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Dive Review of Misool Eco Resort in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

Misool Eco Resort: "9 Days in paradise! Wonderful staff, rooms, food, GREAT Dives", Sep, 2022,

by Rick Bates, ON, CA (Contributor Contributor 18 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 12156 has 2 Helpful votes.

Photos Submitted with this Report


Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling 5 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments After numerous delays due to Covid, we final got our trip to Indonesia. We had just finished a 7 day liveaboard (Mermaid II) and took a well needed 5 day rest in Bali. Stayed at the Puri Santrium which was lovely and would recommend.
Misool honoured the 2018 rates throughout the numerous re-bookings, and after months and months of flight changes, we finally got there. We flew back to Jakarta from Denpasar and then a late night flight to Sorong. We were met at the airport by Misool staff and taken for a light breakfast, and then to the boat. All our bags were handled by them from the airport and I never saw them again until we unpacked at the resort. The boat ride to the resort was about 4 hours on a large, comfortable and modern boat. Lots of snacks offered.
When we got to Misool, all or our gear and luggage was looked after, and lunch was waiting. A briefing on what to expect for the next 9 days and we did our first dive before dinner!
All the gear was set up at a station on the main dive deck, next to showers and rinse tanks. Tanks, BCDs and weights were on the boats for us every dive, and we only had to carry our personal gear back and forth on the dock. Trips out to the dive sites were on large wooden fast boats. Back roll in, and climb back in after handing up all your gear. Very easy, and crew looked after our tanks and weights the whole trip. We used nitrox all week with 32% fills most of the time.
All the dive sites are 5 to 15 mins away. We made this trip to check off a lot of things I’d always wanted to see, mandarin fish, mantas shrimp, plus large stuff like giant manta rays, and none of the sites disappointed us. Because of the season, visibility was never very good, but its why the mantas were around so you take the good with the bad. A little current on most dives, but the DM’s were very good about planning around it. Some manta dives required reef hooks to sit and watch them come and go at cleaning/feeding stations. One of the highlight dives was a visit to see mobula rays swimming in storms of anchovies. It was quite thrilling to be enveloped by 100’s of thousands of the small fish with squadrons of mobula rays swimming around you.
Some of the “muck” fives were right out front of our villa for dusk and night dives. Mating mandarin fish and mantas shrimps everywhere.
All the usual reef dives with tons of schooling small and large fish, and turtles and sharks swimming by regularly.
The DMs are all locals, and were fabulous and did a fantastic job finding our “critters on request”. We did 26 of 27 available dives over 8 days.
We made this trip because it was in the middle of no where with incredible dives, and we got what we hoped for.
All of the villas are over the water surrounding the Misool lagoon and house reef with steps into the water. Snorkelling was very popular in the lagoon, and we enjoyed lots of close up encounters there including baby sharks. Our villa was one of the furthest out from the main buildings, facing out into the open water. It was very nice, with air conditioning, netted bed, outdoor shower, huge sitting area on the deck. Beds made up and room tidied daily.
Meals were all excellent, and the staff went above and beyond for anyone asking for something other than the main offerings. Morning snacks were offered at 7am before the first dive then breakfast after. Later on there was Lunch, dive #3 and 4, with snacks in between. After your 5th dive of the day dinner was served!
The kitchen and dining staff could not have been nicer, and baked goods were especially well done.
Except for the three managers on site (a Canadian, a Kiwi and an American), all of the staff, crew, DM’s were locals. I am always sensitive to whether or not the staff were truly happy and enjoying their jobs, and everyone seemed quite happy and well treated.
Overall we are VERY happy with our trip to Misool. The incredible diving was well worth the effort to get there. The resort and its staff also made the effort worth while, everything was a cut above. Its not a cheap trip, but you leave satisfied and glad you went. They had many return guests from all over the world, and they seem to be booked up 2 years ahead.
You are aware and reminded of the remoteness while you are there, and the conservation efforts of the Misool founders is worth supporting. While you are in paradise, plastic garbage flowed in from elsewhere all the time, reminding you that the world is not as perfect as it could be.
Websites Misool Eco Resort   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Indonesia (Wakatobi), Papua New Guinea, Australia (Melborne/Sydney/GBR), Fiji, Florida, Bahamas, Curaçao, Roatan, Bonaire, St. Maarten, Belize, Turks & Caicos, Cozumel, Great Lakes, St Lawrence River, North Carolina, Tobermory, B.C., WA State, Gulf Islands BC, Nova Scotia, Cayman Islands, Saba
Closest Airport Sorong Getting There Getting there is complicated. You have to fly to Jakarta, then 4 hr flight to Sorong. Then 4 hr boat ride to the resort.

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm, currents
Water Temp 82-86°F / 28-30°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 30-40 Ft/ 9-12 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Usually 60 mins or 400 psi.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities 5 stars
UW Photo Comments Raja Ampat is a must do destination for underwater photographers. The camera room right next to area where your gear is stowed had a work station for every guest with lots of work area and charging space. Best I've ever seen. There were no camera facilities on the boats because they weren't necessary for the short boat rides. Special rinse tank back at the dock next to the camera room.
On site "photography consultant" who gave daily seminars and worked with all types of set ups.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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