Whale Sharks – Imagine diving alongside the ocean’s gentle giants, witnessing their graceful movements up close, and learning about their fascinating behaviors in their natural habitat. Every dive is designed to maximize whale shark encounters, offering unforgettable moments, incredible photo opportunities, and a rare chance to swim with the largest fish in the sea.
Pristine Marine Life – Beyond the whale sharks, Cenderawasih Bay is a diver’s dream. With over 500 species of corals, some of the healthiest hard coral gardens in Indonesia, vibrant sponge-covered walls, and atolls teeming with schools of fish, every dive is a new adventure. The bay remains largely untouched, with very few inhabitants and vast areas of unspoiled underwater wilderness.
Whether you’re chasing encounters with majestic whale sharks or exploring thriving coral gardens and abundant marine life, Cenderawasih Bay promises a diving experience unlike anywhere else on earth.
Date
July 8-18, 2027
Duration
10 nights/11 days on board Coralia Dua (new vessel)
Package Cost – TRIP FULL (please get in touch for the waitlist for 2028)
- Upper Deck Master Suites: (double occupancy)
$7950.00 USD per person - Main Deck Master Suites: (double occupancy)
$7950.00 USD per person - Lower Deck Double & Twin: (double occupancy)
$6950.00 USD per person (1 cabin available) - Lower Deck Twin (2 Twin beds): (double occupancy)
$6950.00 USD per person
Please note: All costs are in American Dollars (USD) for this trip.
Price Includes
- 10 nights/11 days onboard the beautiful vessel Coralia
- 3-4 dives a day (includes tanks and weights; other equipment not included). *Some days may be 2 dives, depending on land excursions and transit distances.
- 3 meals a day plus snacks, water, tea, coffee, soft drinks
- Accommodations in luxurious cabins.
- Presentations on marine wildlife – manta rays, whales, sharks, or coral
- Travel and explore with a marine biologist
- Friendly & fun atmosphere
- Certified dive guides and amazing cruise directors.
- Private charter for our group only.
- Group size limited to 10-16, including the trip organiser.
- Experience local culture
Exclusions
- Dive gear rental
- Massages
- Alcoholic beverages
- Port, Fuel, Marine Park Fees: $410 USD (paid on board)
- Airfare: International & Domestic
- Travel Insurance/DAN dive Insurance
- Crew tips
- Hotel in Manokawi, or Jakarta, prior to/after the trip if required.
- Onboard purchases
Sailing Aboard Coralia Dua (Vessel)
We’ve had THE BEST TIME aboard the Coralia over the past five years, and for our upcoming expedition, we’re excited to be sailing on her newest sister ship – Coralia Dua – before returning again in 2027.
Coralia Dua is a stunning traditional Phinisi liveaboard, built in Bira, Sulawesi, by the Konjo tribe, whose craft has been passed down through generations. The Coralia fleet has won Dive Travel Award “Best Liveaboard” in 2021, 2024 & 2025. Their newest vessel reflects the same design philosophy and attention to detail that made Coralia an award-winning vessel.
Its name is derived from “coral” and the Latin suffix “-ia”, meaning “Nation of Corals” – a fitting name for a vessel dedicated to exploring some of the world’s most vibrant reef systems. This expedition takes us into Raja Ampat during a lesser-travelled season. However, Raja Ampat is diveable year-round, with certain regions offering exceptional conditions even outside peak months.
Our itinerary also includes diving in and around Cenderawasih Bay, home to remote, rarely visited dive sites and famous for its whale shark encounters. Previous trips had multiple whale shark interactions, with some expeditions encountering 9–10 individuals, many of which were successfully identified and logged. Here, you will find extraordinary biodiversity: macro life, large schools of fish, pristine hard and soft corals, and species endemic to the area – making this expedition a true highlight for underwater explorers. Read more
How to secure your spot
Please note that this trip has limited spots, so you will need to get in quickly to secure your booking. The following payments will be required (per person):
- $1000 USD deposit to secure your spot
- The remaining balance will be split into two equal payments:
- due September 17, 2026 (45%)
- due March 17, 2027 (45%)
We would recommend purchasing your flights into Jakarta (CGK) and then onto Manokawi (MKW) as soon as possible to secure reasonably priced flights. Questions? Feel free to contact us.
