Flying Trip to Raja Ampat to go diving in Misool
April 12 - April 27, 2025

About the Trip

The ONE place we didn't get a chance to dive in while cruising through Raja Ampat was Misool. Though we passed through the Misool area twice onboard Soggy Paws, both times it was in the summer when the weather there is kinda crappy, and the dive resort is shut down. Both times we were also alone, so no dive buddies to make it possible to safely dive in the currents around Misool.

Also the anchorages are VERY deep. The 4 nights we spent in Misool on Soggy Paws, we were on a mooring for 2 nights and 2 nights tied to the walls in a cul de sac, both in water nearly 100 ft deep.

So when we were dreaming about all the "near" traveling we could do in the time we had to cool our heels in Malaysia, a diving trip to Misool was at the top of the list.

Dave gets a weekly news email from Liveaboard.com with upcoming "dive deals". When he saw the Gaya Baru Indah was going to Misool on its last trip before their summer break, he jumped on it.

Gaya Baru Indah

The hard part about this trip, is there is no direct flight from anywhere into Raja Ampat (Sorong). So in addition to the 10 days on the dive trip, we spent 2 days getting there (via Bali) and 2 days getting back (via Makassar).

Here is the overview of the trip logistics:

- Bus from Pangkor to Kuala Lumpur Airport
- Air Asia flight (thru Bali) to Sorong
- Overnight in a hotel in Sorong
- Morning ferry from Sorong to Waisai
- Overnight in a homestay on Waisai
- Picked up by Gaya Baru Indah crew and taken to boat
- Afternoon checkout dive near Waisai
- Next morning 2 dives in Batanta, then long motor down to Misool area over night.
- 3 dives a day until time to head back to Waisai (see itinerary below).
- Last day of diving in Dampier Strait (Cape Kris, Blue Magic, etc)
- Arrival back in Waisai in time for the 1pm ferry to Sorong
- Overnight in hotel in Sorong
- Early morning flight Sorong to Makassar
- 2 days in Makassar
- Flight back to KL on Air Asia
- Bus from KL back to the Marina.

Detailed "Raja Ampat South" itinerary for our Gaya Baru Indah trip (pdf).

Impressions: We really enjoyed the trip. The boat was in good shape, and had a good crew. The diving was well planned, the location pretty spectacular. With a max of 10 divers on the boat, spread over 2 dinghies with a guide or two with each group, the dive sites are never crowded. The owner of the boat is onboard and is a nice guy and a good diver.

The boat had ample charging points for everyone's cameras and flashes and lights. They ran the air conditioning aboard during the day when the engine/generator was on. At night when the generator shut down, the nights are cool enough that an open hatch was plenty to stay cool for sleeping. The hatch was also rigged to make an easy escape hatch in case of unfortunate events.

The food was good, varied, and plentiful. The lounging area on deck was nice.

Check out their upcoming trips here:
https://www.liveaboard.com/diving/indonesia/gaya-baru-indah

Visas: For a short trip like this, Indonesia's Visa on Arrival is easy and free.

Below are some pictures of our trip.