News
Dive the richest reefs in the world with the pioneers of Raja Ampat
![raja ampat](https://www.scubaverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sorido-Aerial-DON-SILCOCK-scaled.jpg)
Papua Diving Resorts are the pioneers of sustainable tourism and diving in Raja Ampat. Our award-winning resorts are PADI Five Star and were the first exclusive dive resorts in the heart of the Dampier Strait. Where lush jungle meets clear, warm waters and the richest reefs on earth, let yourself embrace an escape like no other.
With over 30 years of operation in Raja Ampat and award-winning commitment to the people and environment of Papua, Papua Diving Resorts’ experience and impact are unrivalled. This makes us the natural choice for ocean enthusiasts.
Our founder, Max, has been diving and exploring Raja Ampat since 1990, discovering the dive sites the area is so famous for. Paying tribute to his family, Max named a few of the dive sites after his wife and children, including Melissa’s Garden and Mike’s Point, as well as coming up with quirky names like Chicken Reef and Sardine Reef because of his experiences while diving there for the first time.
Papua Diving Resorts is also just a stone’s throw away from the famous Cape Kri, world record holder of most reef fish species counted on a single dive. In 2012, ichthyologist Dr. Gerry Allen counted 374 different reef fish species on a single dive at Cape Kri. In an interview, he said:
“One of my favorite places to dive in Raja Ampat is Cape Kri near Sorido Resort… I didn’t even have to look for fish. They found me! The survey was the highest species count I’ve ever tallied on one dive, 374 distinct species in 90 minutes!”
Our dedicated team will make sure you see the best of Raja Ampat as we take you on incredible trips to the Fam Islands, Mushroom Islands and Manta points, just an hour away from our resorts. Experience Raja Ampat’s super reefs in a whole new light by joining the fluorescent dive and blackwater dives around Kri Island. Or simply enjoy a relaxing sunset and night dive where you can be sure to see the elusive mandarin fish and famous walking shark.
With Papua Diving Resorts, guests get the chance to experience the Last Paradise at the very first dive resort in the area. Here, qualified and experienced staff are committed to giving guests the best Raja Ampat has to offer through Papua Diving Resorts’ quality service, food, and excursions.
OUR RESORTS
Papua Diving Resorts provides two world-class options to stay on Kri Island: the more traditional Kri Eco Resort, and upscaled boutique Sorido Bay Resort.
Sorido Bay Resort is our luxury boutique option
Perfect for those who want a touch of luxury, Sorido Bay Resort is a collection of 9 charming bungalows with spacious rooms and ensuites, each with Wi-Fi, AC and fan and a veranda that overlooks a vibrant house reef. The private resort faces the Papuan sunrise, basking the island in a warm glow for a beautiful day in Indonesia’s Crown Jewel.
Indulge in community-style meals at the sea-view restaurant that overlooks the turquoise waters of the house reef and Sorido Blue Hole beyond. If you’re lucky, you might spot a pod of dolphins or even whales with your morning coffee or afternoon tea.
Kri Eco Resort is where paradise meets sustainability
Looking out over the dark blue waters of the Dampier Strait and distant mountain ranges, Kri Eco Resort is a cluster of authentic Papuan-style water bungalows built from locally sourced materials with 3 room types to choose from, two of which have communal bathrooms.
The 13 cottages come with Wi-Fi, electric fans for still nights, and direct access to Kri’s vibrant house reef. The over-water sun deck area faces the Papuan setting sun, creating the picture-perfect spot for bright orange sunsets. With a more in-touch-with-nature feel, Kri Eco Resort bungalows allow guests to fully enjoy the cool sea breeze and natural beauty paradise has to offer.
Regardless of where you stay, you can be sure to experience the rich biodiversity of Raja Ampat. Enjoy looking down from our jetty into the crystal-clear waters of the house reef, where you can spot stingrays, blacktip reef sharks, moray eels and sea snakes, and if you’re lucky even some dolphins and dugongs swimming by.
The resort grounds are also rich with land creatures such as monitor lizards, cuscus, even kingfisher birds and sea eagles. Embrace your adventurous side and take a kayak out to the sandbar that appears during low tide, or a hike through the jungles that sit between the two resorts.
Wherever you choose to book with us, guests at Papua Diving Resorts can enjoy the community coming together on a shared passion, sharing stories with divers and adventurers alike during mealtimes and excursions.
