SORONG-SORONG 6 NIGHT

SORONG – SORONG (Central) 6 Night

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to

create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by

the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather

conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other

liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

● Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

● One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles

over night)

● Activities during the surface intervals such as:

● scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

● trekking to breathtaking view points

● visits of secluded perfect beaches

● excursions to traditional villages

● whale watching

● water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 6nights / 7days cruise from

Sorong (West Papua) back to Sorong (West Papua). This is just to give you a

general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions.

Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well,

which you will learn about during the cruise.

In any of these Itineraries we visited what is considered Central Raja Ampat

where famous areas like Penemu and Dampier Strait are located:

Day 1: Embarkation

Arrival with plane to Sorong. You will be picked up by crew members at the

airport.

Embarkation in the port of Sorong. This day we don ́t dive due to the long way to

the diving areas. Instead we use it to relax and rest, set up the dive equipment

and talk with the Cruise Director so he could arrange the diving groups.

Day 2: Yanggefo

After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy

and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and

weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides

checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required.

‘Mayhem’ is an action packed dive which we will hit when there is enough current

to keep the fish life going without being to challenging for the divers. Citrus ridge

is another colorful reef with soft coral and hard coral that can be pack of fishes in

certain currents.

But the highlight of Yanggefo are the mangroves. Here we have the oportunity of

dive in a blue water mangrove. We will be able to swim between the roots of the

mangrove enjoy this unique landscape at the same time that thedive guides spot

the archer fish, the pijama cardinal fish or diferent juveniles of reef fishes that use

the mangroves as protection.

Day 3: Penemu

In the morning you will find yourself in the north of Raja Ampat. The main

difference to Misool are the pristine hard coral, whilst the south is famous for the

soft variation.

Penemu is a breathtaking diving site located in Central Raja Ampat, renowned

for its vibrant coral reefs and diverse marine life. Divers are enchanted by the

kaleidoscope of colors as they explore the crystal-clear waters, encountering an

array of marine species including colorful reef fish, reef sharks, and majestic

manta rays. Penemu's underwater topography features stunning coral

formations, swim-throughs, and drop-offs, offering an exhilarating diving

experience. Dive sites like Melissa ́s Garden, My Reef, Keruo Channel and Batu

Rufus are a must in a Raja Ampat trip.

In the afternoon after the third dive we will vivit the Penemu viewpoint to admire

the lagoon as you probably have seen in so many pictures.

Day 4: Mansuar / Arborek

It’s time for more close encounters with the majestic Manta Rays of Raja Ampat.

‘Manta Sandy’ is one of the most popular dive sites out here and therefore we

avoid. Just because we know about even better spots where we will take you.

In the afternoon we will dive the jetty of the small island of Arborek. The pillars

are covered in soft coral and all around we find very attractive macro life.

Afterwards we will go and visit the little village here on the island.

.

Day 5: Dampier Strait

The dive- and snorkel sites in the Dampier Strait stand for action packed dives in

our favourite kind of fish soup - the one that is still alive and surrounds us in the

water. Encounters with Manta Rays are very common here. The reef of the island

of Kri is the current world record holder with the highest number of fish species

ever counted by a scientist in a single dive - Dr. Gerry Allen came up with 374

different fish species counted. Again: in one single dive.

Dive sites here are exposed to current so it’s all about the right timing to get the

most out of it. And we know how to time it here. Popular dive sites here: ‘Kap Kri’,

‘Chicken’, ‘Sardine’, ‘Mike’s Point’ and ‘Blu Majik’.

Day 6: Dampier

The last day we will have one or two dives depending what time is your flight next

day. In this two dives we will cover some of the dive site we didn ́t do the previous

day as Dampier has plenty of dive sites. For the last one usually we look for one

easy and shallow although sometimes guests a re moreadventurous and ask for

have a more challenging Dampier style dive site looking for splint points and

current to ensure a fish soup around us.

On our way back our crew will keep an eye out onto the ocean for you and alert

you in time for whale and dolphin encounters. Which are quite common here. As

long as you are on the watch out.

And we are...

Day 7: Disembarkation in Sorong

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in

advance so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.