How to Get There
To/From North America:
Travel to Indonesia is typically flown via Tokyo or Hong Kong, or other Asian gateway cities (depending on the airline), and connecting onward to Jakarta (CGK). Sometimes you’ll find routings from the East Coast through the Middle East (Doha/Abu Dhabi, etc)
Arrival in Jakarta by July 07, 2027 (late afternoon at the latest).
It is recommended to arrive a day prior to your flight to Manokawi. The Anara airport hotel is recommended if arriving a day or two early into Jakarta.
Flights to Manokawi:
Travel from Jakarta (CGK) to Manokwari (MKW) in West Papua. Connect onward to Manokawi (MKW). Currently, Batik and Lion Air fly nonstop to Manokawi.
You will be met by Coralia Dua staff who will bring you directly to the boat from the airport. If you’d like to arrive in Manokawi a day before, you are more than welcome to. The suggested hotel is the Aston Manokawi, close to the airport. The Coralia Dua staff will pick you up from the hotel or airport and bring you to the boat on July 08, 2027.
Departure on July 18, 2027, can be at any time. The Coralia Dua staff will bring you back to the airport for your departing flight. If you are continuing to another resort or elsewhere in the area, just let us know so we can coordinate with the Coralia Dua team.
Please keep in mind, flying on early morning flights departing from Manokawi will restrict the number of dives you will be able to do on the last full day on board. Generally, there will be two morning dives on the last day, finishing up around 12 pm.
Cenderawasih Bay Liveaboard Diving Highlights
- Whale sharks!
- Healthy and untouched
- Search for the special endemic fish
- Relax on deck while enjoying the scenery
- Common sightings – turtles, nudibranchs, leaf fish, anemone fish, reef octopus, schooling fish, ghost pipefish, plus many more amazing fish
- Special sightings – whale sharks, reef sharks, schools of barracuda, manta rays, endemic flasher wrasse, plus more endemic fish
More About Cenderwasih Bay
- The western part of the bay is protected as a Marine National Park. Cenderwasih Bay translates to “Birds of Paradise Bay” in Indonesian.
- Located in a remote corner of West Papua, Indonesia, this region is home to untouched reefs and lies at the country’s far eastern maritime boundary—go any farther east and you enter Papua New Guinea waters.
- The area holds echoes of World War II history, including an excellent wreck dive on a Japanese freighter. With the Pacific Ocean opening directly into the bay, larger pelagic species are often drawn into the region.
- Cenderwasih Bay has also gained attention among birders for its Birds of Paradise sightings. Many of the surrounding villages remain much as they were a century ago, with minimal contact with the outside world.
- Diving here offers a remarkable variety—wrecks, muck sites, deep and dramatic walls rich with marine life, and abundant hard and soft corals
- Bahasa Indonesia is the official language, though more than 300 indigenous languages are spoken across the country. Read More
Tentative Itinerary
Day 1
Arrival into Manokawi, board the Coralia Dua, settle into cabins, unpack dive gear/camera gear, boat briefing, and dive briefing. Relax and enjoy the views as we head towards Pulau Purup as our first stop.
Day 2
Diving begins! Today, we’ll start with an easy checkout dive first thing in the morning. Return after diving for a big breakfast. Mid-morning, head out for dive 2, lunch, followed by an afternoon dive, and, depending on our transit schedule, a possible night dive.
Day 3-10
Diving & snorkeling with whale sharks continues in Cenderwasih Bay. As the week progresses, we’ll make a round trip, diving and traveling to the south in the bay and visiting additional untouched dive sites on our way back north to Manokwari. We will spend ample time at Kwatisore Bay with the whale sharks, and ultimately wind up back in Manokwari Harbor to dive a couple of WWII Japanese wrecks.
Day 11
We’ll say our “Good Byes” and disembark the Coralia Dua for the Manokawri Airport. You’ll be ready to book your next trip on Coralia Dua after an amazing trip!
Dive Sites
- Pulau Amsterdam (The Junkyard): Start your adventure diving scuttled barges and small boats that have become vibrant artificial reefs. Two dives here kick off the cruise before an overnight sail.
- Manokwari: Explore WWII wrecks, including a Japanese freighter and a former coastal patrol boat, now encrusted in coral and teeming with marine life. Dive right in Manokwari Harbour.
- Pulau Purup: Critter dives featuring soft corals, elephant ear sponges, and endemic fish such as the flasher wrasse (Paracheilinus walton) and damselfish (Chrysiptera pricei). Reef sharks are often seen cruising the shallow reefs.
