Meridian Adventure Dive — Raja Ampat PADI 5 Star Eco Resort in Waisai

Meridian Adventure Dive is a PADI 5 Star dive resort in Waisai, the main town of Raja Ampat, and a winner of the PADI Green Star award for environmental practice. It is within walking distance of the Waisai ferry port, which makes it one of the easier Raja Ampat bases to reach, and there is no minimum stay. The resort has air-conditioned rooms, a pool, a fusion restaurant and Wi-Fi throughout, and its dive centre also takes divers staying at nearby homestays and resorts.

Diving is run from the resort's own custom-built rigid-hull dive boats, which are fast enough to reach more than 100 sites in 5 to 45 minutes and are stored out of the water overnight. The operation uses moorings rather than anchors and avoids antifouling paint. Guests choose two-tank morning or afternoon trips or a four-tank full day, with a maximum of four divers per guide. Aqualung equipment (BCD, regulator, wetsuit, mask, fins and weights) is provided at no extra cost, and there is a dedicated camera station for photographers.

Expect schooling barracuda, jacks, trevally and bumphead parrotfish, wobbegong, blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, mobula and eagle rays, and a huge range of macro life from pygmy seahorses to nudibranchs. Manta season runs from roughly November to April. Every visitor to Raja Ampat also needs a marine park entry tag.

The resort runs single-use-plastic-free, sources produce locally in Waisai and works to channel tourism income to local communities. Contact the resort for dive packages and courses.