Some comments from our guestbook.... 16 November 2009 Wir haben sehr sch?ne Ferien hier verbracht. Die Papua Leute sind sehr nett, und auch das Papua Diving Team war sehr nett mit uns. Das tauchen war super, und wir haben sehr viele sch?ne Muscheln an den Str?nden gefunden. Wir haben auch sehr interessante Leute, und auch lustige Leute kennen gelernt. herzlicher Dank an das Papua Diving Team. Alles Gute an Euch. Roland, Stefan Basel Switzerland 1 November 2009 I Have been looking forward to coming here for a couple of years. On the house reef I saw my first toadfish & epaulette shark. It made all of the cold showers worthwhile! Best of luck with the new resort. Patrice Marker 24 October 2009 I was at the Taba Hilton hotel 3 weeks before it was blown up. I was due to be at a hotel in Kenya's Indian coast a week before the hotel next door got blown up and I was staying on Sipadan in 2000 when guest and staff ware kidnapped by terrorists from Jolo  in Southern Philippines. What might happen here? Am I jinxed? No ! Just the most diverse reef systems I've seen & that includes the Caribbean, Red Sea, Indian ocean & South China Sea. Friendly, helpful people, both in the resort, and the dive masters and crew deserve a special mention. I've camped out for weeks in sleeping bags on light houses and likewise on a platform no bigger than a living room several miles offshore in Sudan, but Papua Diving is the new cutting edge of diving. Catch it while you can - you won't regret it. Nigel Haines Leicester England 24 October 2009 Hoi Hoi. Nou, voor ons hier de tweede keer. Dit komt niet zo vaak voor dat we teruggaan naar de zelfde plaats dus dat zegt genoeg. Ook nu was het weer schitterend en een blij weerzien met Nikson en sommige andere bemanningen/bevrouwingen van dit geweldige resort. We hebben schitterend gedoken en weer nieuw onderwaterleven gezien. Weer veel moois om op terug te zien. Marcel en Petra van Dalen. www.divers4u2.com Holland 25 September 2009 Thank you so much for everything. I love Papua Diving. Please waiting me everybody until this December. I'm coming again. Etsuko Hosokoshi, Japan Beautiful islands, magic sceneries above and under water! Great manta dive, only 21! Nice people, will never forget the dive guides Nikson's laugh! Might come again! Richard from Luxemburg 26 Juli 2009 Het was voor ons een buitengewone ervaring om bij jullie te mogen duiken. Een fantastische onderwaterwereld mede door onze goede duikgids Nikson en de behulpzame boat crew. We hopebn dat het huidige resort in stand en een niet al te grote trekpleister wordt. We verlaten dit mooie eiland met aangename herinneringen en tot... Sonya, Frank, Piet en Willy 18 July 2009 We were going to be here for a couple of days and we have spent almost a week. It's an unique place in landscape and reefs ! I've never dived in a place like this !! We have enjoyed under water and over the water. It's an intelligent, well runned resort highly recommended Thanks a lot !! Hanel Chicharo, Spain 18 July 2004 Saturday night, staff playing guitars and singing. Nice sunsets, ever smiling people and good atmosphere. Everything with: manta's, Wobygong sharks, pigmy Seahorse and .... soup of fish!! Ikan sup. Carlois Cortijo, Spain 18 July 2009 Es Fantastico estar en el Paraido Soledad Solana (Spain) 10 July 2008 We were so excited to come to Papua Diving resort, our first day of diving turned out to be my wife's best single day of diving ever-anywhere! The amount & variety of underwater life was truly amazing. We thought at first that the pygmy seahorses were our favorite creature; however the mating wobbegong sharks turned out to be the #1 incident. We've been to Yap, but we like the Manta Rays here better! Such fascinating creatures everywhere! If you're looking for a great dive adventure, Papua Diving is the place. We highly recommend this resort for not only the diving, but for the people & adventure, too. It's a first-class operating with world-class diving. Larry & Cindy Abbott, Irving, California 19 June 2008 We truly have loved the 3 week we spend diving here and could easily have done more! After having the opportunity to travel and dive all over the world, we can easily say that the reefs here such as Mikes point and Chicken are