Papua Diving
With over 20 years of experience, Papua Diving are the pioneers in Raja Ampat diving. Papua Diving is the dive operation for Kri Eco Resort and Sorido Bay Resort, both located on Kri Island, close to famous Dampier Strait, about a 2 hour boat ride northwest of Sorong. Each resort operates its own Papua Diving Dive Centre.
Dive Service
Papua Diving has 7 custom built fibreglass dive boats that head off for a fresh diving adventure each day. All boats are equipped with Emergency Oxygen, First Aid kit, radio, GPS and flares. Towels, drinking water, fruits, snacks and juices are provided on all dive trips. The dive centre provides 12L aluminium tanks with Yoke valves (own adapator required for DIN regs), 10 full sets of Aqualung rental gear and free Nitrox. There is a no gloves policy. PADI Advanced and Nitrox courses can also be arranged.
Note
It is important to note that the resorts have a no boat diving policy on Saturdays as this is the day of rest for all staff at both resorts. Boat diving is not offered between 6pm Friday and 6pm Saturday but boat night diving is possible again at 7pm on Saturday. There will be tanks provided to do diving off the resort jetties during that day.
Dive area
Sharks, manta rays, whales, dolphins, house reef, reef walls, coral gardens, critter diving, shore diving, boat, diving, swim-throughs and plenty more is on offer with Papua Diving. Kri Island is one destination which got it all!
There are more than 30 dive sites surrounding the resorts. Most dive sites are between 5 to 15 minutes away and offer world class pristine reef diving. 3 guided boat dives are offered per day plus an additional night/dusk dive (max. 4 dives per day). Max. 6 divers and 2 dive guides per boat. The dives included in the unlimited dive packages are within a 10km radius of the resorts. Due to the close proximity between resorts and dive hot spots, it is Papua Diving’s custom to return to the resorts for the surface intervals. Excursions to further away dive sites are also being organised (additional fuel surcharges apply locally). These are half/full day dive trips and picnics on remote and pristine beaches will be set up.
House Reef
The house reef of Papua Diving is one of the richest house reefs in the world and amongst one of the favourite dives for any guest. Cape Kri is Sorido Bay’s house reef and less than 3 minutes by boat from Kri Eco Resort. Here you can experience up to 374 different fish species. ‘Sardines’, ‘Manta Sandy’ (famous manta cleaning station) and ‘Blue Magic’ are only a few of the most popular dive sites visited within minutes from the resorts.
The water temperature is 27-30C (80-86F) all year round, air temperature 24-34C (75-93F) and visibility 10-30m (32-100ft) in general.
About Raja Ampat
Raja Ampat (meaning "the four kings") is a vast archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands, cays and shoals which surround the four main islands Misool, Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo, Indonesia?s West Papua province shares its eastern border with Papua New Guinea and was formerly called Irian Jaya. Raja Ampat's pristine beauty, both above and the water line, is unrivalled and has become a sought-after destination in the past few years.
Raja Ampat's remote location and lack of infrastructure have inhibited the growth of tourism. This area's staggering abundance of marine life is due in part to its incredibly low human population density. The few resident Papuans are mainly a subsistence society, exploiting a variety of resources to meet their basic needs. Fishing is only one of these resources, and they continue to employ traditional, low-impact fishing techniques, using a hook and line from dug-out canoes.
