Raja Ampat dive pictures

[AMW]

Attached are 5 images from my recent dive trip to Raja Ampat, an area in very eastern Indonesia near the province of West Papua. Raja Ampat has been identified as having the most marine biodiversity on the planet. It is a protected area so there is minimal human pollution to damage the reefs.

 

[WarmWaterWuss]

I am loving the photos, keep them coming. Such a pristine area.... wow.
Just added Raja Ampat to my bucket list.
BTW what is your photo set-up?

 

[AMW]

I am loving the photos, keep them coming. Such a pristine area.... wow.
Just added Raja Ampat to my bucket list.
BTW what is your photo set-up?

NIKON 5100 coolpix in an Ikelite housing. Two Ikelite DS-125 sub-strobes.
For wide angle shots I add the Ikelite W-20 lens (0.56X magnification).

 

[Goodwood]

Fantastic shots.......Raja is on my short list of places to go.

Have you even watch the BBC documentary "Equator"?

 

[ilvfsh]

Beautiful picture of a Blueface. Thanks for sharing.

 

[luvdiving]

Total jealousy right now...I hope u have more to share..

 

[Rossini]

Lovely photos. Where you in Kri or Misool area? Liveaboard?

 

[carolina reefer]

Beautifull, thanks for sharing.

 

[AMW]

Lovely photos. Where you in Kri or Misool area? Liveaboard?[/QUOTE

We were on the MSY Seahorse liveaboard. We started the trip in Triton Bay (flew into Kaimana, West Papua) and then gradually made our way up to the very eastern areas of Misool, then to the main dive areas around Misool Eco Resort, and then up to the Cape Kri area. The trip finished in Sorong, West Papua.

 

[Octoshark]

Very nice

 

[scotter]

Hey AMW,

Love the pictures! Where did you stay in Raja (Kri, Sorido, or Misool) or did you dive from a liveaboard? What'd you think of the experience as compared to other dive locales?
New Guinea is on my list, but the 2 days of travel each way when I only have 2 weeks of vacation a year, is problematic. Is it worth the pain?

Cheers,
Scott

 

[AMW]

Hey AMW,

Love the pictures! Where did you stay in Raja (Kri, Sorido, or Misool) or did you dive from a liveaboard? What'd you think of the experience as compared to other dive locales?
New Guinea is on my list, but the 2 days of travel each way when I only have 2 weeks of vacation a year, is problematic. Is it worth the pain?

Cheers,
Scott

It is most definitely worth the pain, Scott. One of the reasons that Raja Ampat (R4) remains so pristine is because it takes so long to get there, thus many people cross it off their travel list. We dove R4 via liveaboard, something I HIGHLY recommend. R4 covers a huge area, thus the only way to really sample the best dive sites in Kri, Sorido, and Misool is via liveaboard (unless you have 3 months vacation per year!). In terms of macro, biodiversity, and coral, R4 is one of my favorite dive locations. Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, runs a very close second. If you are looking for pelagics, shark action, and super large schools of fish, I would probably recommend the Galapagos, Cocos, or Rangiroa. If you really want to go even further off of the beaten-path, I would recommend TRITON BAY which is about 24 hours (by liveaboard) to the southeast of Misool. This area of West Papua is even less dove than R4. The soft coral pinnacles in Triton were the most beautiful I have every seen!!! I hope you decide to take the R4 plunge!

 

[Capt_Cully]

Rediculous! I WILL go to Indo before I die!