I've just got home from a terrific 12-night Raja Ampat trip on Emperor Diver's vessel, MV Harmoni.

The itinerary started in Kaimana, covered Triton Bay, Misool and the Dampier Straits - and ended in Sorong.

Others have written about the diving delights of the area so I won't rehash that. Suffice it to say that, my first trip to this part of Indonesia, I found the diving just fabulous. Abundance and variety of marine life was something else. Whale sharks and mantas included.

I've been fortunate to have been on lots of liveaboards over the years. This was, by far, the best I have ever done. Harmoni has a crew of 21 for 24 guests and is spacious,. comfortable and relaxed. Lead by a first class Cruise Director, the entire crew were unfailingly helpful and considerate.

We splurged and got an Upper Deck cabin. This was roomy with a ?king-size bed (depending on what side of the Atlantic you live), sofa, wardrobe and a bathroom that two people could actually use at the same time, tons of hot (and cold) water and quality shower and hair gels.

I'm not sure if it is a blessing or a curse, but Harmoni has Starlink WiFi which is included in the trip price. So if the mood takes you, internet is available in the galley at all times throughout the trip. It reaches some cabins too.

Diving was from a RIB with four guests accompanied by a dive guide. Nitrox was included in the price. Following the usual briefing, divers put on their wetsuits and only had to carry their mask and camera to the RIB. All gear was loaded by the crew with divers being helped into their BCs etc on the RIB immediately before a backward roll onto the divesite. No carrying heavy gear down to the RIB or down to a dive deck. Luxury.

A dive guide was assigned to each group of four and rapidly understood what the group wanted to do in terms of photography, ease of the dive, avoidance of current etc. Dive sites were usually 4-5 minutes (enjoyable) RIB-ride from Harmoni with at least one RIB monitoring the dive with several ready for pick ups at the end of the dive.

At the end of the drive, the crew moved dive gear, except mask and camera, from the RIB to Harmoni so, again, no lugging of gear. They even rinsed wetsuits after each dive. At the end of the trip, the crew rinsed all dive gear (apart from cameras), got it all dried and delivered into the galley for collection!

Food was always excellent and a mix of Asian and European. The system was the classic light breakfast, dive, big breakfast, dive, lunch, dive and dinner. Harmoni had a well-stocked bar complete with barman and espresso machine (yay!)

We used the Aston Hotel in Sorong and the Grand Papua Kaimana in Kaimana. Both were good. We flew KLM to Jakarta and then Garuda to Sorong and Wings Air to Kaimana. No problems with any of the flights and the service was always very good. On one flight there was a tiny charge for excess baggage. We applied for Indonesian visas online and were seriously impressed by the arrival formalities in Jakarta: a quick transit through e-gates.

I celebrated an "x0-birthday" during the trip and cannot think of a better way of marking the occasion. I can recommend Harmoni highly.

Looking forward to see some photos

They’re coming. Kurt was on this trip too……

@TimG Thanks for sharing! I have a trip booked on the same boat next Feb/March 2026. We'll be diving Misool Eco Resort for just 7 days, and will follow up with what seems to be the same route you took, but in reverse. We return from Misool to Sorong and get on the Emperor Harmoni boat the next morning. We then fly back to Sorong and head home.

I didn't find a lot of info or reports about this operation online, so it's great to hear you had such a good experience. I'm really looking forward to the trip and your photos.

Edited May 10May 10 by Dave_Hicks

24 minutes ago, Dave_Hicks said:

We'll be diving Misool Eco Resort for just 7 days, and will follow up with what seems to be the same route you took,

Dave, are you staying at Misool Eco, or diving from the liveaboard? The resort is now folly booked through 2028, at least for the hoi polloi, which makes the south Raja and Triton Bay liveaboards very appealing.

3 minutes ago, RickMo said:

Dave, are you staying at Misool Eco, or diving from the liveaboard? The resort is now folly booked through 2028, at least for the hoi polloi, which makes the south Raja and Triton Bay liveaboards very appealing.

Both. I spend a week at Misool Eco Resort, then get on the liveaboard the next day. I booked Misool a couple years ago, but 7 days makes for a short trip. I decided to augment the trip with the Liveaboard a couple of months ago.

1 minute ago, Dave_Hicks said:

Both. I spend a week at Misool Eco Resort, then get on the liveaboard the next day. I booked Misool a couple years ago, but 7 days makes for a short trip. I decided to augment the trip with the Liveaboard a couple of months ago.

That'll be a great trip. (I meant "fully," not "folly," of course, but it kinda fits). I'd really like to get to Triton Bay and the south Birdshead (really, more interested in that than Misool, as we were on a boat down there in October).

3 hours ago, Dave_Hicks said:

@TimG Thanks for sharing! I have a trip booked on the same boat next Feb/March 2026. We'll be diving Misool Eco Resort for just 7 days, and will follow up with what seems to be the same route you took, but in reverse. We return from Misool to Sorong and get on the Emperor Harmoni boat the next morning. We then fly back to Sorong and head home.

I didn't find a lot of info or reports about this operation online, so it's great to hear you had such a good experience. I'm really looking forward to the trip and your photos.

I'm sure you'll have a great time, Dave.

They switch the start point of the trip periodically so it begins in either Sorong or Kaimana and ends in Kaimana or Sorong.