Why you should choose Pearl of Papua:
Great mid range boat, only 14/15 divers, good value for money, experienced crew with fantastic new large Upper deck Seaview Suites.

Pearl of Papua liveaboard is a mid-range boat that aims to be your sanctuary at sea with its cosy cabins and en-suite bathrooms, on board massage, delicious and hearty meals, and overall hassle-free adventure in 2 Upper deck sea view suites, 2 deluxe upper deck cabins, 1 Lower deck Manta suite and 2 standard bunk bed cabins on the lower deck all with air conditioning and en-suite bathroom.
Crafted by the highly respected and renowned boat builders of Tanah Beru in South Sulawesi, this beautiful wooden phinisi schooner is fitted with the latest marine technology and equipment that meets with international safety standards.

The air-conditioned cabins with en-suite bathrooms are sleek yet cosy, a sanctuary to welcome you home after a long excursion undersea.

The spacious decking provides enough room for everyone to laze privately and a group to mingle comfortably.
The chef and two stewards are also on board to attend your dining and cabin needs.

The team of twelve Indonesian crew members and dive staff are also highly knowledgeable and intimately familiar with the Raja Ampat area, guiding you to experience scarcely seen underwater treasures in addition to the best the region has to offer, while ensuring a pleasant and safe voyage.
Read the guest reviews

Some of the most frequently asked questions about Raja Ampat.
When is the best time to dive Raja - How to get to Raja - The top 10 reasons to join a Liveaboard in Raja - Raja Diving and Dive sites - Information about Raja - What are the advantage of a Liveaboard over Shore diving - Are these trips suitable for non-divers / snorkellers - The Latest Indonesian Travel Information - Other general FAQs

Pearl of Papua - schedule

Pearl of Papua - prices and what's included

Prices are per person per trip and based on 2 persons sharing a cabin.
Exact pricing is available on the schedule here as prices vary dependant on the time of year, destination and the length of the trip and sometimes special offers are available.

The trip price includes
The cruise, all scuba diving activities (up to 4 dives/day) and all group shore programs during the course of the cruise
Regular air fills, tanks, weights and weight belt
Professional dive guide
Full meals and snacks while on board the vessel
Water, tea, coffee, soft drinks while on board the vessel
Transfers to and from the vessel and the respective airports on the cruise departure and return dates

The trip price does not include:
Port handling fee and National park tag fee of $165 per person per trip for Raja Ampat ($150 per person per trip for the Cendrawasih bay trips - subject to change).
International and domestic air transportation, hotels and meals ashore before and after the cruise
Private tours
On board telecommunications
On board alcoholic beverages
Crew gratuities
Nitrox use (USD 5/dive)
Dive equipment rental.
Please note: Unfortunately until further notice, a Fuel Surcharge of USD $40 for 7 nights has been applied to all itineraries by the boat due to the massive increase of fuel prices around the world, we apologise for this but it is beyond our control.
Dive insurance is mandatory as is your own personal dive computer (You can rent one for the trip if you do not have your own).
As well as the Mandatory Dive Insurance we highly recommend Trip and Travel Insurance on the off chance of missed or cancelled flights / lost baggage, documents, money or passport / Covid issues or any other unforeseen problems that could possibly occur.
Dive Assure Insurance offers cover for all these eventualities as well as complete Dive Insurance all in one package.

Booking and Cancellation Terms and Conditions.
Booking deposit: 30% of your invoice total is required within 7 days of booking to confirm your booking.
Final payment of 70% is due to 90 days prior to the departure date to complete your invoice payment.
Individual bookings made less than 90 days before the departure date will be payable in full upon booking to confirm your booking.
Cancellation at any stage involves forfeit of monies already payed.
Payment can be made via bank transfer, Wise, Credit or Debit card (Visa, AMEX, Mastercard) or Apple pay at no extra charge.

Full charter:
Booking deposit:
10% - within 7 days of booking - non-refundable
Second deposit:
20% 180 days prior to departure - non-refundable
Balance due
90 days before departure - non-refundable

Diving Equipment Rentals (USD) Per day
Full Set (regulator, octopus, BCD, wetsuit, mask, fins, dive computer) $
Regulator with octopus $ 10
Computer $ 15
BCD $ 10
Wetsuit (shorty 3mm) $ 10
Mask, fins, snorkel $ 5
Torch $ 5
Nitrox $ 5 per dive

Pearl of Papua - Video

Pearl of Papua - cabins

The maximum amount of passengers on board is 14 pax sleeping in 7 cabins (15 pax is possible for a full charter with 3 persons in the lower deck suite).
There are 2 Upper deck sea view suites, 2 deluxe upper deck cabins, 1 Lower deck Manta suite and 2 standard lower deck twin cabins.

  • Upper Deck Sea View Suite

  • Upper Deck Sea View Suite

  • Upper Deck Deluxe Twin Cabin

  • Lower Deck Manta Suite

  • Upper Deck Deluxe Double Cabin

  • Lower Deck Standard Twin Cabin

Lower Deck Standard Twin Cabin
There are 2 standard cabins with single bunk beds on the lower deck.
All cabins on the lower deck have portholes, individually controlled air conditioning, toilet and hot water shower, hand basin, mirror and towels, round twin plug 220V mains outlet, reading lights, cabinet and shelves, fire warning system and life jackets.

