Raja Ampat & Whale Sharks Expedition 2026
Duration
12 days / 11 nights
Location/Type
Indonesia Liveaboard
Tour type
Reef and Whale Sharks
Diving Type
Advanced
ABOUT THE TRIP
Come explore the wonders of Indonesia with us on an extraordinary scuba adventure! Join us for an unforgettable journey to Raja Ampat and Cenderawasih Bay, where vibrant coral reefs and majestic whale sharks await.
Diving in Raja Ampat & Cenderawasih Bay: Explore two of Indonesia’s most biodiverse marine regions, renowned for their vibrant coral reefs, abundant marine life, and pristine waters. Raja Ampat is the global epicenter of marine biodiversity, while Cenderawasih Bay offers unique opportunities to encounter whale sharks and WWII shipwrecks.
Whale Shark Tours: Snorkel or dive alongside the gentle giants of the ocean in Cenderawasih Bay, where a unique relationship between local fishermen and whale sharks ensures frequent sightings.
Special Land Tours: Discover the natural beauty and cultural richness of West Papua with curated land excursions.
About the M/V Damai I Liveaboard
The M/V Damai I is a luxurious 40-meter traditional phinisi designed for superior diving experiences in Indonesia. It accommodates up to 12 guests in spacious staterooms with queen or king-sized beds, private bathrooms, and modern amenities like 110v/220v charging stations. Guests enjoy gourmet Western cuisine onboard, with accommodations for vegetarian and special dietary needs.
Key features include:
Diving Facilities: A large dive station, individual rinse tanks, a camera room with workstations, and Nitrox availability. The divemaster-to-diver ratio is an exceptional 4:1, ensuring personalized service underwater.
Relaxation Areas: Three expansive leisure decks offer sun or shade options, complemented by spa services for ultimate relaxation after dives.
Join the Apex Ocean Travel family and embark on an epic adventure with us to discover why Raja Ampat is described as The Last Paradise!
Science/Conservation:
Each booking will be supporting the Misool Foundation on this expedition:
Their mission is to safeguard the most biodiverse reefs on Earth through the empowerment of local communities, providing a structure by which they are able to reclaim their traditional tenureship of reefs. The Misool Foundation team manages a suite of conservation programs which combine marine governance, waste management, community empowerment and species conservation. This foundation makes sure there are not too many boats/divers on a single dive site.
***OPTIONAL ADD-ON AT BALI MACRO RESORT***
If you want more diving after the liveaboard, join us at the top Bali Dive Resort for macro diving. Alam Batu Beach Bungalow Resort is a serene beachfront property nestled in the northeast coast of Bali, Indonesia. This intimate resort offers a perfect blend of luxury and natural beauty, catering specifically to scuba diving enthusiasts and underwater photographers. With its on-site PADI dive center, house reef, and proximity to world-class dive macro sites, Alam Batu provides an ideal setting for finding the rarest underwater critters. The resort features traditional Balinese-style accommodations, a restaurant serving local and international cuisine, a dedicated camera room, and an amazing spa. Join us and look for frogfish, octopus, cuttlefish, ghost pipefish, rhinopias, seahorses, shrimps, crabs, and much more!
All inclusive dive package for 6 nights:
Bungalow with A/C – Single $2080 – Shared $1675
Villa Anton – Single $1642 – Shared $1393
Villa Ayam – Single $2260 – Shared $1795
Single bungalow Sendiri with A/C – Single $1828
The rates include:
Accommodation, full board, coffee / tea, drinking water boat dives and/or Spa and/ or tours, round trip airport transfers and nitrox
The rates exclude:
Night dive and black water dive surcharge, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages
For night dives there is a $13 surcharge and for backwater dives it’s $30.
$7300-$8600
Special Offer
Birds of Paradise Tour
Book your spot!
Trip Leader
Itinerary
Know More about the days
- 12 Days 11 Nights
- Start Date: Aug 10, 2026 From: Nabire
- End Date: Aug 21, 2026 To: Sorong
Day 1
Arrive into Nabire
- The flight usually arrives in Nabire in the morning and you will go directly to Damai and make yourselves comfortable. We will start moving late in the afternoon towards our first destination.
- No. of Dives: 0
Day 2 -3
Teluk Wororomi
- This is the Whale Shark bay and the local fishing platforms attract many of the ocean’s largest fish. After local reporting is complete divers will be offered an open dive-deck so that they may spend as much time as possible in the water with these amazing creatures.
- The Whale Sharks here are a resident population of pre-adolescents, mainly males, who are come to the platforms to feed on the small bait fish that sit in the nets that hang beneath. They are apparently unconcerned by divers and tirelessly circle back again and again to feed upon morsels of fish hand fed to them by the fishermen who regard them as good luck.
