There’s nothing quite like a cruise through the Ampat Islands. The sailing breeze on your back, gorgeous vistas, and stunning diving. This is my third trip to Misool and Raja Ampat and my second time back on the Neomi Liveaboard this year alone. My last experience on the Neomi Liveaboard was fantastic, to say the least. The Banda Islands are like no place on Earth. We saw so much amazing sea life, including a ton of hammerheads. In this post, I’ll be going over our six-day diving trip to Misool in raja Ampat, everything I liked, and our exploration of one of the best diving areas in the world
If you want a full review of the Neomi liveaboard, its cabins, and the diving organization, take a peek at my previous article here.
How to get to Sorong and Raja Ampat?
Most liveaboard trips to Raja Ampat and West Papua depart from a small town on the west side of Papua called Sorong. The easiest way to get there is to fly. You have several airport options like Jakarta International Airport, Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, Makassar or the Pattimura Airport in Ambon. Most people who are flying internationally connect via Jakarta.
Garuda Indonesia tends to be the most reliable airline when it comes to getting to Sorong.
TIP: At the time of this writing, Garuda allows an extra 15 kg of luggage free of charge specifically for diving equipment.
Flights in Indonesia are frequently canceled or delayed, so you might want to spend a night in Sorong just to be safe. Nobody wants to miss their boat because of an airport mix-up.
Read my review of Sorong, including where to stay and what you can do to make the most of your time before the boat departs.
On this trip, I landed in Sorong at 7 in the morning with a rainbow curving over the islands. It was spectacular!
A Neomi liveaboard’s crew member was already at the airport, waiting to drive me to the boat. Can you say, effortless? Within 60 minutes of landing, I was on the boat and in my cabin.
TIP: Get a window seat on the left side of the plane. Most flights land around sunrise and the views over Raja Ampat are gorgeous.
Traveling to Raja Ampat During COVID
Traveling to Raja Ampat during Coronavirus was a challenge, to say the least. This was mostly because the rules kept changing. There was a lot of confusion on what kind of test result was required to travel to Sorong and Raja Ampat. It changed every week but also changed depending on who you asked. One person would tell you one thing and then the next would say something completely different. In the end, I followed Neomi’s directive and got the antigen swab test. It was cheaper and faster than the PCR, but quite painful!
By the time I was on my way back, a PCR was required to travel between the 9th of December and the 4th of January. I ended up getting my PCR done in Sorong as it was also required for Misool Eco Resort where I went next. You can read about that trip here.
TIP: at the time of writing, the best place to do a 24 hour PCR in Sorong is Rumah Sakit Angkatan Laut. It cost one million, six hundred rupees. They’re open Monday to Friday. Make sure you get the test by 11 am to get your results that evening.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the rules are always changing and not well communicated. Be ready for uncertainty. Getting frustrated because everyone gives you a different answer won’t help you have a good trip. Remember that we’re lucky to be able to travel at all. Travel companies are doing the best they can to keep every safe and satisfied. Once you get on the boat, it will all be worth it.
Content of this article:
Covid Procedures on the Neomi Liveaboard
Of course, all this hassle begs the question: is it even safe to go on a cruise right now? In my experience, yes. Neomi liveaboard had strong COVID preventive measures in place.
We were asked to wash our hands before boarding the boat and had to walk through a disinfectant sprinkle door. There were hand sanitizer bottles available all over the boat and a sink at the entrance of the buffet to encourage people to wash their hands. In addition, they took everyone’s temperature regularly throughout the cruise.
Also worth noting that the air-conditioning units in the bedrooms on the Neomi are individual. Each air conditioner has its own outdoor outlet meaning that the air comes straight from outside to your cabin and is not circulated from cabins to cabins, which many suspects is what caused COVID transmissions on the bigger cruise lines
Thanks to all those measures, everyone stayed healthy.
Review of the boat and the cabins on the Neomi Liveaboard
For a full review of the boat, read my previous article on the Neomi trip to Banda islands. This time I stayed in cabin 103, It is also a cabin below deck with 2 small portholes. It is closer to the engine room so a bit noisier and warmer than the other cabins below deck. It is very spacious and is probably the biggest cabin available onboard after the suite.
