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A 40 to 50m motor yacht Raja Ampat in the dry-season window (October 2026 to April 2027) runs $215,000 to $298,000 per week plus 28 to 35 percent APA, takes 8 to 12 guests, and bases out of Sorong on the western tip of West Papua at 0.9 degrees south latitude. There are no marinas in the archipelago. The Raja Ampat charter ground runs three discrete cruising legs at the bracket: the central Dampier Strait at 25 to 45 nautical miles northwest of Sorong, the northern Wayag and Aljui Bay run at 75 to 110 nautical miles north, and the southern Misool Marine Reserve at 90 to 130 nautical miles south of Sorong. The active 40 to 50m fleet using Raja Ampat through a typical dry-season window is 4 to 6 yachts, the most remote commercial charter ground at the bracket and a structural diving and conservation specialty.
Why the bracket runs Raja Ampat at all
The biodiversity. Raja Ampat sits inside the Coral Triangle and carries the highest recorded marine biodiversity per square kilometre of any reef system on the planet. The Dampier Strait alone holds over 75 percent of all known coral species. Charter clients in this bracket are diving-led, photography-led, or conservation-led, and the destination earns the lead because there is no equivalent. The bracket runs Raja Ampat for the structural diving and reef product, not for the shore programme.
The remoteness. Sorong is the gateway port, accessed via Jakarta or Makassar on Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air. The destination has no marinas, no fuel dock for the bracket, no provisioning chain outside Sorong, and no medical infrastructure past the Sorong port hospital. The bracket runs the at-anchor expedition product with all fuel and provisioning planned at Sorong and a 5 to 7 day forward provisioning cycle. The destination's remoteness is the structural value and the structural risk.
The permitting. The CAIT (Clearance Approval for Indonesian Territory) cruising permit chain takes 60 to 90 days at minimum and runs through the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs. The KSOP port clearance, the Raja Ampat Marine Park entry permits (per-guest at IDR 1,000,000 for foreign visitors as of 2026), and the conservation tag wristbands all run through the local authority at Waisai. The captain prior tenure on the CAIT chain and the local agent relationship is the variable that decides whether the charter runs cleanly. Confirm prior Raja Ampat tenure at inquiry.
The off-season. The southwest monsoon (May to September) brings the wet season and the destination closes for charter at the bracket. The October to April window is the dry-season charter calendar. The January to February window carries the inter-monsoon swell and is technically open but operationally compromised on the northern Wayag run. The October to December and March to April windows are the structural charter weeks.
What the cruising area gives the bracket
The Dampier Strait at 25 to 45 nautical miles northwest of Sorong carries the marquee diving product with the Cape Kri, Sardine Reef, Manta Sandy, Mike's Point, and Blue Magic sites. The bracket holds at anchor in 18 to 30 metres on sand and coral bottom with mooring buoy infrastructure managed by the Raja Ampat conservation authority on the named sites. The Dampier Strait runs a four to five-night structural diving leg at the bracket.
The Aljui Bay and northern Wayag run at 75 to 110 nautical miles north of Sorong carries the karst-island programme with the Wayag lagoon viewpoints, Aljui Bay pearl-farm anchorage, and the northern Mansuar and Gam islands. The bracket holds at anchor in 12 to 22 metres on sand bottom inside the Wayag inner lagoon. Wayag runs the marquee photography programme and the inner-island climb to the Wayag viewpoint. The captain prior tenure on the Wayag inner approach (the channel narrows to 50 metres at the lagoon entrance) is the structural variable.
The Misool Marine Reserve at 90 to 130 nautical miles south of Sorong carries the southern conservation product with the Daram, Yilliet, Boo, and Fiabacet anchorages. The Misool Eco Resort and Misool Foundation conservation work centres on this ground and the bracket runs Misool as the structural southern diving leg. The bracket holds at anchor in 14 to 24 metres on sand bottom on the leeward lees. Misool runs a three to four-night structural leg at the bracket and is the destination's outer marquee anchor at the southern reserves.
The Sorong embarkation week itself is structurally a transit, not a destination. The Sorong harbour is a commercial port with bunkering and clearance but no charter shore programme. Build the embarkation and disembarkation as transit days. The Sorong-to-Dampier Strait transit runs 4 to 6 hours at 12 knots.
Weekly rate map for 2026/27 dry season
Rates below are firm dry-season pricing for October 2026 through April 2027, before APA at 28 to 35 percent and gratuity at 10 to 12 percent. Peak weeks (Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year) run at 1.10 to 1.25 times the published rate. The APA range runs wide because the Sorong provisioning cost is import-driven and the fuel logistics on the Misool leg add meaningful variable cost.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht and large catamaran (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 40 to 43m | $215K to $245K per week | $185K to $215K per week |
| 43 to 47m | $245K to $275K per week | $215K to $245K per week |
| 47 to 50m | $268K to $298K per week | $235K to $265K per week |
Raja Ampat rates run roughly 12 to 18 percent above the equivalent Phuket dry-season week at the same LOA on the headline rate and the APA differential adds another 4 to 8 percent on the all-in. The Indonesian commercial cabotage and the Sorong port fees run baked into the APA. Build the Misool fuel logistics into the contract APA at minimum 30 percent.
What the bracket buys you in this bracket
Cabins. Five to six. The 40 to 50m Indonesian charter standard runs the 5-cabin layout at 8 to 10 guests on the standard expedition week. The 6-cabin product runs the multi-family or split-couple charter and is rare at the bracket because the active fleet is small.