- No. of Dives: Unlimited dives / snorkeling + 1 night dive
Day 4
Outer Atolls
- The outer atolls of Cenderawasih Bay are some of fishiest sites of the area, located inside the National Park. Wild Fish Ridge and Spag point are two paricular favourites. It is here that we can view so many of the endemic species that led this to be called the Galapogas of the East.
- No. of Dives: 4
Day 5
Pulau Manim
- Manim is home to calm waters and 7 sunken landing craft left behind after WWII. These are in a variety of depths from 5 to 25m and are covered in a variety of hard and soft corals.
- No. of Dives: 4
Day 6-7
Mapia
- The last atoll in Indonesian waters, very close to the border with Palau, too remote for fisherman to go, and protected by a small navy post, The combination of all these factors mean only one thing: superb diving: pristine waters, hard corals and drop offs and a tremendous amount of fish. Rare opportunity to see reefs in the way they were many years ago, and a delight to all our senses.
- No. of Dives: 4 and 3
Day 8
Pulau Dua
- Half-way between Raja Ampat and Cenderawasih bay we will make a stop in these small islands where remains of second world war were thrown into the sea making a small, but superb reefs where life concentrates in large numbers. Big school of yellow grunt, large napoleon fish or barramundis find shelter. In the evening, if the conditions so consider, we will go to the beach to see the leatherback turtle nesting.
- No. of Dives: 2 or 3
Day 9
Kri & Dampier Straits
- At the eastern end of the famous Dampier Strait there are many signature dive sites. Cape Kri is a sloping reef on the eastern end on the island of Kri; Blue Magic and Sardine reef are seamounts covered in schooling fish and cruising sharks and rays; Mioskon is a great spot for the endemic Wobbegong shark and Pontohi pygmy seahorses.
- No. of Dives: 4
Day 10
Manta Sandy & Arborek
- Manta Sandy is a signature site for experiencing the grace of Reef Mantas. They are frequent visitors to the cleaning stations dotted along this sandy channel. Feel free to explore the sand for small critters while you are waiting for an appearance.
- Arborek Jetty is part of a sloping reef in front of the island. There are schools of fish, excellent wide-angle photo opportunities under the jetty itself and good critter hunting to be done along the slopes.
- In the late afternoon take a stroll around the village on the island and maybe join in one of their soccer matches or buy a locally made sunhat.
- No. of Dives: 4
Day 11
Penemu
- The signature sites in Penemu are Barracuda Point; a seamount on the north point; Melissa’s Garden; a beautiful example of a hard-coral plateau and Keruo Channel; drift along this colorful slope watching the seascape go by.
- The highlight of Penemu is a lagoon tour in the tenderboats amongst these turquoise waters and limestone bays. For the energetic there is a short walk to the top of one the hills to be rewarded with an amazing view over the lagoon with Damai moored in the distance.
- Long Crossing to Farondi.
- No. of Dives: 2
Day 12
Departure
- Guests will be escorted to the airport in Sorong and assisted with check in procedures, no doubt full of talk about the wonders of the most popular dive destination in the world.
- Meals and snacks
- Water, tea and coffee
- Soft drinks
- Beer and wine with dinner
- Towels and toiletries
- Tanks and weights
- Nitrox
- Night dives (INCLUDING BLACKWATER DIVES)
- Land excursions (Birds of Paradise) *weather permitting
- Massages
- Laundry
- Individual camera rinse tanks
- National park fees: $320
- Port fees: $440
- Transfers
- Government taxes
- Flights
- Bali macro resort add-on
- Dive and travel insurance
- All travel cost before and after you come on board for the trip (i.e. International & Domestic air fare, hotel, car transfer [except for 1 return airport/hotel transfer to the boat within 10km radius from the embarkation / disembarkation port])
- Other personal purchases made whilst on board or during our land tours.
- Gratuities
Vessel
Wildlife
Cabins
$7300
$7300
$7800
$8600
$7300
About the Operator
MY DAMAI I was built in Tanjung Bira, South Sulawesi, by Pak Hadji Baso, the most prestigious builder in the area in 2009. The collaboration of traditional skills with years of experience in the Indonesian liveaboard diving industry has created a remarkable vessel.
MY DAMAI I has been designed to offer a personal service dedicated to small groups. With an overall length of 40 meters (130 feet) and a beam of over 8 meters (26 feet) the vessel has 7 staterooms with a choice of single cabins, twins, doubles or two spacious master cabins. With sizes ranging from 18 sq meters / 194 sq feet for the single cabin to 40 sq meters / 430 sq feet for the master cabin, all are furnished with either queen- or king-sized beds, en-suite toilets, and showers.
The vessel has been designed with three large deck areas for relaxing in sun or shade and enjoying rejuvenating massage and spa treatments. Specifically designed for divers, the vessel offers large dive stations with individual rinse tanks, a camera room with separate workstations, and an integrated 110v and 220v charging station for each photographer.