- Kwatisore Bay – Whale Sharks: The ultimate highlight! Whale sharks feed naturally at fishing platforms (bagans), offering close-up encounters as they glide and feed—an unforgettable experience.
- Tanjung Mangguar: Soft coral gardens attract schools of barracuda, trevally, fusiliers, and surgeonfish. Keep an eye out for manta rays, mobula rays, and sharks. Night dives here are spectacular.
- Tridacna Atoll: Deep drop-offs, fringing reefs carpeted with soft corals, giant sponges, and abundant fish life make this one of the bay’s most impressive sites.
Bookings, Payment, Cancellation Policy and Force Majeure in relation to the Tour
TERMS & CONDITIONS
These Terms & Conditions apply to all bookings made with Amanda Delaforce Photography and Travel Pty Ltd (ABN 26 661 237 734), trading as OceanLife Scuba Expeditions (“OceanLife Scuba Expeditions”, “we”, “us” or “our”).
1. Insurance
- OceanLife Scuba Expeditions highly recommends that all guests purchase comprehensive personal travel and dive insurance as soon as possible after confirming their travel plans. Your insurance policy should provide adequate cover for, at a minimum, trip cancellation, medical expenses, emergency medical evacuation, scuba diving activities, missed or delayed flights, baggage loss or delay, travel interruptions and personal liability. We recommend Dive Assure or DAN for dive insurance. Dive Assure offers both annual and short-term (per trip) Dive and Travel Insurance policies. You can purchase a policy here – https://app.diveassure.com/#/registration/main/process/0/int/0/18669/en-intl
- Evidence of adequate travel and dive insurance must be provided prior to departure.
- All diving, snorkelling and in-water activities are conducted by our appointed in-country operator(s), including liveaboard vessel operators and local dive centres, who maintain responsibility for their own operational procedures, safety standards and applicable insurance requirements. While participating in diving, snorkelling or swimming activities, you are required to comply with all instructions given by the Captain, Dive Instructor, Divemaster or other authorised crew members.
2. Bookings and Payments
- Bookings made more than 100 days before the commencement of the trip require a non-refundable deposit of USD $1000 per passenger.
- All deposits are non-refundable.
- Bookings made within 100 days of the commencement of the trip require payment in full to secure the booking.
- Final payment is due no later than 100 days before the commencement of the trip. A final payment reminder will be sent prior to the due date.
- Each guest is required to complete a Dive Trip Questionnaire (which may include a Dive Medical Assessment where applicable) before receiving final trip confirmation. The completed questionnaire must be returned to OceanLife Scuba Expeditions before final payment is made.
- Guests are required to disclose all relevant medical conditions honestly and completely. Failure to disclose relevant medical information, or providing false or misleading information, may result in OceanLife Scuba Expeditions refusing participation where the condition may affect the safety of the guest, other participants or the safe operation of the expedition.
- Guests are responsible for ensuring they hold valid passports, visas, permits, vaccinations and any other documentation required for entry into the destination country or countries. OceanLife Scuba Expeditions accepts no responsibility for denied boarding, refused entry or additional costs resulting from incomplete, expired or invalid travel documentation.
3. Amendment and Cancellation Policy
- All deposits are non-refundable.
- The total trip cost becomes 100% non-refundable within 100 days of the scheduled departure date. This applies to deposits and all subsequent payments, except where otherwise required by law.
- If you cancel your booking 100 days or more before departure, and your place can be resold, a trip credit equal to your remaining balance (less a USD $300 administration fee) will be issued. The credit must be used on another OceanLife Scuba Expeditions trip departing within two (2) years of the cancellation date.
- If you cancel your booking within 99 days of departure, no refund or trip credit will be issued.
- If a guest misses the commencement of the expedition or any part of the itinerary due to delayed or cancelled flights, missed connections, immigration delays, baggage delays, weather events or other travel disruptions, no refund, credit or alternative arrangements will be provided by OceanLife Scuba Expeditions. Any eligible costs should be claimed through the guest’s travel insurance policy, where covered.
- OceanLife Scuba Expeditions reserves the right to amend itineraries, accommodation, vessels, dive sites, schedules, guides or expedition leaders where reasonably necessary due to weather, sea conditions, safety considerations, wildlife activity, mechanical issues, operational requirements, government directives or other circumstances beyond our reasonable control. Such changes do not constitute grounds for compensation or refund.
