Raja Ampat Yacht Broker
Charter a yacht or phinisi in Raja Ampat
Yacht charter in Raja Ampat means a crewed phinisi, dive liveaboard or catamaran running from Sorong or Waisai through the Dampier Strait, Wayag and Misool. Charters are typically seven to twelve nights. The desk places guests on vessels it knows first-hand and confirms permits, crew and dive capability before a booking is taken.
The charter fleet, by type
Crewed phinisi
4–8 cabins · full crew · private hire
The classic Indonesian charter platform. Booked whole, with a chef, guides and tenders, for families and private groups.
Dive liveaboards
6–14 cabins · compressors · nitrox
Purpose-built for diving schedules — multiple daily dives, tank handling, guide ratios and camera space.
Catamarans
3–5 cabins · shoal draft
Shallow anchorages, wide shaded decks, smaller party sizes and a lighter cruising rhythm.
Expedition & support
film, survey and research work
Vessels with deck space, tender capacity and endurance for professional charters rather than holidays.
What determines the rate
- Whole-vessel or by-cabin. Private hire of the entire boat prices differently from a cabin on a scheduled departure.
- Season and lead time. Peak windows and short-notice gaps behave very differently.
- Route. Reaching Misool from Sorong costs sea time; a Dampier Strait-focused week does not.
- Inclusions. Diving, nitrox, park fees, national park entry, transfers and beverages are quoted explicitly rather than assumed.
- Crew ratio. Guide-to-guest ratio is the difference between a dive trip and a queue.
All rates are quoted in USD. The desk does not run headline reductions; the price you are given reflects the vessel, the season and the route.
Charter as a route to ownership
A meaningful share of buyers charter first. It is the least expensive due diligence there is: a week aboard tells you what the survey cannot, including whether the layout, the crew culture and the guest flow actually work. If the vessel you charter is one you would consider owning, the desk can move the same relationship onto a purchase mandate, or into acquiring the operation outright.
Owners placing a vessel into charter
If you own a suitable yacht and want it working rather than idle, commercial placement sits inside charter management: pricing, agent distribution, calendar control and owner reporting under a single contract. Charter marketing and commercial representation contracts are issued by PT Komodo Bahari Nusantara.
Most itineraries build around the Dampier Strait, with departures cleared through Sorong. For vessels outside Papua, the nationwide charter fleet sits with the national charter desk.
Talk to the broker desk. Tell us the vessel type, the cruising ground and the budget band in USD, and we will come back with what is genuinely available and what it will take to close.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a Raja Ampat charter be?
Seven nights is the practical minimum to reach both the Dampier Strait and one of the outer areas without spending the trip under way. Ten to twelve nights is what most guests choose when they want Misool and Wayag in the same voyage.
Is bareboat charter possible in Raja Ampat?
It exists but it is limited. Most vessels here are licensed and insured to operate with professional crew, and the navigation demands local knowledge. Assume crewed unless a specific vessel is documented otherwise.
When is the best season to charter?
The archipelago is chartered for most of the year, with a widely observed quieter window around the mid-year monsoon shift. Vessel-by-vessel schedules matter more than a general season rule, because each operator sets its own dry-dock and repositioning dates.