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Diving Raja Ampat: An Underwater Paradise

02/22/2018 by Kristin Addis 12 Comments

“How will you ever find the words to describe this place?” asked Jack, a fellow diver on the liveaboard.

Though a valid question, I was more preoccupied with two even bigger problems: which island out of the thousands in Raja Ampat I’d live out a hypothetical Robinson Crusoe life, and whether or not I really wanted the word to get out about this place.

After searching far and wide for an island paradise that feels unknown and largely uninhabited, Raja Ampat fits the bill in every way. I imagine it looks the same now as it did thousands of years ago.

raja ampat
One of those places that photoshop could never improve.

With each new corner we rounded and every beach we came across it just got better – unmatched with its crystalline lagoons and Jurassic Park-like flora.

raja ampat
The sunsets, though!

And that’s just what’s above the water.

The real reason I went to Raja Ampat was to dive. I’d long heard stories about how abundant and beautiful everything under the water was, and though remote, I’d been enchanted by the idea of a liveaboard in Raja Ampat for years.

Everything else – the afternoons pretending to be a mermaid in the hidden lagoons, the beach bonfires while the sun lit up the sky with color, and the starry skies, free of light pollution, were just an unexpected bonus.

RAJA AMPAT
SO MANY FISH!

Under the water it was a show that even Ariel would find impressive. I often felt a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out what to look at first. There was so much diversity in every direction.

Though I can post photo after photo here, it’s really the video that does it justice. It’s some of my best work, I know you’re going to love it!

There were schools upon schools of reef fish in layers, from tiny glittering flecks in the water to huge schools of Jack fish and Barracuda. I’ve never been surrounded in all directions by a cloud of fish like that before. It was bliss, and it kept happening over and over.

raja ampat
A Wobbegong shark – my first time seeing one.

Then there were the big things, like Manta rays, turtles, Wobbegong sharks, Mobula rays, Spotted rays, Black-Tipped Reef sharks and Groupers.

raja ampat
MANTA! I could have cried

I saw a few other favorites like Cuttle fish, Octopus, and more Pygmy seahorses and nudibranchs than I could count as well.

raja ampat diving

As if that weren’t enough, the corals were the best I’ve seen too. There were so many colors and varieties, it was like a veritable underwater garden.

raja ampat
Beautiful corals

I left certain that Raja Ampat diving is unparalleled, and this is coming from a girl who dived Sipadan, Mozambique, the Maldives, and Komodo, too.

raja ampat
I’ve never seen so many fish in my life.

The boat, the Mutiara Laut, was gorgeous as well. Before the first day was over the crew already had everyone’s name memorized, and were always all smiles. Many of them, including the captain, have been with the boat since the very beginning – almost a decade.

raja ampat
So tastefully done.

The food was delicious, the room was serviced twice daily, laundry was done on board, and I could have all the cappuccinos I wanted. I never actually finished my water glass before it was being filled again by a smiling Wayan, who patiently taught me some Bahasa and Balinese phrases.

I’ve never sailed in such luxury, with a big bed and personal bathroom just for me, all smartly decorated in caramel-colored wood, mother of pearl, and cream white.

raja ampat
Does it get any more beautiful than this??

I’m ruined for boats and dive destinations now, I’m afraid.

I know I’m gushing but I can’t get over how incredible every aspect of the trip was.

We did three dives per day over an 11-day trip which took us to Misool, Penemu, and Dampier Strait. That’s one of several itineraries in Indonesia that the Mutiara Laut does. You can see the rest here.

Still, we barely scratched the surface. Raja Ampat is a national park full of protected dive sites, enough to have attracted a few of the divers on board more than once.

raja ampat
Mermaiding during one of our afternoon excursions to a hidden lagoon.

Like most diving in Indonesia, the current can go from, as my dive master Anton said, “mild to wild”. Though I found it to be fine, comparable with Komodo.

Raja Ampat isn’t heavily frequented by tourists, and what we saw during those 11 days one can only reach by boat. I suppose the difficulty in getting there is what has kept it so wild.

I’m already thinking of how I can work another Raja Ampat diving trip into next February. I want to experience this again and again.

It’s not often you find a place this gorgeous with diving this good and so few people. Just keep it on the DL, okay?

This has to be the best dive trip yet, and I have done more than 150 dives! Raja Ampat, an underwater paradise. See it for yourself (photos + video!) | Raja Ampat Islands | Diving Raja Ampat Indonesia |
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*This post was brought to you in partnership with Mutiara Laut. All opinions on the amazing diving and islands in Raja Ampat are my own, as always.

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About Kristin Addis

Kristin Addis is the founder and CEO of Be My Travel Muse, a resource for female travelers all around the world since 2012. She's traveled solo to over 65 countries and has brought over 150 women on her all-female adventure tours from Botswana to the Alaskan tundra.