4. Force Majeure
- OceanLife Scuba Expeditions shall not be liable for any delay, alteration, cancellation or failure to deliver a trip where such circumstances are caused by events beyond our reasonable control.
- A Force Majeure Event includes, but is not limited to, acts of God, war, terrorism, fire, flood, severe weather, natural disasters, epidemics or pandemics, industrial disputes, strikes, civil unrest, acts of government or regulatory authorities, the inability to obtain licences or permits, delays caused by subcontractors or suppliers, telecommunications failures, material shortages or any other event beyond our reasonable control.
5. Guest Responsibilities
- Guests participating in scuba diving must hold the minimum certification required for the expedition and provide proof of certification if requested.
- Guests agree to dive within the limits of their certification, experience and current medical fitness, and to follow all instructions provided by dive professionals, vessel crew and expedition staff.
- Guests are responsible for arriving at the designated departure location at the required time. OceanLife Scuba Expeditions is not responsible for missed departures resulting from delayed or cancelled flights, missed connections, immigration delays, baggage delays, weather events or other travel disruptions beyond our reasonable control. Any costs, losses or expenses incurred as a result of these disruptions are the responsibility of the guest and should be claimed through the guest’s travel insurance policy.
- Guests are responsible for the care and security of their own dive equipment, camera equipment, luggage and personal belongings throughout the expedition.
- Wildlife sightings are natural events and cannot be guaranteed. OceanLife Scuba Expeditions makes no representation or warranty that any particular marine species, wildlife encounter or photographic opportunity will occur during an expedition.
- OceanLife Scuba Expeditions reserves the right to refuse participation or remove any guest from an expedition, without refund, where their behaviour is considered unsafe, abusive, disruptive, illegal, intoxicated, or likely to place themselves, other guests, crew members or the expedition at risk.
6. Liability and Obligations
- OceanLife Scuba Expeditions acts as an expedition organiser and booking agent for accommodation providers, liveaboards, dive operators, transport providers and other third-party suppliers.
- We choose our in-country dive operators carefully. We check that they hold the correct permits, licences, vessel registrations and insurance before we work with them. Once you’re on the water, they’re responsible for running the trip safely under their own procedures, not ours.
- To the maximum extent permitted by law, OceanLife Scuba Expeditions accepts no responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, delay or expense arising from the acts, omissions or default of any third-party supplier involved in delivering any component of the expedition.
- Participation in scuba diving, snorkelling and other adventure activities involves inherent risks which may result in serious injury, permanent disability or death. These risks include, but are not limited to, decompression sickness, arterial gas embolism, hyperbaric injuries requiring recompression treatment, equipment failure, adverse weather, strong currents, remote locations where emergency medical assistance may be delayed, and encounters with wild marine life that may result in stings, bites or other injuries.
- Guests acknowledge these inherent risks and voluntarily participate in these activities at their own risk. Participants are responsible for ensuring they are medically fit to participate, exercising reasonable care, following all safety instructions and complying with directions provided by the vessel crew, dive professionals and expedition leaders.
- To the maximum extent permitted by law, OceanLife Scuba Expeditions shall not be liable for any personal injury, illness or death suffered directly or indirectly as a result of participation in the expedition or associated activities. We are also not liable for any consequential loss, including loss of income, profits, enjoyment or opportunity, nor for the loss, theft or damage of personal belongings before, during or after the expedition.
- Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes, restricts or modifies any rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law or any other applicable legislation.
7. Privacy & Data Collection Notice
OceanLife Scuba Expeditions collects personal information, including contact details, payment information and, where relevant to trip participation, health and medical information, in order to process bookings, arrange travel and diving activities, and communicate with guests. Health information collected through our Dive Trip Questionnaire is used solely to assess fitness to dive and may be shared with our appointed in-country dive operators for safety purposes. We do not sell personal information to third parties. By using this website or booking a trip, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described here.
8. Photography
During the expedition, OceanLife Scuba Expeditions and its representatives may capture photographs and video footage for promotional, educational and marketing purposes. Unless you notify us in writing before departure, you consent to the use of images or video in which you may appear on our website, social media channels, printed publications and other promotional material without compensation.
9. Governing Law
These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms & Conditions shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Queensland, Australia.
By placing a booking with Amanda Delaforce Photography and Travel Pty Ltd (ABN 26 661 237 734), trading as OceanLife Scuba Expeditions, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and accepted these Terms & Conditions and the Cancellation Policy.