some of the best in the world and the diversity cannot be beat, for big to small Papua Diving has it all! The diving along with the natural beauty of the resort and the great management and staff are a hard combination to beat! P.s. Make sure you try the peanut butter with chocolate spread. Kevin Stewart & Stacey Herman a.k.a The scubaduo! Formerly of San Clemente, California USA (now unemployed dive buns) 19 June 2008 So spectacular! The most interesting dives I ever experienced. The most beautiful sunsets. The most relaxing hammock. Even a non-dive day was a dream. To wake up and hike to see the Birds of Paradise, snorkel the afternoon away, take a late afternoon Kayak on the water still as glass, and finish the day watching the sun go down while a pod of dolphins played at the end of the jetty. So much to see and do... I can't wait to come back. Thank you Miranda, Max and Sven for a most memorable experience. Karin San Francisco California USA 19 June 2007 Not Many people have the fortunate opportunity to complete their open water diving course in a place like this! I count myself very lucky! And I'm sure I'll be forever spoiled! Not only was the diving fantastic, the rest of the week was equally enjoyable. Your staff is friendly and helpful. I've been able to really relax... and certainly be back again! P.s. Special thanks to Otto for letting me pet my first 2 sharks!!! Rachel Hartwig San Francisco, California 13 June 2007 A landbase - liveaboard. In over 15 years of diving around the world we have not come across anywhere that rivals the sheer diversity, health + beauty of this place. From mantas to nudibranchs, to the widest variety of soft and hardcorals, the raja ampat islands have it all. In a time when so much concern is raised over the state of the worlds reefs, it is so wonderful to discover a place that appears to have escaped coral bleaching and to learn that the people who are responsible for the diving operation are so committed to preserve this underwater paradise for divers and locals alike. Marry all of this with an idyllic resort with excellent food, service and friendly atmosphere and it is really hard to think of anywhere we would rather spend our time. Diving else where in the future is sure to be a big disappointment. Goodluck with the new resort + maybe see you again soon. Catherine + Mel Woolfe, Northants, England. 22 May 2007 Max and Sven have a fantastic operation in a very special part of the world and we were able to experience the most diverse coral reefs I have ever seen anywhere in the world. I?ve dived about 12 weeks in Indonesia and eight in PNG and find this area to be tops. Thanks for a truly world class experience.  Mel Cundiff Boulder, Co USA cundiff@colorado.edu 18 April 2007 We have collectively dived many places in this region and we all agree that this has been the most interesting diving we?ve had. The passage was our favorite and we could have spent out whole trip hanging out there, if we could. The rustic accommodations have bought us closer to nature, loved the wake-up call by the birds. Thanks to the crew and staff for a wonderful experience. Take good care of Jacob and the Cus-cus for us! We?ll bring the rest of the tribe next time. Many fish! Great coral! Good food! Wonderful crew! Fantastic time! Sue Lee Oli James Teng Gimmy Gan Peter Tan Wong Lay Hoon Cedric Tan Nicolas Tan Jeffrey C-tribe Singapore 21 March 2006 This is without a doubt the most relaxed I've been in more than a year. The atmosphere scenery and the entire staff create a perfect blend that allows you to just be! Great exploration dive to! Thanks a million. George Gephart. 19 March 2006  I?ve had really wonderful days here. Lovely dives and a very comfortable atmosphere in the whole place, everyone included!!! This was like medicine for my soul after working much to hard back home. Thanks a lot all of you! Good luck with the new resort! Cecilia Mariefred, Sweden 18 March 2006 What an amazing place! I love it! It is the prettiest place I ever been to by far. Thank you for sharing it with us. Lacy Hanna Etna California 1 March 2006 A wonderful and personal resort. We are happy to have our management team meeting here! Bruce Beehler, Conservation International, Washington USA

