Trip base · Indonesia
Raja Ampat
Eight sites around the Dampier Strait and Misool in West Papua. Cape Kri holds the record for the most fish species counted on one dive (374), and Blue Magic and Mike's Point are current-swept Advanced dives. Most trips start in Sorong, by resort speedboat or liveaboard.
Strong fit for January
28°C+
- Strength: Water 28–29°C in January
- Strength: 8 of 8 sites are in season in January
- Strength: Calm seas on almost every day
- Trade-off: Rain on most days
Pack a shorty or 3 mm wetsuit for January.
Why this match: 40 + 26 + 20 + 7 = 93
- Season40 / 40
- 8 of 8 sites are in season in January; calm on almost every day.
- Water26 / 27
- Average 29°C; your minimum is 28°C. Pack a shorty or 3 mm wetsuit.
- Your level20 / 20
- No level picked, so all 8 sites count.
- Weather7 / 13
- Rain on most days; no real storm risk.
Month by month
Season: best October to April. Marine life uses the same scale (Best = reliable, Good = likely, Possible = possible, Off = not seen; ? = we don't know yet). Water and rain are 1991–2020 averages.
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | January: Best | February: Best | March: Best | April: Best | May: Off season | June: Off season | July: Off season | August: Off season | September: Off season | October: Best | November: Best | December: Best |
| Mantas | January: Reliable | February: Reliable | March: Reliable | April: Likely | May: Likely | June: Possible | July: Possible | August: Possible | September: Possible | October: Likely | November: Likely | December: Reliable |
| Whale sharks | January: Possible | February: Possible | March: Possible | April: Possible | May: Possible | June: Possible | July: Possible | August: Possible | September: Possible | October: Possible | November: Possible | December: Possible |
| Hammerheads | January: We don't know yet | February: We don't know yet | March: We don't know yet | April: We don't know yet | May: We don't know yet | June: We don't know yet | July: We don't know yet | August: We don't know yet | September: Possible | October: Possible | November: Possible | December: We don't know yet |
| Reef sharks | January: Likely | February: Likely | March: Likely | April: Likely | May: Likely | June: Likely | July: Likely | August: Likely | September: Likely | October: Likely | November: Likely | December: Likely |
| Turtles | January: Likely | February: Likely | March: Likely | April: Likely | May: Likely | June: Likely | July: Likely | August: Likely | September: Likely | October: Likely | November: Likely | December: Likely |
| Dolphins | January: Possible | February: Possible | March: Possible | April: Possible | May: Possible | June: Possible | July: Possible | August: Possible | September: Possible | October: Possible | November: Possible | December: Possible |
| Water | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° |
| Rain days | 25 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 25 | 27 |
| Calm days | 31 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 31 |
| Storm risk | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Rain days: days with 1 mm or more in the ERA5 grid cell (about 30 km across); over tropical seas it counts more light-rain days than a local rain gauge would. Calm days: waves under 1.5 m and wind under 25 km/h. Storm risk: share of years with a named storm within 250 km that month (– means under 5%).
Dive sites here
8 sites on Divetip. Today's Dive scores are for reference only: live scores cover the next 48 hours, not your trip month.
- Cape KriReef · Advanced · max 40 m
- Blue MagicReef · Advanced · max 40 m · strong current
- Sardine ReefReef · Advanced · max 30 m
- Melissa's GardenReef · Intermediate · max 25 m
- MisoolReef · Intermediate · max 30 m
- MioskonReef · Intermediate · max 25 m
- Mike's PointReef · Advanced · max 30 m · strong current
- Lau Lau ReefReef · Intermediate · max 25 m
Plan it with our guides
Getting there
Fly to Sorong (SOQ). Road to Sorong harbour, then resort speedboat (liveaboards leave from Sorong): about 2 h 30 min.
Liveaboard or day boat.
What diving costs
No current published price for a day of diving
Single dives and add-ons
Raja Ampat Biodiversity Nature Resort: €45 a dive
Price per additional dive on top of a resort dive package (not sold as a standalone day); packages include weights, tank and guide (max 4 per guide); night dive +EUR 10; marine park tag not mentioned. Weekly packages with 2 dives/day and full board: EUR 1,941-2,057 pp for 7 nights.
Liveaboards
Mermaid Liveaboards (MV Mermaid I): €5,000 for 11 nights
Lower Deck cabin per person, 12 days / 11 nights, 37 dives, Sorong-Sorong, departures 28 Nov, 10 Dec and 22 Dec 2026 (Deluxe EUR 5,500, Master EUR 6,000). Inclusions not listed on the page; a fuel surcharge of EUR 20/day (EUR 240 for 11 nights) is published at https://www.mermaid-liveaboards.com/fuel-surcharge/ for Ring of Fire trips from Sept 2026, not clearly stated for Raja Ampat.
Emperor Divers (Emperor Raja Laut), via UK agent Oonas Divers: £4,032 for 9 nights (about €4,834)
'Best of Raja Ampat' 10 days / 9 nights from Sorong, boat only, per person in lower-deck double or twin, departures Jan 2027-Nov 2027. Includes full board, airport transfers, nitrox, national park fees and dive guides; flights and equipment not included/not stated.
Prices as published by each operator (a few by a named booking agent), read on 8 November 2026. Euro amounts at the ECB reference rate of 6 November 2026. Park fees, permits and equipment are often extra. Prices change, so check with the operator before you book.
Non-divers: snorkeling by boat only
Resorts take non-divers snorkeling on their dive boats and on guided snorkel excursions to shallow reefs and jetties, but no source we opened confirms good snorkeling straight off the shore.
Sources: raja4divers.com, papua-diving.com
Book your Raja Ampat trip
- Find dive trips and snorkeling tours on Klook (partner link, opens in a new tab)
- Search flights on Aviasales (partner link, opens in a new tab)
Partner links: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. Partners never change the ranking.
Where this comes from
- Water temperature: NOAA OISST v2.1 daily sea surface temperature, 1991–2020.
- Storms: NOAA IBTrACS tracks, 1991–2020. Rain, waves and wind: ERA5 reanalysis, 1991–2020. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
- Coral bleaching: NOAA Coral Reef Watch daily 5 km Bleaching Alert Area (7-day maximum), checked twice a day.
- Seasons by site: our dive site pages. Getting there: transfer source.
Marine life sources (6 species)
- Mantas: sharkrayareas.org, birdsheadseascape.com, liveaboard.com, bluewaterdivetravel.com, meanderingwild.com, oceanearthtravels.com
- Whale sharks: frontiersin.org, lagaligoliveaboard.com
- Hammerheads: samaraliveaboard.com
- Reef sharks: sharkrayareas.org, meanderingwild.com, liveaboard.com, rainforestcruises.com
- Turtles: divernet.com, meanderingwild.com
- Dolphins: oceanicsociety.org, cambridge.org
Typical values are 1991–2020 averages and our site seasons. Always check local conditions with your dive centre. Spotted something wrong? Report a correction.