CONSERVATION
By staying at Papua Diving Resorts, you become part of the effort to protect this beautiful yet fragile environment. From offering schooling and sustainable employment for indigenous people, to boosting shark populations, Papua Diving Resort’s aim is to leave this world better than we found it.
Providing education and training to the local indigenous Papuan villagers is a part of our mission at Papua Diving Resorts, through which they can take the skills and knowledge and apply it to their livelihoods.
When Max arrived in Raja Ampat, he found a community that depended on shark and ray finning to provide for their families. To encourage a more sustainable approach to earning a living, Max employed and upskilled the locals through teaching them boatbuilding, woodworking and guiding guests to experience all that Paradise has to offer.
Creating partnerships with locals in the nearby villages, Max sought to provide one-of-a-kind guest experiences to see and photograph the Red and Wilson Bird of Paradise, seen only in Raja Ampat. Aligned with our mission at Papua Diving Resorts to protect nature and empower the local people, a portion of our proceeds go back to these local partnerships.
As leaders in conservation and pioneers of sustainable tourism and diving in Raja Ampat, Papua Diving Resorts offers guests an unforgettable opportunity to experience the best of Indonesia’s Crown Jewel. Located at the heart of the Dampier Strait, we invite you to explore the rich biodiversity of the area, both above and underwater.
Email: info@papua-diving.com
Website: papua-diving.com
Instagram: @papuadivingresorts
Facebook: Papua Diving Resorts
Marine Life & Conservation
IUCN Spotlights Green Fins at Bali Ocean Days 2025, Calling for Stronger Business Model in Marine Conservation
![conservation](https://www.scubaverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IUCN-site-visit_Penida-12.jpg)
IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Global Ocean Director, Minna Epps, has spotlighted Green Fins Indonesia along with a call for stronger business models that sustain marine conservation. Speaking at the inaugural session of Bali Ocean Days 2025 held on 7-8 February, Epps emphasised the need for sustainable financing to support and scale marine conservation initiatives such as Green Fins.
Activities earlier in the week with the Coral Triangle Center in Sanur and Ceningan Divers in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area shaped the IUCN Ocean Director’s message at the conference and showcase, aligning with the theme of the blue economy and impact finance to sustain marine ecosystems.
“Tourism has such a big impact on marine biodiversity, and we need it to adhere to a certain code of conduct,” Epps said. “That is why through our funding facilities, we worked with The Reef-World Foundation advancing Green Fins so dive operators can become certified with standards. But this kind of initiative has been around for a long time and it’s also a tool used to improve [MPA management], but it needs to come with a business model. I also believe in market-based instruments to evolve this programme.”
IUCN’s visit is part of their Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility (BNCFF), which supports at least 21 projects around the world, building the business case for investing in the future of our ocean.
In Indonesia, the project supported by IUCN was developed in partnership with The Reef-World Foundation, the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) and the Coral Triangle Center, which serves as the local implementing organisation for Green Fins. The initiative engages marine tourism businesses through voluntary sustainability certification based on the only internationally recognised environmental standards for diving and snorkelling operations. Green Fins’ activities aim to reduce negative environmental impacts associated with marine tourism activities as well as improve the management of marine protected areas.
IUCN’s promotion of Green Fins in Bali Ocean Days signals the need for greater private sector engagement in marine conservation across Indonesia and beyond.
Investors, donors, marine tourism operators and stakeholders looking to support scalable marine conservation solutions are encouraged to explore opportunities with The Reef-World Foundation, the international coordinator of the Green Fins initiative. To learn more about sustainable marine tourism and how to get involved, visit www.reef-world.org.
About Reef-World
The Reef-World Foundation is a registered UK charity which delivers practical solutions for marine conservation around the world. The charity promotes the wise use of natural resources – particularly coral reefs and related ecosystems – for the benefit of local communities, visitors and future generations. It is dedicated to supporting, inspiring and empowering governments, businesses, communities and individuals around the world to act in conserving and sustainably developing coastal resources.
Reef-World leads the global implementation of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative, which focuses on driving environmentally friendly scuba diving and snorkelling practices across the industry globally. As such, the charity provides low-cost and practical solutions to local and industry-wide environmental challenges associated with the marine tourism industry. It provides education and capacity-building assistance to empower environmental champions (within the diving industry, local communities, authorities and governments) to implement proven coastal resource management approaches.
Visit www.reef-world.org to learn more or follow them on Facebook, Instagram and X.
