It’s always a thrill to be leading another Raja Ampat Snorkel-Dive Trip. It amazes me how much we can see in a single day. We’ve already seen Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Bryde’s Whale and Pygmy Sperm Whales; a smattering of nudibranchs and abundant fish life including a lovely Sargassum Frogfish – one of the species that only the snorkellers are ever likely to see.
It’s what makes this place so unique. It’s a treasure-trove of wildlife that seems to rare yet is so abundant here. An absolute thrill to be here, as always, with such a wonderful group of people from all ages and walks of life who share a common interest. It’s also great to be supporting the local people who contribute more to its protection than almost any project I see anywhere in the ‘western’ world. Here are a few snaps to brighten your day.
As usual, a lot of colourful and weird nudibranchs. Including a couple of species that so much like soft coral, it’s almost impossible to imagine how they evolved.
I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to post these but a complete trip report will be posted immediately after the trip ends.
Day 2 – Summary
We began the day at the island of Mioskon for a snorkel/dive. Highlights for the divers included a Leaf Scorpionfish. Snorkellers got to see something that divers hardly ever will – a Sargassum Frogfish.
Frogfish are highly sought-after species to see by divers. They are cryptic and usually live on the seabed. But this fish makes its whole life on floating orange seaweed, an ecosystemHow ecosystems function An ecosystem is a community of lifeforms that interact in such an optimal way that how ecosystems function best, is when all components (including humans and other animals) can persist and live alongside each other for the longest time possible. Ecosystems are fuelled by the energy created by plants (primary producers) that convert the Sun's heat energy More in its own right.
As we began breakfast we headed out to see and almost as soon as we’d crossed the drop off, where the seabed falls away to a few hundred metres, we came across a Bryde’s Whale.
These baleen whales feed on schools of baitfish that hang around the thermoclines or amass over deep water reefs.
One Pygmy Sperm Whale was present in the current lines in the deep water and we encountered a charming group of Spinner Dolphins on our way to Yenbuba Village, as well as a leaping Mobula ray, some marlin and one sailfish.
We arrived at Yenbuba at three in the afternoon. This is a small village with a jetty where we dived and snorkelled for the rest of the day.
Unfortunately, a night snorkel wasn’t particularly successful as the current was a little prohibitive. But the afternoon snorkel/dive was very rewarding.
These villages protect their reefs and don’t allow fishing nearshore. The result is a rapid growth in the number of fish. They’ve also done some work to restore coral reefs on the margins, which will no doubt protect the villages from erosion. These are some of the best examples in the world of locally-led conservationWhy is animal conservation important? Animal conservation is important, because animals are the only mechanism to create biodiversity, which is the mechanism that creates a habitable planet for humans. Without animals, the energy from today’s plants (algae, trees, flowers etc) will eventually reach the atmosphere and ocean, much of it as carbon. The quantity of this plant-based waste is so More.
