Here’s my latest Raja Ampat trip report from our coral triangle cruises. Another wonderful trip with a lovely group of people. On this trip we were about 50:50 divers to snorkelers. We now have four zodiacs which gives us even more flexibility to accommodate everyone.
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Read the full Raja Ampat trip report here
This year was an interesting trip for many reasons. I’d decided early on to stick around the core areas of Raja Ampat and not travel too far. Normally we see a lot of whales and dolphins but after two La Niña years the amount of food in the wider region is still high and animals are all spread out. It’s interesting to see Raja Ampat in this light. It was certainly a struggle to have the whale encounters we did.
However, we wouldn’t normally see two whale sharks or Leatherback Turtle. There was a sense of diversity in the animal life. The manta rays also put on a nice show for everyone, allowing prolonged encounters for snorkelers and divers alike.
One of the great pleasures of this particular trip was the chance to explore places Pindito hasn’t been before. We dived and snorkelled several places that were new. Each of these threw up something interesting – including the snorkel inside the magnificent Waigeo Lagoon. Seeing the Coconut Crabs was also great. A few times during this trip we had the chance to support local villages who are preserving their wildlife for future generations.
Map of our route
We don’t have a standard cruise itinerary, which means every trip is different. For some of our guests this was their fourth visit to Raja Ampat on board Pindito.
Our route took us from Sorong to the island of Saonek where we arranged clearance with the harbour master in Waisai. We then proceeded to Mioskon Island before doing a Dampier Strait excursion, arriving in the afternoon outside Yanbuba Village.
From there we headed to Sawanderek Village and then to Mangrove Ridge on the southwest tip of Gam Island via an excursion into the head of the Dampier Strait. We then headed to Piaynemo to walk to the viewpoint before taking a big excursion into the Halmahera Sea south of Gag Island, returning to Ambabee Village in the Fam group of islands where we visited in the evening to see Coconut Crabs.
From there we travelled east to Friwin Bonda before continuing to Yongernow Village and taking a morning walk to see the Red Birds-of-Paradise. Then we travelled east to the entrance to the Waigeo Lagoon and took a speedboat ride into the lagoon, relocating the next day to Wayam near the east end of Waigeo.
Finally, we crossed the Campier Strait to Yum Island and based ourselves there for a couple of days, doing excursions to Jerief Island and nearby channels. The final afternoon we cruised east back to Sorong. Our total distance for the trip was 722.5km or 390 Nautical Miles. The blue tracks are two speedboat excursions.
Photo gallery
More about the ecology of the region
This is more of a science-based document that I add to periodically. It gives a thorough treatment of the wildlife and their function(Of an ecosystem). A subset of ecosystem processes and structures, where the ecosystem does something that provides an ecosystem service of value to people. More within this fascinating region.