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Comments

  1. Deborah says

    02/22/2018 at 10:07 am

    Great post! I have never dived, but i’m thinking of taking a course after reading this post and feeling your enthousiasm!!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      02/22/2018 at 3:33 pm

      It’s so amazing! Like another world. Perfect for traveler types.

      Reply
  2. GG says

    02/22/2018 at 11:30 am

    Hi Kristin, terimah kasih for the nice post! You certainly answered Jack’s question by producing that very nice video, beyond words, certainly. The underwater video/photography skill is so impressive, you should be so proud and BTW, for the photography you have become a very good poser adding to the artistry. As for the diving, do you need to be PADI certified to safely traverse the area (due to the current going from “mild to wild”)? You make it so easy and want me to get trained.

    Compliments aside I wanted to add something near and dear to my heart regarding this area of the world and environment in general. For those unawares, Indonesia is composed of something in the order of 18,000 islands (can’t even get agreement on number!!??) with less than half occupied, so remote that they have to import water for the tiny fishing communities and power is a luxury. It is part of the “Coral Triangle” (Philippines to Malaysia) which is home to a majority of the world’s diverse coral life with coral habitats an important resource for water life and pretty much the whole ecosystem on Earth, while at the same time the human population is growing sizably. Hence, what you experienced at Raja Ampat in terms of experiencing aquatic life, being the center of it all, can’t be surpassed anywhere else, lucky you!

    I think your post here and videos are very important if used to make people aware of such beauty and life and how we need to do everything we can to preserve it. I think you are helping by mentioning your desire to protect it. You posting this I don’t think will hurt anything, as this has been a regional issue for more than a decade. I bless the people of Indonesia for their job at preserving this jewel (marine sanctuaries and protective areas abound) through the Raja Ampat conservancy and Marine Protected Area (and requiring $100 park passes to further contain traffic) and the divers for respecting its treasures. Coral is so vulnerable and this habitat depends on it so dearly, you can’t even touch the coral (as you know Kristin because you and your friends are so good about it). I hope the acidification of the oceans due to increased carbon dioxide and other global impacts do not harm this region, but your video to me shows both a rich potpourri of life and a sense of vulnerability too which is helpful. Thankfully it is so remote and can’t support large infrastructure; however, one hour by speedboat from Sorong may not be enough to keep small crowds away one day, so the efforts of Indonesia, the eco resorts, and the diving (and traveling) community to preserve it need to continue. I won’t visit the area unless it is for diving or scientific research (e.g., neat article titled, “Raja Ampat: A Biodiversity Hot Spot and the Future of Marine Conservation”) and will enjoy it through your experiences you have shown here. Thanks for deciding in the end to share them and being eco-sensitive.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      02/22/2018 at 3:30 pm

      Yes you do need to have your advance open water to do the dives that I did, and Nitrox would be good to have as well. Thanks for mentioning the environment, it’s so important to our future!

      Reply
  3. Lisa says

    02/22/2018 at 6:14 pm

    Ahhhh! This is great! I’m going to Raja Ampat next February and will be diving with Misool resort for 9 days — now I’m thinking I should add this boat onto my itinerary!!! I just came from a live aboard in the Maldives and really enjoyed it. Looks like this would be as special as that. The video also makes me want to buy a drone!!!!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      02/22/2018 at 7:48 pm

      You get the best of both worlds!

      Reply
  4. Anya says

    02/23/2018 at 8:41 pm

    Amazing video!! Really made me want to go:) I am curious: what camera did you use for under water video? Thank you for your time!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      02/27/2018 at 12:17 am

      GoPro!

      Reply
      • Annie says

        03/01/2018 at 3:53 pm

        It didn’t appear to have the fisheye appearance like most gopros usually do! How did you do that?

        Reply
        • Kristin says

          03/03/2018 at 12:45 am

          You can change that in the settings and also under water it’s less of an effect.

          Reply
  5. Kate says

    02/25/2018 at 12:37 pm

    I am a certified diver but I do not have my advanced certification, would I still be able to Scuba Dive in Raja Ampat? Also I am a solo traveler and want to travel in December/January time frame and am leaning towards a liveaboard . I came across Raja Ampat Adventures that is focused more on snorkeling and some land adventuresnd seems to be a good budget option. Do you have any budget tips for Raja Ampat and would you still recommend a live aboard for some that is missing the advanced certification and may have to stick to snorkeling? Did it seem like a good destination for snorkeling ?

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      02/27/2018 at 12:15 am

      Get your advanced! Then you won’t miss out. I think snorkeling instead of diving would be a shame.

      Reply

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