Dewi Nusantara
Raja Ampat liveaboardThe beautiful 57 metre Dewi Nusantara is a triple masted wooden schooner, which offers the ultimate in luxury and comfort whilst visiting some of Indonesia’s most pristine and remote dive sites.
The Dewi Nusantara spends the majority of the year exploring Raja Ampat, with the boat moving regions to ensure the best diving conditions for the time of year, diving Cendrawasih Bay from July to August and the Banda Sea from March to April and again from September to October. Itineraries are generally 11 nights and offer up to four dives per day.
Accommodating just 18 guests, the Dewi Nusantara is one of the largest liveaboards operating in the region, so offering exceptionally high standards of service with exceptional diving facilities. Accommodation is 5 star rated in 8 spacious Staterooms and 1 Master Suite. The liveaboard has an expansive lounge and indoor dining area, huge sun deck with sun loungers and hammocks, outdoor dining area and finally the vast dive deck with large indoor camera room.
To find out more about this area, visit our Indonesia page.
Getting there
The gateway to Raja Ampat is Sorong, which is the closest city to West Papua and where all of the liveaboards depart from. Direct flights operate out of Jakarta (4 hours), Manado (1 hour 15 mins) and Ambon (50 mins) to Sorong, giving you plenty of scope for stopovers and extensions. Getting to these destinations is fairly straightforward from the UK and usually involves one stop.
Upon arrival at Sarong airport, once you have claimed your luggage, a member of the Dewi Nusantara crew will be waiting for you to transfer you to the boat. Official embarkation time is 4pm, but if you are arriving on an earlier flight it may be possible to board from 12 noon onwards.
Guide price: 11 nights from GBP £5599 pp*
Includes: 11 nights accommodation in a stateroom cabin on a full board basis, snacks, drinking water, soft drinks, hot drinks, local beer, 4 dives per day with tank/weights, experienced English-speaking divemaster (max of 5 divers per DM), transfers from Sorong.
Package excludes: international flights, overnight hotel stays, port fee ($285 per person), nitrox fills ($210 per cruise or $10 per fill), equipment rentals, alcohol, and crew gratuity.
*Price shown is for guide purposes only and is based on low season travel and for twin/double share accommodation. Please contact us for a confirmed cost based on your preferred duration and time of travel.
Quick Guide: Dewi Nusantara
- 57m length
- Max 18 passengers
- 8 staterooms and 1 master suite
- Recommended diver level: Open Water Diver with a minimum of 30 dives
Accommodation & Facilities
The Dewi Nusantara has 8 spacious individually designed staterooms located on the lower deck. All staterooms are adaptable for either twin or double use and have air conditioning, large en-suite bathroom with complimentary toiletries, writing desk, reading lights, 220V power points and plenty of hanging storage for clothing.
On the main deck you will find the master suite, the signature room of the ship which occupies the full width of the vessel and boasts a king size bed, en-suite bathroom with shower and jacuzzi, sitting area with large corner sofa and 180 degree views of the ocean.
There is a large air-conditioned lounge with flatscreen TV, DVD player, music system and comfortable seating located on the main deck with indoor dining area, as well as a large open-air dining area. On the upper deck you can relax on the spacious sun deck and enjoy the beautiful Indonesian scenery with a cold drink on one of the many sun loungers and hammocks.
Before the first dive of the day there is a “grazing” breakfast available from 6am before a full breakfast is cooked to order and served after the first morning dive. Lunch is served as a buffet and includes a huge variety catering for all tastes. The evening meal is a 3 course dinner served at your table with complimentary glass of wine. Additionally, fresh snacks are served throughout the day with beverages (non-alcoholic and local beer) being included whilst on-board.
The large dive deck is located at the rear of the main deck and has ample space for each diver with personal lockers, fin storage, fresh water rinse tanks, 2 hot showers and a large indoor camera room with an 8m work bench with individual power outlets, perfect for the keen underwater photographer and videographer. The boat is also equipped with nitrox facilities and will be offering rebreather diving in the near future.
