Raja Ampat (West Papua)
Raja Ampat (which literally translates as “The Four Kings”) is the final underwater frontier, located at the eastern end of Indonesia. It offers amazing diving and some of the most stunning topside scenery of any dive destination on the planet. Raja Ampat casts a spell on all who visit – scientists, photographers, novice divers and crusty sea-salts alike. This group of majestic islands, located in Indonesia’s Papuan “Bird’s Head Seascape”, lies in the heart of the coral triangle, the most bio-diverse marine region on earth.
As stunningly beautiful above water as it is below, Raja Ampat has a startling diversity of habitats to explore. Each of these – from the stark wave-pounded slopes that drop away beneath the cliffs of Wayag and Uranie to the deep, nutrient-rich bays of Mayalibit, Kabui and Aljui to the “blue water mangrove” channels of Kofiau and Gam to the plankton-rich upwelling areas of Misool and the Dampier Strait – are home to unique assemblages of species that, when taken together, add to produce the most impressive species lists ever compiled for a coral reef system of this size.
If you’re looking for unusual sea life like the elusive wobbegong shark, manta rays, or trying to spot the elusive Bird of Paradise then do a bit of investigation and you will surely find that you want to plan your next trip to Raja Ampat.
Water temperature: 24 – 29°C. Visibility: 10 – 30 m (seasonal). Year-round diving.
