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irian jaya - raja empat

The Irian Jaya - Rajah Empat liveaboard scuba diving adventure embarks and disembarks at the port of Sorong (Irian Jaya). This is usually an eleven night cruise but in case of twelve nights we spend an extra night at Wei Island.

Please note that these itineraries are subject to change depending on local weather and diving conditions and that all times are approximate.

day by day

Detailed daily itinerary for Sorong to Rajah Empat and return.

Day One: Arrival Sorong Airport

Kararu Dive Voyage’s dive master will meet you at the airport and you will be escorted to the ship for immediate boarding. Cabin allocation and ship orientation will take place before departure at 3:00 PM. Take this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the vessel, make yourself comfortable. Dinner will be served while sailing towards our first destination.

Day Two: Kri Island

Welcome to Kri Island. The reefs in this area are protected by Max Ammer from the Papua Diving Resort. If you would like to add some diving days before the cruise you can just stay at his resort and join the boat right outside the Lagoon.
Kri is a great start for the cruise with the most fish and coral species accounted on a single divesite. Truly pristine reefs, you will want to dive these sites around this island again and again. A night dive will be offered.

Days Three & Four: Waigeo Island Group

Welcome to the incredible Waigeo Island group. You will be in awe at the beauty of yellow Wall boasting a very large amount of yellow soft coral. In the afternoon a dive on the sheer wall undercut at the edge from millions of years of oceanic erosion will truly amaze. An interesting pearl farm is nearby (the 5th biggest in Asia) and can be visited upon request. The night dive here is not to be missed! The chances to see bigger animals including mantas are high in this area.

Day Five: Kawe Island

Draping directly over the equator lies Kawe Island. Kararu Dive Voyages will arrive early morning in and anchor right on the equator. Enjoy breakfast while watching the stunning scenery. You will be offered up to five dives today to take advantage of this world-class dive region. You will be treated to an enormous array of fish life as well as stunning above water scenery.

Days Six & Seven: Waiag And Southern Islands

You will move on to our most northerly area of Irian Jaya with many unnamed groups of islets. From mild sloping coral gardens with huge coral rocks and colorful soft corals, to steep walls and schooling fish, this region is truly spectacular. Here you can make the famous ‘hike” to view the breath taking scenery over the island group here. Fantastic night dives with rare wobbygong shark spottings are also on the agenda.

Days Eight & Nine: Manosuar Island

Arriving early morning in Manosuar, you can expect to dive the famous sardine reef as well as 3 other incredible sites. The fish life is prolific and the topside scenery will truly astound. Two full days diving will be offered in this amazing region as well as a great top deck barbeque to satisfy those hungry divers.

Day Ten: Batanta Island

To start your day, you will take a two hour morning hike in search of the Red Bird of Paradise. A true jungle trek, you will hear giant hornbills, cockatoos flying by and perhaps if lucky, the mesmerizing song of the bird of Paradise. Today’s diving day can host anything form wobbygong sharks to pigmy seahorses.

Day Eleven: Wai Island

After a light breakfast, a beautiful dive will be offered at the American plane wreck that crashed in these waters in the 1940’s. The wreck is upside down and between 24 – 34 m (90-115’) deep. The wreck is fairly intact with excellent coral covering it especially on the lower side of the tail section. The guns are also visible on this truly great dive. The rest of the day will be spent around the incredible sites of Wai Island. If desired, you may take a short trip on shore to see the resident cassowary bird.

Day Twelve: Arrival in Sorong

The ship will arrive at 6:00 AM at Sorong. You will be served breakfast and afterwards prepare for disembarkation. You will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.

Variations

The Irian Jaya - Rajah Empat liveaboard is usually an eleven night cruise but in case of twelve night cruises we will spend an extra night at Wei Island on day twelve and arrive in Sorong on day thirteen.