Here is my latest Raja Ampat trip report. We just got back from a couple of weeks in Raja Ampat. Four divers and eight snorkelers got to explore incredible oceans, coral reefs, rainforest and mangroves. In one 24-hour period, we swum with manta rays, watched Bryde’s whales feeding and red birds-of-paradise displaying.
This is why the region was part of the inspiration for my book Wildlife in the Balance.
But I haven’t been back for almost three years. It’s always great travelling here with people who have not visited before. As usual, it was the people who made the journey worthwhile. Much fun was had and we all got to do and see things we’d never thought possible.
Eastern Indonesia is simply the world’s most amazing place to visit. There is no way possible to describe the diversity and abundance of wildlife. It has to be seen to be believed.
And there is no better way than on board a ship like Pindito.
My next trip departs for Komodo on 26th June. There is still time to join me.
Read more about our February 2023 expedition to Raja Ampat
A bit about the Raja Ampat Ecosystem this year
As some readers of this blog would know already, I’ve also amassed my knowledge into a Marine Atlas of Eastern Indonesia. It’s the first time anyone has attempted a comprehensive review of how the region’s 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 and biodiversityWhat is the definition of biodiversity? When we ask, what is the definition of biodiversity? It depends on what we want to do with it. The term is widely and commonly misused, leading to significant misinterpretation of the importance of how animals function on Earth and why they matter a great deal, to human survival. Here I will try to More 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.
This year was a negative Indian Ocean Dipole event (also a La Nina). This set up conditions the opposite extreme of what we encountered a few years back. If you’re interested, I’ve annotated this in the trip report (above) and you can read more in my atlas (below). Though I’m going to update this shortly as this recent trip provided even more evidence for some of the assumptions.
