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Dive Review of Gangga Divers/Papua Paradise in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

Gangga Divers/Papua Paradise: "more bucket list diving", May, 2019,

by John E. Keith, UT, US (Top Contributor Top Contributor 31 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 10929.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Our second stop (see my review on Papua Explorers) was Papua Paradise Eco Resort for 5 days (actually 3 days of diving). Once again, the diving was great and the staff wonderful. We transferred from Papua Explorers to P. Paradise on a P. Explorers boat at about the same cost as coming to P. Paradise from Sorong (2 million Rupees or about $150), and that was much more pleasant than going back and forth to Sorong. In fact, P. Paradise "refunded" our transport cost from Sorong - amazing. The resort is much like Papua Explorers in form (over-water bungalos), but with an upscale bar and relaxation area and more formal dining (smaller tables). My wife liked the open seating at P. Explorers better, since it provided more opportunity to meet other divers and talk about the day's experiences. I preferred the comfort of smaller tables (I'm really hard of hearing, and miss most conversations). The diving is still wonderful, with great corals and many varied fish and citters, but there weren't as many large fish and schools of fish as at P. Exploreres). We did see mantas at a cleaning station, sharks (lots of wobbegongs included - I forgot to mention them in the P. Explorers review), small critters, etc. Since we only dived three days, we didn't get to explore all that the resort has to offer in terms of dive sites, although some of the sites duplicate those that P. Explorers visits (in particular, the high-current, big fish sites). Once again, the dive shop was well organized and provided almost "tailored" diving based on your preferences, and a maximum of three divers per guide. Food at the resort was a bit better than P. Explorers (a bit more varied), although still the Indonesian/Western buffet. You could get made to order omlettes for breakfast, though. Still no A/C in the bungalos, but fans helped. The staff at P. Paradise was exceptional. When our stay ended, we were transferred to a hotel in Sorong to await our flight (to our last destination - Bunaken), and my wife left her phone (including driver's license and credit card) there. Once we discovered this (upon arrival at Bunaken), we contacted P. Paradise and their manager from the Sorong office found the phone and sent it DHL to us in Bunaken. No charge. Incredible! In addition, my wife wanted to do some shopping in Sorong, and that was arranged as well. Again, this resort meets the expectations that "Raja Ampat" sets in your mind and provides truly outstanding service to its customers.
Websites Gangga Divers   Papua Paradise

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Egypt, Florida, California, Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Australia, Maldives, Indonesia
Closest Airport Sorong Getting There Long flight from Utah to Tokyo to Singapore to Jakarta

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy Seas calm, no currents
Water Temp 82-84°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 25-50 Ft/ 8-15 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Again, guides preferred everyone come up at the same time.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 4 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 2 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments No camera bucket on board the dive boats, but good facilities on the dock and in the resort.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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