Jake Davies makes a pilgrimage to the West Papua region of Indonesia, home to some of the planet’ s most diverse coral reef systems
TRAVELSPECIAL
A harmony of coral and fish
Jake Davies makes a pilgrimage to the West Papua region of Indonesia, home to some of the planet’ s most diverse coral reef systems
Situated within the Coral Triangle, the vibrant coral reefs and incredible biodiversity found in Raja Ampat make it one of the word’ s truly great dive destinations. The region, on the far eastern side of the Indonesian archipelago, boasts some of the highest coral species counts on the planet, supporting an abundance of marine life, from macro species like nudibranchs to cleaning stations for large pelagics such as oceanic manta rays.
One of the best ways to explore this remote paradise is on a liveaboard, cruising through the archipelago’ s mosaic of jungle-filled islands. For this journey, we boarded the luxurious Emperor Harmoni, travelling from Sorong in northern West Papua, through Raja Ampat, and southward to Triton Bay, ending the trip with unforgettable encounters with majestic whale sharks.
Coral Eden
From Raja Ampat to Triton Bay you encounter a variation of dives, from bright, vibrant shallow reefs to pinnacles that act as cleaning stations for large pelagic fish, including the oceanic manta rays, a species that I personally wanted to see during this trip.
We spent the first few days around the Raja Ampat area, setting off from the port of Sorong over to the small island of Pulau Soak Monder, where we anchored for the evening to prep ahead do a shakedown dive at the island Saonek Kecil, in the Dampier Strait. It was a nice introductory dive to the region, following a shallow coral reef along the edge of the island.
Cambodia Philippines
Malaysia Brunei
Singapore Indonesia
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West Papau
Panoramic view of the Geosite Piaynemo
North Maluku
Waigio Sorong
Bird’ s Head Peninsula
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Maluku Kaimana
Papau
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