Upper Deck Deluxe Cabin
There are 2 deluxe cabins, one with a double bed and one with two single beds on the upper deck.
Both cabins have sea views, individually controlled air conditioning, toilet and hot water shower, hand basin, mirror and towels, round twin plug 220V mains outlet, reading lights, cabinet and shelves, fire warning system and life jackets.

Upper Deck Seaview Suite
There are 2 Upper deck sea view suites, 3x4 meters, with large windows all around the entire space giving the experience of seeing views of the open sea, watching the sunrise and sunset from the comfort of an air-conditioned cabin.
Each cabin equipped with en-suite bathrooms with hot shower, two single beds, or one double bed can be adjusted and modified for your preference

Lower Deck Manta Suite
There is 1 Suite Cabin on the lower deck with one single bed and a double bed.
All cabins on the lower deck have portholes, individually controlled air conditioning, toilet and hot water shower, hand basin, mirror and towels, round twin plug 220V mains outlet, reading lights, cabinet and shelves, fire warning system and life jackets.
The Suite can accommodate 3 persons sharing with one double bed and one single bed on the cabin which would allow 15 persons on a full charter booking.

Pearl of Papua - itineraries

Please choose your Itinerary

North Raja Ampat / Wayag 7 Nights
North Raja Ampat / Wayag 8 Nights
Raja Ampat South + North 10 Nights
Raja Ampat South + Central 8 Nights

We recommend that you check your travel insurance will cover anything interrupting your travel plans as well as offer great dive insurance
We recommend Dive Assure Insurance as it offers cover for all these eventualities as well as complete Dive Insurance all in one package.

Some of the most frequently asked questions about Indonesia
When is the best time to Go - How to get to Raja - Raja Diving and the Dive sites - How to get to Komodo - Komodo Diving and the Dive sites - What are the advantage of a Liveaboard over Shore diving - Are these trips suitable for non-divers / snorkellers - The Latest Indonesian Travel Information - Other general FAQs

Pearl of Papua - diving

Some of the most frequently asked questions about Raja Ampat.
When is the best time to dive Raja - How to get to Raja - The top 10 reasons to join a Liveaboard in Raja - Raja Diving and Dive sites - Information about Raja - What are the advantage of a Liveaboard over Shore diving - Are these trips suitable for non-divers / snorkellers - The Latest Indonesian Travel Information - Other general FAQs

Raja Ampat diving

Raja Ampat (or the Four Kings) is an archipelago consisting of the islands of Misoool, Salawati, Batanta, and Wiageo which are surrounded by over 1,500 small islands and cays. Formerly known as Irian Jaya, this area is now part of the newly named West Papua province of Indonesia and is located on the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula, on the island of New Guinea.

Put simply, Raja Ampat could quite possibly be the best diving in the world. It certainly is the world's most bio diverse marine region with more recorded fish, coral and mollusc species than anywhere else on Earth. The variety of marine life can be staggering. Some areas boast enormous schools of fish and regular sightings of sharks, such as wobbegongs. In Mansuar, you may encounter large groups of manta rays and turtles. From the boat and often close to shore you may get the chance to don your snorkelling gear for some unforgettable interaction with resident pods of dolphins or even some passing whales. Other highlights include the innumerable war wrecks, both ships and planes (with new wrecks being discovered constantly).

The reefs of Raja Ampat are just as varied as the marine life. There are vertical walls, reef flats, slopes, sea mounts, mucky mangroves, lagoons and pinnacles. The reefs are in pristine condition with miles of perfect hard corals and many varied colourful species of soft corals. The diving is predominantly drift dives due to the moderate prevalent currents in the area which provide nutrients for the myriad fish and coral. Currents are average to moderate and vary from none to very strong. Visibility is normally very good but can vary and is normally at its best earlier in the day so your pre-breakfast dives are not to be slept through!

This is truly "Frontier Diving". Topside the beautiful islands stretch as far as you can see and are largely uninhabited. At night the lights of local fishing boats twinkle in the dark along the few inhabited shorelines while in more remote areas you may only see a distant spec of light over the entire horizon.

Raja Ampat has a high season from October to May and weirdly enough it is during their rainy season due to the winds in the dry season making parts of the park inaccessable.
The rainy season should not be mis-construed though. It is generally mostly a shower in the late afternoon and evening and most of the time the days are nice, wind is minimal and the skys are generally clear or slightly over cast.
The seas are calmer at this time of the year as the oppposite season has winds that kick up waves and make it very difficult to dive the more exposed sites in the Southern part of Raja Ampat.
The water temperature stays roughly the same around the 27-30 degrees celcius mark all year round.

Recently, due to the popularity of Raja Ampat, a lot of boats have been running trips in the so called low season (May to October) and this is also the dry season and so promotes nicer weather and better visibility but the trade off is that only the northern more sheltered part of the park is accessable due to higher winds and waves but as the area is so vast and there are so many quality dive sites the reports from these northern trips have been glowing so far and there are new dive sites being discovered all the time.