MolaQuest journal · Indonesia
Three weeks among the reefs of Raja Ampat
The final chapter of my two-month Indonesian journey was a three-week stay at Raja Ampat Dive Resort, using the resort as a base for reefs around Kri, the Dampier Strait and farther destinations such as Melissa’s Garden.
Chapter three
A different scale of island diving
Raja Ampat is not one island or one reef. Its channels, small islands and coral systems cover a huge area of West Papua. Staying at a resort for three weeks created continuity, but each day boat journey could still lead to a very different underwater landscape.
The sites in my notes concentrate around central Raja Ampat, particularly the Dampier Strait and Kri area, with a longer journey to Melissa’s Garden in the Fam Islands. That separation is important: the list is a real route, not a random collection of famous Raja Ampat names.
Interactive dive-site map
Raja Ampat sites from the notes
The map separates the Dampier Strait and Kri cluster from the longer westward journey to Melissa’s Garden. Select a labelled pin for further dive information.
Kri and the Dampier Strait
Cape Kri, Sardine, Blue Magic and Mioskon
Cape Kri, Sardine Reef, Blue Magic and Mioskon are among the best-known sites in the Dampier Strait area. Their appeal is tied to current, fish density and the way reefs and underwater ridges interrupt moving water.
Chicken Reef, Mike’s Point, Otdima Reef, Friwen and Batu Lima expand the chapter beyond the most repeated names. Together they bring reefs, walls, island passages and shallower formations into the same resort-based itinerary.
Farther from the resort
Melissa’s Garden
Melissa’s Garden lies in the Fam Islands, farther west than the cluster of sites around Kri and the Dampier Strait. Its presence in the log suggests a longer day journey rather than another nearby house-reef outing.
The site is known for broad fields of hard coral, but this article does not claim that every modern description matches the exact conditions seen in 2016. Personal photographs and logbook notes will eventually provide the most authentic account.
The end of two months
From Indonesia’s western edge to West Papua
The full 2016 journey now has three distinct chapters. Pulau Weh was a month at the western edge, Komodo was two weeks of resort-based day boats through famous current sites, and Raja Ampat was three weeks surrounded by an extraordinary network of islands and reefs.
The structure is ready for memories that cannot be found in a guide: the people at the resort, favourite journeys, meals, weather, unexpected encounters and the photographs that show what those three weeks really felt like.