Crew. Ten to thirteen including a diving specialist. The Raja Ampat crew bench is built on the diving operation with one or two crew on the dive tender as primary role. The diving certification of the crew and the dive-master credentialling is the structural variable on this charter, not the standard charter-crew checklist. Confirm the dive-master tenure on the Dampier and Misool sites at inquiry. Captain substitution flies in via Sorong (SOQ) and Jakarta (CGK) on a 36 to 60 hour lead time.
Tenders. A primary 9 to 11m fast tender plus a 6 to 7m secondary, both running the dive tender configuration with tank racks, compressor connection, and dive ladders. The Raja Ampat operation runs three to four dives per day on the standard week and the tender programme is the structural product. The shore-tender programme is limited to the Misool Foundation visit, the Wayag viewpoint climb, and the Arborek and Sawinggrai village stops. The diving programme is the load-bearing tender work.
At-anchor stabilizers. Load-bearing. The Dampier Strait at-anchor swell runs 0.4 to 1.0 metres on the named dive sites and the moored configuration on the conservation buoys runs through tidal cycle. The at-anchor stabilizers earn the diving programme directly. Specify at-anchor stabilizers explicitly at inquiry.
Helipad. Limited utility. Sorong has no scheduled helicopter service and the inbound and outbound transport runs via fixed-wing through Jakarta and Sorong international. The helipad runs the medical evacuation contingency, the photography programme on Wayag and Misool, and the photographer guest rotation. Useful for the photography-led charter, optional on the standard expedition week.
Compressor and dive infrastructure. Structural. The yacht's onboard compressor capacity (typically two 12 to 18 m3/hr Bauer or Coltri units), tank fill capacity (16 to 24 tanks), nitrox capability, and rebreather support are the structural product spec at the bracket. The 47 to 50m bracket runs the nitrox and the trimix capability on the Christmas Island and the deeper Misool sites. Confirm at inquiry.
Trip shapes that fit the bracket
The 10-night Dampier Strait and central Raja Ampat round-trip. Embark Sorong, transit to Dampier Strait (4 to 6 hours), four nights central Dampier (Cape Kri, Manta Sandy, Sardine Reef, Mike's Point), two nights Aljui Bay and Mansuar village, three nights northern Wayag (lagoon viewpoint, photography programme), one night Sorong return transit. The standard diving-led charter at the bracket. Suits the diving-focused couples week and the photography-led week.
The 14-night full Raja Ampat with Misool extension. Embark Sorong, four nights Dampier Strait, two nights Wayag and northern run, six nights Misool Marine Reserve (Daram, Yilliet, Boo, Fiabacet), two nights Misool Foundation conservation programme and return transit. The marquee Raja Ampat charter at the bracket. Suits the dedicated diving expedition couples week and the multi-family week with the conservation-led brief.
The 21-night East Indonesia expedition. Embark Bali (Benoa) or Maumere, work the northern Maluku and southern Halmahera coast, transit to Sorong, run the full Raja Ampat programme, return Sorong or repositioning to Ambon. The dedicated East Indonesia expedition at the bracket. Booking lead time 14 to 18 months for the CAIT chain and the multi-port permitting.
For destination context see Asia charter season, 40-50m Komodo, and Indonesian CAIT permit explained.
What the bracket does not do well at Raja Ampat
The dressed-week or port-night charter. The destination has no marina dockage, no town anchorage with shore restaurants, and no night-out programme. The Misool Eco Resort dinner is the only structural shore-restaurant evening on the standard charter. Build the at-anchor on-board programme into the brief or take the destination off the shortlist.
The 7-night compressed charter. The Sorong embarkation and the transit windows compress the diving and the Misool legs to the point where the seven-night charter loses the southern reserve entirely. The seven-night charter does not run Misool. Build the charter to 10 to 14 nights or commit to the Dampier-only programme.
The non-diving family charter. The Raja Ampat structural product is the underwater programme and the shore offering is limited. The non-diving family charter compresses to the Wayag viewpoint, the Arborek village stop, and the Misool Foundation visit. Build the brief around the diving and snorkelling programme or take the destination off the shortlist for the non-diving group.
The wet-season charter. The southwest monsoon (May to September) closes the destination on swell and visibility risk and the bracket does not write the calendar. The wet-season Indonesian charter runs the central and southern Maluku at the dry-season window there or the Komodo run at the April to October window, not Raja Ampat.
What to book
For a couples-only 10-night Dampier and Wayag round-trip in late November at the dry-season window: a 43 to 45m motor yacht with the 5-cabin layout, two-compressor nitrox capability, a dive-master with five-plus seasons on the Dampier Strait, full tender complement with two dive tenders, and the conservation buoy permits cleared at contract. Budget: $258K plus APA at 30 percent, all-in roughly $358K. Booking lead time: 10 to 14 months.
For a diving family of 8, 14-night full Dampier, Wayag, and Misool expedition in mid-March at the season window: a 45 to 47m motor yacht with the 5-cabin plus pullman layout, nitrox and rebreather capability, helipad for the photography rotation, full tender complement with two dive tenders, the dive-master with Misool conservation reserve tenure, and the Raja Ampat marine park permits and Misool Foundation visit arranged at contract. Budget: $285K per week, all-in for 14 nights roughly $755K including APA and CAIT permit chain. Booking lead time: 14 to 18 months.
Inventory
The live 40 to 50m Raja Ampat and East Indonesia dry-season inventory through the 2026/27 season updates weekly.. For broker-side inquiry, see the brokers pillar and the Asia charter season report.