	“If you are inclined to doubt the marine scientists claim that the region harbors the richest diversity of corals and fishes, take it from me, the Raja Ampat are, the healthiest I have seen in the Indo Pacific realm ”. Michael Aw, Dive professional, author, photographer From his book “Richest Reefs Indonesia”

	"In terms of fish life, color and lush reefs, Irian Jaya is destined to become the standard against which all diving is measured." "I couldn't remember ever seeing so many fish so consistently at so many different sites. And the little stuff was fabulous too - Pygmy Seahorses, crinoid shrimps and squat lobsters, Mandarinfish, nudibranchs, soft coral gobies and so on. My biggest problem was deciding which lens to use - macro or wide angle." Denise Nielsen Tackett & Larry Tackett From the August 2001 issue of Skin Diver Magazine (USA)

Dear Fellow Diver:

The faint outline of the huge creature was familiar, except for the blunt head. My first thought was “Pilot Whale”, but it emerged from the blue. I was watching an 8-foot Dugong (Pacific Manatee) lumbering along the reef. Sensing my presence, it disappeared with a few powerful flips, transforming itself into a rocketing torpedo. In the Raja Ampat (Four Sultans), even the safety stops served up great sightings like this Dugong, or a lethal blue ringed octopus and banded sea snakes. This was my second trip to the Raja Ampat, where thriving reefs, rare macro life, a profusion of fish, and a setting untouched by time may well boast world’s finest coral reef biodiversity: ………..

 The only land-based diving operation is Irian Diving’s Kri Eco Resort (now Papua Diving), operated by owner Max Ammer. Garrulous, with a youthful smile, Max entertains guest with his own adventure stories. He arrived from Holland 12 years ago, became enamored with the undersea beauty, and build a low-impact dive operation. Many of the 20+ dive sites (more are being discovered) are minutes away from the pier………………..

 Max’s briefings were detailed and accurate………………….

 I saw Tridacna clams the size of a small bathtub near Wai island and monster Queensland groupers and leaf Scorpionfish on Cape Kri, large mature hawksbill and Green turtles where everywhere.  The bright-green table corals of Fam Island were big enough to seat a family of 10 for dinner. Throw in a collection of World War II airplane wrecks, and I never had a mediocre dive on any of the standard dive sites. After diving Wakatobi, a good portion of Sulawesi, Bali, and Alor, this is surely some of Indonesia’s finest diving…………….

Papua Diving (before named: Irian Diving)

Diving for Experienced	*****
Diving for Beginners	Don’t go
Snorkeling (off-resort)	***
Accommodations	***
Food	***
Health of Reef	*****
Fish Life	*****
Macro Life	****+
Value	*****

*= poor             *****= excellent

Worldwide Scale

Anonymous guest for UNDERCURRENT (The private, exclusive Guide for Serious Divers, September 2003 Vol. 18, No. 9)

	"On our third day, we were taken to a beautiful area characterized by multitudes of small mushroom-shaped islands, thick with tropical vegetation. Wild orchids, palms, cycads, Casurina trees, Pandanus, and other plants covered their slopes. The day was overcast and rainy but it was still incredibly beautiful. We passed small villages and pearl farms. We were to dive at a spot known as "The Passage" which is a thin ocean-filled area between two islands that resembles a river. As we rounded a bend we came upon the a small outrigger canoe that was modified into a sort of "houseboat". A family of four with their two dogs was on a day's outing from a nearby village. They graciously allowed us to take many photographs and we left them with a bit of the food we had brought for our lunch. We had two wonderful dives in the area which was characterized by many colorful sea fans, soft corals, tunicates, flatworms, nudibranchs, cuttlefish, and anglerfish. Fallen logs underwater that were festooned with sponges and sea fans, low visibility, and the overcast day made it a bit eerie underwater. After our dives, we explored the area a bit, visiting a large cave inhabited by five species of bats, and a burial area in the seacliffs. Human bones, old tea kettles and tea cups, and broken pottery were scattered in a small cave. We quietly visited but were careful not to disturb anything." Gail J. Worth excerpt from Gail's Irian Jaya Trip Report which can be found at Papua Diving Trip Report

Sorong, Indonesia Office: + Papua Diving Jl. Gn. Gamalama 3 98413 Sorong Papua Indonesia + Phone: +62 (411) 402 660 / 402 661 Fax:     +62 (951) 328 038		.Worldwide Travel Agencies: .See our reservations Page .and Dive Travel Agency List .for contact information

Kri Eco Resort Sorido Bay ResortDiving News and Special Events Travel Help
Rates Reservations Comments Recent discoveries Photo Gallery Excursions
About us Links Home

<hr size=2 width="100%" align=center>

Copyrights 1999-2007. All rights reserved. No one, for any reason, is permitted to copy the photos, graphics or text on these pages without written permission from Papua Diving. Write the webmaster to inquire for permission or information. webmaster@papua-diving.com