Irian Jaya Diving Indonesia Diving Raja Ampat Raja Empat Sorong Papua Diving Irian Jaya

Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, is the most Eastern province of Indonesia. It is located on the Western half of the largest island in the world, New Guinea. The Eastern half of New Guinea is an independent country, Papua New Guinea.

Our “Kri Eco Resort” and “Sorido Bay Resort” are located in the heart of the Raja Ampat islands, on Kri Island. The Raja Ampat is a very large island group, with the closest situated city, being Sorong. The Raja Ampat is becoming widely known by scientists as one of the most diverse and unspoiled areas for marine life in the world. It is a beautiful group of more than 600 (!) islands which are rarely visited by tourists and therefore still in the original, pristine state they have been in for decades. The islands are completely covered with dense jungle and sparkling white beaches and are surrounded by crystal clear waters. Due to its close proximity to the Equator, the seas are generally very calm. The larger islands like Batanta, Waigeo and Gam have rough mountains with challenging hiking trails. Native animals are plentiful and include the endemic Red bird or paradise, large hornbills, parrots, monitor lizards, brightly colored coconut crabs, flying foxes and a small tree dwelling marsupial called “Cus-Cus”. Most of these can be found within the resort area!

It is easiest to fly through to Sorong via Jakarta or via Singapore. Merpati, Express Air and Lion Wings operate daily flights from Jakarta to Sorong (with stopovers in Ujung Pandang/Makassar and/or Manado), whereas Silk Air operates regularly from Singapore to Manado. Regular flights to and from Sorong by Airlines Merpati and Lion Wings. Check directly with Papua Diving for current schedule or click on flightschedule for latest flight information.

Starting on 1 February 2004, Indonesia brought in new regulations regarding which nationalities have to apply for visas before coming here, and who can get visas upon arrival - for 11 nationalities these are issued at no charge, for 21 other nationalities you pay for the visa on arrival this is based on immigration requirements for Indonesians entering those countries

The following 11 countries/territories receive a 30day no-charge visa upon arrival: Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, Chile, Peru and Morocco.

Citizens of the following 21 countries are now required to pay for a visa upon arrival - USD10 for a 3day visa, or USD25 for a 30day visa: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, the USA, the UAE and the UK.

As before, your passport must be valid for at least 6mths after your stay in Indonesia. You still have to show an onward ticket out of the country.
Methods of payment: USD cash (as with all the USDs you bring to Indonesia, these need to be in pristine condition and produced in 2001 or later), Mastercard and Visa.

Nationalities not on either of the above lists or people who want to stay in Indonesia for longer than 30days, must get a visa from an overseas Indonesian Embassy or Consulate before arriving here. These cannot be issued upon arrival.

We advise you check with your local Indonesian embassy about the applicable procedures and going rates well in advance of your departure date, because the application procedure takes 5 working days. Please note that the above are non-extendable. There are a limited number of ?gateways?, these being airports and ports where you may enter from overseas.

Please note that the above is only our understanding of the situation as it stands at present. If you are in any doubt whatsoever, please contact your nearest Indonesian Embassy or Consulate.

To enter Papua itself, you need a surat jalan which is issued by the local police. Please bring:

With these photos and copies we will arrange the surat jalan for you at your arrival. This procedure will not take any of your time and is done as a part of our service.

Airport taxes apply, the departure tax at Jakarta is Rp. 100.000 (=at 30-01-2004 +/-US$ 12) for international departures and for domestic flights taxes apply also. From Sorong, the airport tax is Rp. 11.000 (US$ 1.2). All these taxes need to be paid in cash Rupiah, so make sure you have some.

Yellow fever vaccination is required if you arrive within six days of leaving or passing through an infected area.
There are very few mosquitoes on the islands. However, malaria is present in Papua, so please take precautions. We strongly recommend not using Lariam, due to the severe side effects and limited effectiveness in this area (resistance). An alternative could be Malarone or doxicycline (=antibiotics). Your local health care center should be able to advise you.
In any case mosquito repellent is always a good idea.

Papua Diving strongly advises all her guest to take good travel insurance. Pls. remember that we are remotely located so it is a good idea to include emergency medical evacuation. Also los of stay/dives due to delay of flights or not being able to dive due to sickness should be considered.

