacles attract large schools of fusiliers, surgeon fish and hunting trevallies. Also called Anchovies, it can offer some spectacular mobula rays action. Yiliet Kecil is a mushroom-shaped rock hidding a nice overhanging wall, which hosts the tiny santa claus denise pygmee Sea horse.
Night anchored in Yiliet Kecil, in front of the Ranger Station. Total navigation of the day: 20 miles| 3 hours.
Magic Mountain brings together all the best you can expect to see in Raja Ampat. Big eyes schooling jacks, bluefin and Giant trevallies, huge Napolean wrasse, giant grouper, barracuda, all species of reef sharks, and the gorgeous oceanic manta rays. Named after its tunnels and swimthrough, Boo Windows has a dramatic topography. Following the ridge heading west, you may see grey reef sharks, napoleon wrasse, schools of batfish but also ghost pipefish or leaf fish.
The Fiabacet underwater ridge is linking Tank Rock and Nudi Rock dive sites. It can be dived in so many ways that you could spend a whole day circumnavigating this fantastic reef. Wobbegong, groupers, yellow fins barracudas, grey reef sharks and thousands of fish…
Night anchored in the Wayil Area. Total navigation of the day: 20 miles | 3 hours.
One of the distinctive feature to witness in Misool, are those special and unpredictable underwater hunting scenes. The ephemeral appearance of silverside baitballs get predators into a frenzy. Squadron of mobulas are joining the show, and feed on this nature’s gift. Wayil and Pele area are regularly offering this kind of fish action.
Four Kings is one of the best dive site of Misool with its four underwater pinnacles, teeming with life. Kaleïdoscope is an magnificient underwater ridge fully-packed with red gorgonians (melithaea Ochracea) and black coral bushes. Pele’s Playground is the western cape of Waaf island.
Total Navigation of the Day: 15 miles | 2,5 hours. Over night navigation to Batuayner reefs: 90 miles | 15 hours.
Grey Surprise is hidding a nice slopping reef ending by a steep drop off. Grey reef sharks are patrolling in the blue. Barracudas and schooling jacks keep hovering into a cloud of banner and surgeon fish. Batunayer rocks are linked by an underwater plateau made of large Acropora colony. A steep walls covered of dendronepthya orange soft coral stands in the North, while the plateau makes a nice third dive of the day.
Total Navigation of the day: 3 miles | 30 min. Overnight navigation to Bacan: 70 miles | 12 hours.
Pigaraja is a village where both Christian and Muslim are sharing the space together. Earning their living through the trade of Copra, their coastline is edged by Coconut trees plantations and desert beaches. Underwater, divers will get awe-struck surveying this 20 meters long wrecked Phinisi. Thrilling with life, it lies in the sand at 15 meters depth. Coral gardens are florishing on those reefs, and offers a haven for its inhabitants.A third immersion on the way to the Patinitie strait will end this beautiful day.
Total Navigation of the day: 33 miles | 5 hours. Overnight anchored close the Patintie Strait.
The Patintie Strait, is one of the hidden scubadiving destination gem in Indonesia. With a similar set up that the Komodo national Park, a main oceanic current is flowing in between the island of Bacan and Halmahera. It brings all the nutrients needed for the coral reef, and prolific biomass regeneration. Still poorly known, it offers plenty of worlclass dive sites. For their first day, our guests will enjoy the southern and the central part of the strait with Kusu island and Saleh Kecil.
Total Navigation of the day: 33 miles | 5 hours. Overnight anchored close the Patintie Strait.
Another day in the Patintie strait will be dedicated to explore some other great dive sites located in the northern part of the strait. Exposed to the current flow, isolated rock and underwater ridges provides amazing underwater experiences. Encounter with greyreef sharks, schooling barracudas and much more. The coral reefs are exeptionnals on the shallow. Dense cloud of anthias fish will keep you amazed until the last second of your 5 star dive.
Navigation during the day: 12 miles | 2 hours. Overnight anchored close from Halmahera.
This day is the opportunity to discover a poorly know area, crippled with clusters of exotic-named islands. This area streched from the North of Bacan to the Goraichi islands. Kajoa, Taneti, or Muari already gaves us some great diving, but keep secretly hidding some more jewels. The Lilai area, encompas some flat islands made of white sand banks, submerged rubble-made reef, and mangroves. A perfect secluded environnement for Manta rays to get cleaned safely.
Total Navigation of the day: 50 miles | 7 hours. Over night Anchored along the Lilai’s village slopes.
