Raja Ampat Diving Project

Getting There

You will need to meet at The Ignislo Sorong Hotel at 8am on your project start date. We recommend arriving into Sorong the day before to ensure that you do not miss the transfer to the project site. Sorong Airport (SOQ) can most easily be reached via Jakarta International Airport (JKT).

Visa Requirements

If staying in Indonesia for no more than 30 days, citizens of the UK, USA, and nations in the European Economic Area can obtain a single-entry tourist visa on arrival. Depending on your route or arrival airport, this visa may be free or may cost up to US$35.

If you will be in Indonesia for 30 to 60 days but will complete your time on the project within 30 days of arrival into Indonesia, you are able to get a tourist visa on arrival and then extend this in Sorong after your time on the project for a further 30 days.

If, however, you will be in Indonesia for 30 to 60 days in total but will still be on the project 30 days after arrival into Indonesia, you will need to obtain a social/cultural visa in advance. In this case, we will provide you with the documents you need to support your application.

For anyone joining the project who will be in Indonesia for more than 60 days in total, you will need to obtain a social/cultural visa in advance and will then need to extend this. This can be done in Sorong and transport from the project site can be arranged for this for a small fee.

For all visa questions, we strongly recommended consulting your local Indonesian embassy, as well as checking your own country’s government website with regards to travel. Please note that visas are your own responsibility.

Dive Courses

You are able to join this project as a qualified or unqualified diver and there are a number of dive courses available that you can complete.

You must be at least PADI Advanced Open Water qualified (or an equivalent) to take part in the research and science dives on this project. So if you join as an unqualified diver or with only the PADI Open Water qualification, you will spend your first week completing your PADI Advanced Open Water qualification.

You are then able to gain some or all of the following dive qualifications (depending on how long you volunteer for).

Emergency First Response: This course is designed to build the confidence of a diver, increasing their willingness to respond when faced with an emergency. This can be completed for no additional fee, however, you must purchase and complete the PADI eLearning course in advance.

Rescue Diver: Should you wish to enhance your diving further, you can undertake the Rescue Diver Course at an additional cost of $250. This course can be challenging, but incredibly rewarding as you become a better diving ‘buddy’ and can become confident in your ability to help others if needed. You will need to have completed the Emergency First Response course in order to complete this.

Dive Master: Take on your first level of professional training as you work to become a Divemaster. Perfect your skills, including those relating to rescue, and see where your qualifications can take you! Gaining your Dive Master qualification takes a minimum of 8 weeks for those holding an Advanced Open Water qualification, or 10-12 weeks if you join the project as an unqualified diver, although we recommend allowing 12 weeks to complete this for all. If you join the project for 12 weeks, you can complete this course for no additional fee, however, if you volunteer for 8 - 11 weeks and want to get your qualification, there's is an additional charge of $438.

Diving Equipment

If you are joining an expedition as an unqualified or PADI Open Water qualified diver, your expedition fee will include the use of a Buoyancy Control Device (BCD) and a full regulator set (1st, 2nd Stage, Octopus, and SPG) for the first week. If you are joining an expedition as a PADI Advanced Open Water qualified diver or above, you will need to bring your own equipment, including BCD and full regulator set.

It is, however, possible to rent these items on-site (whether you are a qualified or unqualified diver) if you do not wish to carry them while on further travels. The following items are available for rental on-site (costs are per week and in Pounds Sterling):

• Buoyancy Control Device (BCD) - $19
• Full regulator set (1st, 2nd stage, Octopus and SPG) - $19
• Mask & Snorkel - $13
• Wet suit - $13
• Fins & dive boots - $19
• Dive computer (compulsory) - $25 ($188 refundable deposit needed)

If you would like to rent any of the above items for your expedition, please indicate this on your project account within the rentals section or inform your travel consultant before you go. If you do not do this, we cannot guarantee the items you may need will be available when you arrive on your expedition. If there are high numbers of volunteers renting items, please be aware that there may be times when volunteers will need to share the equipment between them, but this will not impact the dives you are able to join. We recommend volunteers bring their own equipment where possible.

Fitness & Skills

Divers require a fairly high level of fitness and good lung capacity. You needn’t be an athlete, but you must be relatively fit and healthy! If you are already a certified PADI diver, you will be able to begin this project with marine conservation volunteering work, with the opportunity to improve your PADI dive skills throughout the project. If you are an unqualified diver, you will begin the programme with a week’s training course to become PADI certified. To do so, you must be a fairly strong swimmer, and must not be afraid of underwater submersion.

Vaccinations

The vaccinations required will depend on your medical history. We recommend that you consult with your GP/Doctor regarding your own immunisation needs. In conjunction with this, we would recommend that you check Fit for Travel’s website.