About Green Fins
Green Fins is a proven conservation management approach – spearheaded by The Reef-World Foundation in partnership with the UN Environment Programme – which leads to a measurable reduction in the negative environmental impacts associated with the marine tourism industry. The initiative aims to protect and conserve coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines that promote a sustainable diving and snorkelling tourism industry. It provides the only internationally recognised environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry and has a robust assessment system to measure compliance.
Green Fins encourages and empowers members of the diving industry to act to reduce the pressures on coral reefs by offering dive and snorkel companies practical, low-cost alternatives to harmful practices – such as anchoring, fish feeding and chemical pollution – as well as providing strategic training, support and resources. By reducing the local direct and indirect pressures tourism puts on coral reefs, it helps make corals healthier and more resilient to other stresses such as the effects of climate change. Look for the Green Fins logo when booking your next dive trip.Visit www.greenfins.net to learn more or follow the initiative on Facebook, Instagram and X.
News
Filming 360 in The Bahamas
![](https://www.scubaverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/360-Shark-Story-scaled.jpg)
In December 2024, the Shark Trust had a very special opportunity to film sharks and rays in The Bahamas. Frogfish Photography are the Bahamas Dive Ambassadors for the UK. And Caroline, Deputy Editor at Scubaverse, is the Marketing Manager at the Shark Trust. So, when the need arose to film footage of several species of shark and ray for a new Shark Trust project, The Bahamas seemed the perfect fit. A huge thank you is needed here to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. As they stepped in to fully support the trip both financially and practically. Ensuring that the filming expedition ran smoothly, and that we got as much time as possible in the water with sharks and rays, during the 10 day, 3 island trip.
The Bahamas is famous for its sharks and rays. Divers flock there to experience getting up close to a range of species. Our itinerary saw us visit Nassau, Bimini and Grand Bahama. It packed in as many in-water experiences as possible and had us dive, snorkel, and even take a submarine to experience them in a variety of different habitats and to capture them on film. We saw 148 sharks and rays from 8 different species (all of which have been logged on the Shark Trust Shark Log!).
But why were we there? The expedition was designed to fulfil the needs of two new projects being launched by the Shark Trust in 2025. The filming done underwater on this trip was the start of creating OneOcean360: A Shark Story. A new 360 immersive experience designed primarily for immersive domes and planetariums. The film will be the nearest experience to getting in the water with sharks and rays without getting wet! It will bring the world of sharks to an audience that may never get the chance to experience it first-hand. A Shark Story aims to deepen people’s understanding of sharks, uncovering and illustrating why they are so wonderful as well as being vital to marine ecosystems.
The film is being made in collaboration with Real Immersive. Also based in Plymouth, they have an immersive dome and are providing the technical expertise behind creating this unique experience. Reviewing the footage in the dome has been an invaluable part of the process. Both inspiring the team and allow us to refine the filming techniques to suit this immersive theatre.
You might imagine that we are using expensive cameras and even more expensive housings. But this is not the case. The entire project is being filmed using Insta360 X4 cameras. With only a few simple additions to the standard dive setup. The INON weight plate allowed us to attach this camera to a dive weight, set it down on sand or wreck, and then swim away and let the sharks be the stars. And the results are very exciting. The film will be ready this autumn. It will be accompanied by an educational pack for teachers to take away after school trips to see the film. Encouraging all those that see it to continue learning about these incredible animals.
You can support the creation of OneOcean360: A Shark Story by heading to the crowdfunder page and donating or selecting a reward.
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/a-shark-story
Read about the shark and ray dives we did on Nassau, Bimini and Grand Bahama in our next blog post coming soon on Scubaverse.
-
Gear Reviews1 month ago
Gear Review: SurfEars 4
-
News3 months ago
Santa Divers take the Plunge for Charity
-
Marine Life & Conservation2 months ago
Paul Watson Released as Denmark Blocks Japan’s Extradition Bid
-
Blogs2 months ago
Jeff Goodman Launches Underwater Moviemaker Course with NovoScuba
-
Blogs2 months ago
Experience Malta and Gozo in 2025: A Paradise for Divers and Culture Lovers
-
News2 months ago
Dive into Adventure: Limited Space Available for January Socorro Liveaboard Trip with Oyster Diving
-
Blogs3 months ago
The Benefits of Underwater Photography Workshops
-
Blogs3 months ago
Discover Curaçao with the Ultimate Dive Vacation Guide – 2024 DEMA Special Edition