Regions / Asia / Indonesia / Misool Eco Resort

Misool Eco Resort

$3870 USD / 7 nights

PADI 5 Star Certified

Nitrox $

WIFI Available

Handicap Accessible

Misool Eco Resort is located on the remote island of Raja Ampat, Indonesia. This is just south of the equator and is an archipelago of many uninhabited islands. The resort is surrounded by a powder-white shore and stunning coral reefs.

Misool Eco Resort WEATHER

The resort has the goal of offering comfortable, private, and sustainable accommodations. All of the rooms offer Balinese-style open air bathrooms, AC, hot and cold showers, mini-bars full of local snacks, and handcrafted furniture. The resort’s North Lagoon Cottages are built on stilts, over the North Lagoon and feet away from the Dive Centre and restaurant. These cottages feature a veranda framed by the traditional grass roof and a hammock. Nearby you will find the North Lagoon Villas as well. These villas overlook the resort’s house reef and the dive sites of Fiabacet beyond. The villas feature ensuite bedrooms and a shared common area with a half bath, loft, and veranda. By the beach, there are the South Beach Villas that overlook a blue water swimming hole and can be reached by a water taxi or a short walk over the hill. They have a hammock built into the veranda and is the ideal spot to watch the sun set. These villas have a master bedroom and an indoor living area with a sofa that can be converted into a bed.

The dive centre is near the water cottages on the North Lagoon. The center is built on stilts overlooking the water and is extremely spacious and perfect for professional photographers and videographers. The wet area has a large work station for setting up cameras, charging torches, and other battery powered gear. The dry area is furnished with lounge chairs, a library, and a video monitor to view images. Outside, there is a veranda that is perfect for resting and warming up between dives.

The house reef is a shore dive and can be quickly accessed from the end of the jetty, dive centre, or steps leading down from the water cottages. From the house reef, divers will encounter schooling horse-eyed jacks under the pier as well as schools of fusiliers and passing anchovies. Large groupers live under the jetty and often make their way to visit people at their reef. There are also often black tip reef sharks in the deeper areas and sometimes a grey reef shark.

The restaurant is located on the beach overlooking the North Lagoon. The airy, round-roofed structure is tucked under the coconut palms, offering a perfect respite from the midday heat. The restaurant's terrace is the ideal place to enjoy a sunset cocktail or a bottle of wine while watching the baby sharks and long-toms hunt schools of circling sardines. The menu features a broad range of Asian and Western cuisine, with a focus on fresh, local, and organic fare. They offer four meals per day, plus afternoon tea on the terrace, with freshly baked treats like lemon and cardamom biscotti or island-fresh banana fritters with shaved white chocolate. The restaurant has a selection of imported beer, imported wine, and champagne available. The restaurant can accommodate vegetarians, vegans, and other dietary needs and restrictions with advance notice.

Dive Conditions

Conditions can make or break your trip. Temperature, visibility and the current vary greatly across this expansive country. Be sure to check the conditions of each destination you’re planning to dive before you leave. Diving is excellent year-round, but the best time is from May to September. Monsoon season is from December to June. Visibility may not be as good during the monsoon, however, certain locations like the Komodo Islands are a diver’s dream during this time due to an influx of mantas.

Most of Indonesia can be dived year-round with March to October being the most popular time of year to dive. This period of time marks the dry season in most parts of the country, with the exception of some dive areas like Ambon and southern Raja Ampat where most rainfall occurs in May/June to October/September due to the southern monsoon. It's best to visit these areas in the months of November to April for optimal dive conditions.

Generally speaking, Indonesia's climate is almost entirely tropical, with May to September as the dry season, and October to April the rainy season, and with heavier rainfall from December through February. However, the opposite might be true for certain dive areas in Indonesia like Raja Ampat and Ambon, and the best time of year to visit Indonesia really depends on where you intend to stay in the country.

The water temperatures remain quite consistent through the country, hovering at 26°-29°C (82°- 85°F) year-round. Typically, you won't need anything more than a 3-5mm wetsuit, or even a skinsuit. However, the diving conditions and difficulty in Indonesia hugely vary, depending on where and when you dive in the country.

Ambon Bay, Maluku – world class muck diving. Critters that can be seen here include rhinopias, frogfish, ghost pipefish, lots of juvenile fish, stonefish, mandarin fish, nudibranchs, harlequin and coleman shrimps, wonderpus, mimic and flamboyant cuttlefish, and even the much-sought-after psychedelic frogfish.

Alor, East Nusa Tenggara – the hidden gem. This off-the-beaten-path dive destination offers a mix of both world-class wide-angle and macro sites. Pristine coral reefs, steep walls, sloping muck sites--the diving in Alor is really diverse and would please the most discerning diver and underwater photographer.

Banda Sea, Maluku – sea snakes and hammerheads. Most of the diving around the Banda Sea involves excellent wall dives, and great macro sites, but the biggest draw is probably the resident sea snakes at Manuk and Gunung Api islands.

Bali – wrecks and mola molas. Unique critters, fascinating wrecks, beautiful walls, colorful corals, excellent muck dives, huge schools of fish, pelagics--Bali has it all. Technical diving and freediving are also possible in Bali with a good number of reputable dive operations.

Derawan Islands, Borneo – manta rays and whalesharks. Derawan is a remote group of islands in East Kalimantan (East Borneo), and is home to one of the three jellyfish lakes known to men, with the other two located in Palau and Misool Island in Raja Ampat.

Komodo, East Nusa Tenggara – drift dives and world class reefs. Komodo National Park is a group of volcanic islands with over 5,700 giant lizards known as Komodo dragons. This UNESCO World Heritage Site also hosts a world-class scuba diving scene. Imagine drift dives with colorful corals in various formations teeming with marine life, big and small. Divers can see big schools of fish pretty much year-round, as well as eagle and manta rays.

Lembeh, North Sulawesi – muck diving capital. Known as the world's capital for muck diving, Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi offers second-to-none macro biodiversity. The number species that you can cross off your list within a week of diving Lembeh is staggering.

Manado and Bunaken, North Sulawesi – wall dives and reefs. Manado Bay offers a mix of great muck and reef sites, treating divers to unique critters like mimic octopus and flamboyant cuttlefish, as well as various seahorses, squid, nudibranchs, and frogfish.

Raja Ampat, West Papua – the holy grail of Indonesia. Alongside Kaimana Regency and Triton Bay in the south, and Cenderawasih Bay in the east, Raja Ampat archipelago makes up a massive area, collectively known as the Bird’s Head Seascape. Divers can visit the Raja Ampat area many times in their lifes and discover something new each time.

Wakatobi, South East Sulawesi – beautiful coral reefs. Wakatobi's reefs are extremely healthy and offer unique large coral formations, various sea fans, and sponges which are overflowing with marine life. The underwater topography is no less unique, featuring various walls, ridges, and overhangs. While it's not the place for large pelagics, eagle rays and reef sharks can typically be seen.