Raja Ampat 2026 – Samambaia

We recently completed two incredible trips to Raja Ampat 2026 on the always amazing Samambaia liveaboard. We organized these trips over two years ago and have been waiting in anticipation ever since! Both trips started and ended in Sorong and visited all of the highlights of both central and southern Raja Ampat.

We had typical Raja Ampat for the February/March time of year with a lot of sun, some cloudy days, some rain and a bit of wind. In other words, the whole mixed bag of a tropical diving trip!
Our first trip started in Sorong, everyone arrived safely and we boarded Samambaia mid morning. It was great to see familiar faces who we haven’t met in a while and meet a great group of new people too. Our first stop was the central area of Raja Ampat, the Dampier Strait.

Raja Ampat 2026 – Samambaia Trip One

Highlight dives included Sardine Reef, Cape Kri, Citrus Ridge and an amazing snorkelling experience with manta rays near Arborek Island. We enjoyed a great stroll in the village at Sauwandarek as well as visiting the giant turtles on their house reef. We finished off the Dampier Strait area with two days at Penemu diving the top sites such as Melissa’s Garden and My Reef. Of course we also spent some time in the lagoon to hike up to the view point to soak in the great view of the islands.

We departed Penemu for an overnight crossing down south to Misool for the final days of the trip. The diving in Misool is always a treat and we hit all of the hotspots. We started in Daram at Candy Store and Andiamo before heading to Magic Mountain. Our next destination was a great day of diving Boo, Nudi and Whale Rocks. The next day saw us heading west to hit Gorgonian Passage and Four Kings. We of course took advantage of the beautiful area to visit some of the incredible lagoons and hike to the peak at Love Lagoon.

Highlights of this trip included manta rays, colourful coral reefs and a lot of wonderful fish life. The crew on Samambaia was wonderful, welcoming and took care of our every need. Of course the food could be a topic in and of itself as everyone raved about the quality of each and every meal.

After an overnight journey from Misool back to Sorong we said good bye to all of our friends and guests who departed on that morning before getting ready for our second group.

Raja Ampat 2026 – Samambaia Trip Two

Once our second group arrived we were ready for our second journey to the wonderful Raja Ampat. Once again we were happy to see a lot of familiar faces on board. On the first day we journeyed to the Dampier Strait for the first portion of the trip.

It was the first trip to Raja for most of the group and we treated them to the top sites in the area. The first day included both Blue Magic and Sardine Reef. Day two we visited the iconic Cape Kri and once again visited the village of Sauwandarek. We then spent a day in the Arborek area to enjoy time with manta rays and then headed over to Yangeffo. The mangroves of Yangeffo were a real treat for everyone to explore the unique clear water mangroves. We were able to spend two days at Penemu diving spots like My Reef with its wonderful school of Barracuda.

An overnight trip took us down to the Misool area stopping at Daram to enjoy Candy Store and Andiamo. It was then a short hop to Balbulol for a lagoon trip. The weather turned a little in Misool with a more rain than we had the prior week. A little rain never hurt anyone and we explored top sites such as Nudi and Whale Rocks, Gorgonian Passage, Eagle’s Nest and Magic Mountain. We finished off week two with a visit to one of the iconic jellyfish lakes to swim with hundreds of non stinging jellies.

Once again the service on Samambaia was above and beyond. Everyone aboard had a wonderful time meeting new friends, chatting about diving and enjoying the wonderful food!

Thanks Everyone For Joining Us

It was sad to see everyone go on the last morning after such an amazing experience. We are grateful to enjoy over 20 days on the Samambaia Liveaboard. Exploring the wilds of Raja Ampat is an experience that every diver or nature lover should experience. We are thankful for everyone who joined us on these trips as the experience was a once in a lifetime memory. We look forward to meeting everyone again soon either in Bali or once again exploring the islands of Indonesia. Please stay tuned to our social media and website for the next trip announcement!

Of course everyone would love to see the highlights of our trips! And what is a better way to show that than in video form! Here is a relaxing long form video that Luca shot featuring all the highlights from our Raja Ampat 2026 experience. Please enjoy.

If you would like to join us on our next adventure feel free to Contact Us for more information.