Also nearby, Manta Sandy is well-known for much bigger visitors, as it is one of the most consistent spots for finding congregating mantas. It’s easy to spend a whole dive observing these majestic animals as they somersault through the water while being cleaned. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to witness the unforgettable sight of a “manta train” – where a dozen or more mantas glide around and follow each other head-to-tail.

Heading to the northern Raja Ampat area, we visit a pearl farm in Aljui Bay (north-west side of Weigeo), to explore underneath the main jetty for wobbegong sharks, stonefish, hundreds of schooling scads, ghost pipefish, juvenile batfish and more. Nearby, the night dive is probably the best of the whole cruise, with a chance to see velvet fish, ghost pipefish, waspfish, coconut octopus, helmut flying gunnards and even the walking shark.

West of Waigeo, the rocks and seamounts in the Kawe area are truly singular as they actually sit on the equator. Kawe is one of the few places in the world where you can travel between the northern and southern hemispheres while diving! Yet, this is not the only reason to be excited about this dive. A combination of currents and feeding stations in this area combine to draw in a profuse amount of fish life, as well as huge mantas.

Cruising even further to the north, we visit the Wayag area. This isolated, uninhabited area sprinkled with verdant limestone islands, bordered by slivers of white sandy beaches and palm trees, represents what people usually have in mind when they think of paradise. The only thing to rival the landscape here is the diving. It is truly spectacular, with extensive and untouched hard coral reefs. As the majority of Wayag’s islands have yet to be explored, it is very likely that many more dive sites will be found in this still remote area.

Returning to central Raja Ampat, we head to Dampier Strait (which flows between Waigeo and Batanta), where nutrient-rich ocean currents create an incredible underwater environment. Everything which makes for a wonderful dive can be found here. Explore the dives sites of Cape Kri, Blue Magic, Chicken Reef, Otdima Reef, Kerupiar Island and Mioskon. Ironically, sardines are about the only reef fish not found at the site of Sardine Reef, but you won’t even notice as fusiliers, surgeonfish, trevallies, rainbow runners, sweetlips and bannerfish practically block out the sky, as they swarm over a reef decorated with sea fans, soft corals and huge orange elephant ear sponges encrusted with pastel colonies of tunicates. One of the more unique thrills of this site is being able to hear “fish thunder” – the loud booming sound made when a large number of fish move rapidly through open water.

PAPUAN BIODIVERSITY
As many divers know, Indonesia is located in the very centre of the Coral Triangle and the variety of species seen underwater is truly astonishing. In certain bays and around small islands, you can find more species than in the entire Caribbean.

Specifically, in Raja Ampat, Gerald Allen (world-famous ichthyologist) counted the incredible number of 284 different species of fish during a single dive (at Kofiau Island). If that wasn’t enough, 64% (505) of the entire world’s known coral species have been found in the waters at Raja Ampat and 75% of the world’s total species of scleractinian (hard) corals cover Raja Ampat sea beds! As a result, scientists nowadays believe that this destination is the world’s current no. 1 spot in terms of biodiversity.

Basically, very few places can compete with Raja Ampat’s unparalleled and untouched marine environments: underwater caves, mangroves, rainforest fjords inhabited by the most extraordinary and varied underwater life.

Raja Ampat is supported by currents extremely rich in plankton, resulting in huge schools of fish and shoals of pelagics. Fans of macro and strange creatures are sure to get their fill as well, with regular sightings of many oddballs, both big and small. If all of that isn’t enough, wreck aficionados can also enjoy the World War II ships and planes that have come to rest in the region.

With excellent diving possible year round, is it any wonder that Raja Ampat is considered the world’s hottest spot of biodiversity?