Kri Eco Resort - Papua Diving

I had an amazing week at the Kri Eco Resort. Despite being the only guest from Asia during that week, the team members were all very friendly, and even the manager, Lucas, greeted me in simple Chinese. The room was fantastic, the food was delicious, and the diving arrangements were excellent. I managed to complete 18 dives in 6 days, feeling both tired and happy every day. I would highly recommend it to my friends, and hope to see more Chinese divers visiting here in the future.

We loved staying here, all the dives were super well organised and the staff were always so cheerful & friendly. The nature we saw on land and in the water was simply divine, at times we were overwhelmed with where to look when diving because there was just so much to see! Turtles…an incredible variety of shoals of tropical colourful fish…small black and white tip sharks…and a spectacular array of hard and soft coral on every dive. It was a great place to do a night dive as a first timer too as Kri has a house reef. Last but not least - snorkelling just off the jetty was magic too, so much sea-life a few seconds from our room!
Another aspect we loved about Kri Eco Lodge was that when we first arrived we were given metal bottles to refill with water and we used them throughout our stay, given the rubbish we saw on some of the islands’ beaches, this felt exactly the right course of action for a resort.

A beautiful, friendly resort with a great dive centre and team, but an expensive trip.

We really enjoyed our stay and made some great memories in a beautiful place. The resort is on a beautiful reef that you can snorkel on from your room - we swam with turtles, baby black tips, millions of parrotfish, anemone fish (just everything), right from our room.

Lucas (the resident dive instructor) did a wonderful job of guiding my husband (initially very anxious from a poor first diving experience a decade ago) to gain his open water certification.

As an advanced diver with 50+ dives from around the world, the diversity and beauty here was incredible. We dived with mantas swimming a couple of feet above our heads, saw a huge variety of (alive!) coral in magical colours and there were so many types of fish that it was impossible to remember them all!

Food was excellent, the right mix of variety and repetition. Good selection of snacks and drinks included - we never went hungry. Additional drinks and snacks (alcohol, fizzy pop and chocolate) was v. pricey - €3 for a can of coke, but understandable as everything needs to be shipped to the island.

The rooms are... Traditional! Beautiful, with comfortable, clean beds, laundry service and amazing views. We didn't love sharing a bathroom as it was a short walk from the room, so if we had the money, we'd have chosen a private bathroom.

The only downside for us was the cost. We knew Raja Ampat in a resort would be expensive, but it was difficult not to feel that as tourists we are seen as sources of unlimited cash. Sure, there are plenty of people who don't need to worry about their budget, but we felt at times like we were being taken advantage of - we did not love receiving an envelope with our names on for a cash tip (even if it said "don't feel any pressure" on it). With the price we paid for the week, and the additional £500 each on 6 dives with equipment, we would hope staff were already being paid fairly. If margins are really tight and a tip is necessary to supplement salaries, then more transparency about, for example, the fees imposed on the resort or a high level breakdown of costs would feel less like another money-grab attempt. We do not, however, feel like this was unique to this resort and is likely standard practice in the area.

Overall, we loved our week in Kri Eco Resort, made some amazing memories and would recommend this resort to anyone in a heartbeat.

Absolutely amazing place, good food, Tom is really well organised and if there’s any issue you can count on him. Lucas is an amazing dive instructor. I did my advanced open water diver course with him. He has a great eye and knows a lot. The rooms are really comfortable and clean. Everyday ocean view with beautiful coral reef surprisingly in good condition since it’s next to the jeti.

An absolutely lovely place, very well run, with friendly staff, great atmosphere and, last but not least, superb diving. Will come back.

We were the first guests after corona and stayed for a week and everything went great and smoothly! Loved it and will definitely come back. Love the way of the Eco style there. Staff was amazing, we had a great boat crew, dive crew and every other staff was also so kind, friendly and lovely. And the food was sooo good, what a great chef and kitchen team. The Management team there is very cool and helped a lot.
The place itself and the nature around (incl. underwater nature) is stunning. I have never seen a more beautiful place on this planed.
The transfer was great too. Pick up was on time and very helpful.

I've stayed on 3 occasions at Kri eco resort in 2004, 2019 & 2022 and once in 2007 at Max Ammer's Sorido Bay resort about 500 metres down the coast. After all the damage done in the past by local shark finning enterprises to satisfy the Asian shark fin soup trade, it was noticeable back in 2004 the lack of reef sharks. Thanks to Max's efforts and like minded people, on my visit last December 2022 it was like chalk & cheese to see the number of black tip reef sharks swimming near the restaurant, especially if one tossed a piece of fish their way!
The accommodation I stayed in was one of those on stilts just off the jetty, very functional but no need for air conditioning as the sea breezes, which pick up once the sun rises and last until closer to sundown, keep one from sweating too much!
At my age (80 next year) and having dived all around the world over the past 50 years, I no longer feel the need to jam in 3 or 4 dives a day, just 2 in the mornings, leaving the afternoons free to take it easy and capture aerial video of the beautiful islands flying my 2 camera drones to add to the fantastic underwater scenery I shoot on the dives.
Both management & staff couldn't do enough to see to any problems such as my cabin door noisily banging after 2 severe thunderstorms at night. A handyman showed up to put in place fixtures to secure the sliding door, as well as replacing the missing mirrors in the shower/toilet block which had been stolen by locals when the resort had been left unoccupied during covid.
The management put experienced dive guide Dolvinus at my and another 70 plus American diver at our disposal to point out hard to see nudibranchs and make sure we were safe on the dives and the entire management & the staff in the restaurant who also couldn't do enough for us. Special thanks to dive & resort manager Tom and all the girls in the office and restaurant, the boat handlers and the dive guides.
Max Ammer? A legend amongst the world's diving community for his work to conserve Raja Ampat's marine life who appreciate his efforts over more than 30 years. For any doubters on this review page who might say, "Oh, you must be one of Max's Seventh Day Adventist Church followers" let me add I'm a life long atheist but I know a man who puts the environment and people foremost in his works and Max Ammer is one of those people.

Dear Google Review reader,

I could probably write a short story about how amazing Kri Eco Resort is. However, to save yourself (and myself) sometime, just go book your stay here. You will not regret it. Book it now, with the knowledge that this will be one of the best trips of your life. The diving is unbeatable, the food is amazing, and all of the staff are ridiculously good at their jobs. It cannot be beat.

Six of us spent two weeks Diving with Papua Diving. What a fantastic operation! Tom was outstanding as an organizer and Theo and Yoram were expert dive guides! We saw everything! Safety is a focus and with up to four dives a day on an unlimited diving package with Nitrox there was little chance of a diving injury. The chef is excellent and the quality of the meals although basic was fantastic! I've been diving for fifty years and Raja Ampat is a bucket list item and with this operation you will fulfill your dream diving holiday. The current is a challenge at times so bring a reef hook but you can dive on sheltered reefs.

One of the most spectacular places I ever been. 😍

The staff was amazing, and the hospitality was at a 💯

Amazing location, amazing staff, committed to training and empowering locals, huge push for conservation, supporting local schools and community development...the best kind of tourism that is good for all

Great thanks for this amazing day to Meridian Adventure Dive Resort team. İt was unbelievable dive. They know what they do!

The staff is friendly and helpful, the food is delicious and the scenery is breathtaking

Great dive sites and a very nice team. Delicious food. Thank you!!!

Paradise plus more. This place deserves its 5 star Padi resort dive status

Very nice stay for diving in Raja Ampat.

Perfect!!!

One of the best dive sites ever visited

Awesome place and people even better