If you are looking for something special, consider the suite. It is spectacular and has to be one of the nicest cabins on a liveaboard currently in Indonesia with a 270 degrees private wrap-around balcony. 
Review of the Food on the Neomi Liveaboard
A very important aspect on liveaboard trip is the food. There were four meals each day with a snack served at around 5 pm. Breakfast started at 6:30 am with a second breakfast at 9 am for after the first dive or for those days you didn’t really feel like getting up early. Lunch was at 12:30 with dinner at 8:00 pm.
The food was served buffet-style with lots of amazing seafood. Fish, king crab, and lobster were frequently on the menu. Yet the staff didn’t hesitate to offer alternatives. In fact, two of the guests during my last trip were vegetarians. The cook always made sure there were tasty options for them as well. The food was so fresh and plentiful. It was delicious! Everyone had the chance to eat as much as they wanted. Neomi liveaboard definitely invested in premium ingredients.
The choice of drinks on this trip was a bit more limited. They had only 2 bottles of wine for the whole trip for 8 passengers… So if you drink wine, you might want to bring your own. There was, however, plenty of beer. liquor and soft drinks for sale onboard.
Review of the diving organization on the Neomi liveaboard.
The diving was well organized and our dive guide Rafni was excellent.
I’ll admit, with 18 divers split into five groups and only 2 tenders boats, I was a bit worried about how it would all work. Neomi had it covered. The times for our groups were well spaced out, so we rarely had to wait more than a few minutes. The deck didn’t feel crowded and we had the most magical time underwater.
The crew was super helpful and would load all our diving equipment for us. Our tanks were always filled perfectly. We basically just had to put on our gear. I dove with Nitrox, an enhanced air that was charged an extra $20 per day. A crew member always checked the nitrox percentage before each dive to make sure my dive was as safe and enjoyable as possible.
Let me tell you, the sights of underwater life are incredible. I loved exploring the underwater world. The sights were amazing and since each dive lasted a little over an hour and I never felt like I was rushed. ..
Review of the Itinerary on Neomi Liveaboard 6-night diving Cruise to Misool
Misool is a big island flanked by a little island chain that’s far south of Sorong. In some ways, it’s a bit of a hidden treasure. Many cruise ships won’t go that far to save on gas. But if you’re going to go all the way to Raja Ampat, you should make sure that Misool is on your itinerary. This beautiful place has some of the best diving in Raja Ampat and in the world.
Neomi liveaboard has a unique value proposition for Misool. They offer quick 6 nights trips to Misool allowing people with little vacations to experience it (most other boats covering Misool are usually 9-14 nights trips). This is perfect for people who have short holidays but still want to dive Misool. Nevertheless, keep in mind that given the long travel time, a 6 days trip means only 4 full days of diving.
Misool is a conservation success story. This sizable no-take zone was created by the Misool eco-resort in collaboration with the local communities. Together, they’ve restored and preserved a diverse, pristine ecosystem. The Misool eco-resort was even built on an old shark finning factory. Talk about taking back the island. This resort offers jobs to eighty-one people while protecting the environment. The results have been spectacular.
Sealife has increased on average by 250% over the last six years. Some sites have seen an increase of up to 600%. It is one of the few reefs in the world that is improving.
For my review of Misool Eco resort, read here.
TIP: water is generally warm in Misool with the temperature around 29C ( or 84 degrees Fahrenheit), so a 3 millimeters wetsuit will be enough for most people.
Day 1: Boarding the Neomi and Navigating Towards Misool
Day 1 was very quiet and relaxing. Most guests arrived in the early morning after an overnight flight. Most people were happy to rest in their cabin or lounge on the deck.
The breakfast buffet was ready upon our arrival. There was plenty of time to unpack and explore the boat. We left Sorong just before lunch. It was a long trip, lasting the rest of the day and an entire night. Thankfully, the Neomi is very stable. We barely felt any movements at all.
