Dive Into Raja Ampat

I would absolutely recommend this resort to anyone heading to Raja Ampat. You will be greeted by staff from the resort at the airport who will help you get to the ferry. Once you arrive to island, staff from the resort will come on the ferry to get you and take you to the resort. VIP service in my opinion! The resort accommodations are rustic but clean. There is air conditioning which works very well! The first thing I noticed upon arrival was the kindness and welcoming of the owner/staff. They make you feel like you are in a bed and breakfast not a resort. You wake up to a chorus of beautiful birds which was absolutely amazing! The slight crashing of the waves and beautiful blue water are really just paradise. The dive shop and crew are fantastic! They take care of everything including carrying all of your camera equipment and gear to the boat. There is a nice camera room with charging stations. Diving was awesome and the dive masters are very knowledgeable about the area. We also did a trip to the blue river which I highly recommend! The trip to Piaynemo is a must! It’s a 3 tank dive day with great dive sites (Melissa’s Garden is amazing) along with a hike to the famous picture you see when you google Raja Ampat! We went on to a live aboard after the resort and the staff helped us with every detail including contacting the boat so our transfer went smoothly! The food was really delicious! They will bring lunch if you go on the longer trips. This is a perfect location with really good dive sites, friendly staff and great accommodations.

We really enjoyed our stay at Waiwo. Their waterfront villa is right against the water (the waves come right to the edge of your porch!), and we really appreciated that they have air conditioning too.Food is included with your room. You get three buffet-style meals per day. Generally, the food is a mixture of Indonesian and Western dishes. It's also pretty good quality considering how remote this location is. If you want a snack or a drink between meals, you can order something from the restaurant for an extra charge, but we were so well-fed that we only ordered maybe two snacks the entire week that we were there.And then there was the diving: Raja Ampat is said to have some of the best diving in the world, and it did not disappoint. Lao Lao and Blue Magic had more fish than anywhere I have ever seen, while Melissa's Garden had the most beautiful coral reef I have ever seen. And a pleasant surprise: one of the best night dives of my life was right on Waiwo's house reef, a mere 100 feet from the resort!A big thank you to the staff: Peter and Yolanda for managing the resort and taking amazing care of all the guests, Sonly for running a smooth diving operation, and Obet for being an excellent dive master. We will be back!

Dive Into Raja Ampat operates within the Waiwo Resort, Waisai and their dive and stay packages offer great value in Raja Ampat and a relaxed environment. The Indonesian style waterfront bungalows with AC were nice and large with water lapping at the deck at high tide. Fresh water, tea and coffee provided in the room, but bring your own shampoo, conditioner and mosquito repellent.The chef prepared Indonesian food was plentiful and some of the best I ever had in Indonesia which they kindly adjusted to a milder spice level for my husband. Western meal choices are also offered and their hamburgers were an excellent alternative.Wifi is only available in the open air dining room where a limited choice of alcohol drinks are kept in a locked fridge. On request the manager kindly went out to get some tonic from town and also some extra toiletries, which was much appreciated.The diving was well organised- the day before you would know which of the iconic Dampier Strait dive sites you would be going to. New divers arrive any day, so they try to give variety and take into account where you have already been. Some of the sites were a bit further 45 -60 min (surcharge for 60 min trips) but their big boat was fast and comfortable, sheltered and had a toilet. They also have a smaller boat, with shelter. The dive guides gave good briefings and set a relaxed pace underwater suiting us photographers. We had 1 guide between 2 divers while they were not very busy and were allowed up to 70 minutes on closer dive sites. Surface intervals were often spent on an island with refreshments.The dive team loaded, unloaded and rinsed our gear after each days diving and hung in our individual stalls overnight to dry. They offered Nitrox and had a large dedicated camera room with plenty of charging outlets, workspace and dedicated rinse baths.We were a bit early in October and thought the visibility was lower than previous visits, apparently there had been a lot of rain. All of the usual fishes and critters were seen except we were unlucky with the mantas, which were seen in big numbers the day we departed. Snorkelling in front of the resort over a sandy bottom , there was clear water, but I did not see much.Dive Into Raja Ampat will organise your transfer from the airport to the resort by a 2 hour twice daily public ferry between Sorong and Waisai Island any day of the week. There is no minimum stay, so it suits divers that have time before or after a liveaboard. They also offer birdwatching excursions to see Birds of Paradise.