Raja Ampat - The Realm of the Four Kings
contirubutor: noor hadi ismail; great ocean divers (g.o.d)
occupation: certified padi and sdi instructor with great ocean divers
I.M….hoping and aspiring to spread love for the ocean through my passion
 for scuba training and specialty programs to meet the needs of adults and children.

Diving with G.O.D.


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 the north-western tip of Indonesia’s Papuan “Bird’s Head Seascape,” lies in the heart of the coral triangle, the most bio-diverse marine region on earth. Great Ocean Divers (G.O.D.) made this trip to Raja Ampat in Jan 2010. It was a live aboard diving trip for 7 days 6 nights on the Anjemiwa II.

John, I and 6 others (Ushen, Julie, David, Peter, Daphne and YK) made the trip. Most of us started from Kuala Lumpur by Air Asia to fly to Makassar in Sulawesi, staying overnight and then taking the Express Air plane to Sorong the following day. We met our Buddies at Makassar airport and then boarded the plane for the journey to Sorong. At the port we boarded a boat to be transferred to our Live On Board boat Anjemiwa II.


Anjemiwa II

We arrived at our first diving spot the next morning after sailing overnight from Sorong. The dive was around 20 metres, and visibility was good with corals, sea fans and sponges alive and healthy. Small yellow coloured sea cucumber species (Pentacta lutea) were everywhere, so too were the yellow with patches of black of the Notodoris  gardineri or banana nudibranch as Peter called it. We also came across the walking (epaulette) shark hiding in the rocks and the plentiful colourful reef fishes.

Our second dive was at Mios Kon. We spotted the Wobbegong shark lazing in a small cave in the rocks and a manta made a fleeting first appearance. A big Napolean wrasse was playfully swimming nearby with other reef fishes. Coral life was good and colourful. After lunch we sailed to our next dive site called Nudi Island about an hour away. It was a small rocky island in a sheltered bay, supposedly good for macro.

Manta birostris

The next morning, we dived at The Passage, where diving in Raja Ampat  can be unique. At the Passage, between Waigeo and Gam Islands, a narrow passage separates the two islands. Here there’s a swift flow of water in the channel and the key to the dive was to stay close to the edge of the channel, where there are many large rocks and small bays in which shelter from the current can be found. There were lots of fish, including large trevallies, sweetlips, batfish and bumphead parrotfish, and many small reef tropical fishes. The Passage was an unusual place where the ocean meets the tropical forest and the experience of diving in the ocean with the jungle above our heads was one that we would long remember. We dived at Batu Lima and then Mike’s Point. Both dive sites were awesome with colourful corals, sea fans and sponges. Fish life on the reefs was good and in abundance, we saw barracudas, rays, sweetlips and few species of colourful nudibranchs.


Nudibranch (Chromodoris dianae)

We sailed to Cape Kri.  The dive site was a sloping wall and fringing reef, with a depth of 5-40m. We were enthralled by vast numbers of parrotfish as they charge around and devour the coral and of course there were schools of trevallies and barracudas too. In addition to this were the presence of large Napoleon wrasse, white tip reef shark and giant groupers, as well as innumerable fusiliers and snappers.

The boat went round the Gam Island to the Gam Channel. The boat anchored in the channel and we dived nearby. Schooling fish like barracudas and jacks, were stationary in the current. As usual the Wobbegong shark was seen lazing in the rocks. Different species of nudibranchs were spotted including the “Pikachu” nudibranch (Thecacera pacifica).

Jacks


“Pikachu” (Thecacera pacifica)

In the early hours of the morning, the Anjemiwa II left for the northern area of Raja Ampat where we hoped to see the manta rays. On arrival we could see mantas flipping above water. We dived at a site called the Eagle Rocks (or Batu Tiga), where the submerged reef is the cleaning station for the manta rays. As there were currents on the surface and plenty of jellyfish, we tried to descend as fast as possible.  We reached the bottom (about 20m) and we swam around the reef when suddenly two manta rays appeared above our heads.

After lunch the boat sailed to one of the small islands near Waigeo where there was a Pearl Farm. The boat anchored there till midnight and we did our dive at Pearl Farm Corner and night dive at the Pearl Farm Jetty. At midnight the boat left the area to make a long journey back to Sorong. We sailed to Pulau Wai and did our last dive the next day at WW2 P-47D Thunderbolt Plane wreck.

At about 8.30 am we disembarked from Anjemiwa II. We hope all the G.O.D. buddies enjoyed the comradeship and had a wonderful time in the Raja Ampat diving adventure.