Diving is from one of the 2 spacious zodiacs. Divers board the zodiac and then don their gear at the dive site for a backward roll entry. The zodiac crew will hand down cameras and other equipment if required. After the dive, divers may remove their gear in the water and hand it up to the crew and simply climb aboard by the secured ladder. Equipment is available to rent including a limited supply of underwater cameras. Standard tanks are 12L with DIN adaptable valves. 15L tanks are available to rent. Nitrox is available.
Itineraries
Raja Ampat
Sample itinerary: Misool, Mansuar, Jef Fam, Kawe, Wajag, Uranie, Waigeo, Wafak and Kri, bird watching on Gam Island, caving at Misool
Day 1
An easy start of your vacation, with a 10 minute transfer from Sorong airport to the harbour, where you can easily spot the 3-masted Dewi Nusantara. Its crew welcomes you with a cocktail and fresh fruits that you can enjoy while listening to the boat briefing that explains in detail the boat features.
Spend the afternoon setting up your dive gear on the dive deck and getting to know the crew and other guests. Dinner is served at sunset.
Days 2-11
On each day of your tour the 22 crew members on board will make sure you have a pleasant vacation, from the morning wake up beverage service and the dive briefing that introduces the 1st morning dive, until the 4th dive (usually at dusk or night), followed by a 3 course dinner and a glass of wine. Also for your enjoyment there is a full breakfast buffet of Western and Indonesian options before gearing up for the 2nd morning dive, while dinner is usually a buffet of several choices picked from the international, Chinese and local cuisine. Hot soups are also always available. All fresh ingredients cooked by a very experienced chef that has worked on Dewi Nusantara for several years, without any complaints from customers! Although 4 meals and all day available snacks might seem to be a lot of food, you will be pleased by the amount as diving will make you hungry! Grab a sun bed or relax in the lounge while waiting for the 3rd and afternoon dive. The underwater show will never stop entertaining you.
Dive after dive you will witness the variety of environments and marine life that Raja Ampat offers. From soft corals and huge sea fans dives to hard corals and black sands, or from pristine colourful reefs to drop offs battered by currents. Shark sightings will be a regular topic of after-dive briefings, as much as manta rays and enormous schools of hunting fish such as jacks and trevallies, and of course their prey such as anthias and damsels. If you are a macro lover then you are in for a real treat. Pygmy seahorses, mimic octopus, nudibranchs, frogfish, the list is endless. Photographers definitely have a Raja Ampat trip on their bucket list.
Please note that only 2 morning dives will take place on the last full day of the charter. The liveaboard then in the afternoon cruises back to Sorong.
Day 12
A continental breakfast at 08:00 hrs is followed by a complimentary transfer to Sorong Airport or any hotel you have reserved.
Cendrawasih Bay
Sample itinerary: Cenderawasih Bay: Biak Island, Numfor, Num, Rumberpon, Mios Waor, Roon, Tanjung Ayami, Tanjung Manguwar, Kwatisore and Ahe
Day 1
An easy start to your vacation, with a 10 minute transfer from Manokwari airport to the harbour, where you can easily spot the 3-masted Dewi Nusantara. Its crew welcomes you with a cocktail and fresh fruits that you can enjoy while listening to the boat briefing that explains in detail the boat features.
Spend the afternoon setting up your dive gear on the dive deck and getting to know the crew and other guests. Dinner is served at sunset.
