Lotus Papua Paradise Eco Resort, Raja Ampat

Diving at Lotus Papua Paradise Resort

The diving at Lotus Papua Paradise Eco Resort is operated by Gangga Divers, a PADI 5-Star dive centre with several dive centres across Indonesia. Facilities include a marine-life library, classroom, equipment crates, wash tubs, drying areas, gear storage, Aqualung rental equipment, free nitrox for certified divers, and an air-conditioned camera room with workstations. Guests are offered a two tank excursion each morning, returning to the resort for lunch, followed another single dive in the afternoon and a final dusk or night dive. The resort operates 10 dive boats of different sizes, all purpose-built for diving and equipped with safety gear, with group sizes of four divers to one guide. Snorkelers can join a dive boat when there is space, but are also free to explore the house reef at their leisure.  

The diving focuses on the local island reefs around Birie and northern Batanta as well as famous sites in the Dampier Strait. The experienced local guides have years of experience in the area, and will happily help you get up close and personal with all the incredible marine life. Guests can also dive the house reef, and book paid full-day excursions visit The Passage or Fam and Piaynemo. The Fam outing combines three dives, chosen according to conditions, with a visit to Piaynemo’s viewpoint. Longer trips to Manta Sandy, Arborek and Sawandarek can also be arranged.

Diving in Raja Ampat

Located off the northwestern tip of Papua, Raja Ampat’s diving offers some of the most exciting underwater experiences in Southeast Asia, if not the world. The marine diversity of these islands is staggering and - quite literally - like nowhere else on earth. From the fabulous hard coral sites in the north to the colourful soft corals of Misool in the south, Raja Ampat is reef diving perfection. And with plenty of liveaboards and idyllic tropical dive resorts to choose from, Raja Ampat is an undisputed king of dive holiday destinations.

Learn more about diving in Raja Ampat in our destination guide here. 

ZuBlu’s dive travel experts will help you create the ideal package at Lotus Papua Paradise Resort, including your preferred room type, diving, excursions, equipment rental, transfers and any special requests. Share your travel dates, group size, diving experience and budget, and we’ll recommend the best options for your trip.

We’ll also help with practical travel planning, including flight routes, arrival timings and resort transfers, making sure your itinerary works as smoothly as possible from start to finish.

Once you’ve finalised your plans, your travel expert will put a complimentary hold on your preferred room and send a final quote that includes accommodation, meals, diving, transfers, rental equipment or excursions. This quote will also show any extras paid in advance or at the resort - there are no hidden fees - as well as a payment schedule and cancellation terms and conditions.

Your booking is confirmed once the required deposit, or full payment when necessary, has been received.

After confirmation, your dedicated guest concierge will take over and assist with flight routes, transfers, any personal information required by the resort, and questions about your reservation. They are there to make the entire process as straightforward as possible.

Ready to start planning you trip? Talk to a travel expert now.

Looking for some more information about dive resorts in Raja Ampat? Read more in our guide here.

Getting there

Guests will need to fly to Sorong, West Papua, usually via Jakarta or Bali. From there, the resort will arrange a transfer to the harbour and onwards by boat, taking around 15 minutes by road plus 2 hours by boat. The resort boat from Sorong departs at 14:00; guests arriving in the morning are transferred to a partner hotel lobby where breakfast and lunch are provided. Flights should arrive in Sorong no later than 12:00, otherwise an overnight stay in Sorong is required before joining the next day’s 14:00 transfer.

On departure, the resort boat leaves at 07:00, regardless of flight time. The earliest recommended flight departure from Sorong is 10:30; guests with earlier flights must transfer to Sorong one day in advance and stay overnight in a hotel.

Other activities

Non-diving activities include kayaking, snorkelling, birdwatching around the resort, trips to see Wilson’s bird of paradise and red bird of paradise, village tours, mangrove and hornbill cruises, Batanta waterfall and mangrove excursions, and longer trips such as to The Passage and Fam Islands. Some excursions are weather and sea-condition dependent and are booked locally.

Day trips to the Fam Islands include two or three snorkelling or diving spots plus the viewpoint walk. The Passage excursion includes diving or snorkelling at The Passage, the mangroves of Yangeffo and Citrus Ridge. Arefi village tours, hornbill sunset cruises and sunrise mangrove birdwatching trips offer good options for non-divers and photographers.

Good to know

• WiFi – Free satellite WiFi is available in the dive centre lounge and is suitable for email and light browsing.
• Mobile coverage – There is no phone reception on the island.
• Electricity – 24-hour electricity is available in every bungalow.
• Plug type – 220V with CEE European plugs.
• Payments at the resort – Extras can be paid by Visa, Mastercard or cash.
• Currency – Indonesian Rupiah is the local currency; the resort also accepts cash USD and EUR in good condition.
• Time zone – Raja Ampat uses Eastern Indonesia Time (WIT) which is UTC+9.
• Marine park fees – Raja Ampat fees are paid separately and should be confirmed before travel.
• Dive insurance – Certified divers must have dive insurance covering emergency evacuation.