Raja4Divers

About the resort

Country

Indonesia

Location

Pulau Pef, Raja Ampat

Nearest airport

Sorong (SOQ) — 3.5 hours by boat

Transfer

Resort longboat from Sorong harbour, about 3.5 hours

not included in the package

House reef

Yes — house reef straight off the jetty, night dives and unlimited snorkelling

Dive sites

60+

Dive centre

In-house, run by instructor Arif

max 4 divers per guide and 8 per boat

Nitrox

Nitrox 32 free of charge for certified Enriched Air divers

Rooms

One category, 11 bungalows

At the resort

Diving

The water stays 28–30 °C all year and a 3 mm wetsuit is usually enough. Visibility runs 10–30 m: the Pacific and the Indian Ocean meet here and the water is extremely rich in nutrients — which is exactly why there is so much life. Currents depend on the tide, but there are always sheltered sites for an easy dive. Bauer and ClotriSub compressors plus a nitrox membrane system. Tanks are 9 and 11.1 litre aluminium with DIN valves and INT adapters. Aqualung Wave jackets XS to XL, Aqualung Calypso Titan regulators with octopus, MARES Nemo Wide computers, Metalsub XL 7.2 torches. Personal gear is stored at the end of the jetty, where the briefings are held and the boats dock. A certification card, a dive computer, an SMB and dedicated dive insurance covering emergency evacuation are all mandatory — travel insurance does not count. Gloves are not allowed. The nearest hyperbaric chambers are in Manado, Singapore and Darwin; there is none in West Papua.

Food

The restaurant is the heart of the resort: everyone eats at one long table and the conversations run late. The staff eat in the same room and guests are welcome to help themselves from the staff buffet — the most authentic local food on the island. You can also take over the kitchen and cook your own speciality, or learn to make sambal and nasi goreng; the kitchen team enjoys teaching. Most produce is local: fish from the fishermen, fruit and vegetables brought by neighbouring villagers in their own boats, the rest bought once a week at the Sorong market. Reef fish and endangered species are never served.

Beyond diving

Snorkelling around Pef is among the most varied anywhere in Raja Ampat. Snorkellers join the dive boats at no extra charge, so mixed couples spend the day together; if a dive site is not suitable, a guide takes them to an alternative one. A typical day is two sites in the morning with a coffee, tea and snack break on a small island or near a Papuan village, and a third trip in the afternoon. Night snorkelling on the house reef is possible at any time, with torches for rent. Masks, snorkels and fins can also be rented, rashguards, leggings and lycra socks are sold in the island shop, and an SMB is issued for the whole stay. Massages are given in the bungalow or on the terrace: SOUL 2 SOLE is a 60-minute full body massage, HEAVEN ON EARTH covers head, neck, shoulders and back in 60 minutes.

Rooms

Water Bungalow

Bungalow on stilts

On request

View: Ocean and sunset, deck leading into the water

Beds: Huge bed under a mosquito net

The resort's only category — and the only one it needs. One hundred and twenty-eight square metres of Papuan-style building on stilts, made from local materials, along the coconut palm beach. Proven traditional methods blended with modern ideas: the structure is open and airy, and there is no air conditioning by design. All the furniture and fittings were designed and made on site. Mornings start with jungle birds in the forest behind the beach, evenings end with the sunset right in front of the deck.

128 m² for one to four people En-suite bathroom, half open to the sky Hot and cold water, traditional mandi Huge bed under a mosquito net Fridge and drinking water dispenser Tea and coffee Safe International adapter and multiple sockets Wi-Fi and an iPad Bath and swimming towels Biodegradable soap and shampoo, mosquito repellent Large deck leading straight into the water Sun loungers, hammock and bean bags on the deck Fans, desk and charging stations

8 room photos

When to go

Best time

All year; from May to September the sites are almost empty

Water temperature

28–30 °C all year

Pef lies 48 km south of the equator, inside the equatorial belt: there are no thermal seasons and the air averages around 29 °C. Sun, wind and waves change from day to day, and with them the currents and the visibility. Rain showers are short and it stays warm through them. Unlike most of Indonesia, where October to April brings heavy rain, this part of Raja Ampat has no rainy season — which is precisely why almost every liveaboard comes here in those months. From May to September only guests of the local resorts are on the reefs, and the sites are yours alone. One thing to watch for: twice a year the resort runs U30 weeks, giving anyone under thirty 50% off two weeks of accommodation, full board and unlimited diving.

Getting there