Yes beginners can dive here and courses are available if you need to get certified or improve your skills.

The whole area of the Secret Gilis in Sekotong Bay have rather easy conditions and are sheltered. The South East coast is also for both beginners and advanced divers.

However, for Belongas Bay – it is another story:

As currents and dive conditions in Belongas Bay can at times be quite challenging, we recommend diving only to the more experienced diver.

– Advanced Scuba Diver certification. 

– From June until October, a minimum of 100 logged dives (due to challenging conditions). 

– From November until May, a minimum of 50 logged dives.

– Please remember to have your log book available for check-in.

– Own dive computer and surface marker buoy are mandatory. You will have to rent if  you do not have.

– Gloves and a reef hook is recommended.

– Due to unpredictable conditions, we do not guarantee that dive sites are always accessible in Belongas Bay.

Apart from the mobula- and eagle ray season in August and September, hammerheads tend to school from May till October. 

Great!

Contact us for further details – and we can hook you up with a course!

The prices for PADI OPEN WATER courses roughly start at €285 and takes 3-4 days. 

The 3 day course will let you study via e-learning before you get here, which is smart if you want to be better prepared and spend your holiday time diving and relaxing instead of studying.  

The 4 day course is the most popular and you start your studying once you get here. 

The prices are almost identical.

Please book courses at the time of booking the whole trip.

You do not need to prebook the dives, however, you do get a discount on your accommodation if you prebook diving. The same goes for the dives themselves – if you prebook them as a package they come with a discounted rate compared to diving â-la-carte.

You will spend most surface intervals on some tropical piece of paradise. The boats can easily reach small villages and jetties for a comfortable surface interval. Usually the boats won’t return between the two morning dives.

12 liter aluminum tanks with INT fitting.

Of course it is nice to bring your own dive gear if you can. 

As a minimum we would recommend to bring your own dive mask – for a good fit and a dive computer.

In our “Accommodaiton” menu, you can see wether or not the different places have DIN or International fitting.

Yes on Lombok there are plenty.

There are hospitals in Lombok that can provide first aid. There is a hyperbaric chamber on Lombok’s North coast.

Despite what some sources (and many local people) will tell you, malaria is present in the islands.

Although malaria transmission rates are currently low, wearing repellant and appropriate clothing to avoid bites is a must and anti-malarial medications are recommended.

Doxycycline is often recommended as a good antimalarial and has the advantage of also providing protection against certain other bacterial infections, but you should definitely consult a professional for current recommendations before making a decision about malaria prophylaxis.

Insect bites: There are a lot of insects in Raja Ampat that can give irritating bites, but sand flies are the worst in our opinion. They are virtually invisible, exceedingly tiny, black flies that are common in many beachside locations. They most commonly attack at dusk, usually (but not always) on your lower legs and arms. The bites take several hours to appear, are incredibly itchy, and last for days. Because of the delayed reaction, many guests wake up at night and assume they’ve been bitten by bedbugs. We’ve never known of a single proven infestation of bedbugs in homestay accommodation. It’s much more likely that sandflies were the culprits. It’s good practice to liberally apply an insect repellant late in the afternoon after your last swim!

Gastrointestinal diseases: We’ve been lucky and have never contracted any, but again make sure you have some rehydration salts and basic medicines on hand. (Consult your doctor regarding appropriate medicines before you go.) Anti-diarrhoea medicines like Imodium are best taken only if you have to travel – they only treat symptoms, not causes. Drinking only boiled or otherwise purified water will greatly reduce your chances of stomach troubles. You can read more about drinking water here.

Skin and wound infections: You should clean and treat even small wounds immediately with an antiseptic, and then examine them regularly for signs of infection. Especially if they are coral scrapes, which are notorious for going septic. Keeping wounds dry until healed is also good practice, but it’s a big ask when you’re on a short stay in the islands. Fungal infections love a tropical environment too, so you might want to consider having some antifungal medicine in your first aid kit.

Ear infections: Spending a lot of time with water in your ears in the tropics raises the risk of ear infections, so if you’re concerned pack an appropriate medicine.

Japanese Encephalitis and Dengue Fever: These mosquito-borne diseases have been reported from Raja Ampat. You might want to consider vaccination for Japanese Encephalitis. Avoiding mosquito bites is the only protection available against Dengue Fever.

Tropical diseases: All tropical environments harbour parasites and pathogens not found elsewhere. You’re extremely unlikely to come into contact with any of those during a short holiday in Raja Ampat, but if you suffer any persistent or recurrent symptoms that can’t be diagnosed or aren’t relieved by standard medical treatment – even if those symptoms appear months after your visit – you should consult a tropical diseases specialist.

See our “About” page to know more about prevention of moscuito bites.  

For further reading on health: https://www.iamat.org/country/indonesia