The vessel is the first in Indonesia to offer 3 dive guides and 1 Instructor on board throughout your trip, this is a good 4:1 guest to dive guide ratio. We also have 2 custom designed high speed tender boats used to transfer guests to and from the dive site safely and comfortably. Behind every detail is our objective to ensure the best service and diving experience for our guests.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which airport should I fly into?
Guests will fly into either Jakarta or Bali and then connect to Nabire. At the end of the trip, guests will fly out of Sorong.
How many cabins are there on the boat?
What kind of food is served?
What dive certification is recommended?
Do I need a visa to travel to Indonesia?
This depends on how long you plan to be in Indonesia and your nationality. Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, there was over 160 countries which that are eligible for visa exemption. Citizens of these countries are allowed to stay in Indonesia for a maximum of 30 days with no extensions. However, this free visa exemptions is now only eligible for 10 countries. Click on the “List of Country Exempted from Visa” option from this website: https://www.imigrasi.go.id/en/bebas-visa-kunjungan/#1627290530498-6bc9566d-1f1c for the full list of countries eligible for this exemption.
If you’re not from one of the visa exempted countries or if you plan to stay in Indonesia for longer than 30 days, you can apply for Visa on Arrival (VoA) at your port of your entry. A VoA will cost you US$35 or IDR500,000 (to be paid in cash) and is valid for 30 days with the possibility of extending for 30 more days at any of Indonesia’s immigration offices. For the list of country eligible for VoA, click here: https://www.imigrasi.go.id/en/visa-kunjungan-saat-kedatangan/.
VoA are now available for processing online as well. Click on this link molina.imigrasi.go.id to apply. To be eligible to apply for the e-VoA, your passport must be from one of the country that is eligible for VoA.
If your country is not listed in either the visa exemption or VoA list, you will have to apply for a visa from an Indonesian Embassy/Consulate in your home country.
Please note that to enter Indonesia, your passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months from your arrival date and that there must be at least one blank page in the passport. You must also have a ticket showing an onward journey from Indonesia.
NOTE: if you intend to stay in Indonesia for a period longer than 30 days and are not able to get to an immigration office to apply for the extension in between, please contact us at info@apexoceantravel.com for the possibility of applying for a 60 days visa before arriving into Indonesia.
What currency should I bring?
Under Indonesian law from June 2015, all payments in Indonesia MUST be made in Indonesian Rupiah.
Currency Exchange are available in larger cities but will not be available in more remote areas. If you choose to pay cash, it is best to ensure you have enough before arriving at the port of embarkation of disembarkation from Dive Damai’s vessel.
We recommend exchanging currencies at high street banks or big money changers with CCTV as the smaller money changers that provide much higher rate than these places have a tendency of performing “Magical Miscounting”.
Can I use credit and debit cards on the boat?
What are the baggage allowances for domestic flights?
Baggage allowances vary enormously from destination to destination and airline to airline. Our reservation team is constantly monitoring the changes that regularly occur. A safe rule of thumb is 20 kg, or 44 lbs for economy class and 30kg or 66lbs for business class. However, some small domestic planes going to/from remote destinations can sometimes have an allowance of only 10kg or 22lbs or some do not include check-in baggage in their ticket prices. Some airlines will allow for selection of additional check-in baggage (with extra fees). If you are booking your ticket online, the website should clearly display this information and provide the necessary options. If you are booking this with a tour agency, please make sure this is clarified up front and clearly stated in writing to avoid complications and/or dispute.
Overweight baggage fees at the airport can start from USD5 per kg and could be higher depending on the location of your departure and your destination. If your return journey is with a different airline, there could also be different allowances and overweight fees applied. Please note that most airlines will not accept credit cards to pay for excess baggage at the airport.
Most airlines allow pre-purchase of additional check-in allowance. If you’re bringing your own dive gear and is expecting to go above your allocated check-in weight, contact your airline to pre-purchase these additional baggage allowance before you travel.
Do I need to fill in a Custom Declaration before exiting the airport after baggage collections?
If you are connecting to your domestic flights via Jakarta and Bali, they no longer provide the paper customers form. Instead, they are requiring all travellers to fill up their online customer declaration form. You will find it available here: https://ecd.beacukai.go.id/
Some smaller International Airport (other than Jakarta & Bali) in Indonesia still require you to fill in the paper customer declaration form instead.
What safety equipment is available on board?
We take your safety very seriously. For divers, we have plenty of surface marker buoys available, free of charge (if you do not have one). We also have Nautilus LifeLine Marine Rescue GPS units which can be rented for USD100 per trip. We highly recommend pre-booking as we have a limited number of units available.
On board, we have plenty of emergency oxygen, radios, GPS, satellite phone, and satellite internet.
What power does the vessel provide and do I need to bring an adapter?
Our camera room on board has both 110V and 220V international power sockets with voltage stabilizer. We strongly recommend you charge your batteries and other electronics in our camera room. Your cabins also have international power sockets which we suggest to use only for small electronic devices when there is someone awake in the cabin. However, the standard power socket in Indonesia is a European two-prong plug.