Sunset from the top deck was utterly enjoyable. Some passengers decided to soak in the hot tubs instead.
Day 2 Starting Strong with One of Misool’s Best Dive Sites.
We arrived in Misool by morning and everyone started getting ready. Our first dive was at Yuliet Island. It is a small island with a coral garden at a depth of about 5 meters. It’s not the most fish dense dives of the trip, but we still managed to see two schools of barracudas and some fusiliers in the shallow area. This is not Misool’s best dive site but it is convenient for a check dive. Unfortunately, the visibility was pretty low with green cloudy water. It was just a first taste of what was to come. We got very unlucky during our trip with stormy weather and bad visibility on most dive sites.
After that, we moved straight into the action with two dives at the Shadow reef dive site. This is truly one of the best dive sites in Raja Ampat. Sometimes called Magic Mountain, this place is so popular that there’s normally a limit allowing liveaboards to dive it only one time per trip. I’m not sure how we got to dive it twice in a row but I was not complaining. We were the only liveaboard in Misool that day, so I’m sure that helped.
On both dives, we saw two huge oceanic manta rays. The one on the deeper pinnacle hung out with us for a whole 20 minutes. They were curious and came very close. But never too close if you ask me. One of them flew straight over my head while we were on the ridge. It was massive!
The current was practically nonexistent, so there were fewer schools of fish than usual. We still managed to see a few big grey sharks, a wobbegong shark, napoleons, and some blue trevallies. Of course, there was also a small school of barracudas and some smaller fishes.
A turtle was very busy eating soft coral and wasn’t bothered by us one bit.
That’s the great part about Misool. The wildlife is pretty used to humans and doesn’t feel threatened as they are not being fished. Some of them will come right up to you. I’ve got to say, even if it was a little murky, the dive was amazing.
The sunset was again spectacular and I saw a huge whale breaching on the horizon. A night dive was organized on the corner of Yuliet island, but I decided to relax on the deck instead. Night dives were offered on each of the four full diving days of the trip.
Day 3: Looking for Nudibranchs at Tank Reef and the Nudi Rock Dive Sites
Our first dive was the Tank Rock dive site. Tank rock is a small rock with a tree on top. How cool is that? Fifteen feet or 5 meters down, there’s a gorgeous coral garden with white and orange corals teeming with anthias and glassfish. The best part of the dive was seeing pygmy seahorses and funky looking nudibranchs. It was still pretty murky, so it was hard to see much else, but I’m sure there were tons of fish swimming around out there.
The second dive of the day was at Nudi Rock. The Nudi Rock dive site is a small collection of limestone rocks with a few shrub-like trees on top. It kind of looked like a nudibranch.
There is a stunning coral garden at 15 feet or 5 meters down and it was full of small fish swimming around in the most colorful corals ever. There were also plenty of anemones, so make sure you save some time for an extra-long safety stop.
We found a few special nudibranchs and crabs on the wall on the north side. It was so cool.
Lunch was “interrupted” by dolphins swimming along with the bow of the boat.
In the afternoon we went hiking in Karawapop. With a heart-shaped lagoon, this place is truly selfie material. It probably wouldn’t be a bad place for a proposal either. It was a short, ten-minute climb up some stairs, but the view from the top was stunning.
TIP: bring a bottle of water for the journey
TIP 2: Look in the water near the ponton. We saw 3 baby sharks
We spent the night by Wayil island. I was very surprised to see a big fishing boat actively fishing as we were in the marine protected area. Maybe that explains why there were fewer fish than on my previous trips to Misool.
Day 4: Getting Caught in a Storm Towards West Misool
Our first dive of the day was Baloq. Baloq island’s orange and yellow dive site is basically two islands that slope together underwater.
Today the water actually looked blue.
It was easy to see where this dive site got its name from. A lot of the soft corals were vibrant orange and yellow. The reef was teeming with life. Three Napoleon wrasses played in the shallows while the ever-present barracudas patrolled the area. I got to see my favorite nudibranch, the Pikachu! If you’ve never seen one, you have to. They’re so cool.