Days 2-11
Enjoy diving around Manokwari and sample some of its excellent muck diving. There are some very cool endemic fish to be found in Cenderawasih Bay and these first Bay dives would give us the chance to have our first glimpse of them. Not all the dives are muck but there are some good critters to find. Once we leave the Port of Manokwari all other diving is Reef, great hard corals, big sponges, and soft coral. We normally like to spend a morning or two with the Bagans (Fishing platforms) to swim, snorkel and dive with the whale sharks. On each day of your tour the 22 crew members on board will make sure you have a pleasant vacation, from the morning wake up beverage service and the dive briefing that introduces the 1st morning dive, until the 4th dive (usually at dusk or night), followed by a 3 course dinner and a glass of wine. Also for your enjoyment there is a full breakfast buffet of Western and Indonesian options before gearing up for the 2nd morning dive, while dinner is usually a buffet of several choices picked from the international, Chinese and local cuisine. Hot soups are also always available. All fresh ingredients cooked by a very experienced chef that has worked on Dewi Nusantara for several years, without any complaints from customers! Although 4 meals and all day available snacks might seem to be a lot of food, you will be pleased by the amount as diving will make you hungry! Grab a sun bed or relax in the lounge while waiting for the 3rd and afternoon dive. The underwater show will never stop entertaining you. This trip will end in Manokwari and at present we cannot be totally sure of our itinerary (weather conditions etc) however I imagine we will finish with some very nice reef diving nearby.
Please note that only 2 morning dives will take place on the last full day of the charter. The liveaboard then in the afternoon cruises back to Manokwari.
Day 12
A continental breakfast is served at 08:00 hrs is followed by a complimentary transfer to the airport or your hotel in Manokwari.
Ambon – Banda Sea – Alor
Sample itinerary: Pulau Teun, Dawera, Nil Desperandum, Manuk, Banda Neira Islands,Suangi and Banda Islands, Nusa Laut, Ameth and Ambon Bay,
Day 1
An easy start of your vacation, with a 10 minute transfer from Kaiabahi airport (Alor) to the harbour, where you can easily spot the 3-masted Dewi Nusantara. Its crew welcomes you with a cocktail and fresh fruits that you can enjoy while listening to the boat briefing that explains in detail the boat features.
Spend the afternoon setting up your dive gear on the dive deck and getting to know the crew and other guests. Dinner is served at sunset.
Days 2-11
On each day of your tour the 22 crew members on board will make sure you have a pleasant vacation, from the morning wake up beverage service and the dive briefing that introduces the 1st morning dive, until the 4th dive (usually at dusk or night), followed by a 3 course dinner and a glass of wine. Also for your enjoyment there is a full breakfast buffet of Western and Indonesian options before gearing up for the 2nd morning dive, while dinner is usually a buffet of several choices picked from the international, Chinese and local cuisine. Hot soups are also always available. All fresh ingredients cooked by a very experienced chef that has worked on Dewi Nusantara for several years, without any complaints from customers! Although 4 meals and all day available snacks might seem to be a lot of food, you will be pleased by the amount as diving will make you hungry! Grab a sun bed or relax in the lounge while waiting for the 3rd and afternoon dive. The underwater show will never stop entertaining you.
There is excellent visibility awaiting you in the Banda Sea, along with pristine corals and a stunning amount of fish. On the last full day of the tour there are 2 or 3 muck dives around Ambon on the schedule.
Please note that only 2 morning dives will take place on the last full day of the charter. The liveaboard then in the afternoon cruises back to Ambon.
Day 12
A continental breakfast at 08:00 hrs is followed by a complimentary transfer to Ambon Airport or any hotel you have reserved. Please note that the trip sometimes runs in reverse or has differing ports – check above for details.
Indonesia by region
Bali
Rich culture, stunning mountain rice terraces and excellent shore diving
Komodo National Park
Critters, wall diving, mantas - and dragons!
Raja Ampat
Jungle covered islands, hidden lagoons and idyllic white sandy beaches
Manado
Reef walls of the Bunaken Islands and secret critters of Lembeh Strait
Ready for your next adventure?
Great Escapes Diving Holidays Ltd
Combs Tannery
Tannery Road
Combs
Stowmarket
Suffolk
IP14 2EN
United Kingdom
Office hours: Mondays to Fridays, 9am - 5pm
Tel: 01449 535010
Email: info@greatescapesdiving.com
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