Raja Ampat
World Class
You could throw a dictionary full of superlatives at Raja Ampat and none of them would be misplaced….it really is a spectacular diving location and here’s a snapshot of our recent trip. In the water by 7am on day one following a detailed dive brief. Black Tipped Shark, huge Humphead Wrasse, school of Barracuda, giant Trevallies and Jacks plus an aquarium of reef fish overloading the senses. Then a manta just cruises past; and that’s just the check dive! Everything you read about Raja Ampat develops a certain level of expectation and the Dive Manager’s briefings raise the bar even further. I occasionally got out feeling a little underwhelmed, none of the potential Turtles, Sharks or Manta that were suggested for that dive, but a couple of minutes reflection reminded me that I have just dived the most beautiful coral garden covered in vibrant hard and soft coral, Gorgonian fans and enormous barrel sponges, surrounded by shoals of giant Bat fish, Sweetlips, Trevallies, Jacks and thousands of Fusiliers. It doesn’t take long to remember that every dive here is World class!
What did we see?
The Mantas are definitely top of my list, such amazing, graceful and majestic animals. Turtles came a close second, but they were not in the numbers that we saw in Komodo in 2024. Black and white tipped shark and the incredible Wobbegong and Epaulette sharks, and then simply the huge shoals of fish. There were other special sightings too; octopus, crocodile fish, scorpion fish, Barracuda, sea horses, squid and cuttlefish.
Trip details
A liveaboard is probably the best way of diving the multitude of locations and getting the most from what’s on offer, and there’s plenty to choose from. We booked on to the Raja Laut through Scuba Travel, our ‘go to’ dive operator. It’s nice to have an operator to turn to should things go wrong.
We’ve been on the Raja Laut before so knew what to expect. It continued to meet those expectations and with only 12 divers it provides a luxurious personal service. It’s one of a few boats that operate in this area and I would recommend that you put in the research as they are all slightly (or significantly) different in terms of the accommodation, the diving facilities, nitrox inclusion, cylinder options, number of dives per day, number of nights onboard and cost.
The “Best of …” trip meant we covered some significant distance, almost always at night, moving between one group of islands to another. It did mean the engine running most nights and the anchor drops at around 5am provided a wake-up call, however, it was well worth it as we really did get to see Raja Ampat in all its glory. A booking system operates on the popular dive sites so you don’t have to share it with another boat; big tick.
Would I recommend it?
It’s a long way to go with multiple flights and time in airports. It’s also expensive, but yes, without hesitation, it is a bucket list dive destination.
Thanks to Richard Haigh for the report