Just when things were finally clear, a storm rolled in. Normally a storm at sea sounds terrifying, but the Neomi is so stable we barely felt it. We even got to dive again after it was done.
The Dunia Baru dive site is a big reef around a small island.
On the east side is a black coral garden and big sea fans. There were very few fish for a Misool dive site: a few sturgeons, some snappers, and small schools of sardines. Maybe that had something to do with the fishing boats patrolling the area on the surface? There were a lot of broken corals and many corals were covered by a layer of mud and sand. We found a few cool nudibranchs but I wouldn’t call this dive a highlight of the trip.
The weather was bad for the rest of the day, but we still managed to have a nice sunset on the top deck with our lobster dinner.
Day 5: Huge Manta Action at Four Kings
Day 5 was exciting, to say the least. We started off at the Four Kings dive site, another one of the most famous dive sites in Misool. The place gets its name from the four pinnacles stretching out into the ocean. It makes quite an impression if I do say so myself.
Visibility still wasn’t that great, but we saw so many fish! Jacks, barracudas, and tunas were hunting, while schools of yellow snappers hung out on top of the reef.
A few huge oceanic mantas came by. One of them got really close. I think he was checking us out. It’s so humbling to float right under those majestic giants of the sea. We could hear the dolphins, but they didn’t come close enough to see.
The wall was covered by sea fans and colorful soft corals. The fans were huge, some of them were twice the size of a human and they had tons of pygmies seahorses on them.
There was a bit of current going in all directions so make sure you keep track of your buoyancy and depth.
The third dive of the day was at Yelu Slope. This steep slope was covered in sandy mud and the visibility was very poor. There were almost no fish. Whether that was because of the many fishing boats or storm was hard to tell. We did find a few nudis and some shrimps, but I wouldn’t count this as a dive to remember.
Day 6: Starting our way back to Sorong and trekking amongst scenic karts rocks
We went to the Wagmag Island lagoon dive site.
Normally, this place is a soft slope that goes down from the beach with little hard corals bursting with color. Unfortunately, the storm had covered everything in sand and muck. The visibility was very poor. We were outside of the protected area and saw few fish beyond a small school of fusiliers and juvenile trevally. As the last dive of the trip, it felt a bit underwhelming. At least it didn’t rain again until later.
The trek to Harpark was fantastic and we even managed to stay dry, because it only started to rain when we were returning to the boat. The path to go to the summit is well maintained. It’s an easy, but steep walk up. That said, the views more than make up for it. As disappointed as I was with the diving conditions and the bad weather we experienced, this was truly a grand finale to our week in Misool. Even the views from the boat as we navigated between limestone pillars were breathtaking. We passed a few paradises looking beach where you will wish you had time to stop for a quick swim.
After lunch, we navigated the whole afternoon on our way back to Sorong. It was our last chance to enjoy the beautiful top deck and the jacuzzies during sunset.
When’s the best time to go to Raja Ampat?
The diving season in Rajat Ampat is from September/October until April/May.
The best time of the year. If you want to see lots of fishes is November and December. The sea at this time usually is tranquil. Unfortunately, those months tend to suffer from poor visibility. ( but it is not always true. I have been to Raja Ampat in November and had good visibility)
January and February are when visibility is the best. It can be windy, and the sea can be choppy.
In Conclusion of my Neomi liveaboard review
Misool is one of the best diving destinations on earth but we got very unlucky with the weather conditions. The end of this trip didn’t do Misool justice. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little disappointed, but it’s important to remember that diving is always dependent on mother nature. Fortunately, the Neomi liveaboard is large and comfortable. It handled the storms extremely well. We could relax in the spacious lounge with panoramic views or in our comfortable cabins during the rain showers. Despite the weather conditions, we still had a good trip and a few amazing dives.
The Neomi liveaboard is one of the few boats offering this kind of short trip to Misool and is a great option if you are looking for a comfortable cruise.