We supply electricity 24 hours a day. Standard electricity in Indonesia is 220 volts. In both our resorts we can also offer 110 volts. At “Sorido Bay Resort” this is a standard service, at “Kri Eco Resort” it can be arranged upon request. The 110V outlets are US style.
A mosquito net and towels are provided. A traditional Indonesian sarong can function as towel, sheet or skirt! Be sure to pack lots of sunscreen, shower gel (soap is provided), shampoo, prescription and over-the-counter drugs you might need. Razors, tampons or pads, clothespins, and a hanging toiletry bag for all your "stuff" will be handy.

Bring plenty of spare batteries, spare chargers, a small florescent light for working or reading and paper towels or clothes for cleaning cameras and housings. Good quality batteries in AAA, AA, C and D cells are available and relatively cheap in Sorong. Duracell Alkaline is available in AAA and AA and are as good as the Duracell/alkaline in the USA. The C and D cells are not Alkaline, however good quality.
Because most guests will come directly to the resort and will have no chance to stock up in Sorong, we offer supplies of regular batteries, both Alkaline and normal. Specialty batteries are not commonly available in Sorong, so it is better to bring these from home.

Do not use of the left hand to give or to receive anything or to handle food items. Use of the index finger to summon someone is considered very impolite.
At the dive resort you can dress as you like, casual wear (T-shirts, shorts, swimwear) is OK, as our local Papuan staff are used to the Western way of dressing. However, when you plan to visit the city of Sorong or one of the surrounding islands (for instance for bird watching), please respect the local culture and dress modestly. This means preferably no bare shoulders and legs. Shorts are ok, as long as they are not too far above the knee.
The Papuan people are distinctly different from the other Indonesian inhabitants. Their features resemble more to the African people than the other Indonesian people. Papuan people are dark-skinned, with curly hair, sturdy bodies and a beautiful smile! Papuans are known for their friendliness and hospitality and you are bound to have many pleasant encounters with the local people when you visit. The local Raja Ampat inhabitants are mostly Christians, living in small coastal villages.
Papuans are friendly, open and curious people, they appreciate it when you return their friendliness. When you are introduced to someone, a handshake is a common way of greeting, for men as well as women.

Weather wise the area is good all year round. We have VERY smooth seas almost all the time. Some waves (small compared to anywhere else) are normally encountered from mid. July till mid. September. These waves do not interfere with the diving. The waves are normally only experienced during part of some days.

We do not have really a rainy season in the way that we have whole days of rain. It does rain frequently, however short heavy showers with immediately afterwards sunshine again is the norm. It is highly unlikely to encounter weather that influence the diving in a negative way. The part of the year it rains more (slightly) normally is the time when the showers come in the early evening. This actually cools down the area and is very pleasant.

Winds:

SE monsoon sets in lightly during May. from Jul to Sep it is steadiest, blowing 50-70% of the time. It abates during Oct, but south-easterlies remain the predominating wind. in Dec the NW monsoon is established and blows until the end of Mar. The winds are stronger and steadier than the SE monsoon. Nov, April and part of May are transitional periods, and winds are generally light and variable. Prevailing winds during SE season vary between east ad south, and in NW monsoon between north and west. Average force for greater part of the year is that of a gentle or light breeze. Sustained gales are not experienced, even a strong wind is an exception: local squalls with momentary speeds of about 40 mph are common in all seasons. Land an sea breeze are experienced, particularly in the transition months.

When outside or on the boat, please take care of your skin by protecting it from the sun, which can be extremely bright in this part of the world. We are close to the Equator, you will burn easily if unprotected. Hats and sunscreen are highly recommended.
Diving equipment is for hire (except wetsuits!) if required: BCD’s, regulators, masks, fins and snorkels. The water temperature is 82?-84?F (28?-29?C) year round. A 2-3mm wetsuit is comfortable diving for most of our guests.

On Saturdays, we rest and do not dive (from Friday 18.00 pm -Saturday 18.00 pm). As an alternative, we offer you the possibility hike into the forest to admire the Red Bird of Paradise, hiking boots are recommended if you are interested in these type of activities also.