Goraichi Island are a groupe of islands off 30 miles off the Halmahera coast. Completely off the grip, they are some great dive sites. Our guest usually feel like being kind of a diving pionneer. They get blink at the super clear waters of the surroundings, which hosts a numerous population of black tip sharks. Eagle rays and Napoleon wrasses often pay them a visit, while schooling fish keep hovering along dizzing walls and steep pinnacles. A great last show.
Total Navigation of the day: 14 miles | 2 hours. Over night navigation to reach Ternate: 40 miles | 6,5 hours. In the morning, checkout from the boat and transfer to your hotel ou the airport.
THE WHALE SHARKS EXPERIENCE
RAJA AMPAT | TRITON BAY
01th April to 13th April 2024 | LAST MINUTE DISCOUNT 4395 Euros/Pers
HAMMERHEAD QUEST
BANDA SEA | RAJA AMPAT
03th October (or 30th September with the muck option)- 15th October 2022 | From 4200 Euros
Embarkation from Sorong harbour, after landing at Domine Eduard Osok airport (SOQ).
For the international flights from Paris we recommend Quatar Airways. This company works in collaboration with Garuda Airlines and operates direct domestic flights from Jakarta to Sorong (GA-682 | departure at 00h30am arrival at 06:35am).
These flights are quite tiring this is why we recommend you to arrive the day before the departure of the cruise in order to rest in one of the hotels of Sorong.
If you’d prefer arrive from Bali, you will have to transit through Makassar. From Bali via Makassar we recommend the flight operated by Sriwijaya (SJ-726 | departure at 9:35pm arrival at 10:55pm at Makassar). The only inconvenience for any flights, is that you will have to wait for the next flight at Makasar airport until 3am. You will land at 06:55am in SOQ airport. Garuda and Batik Air operate the same kind of flights.
During your transit at Makassar airport (UPG), seek for one of the two lounge rooms located respectively in front of the Gate 1 and the Gate 6. It will cost you around 10 € for an all-you-can-eat-and-drink buffet, and a comfortable seat.
How to leave from Ternate:
To Jakarta, Batik Air operates from the airport of Ternate (TTE) the ID-6141 flight leaving at 4:40 pm and arriving at 6:25pm. This allows you to respect a 24 hour of no flight required after a 12 nights liveaboard. There are no direct flights from Ternate to Bali. But Sriwijaya operates the SJ-599 flight leaving from Ternate (TTE) at 12:35pm and arriving in Bali at 4:35pm with a stopover at Makassar (UPG) for 1h40min.
Domestic flights may be delayed and this is why we do advice you to spend a night in Jakarta or Bali before international flights.
We recommand you to stay in one of those hotel, as they are following the international standarts in terms of cleanliness and service. We can help you with your reservation and organize evrerything for you.
MAMBERAMO MARINA: The closest from any supermarket and restaurants. Provides a good bar and restaurant considering the city of Sorong.
SWISS BEL HOTEL : The more comfortable hotel in town. Close form the ferry terminal for Waisai, but far from any restaurant. Correct breackfast, but avoid the dining. An extra charge will be added for early bookings.
VEGA HOTEL. The closer from the airport, and the more recently built. The best thing is that you can checkin anytime withour extra charge.
KASUARI BEACH RESORT: The fursthest from Town, but good to avoid the hectic harbour of Sorong. Free shuttle can be organized from the airport.
We highly recommand the SUNSHINE BEACH RESTO for a sunset drink on their terrasse, and a followed diner. They are specialize in seafood and fish barbecue, but offer many vegetarian option too. Their Chap-Chay is delicious. Come a bit early if you want to avoid the cheezy and loudy local band, or late to blend in with the local color.
For a coffee and some good snaks before your flight, we do recommand the MISOOL FILLING STATION handle by the Misool Eco resort. Go upstairs to be comfortably seatted, and have a look to their sustainably-made souvenirs.
At this time of the year in Misool, you can expect very good conditions. Water temperatures vary between 28 and 30 degrees, and visibility goes up to 30 meters. And you will find the same kind of conditions in Halmahera though you may find some thermoclines in the Patintie Strait.
A full 3mm wetsuit is the best option for this cruise.
As diving can be a bit challenging on some of the sites, a minimum of 100 dives is required to join this diving cruise. A minimum of a Padi Advanced certification or a CMAS level 2 certification is required. To offer you the best experience on board, 3 qualified dive guides will be in charge of the divers. And 2 tenders will be used to bring the divers back and forth.
Non divers are more than welcome to join this cruise as snorkeling and landscapes are absolutely amazing in this area of Indonesia. Discover Scuba diving can be provided for the non-divers, but no openwater, or advanced course will be teached onboard.
Yes. But there is a limited amount of Nitrox filling available. If you want a fullboard Nitrox, please let us know during your reservation.
