Biodiversity Super Special: Extraordinary Marine Environments

A passage through some of the planet’s most extraordinary marine environments.

This trip was the epitome of Biodiversity. Travelling such great distances across Indonesia, we covered an incredible expanse of ocean, crossing multiple seas and passing countless islands; we witnessed so much variety in marine life and marine environments.

It is not only the marine life which is diverse but also the topography and landscape both above and below the water, all this combined gives this trip its name, ‘Biodiversity Super Special’.

The underwater landscape transformed day by day, towering walls and drop oAs, carpeted in vibrant soft corals and enormous barrel sponges, drew a line between the reef and the vast open blue. Whilst hard coral gardens so vast resembled rolling fields of acrophore with clouds of tiny fish dancing above. Then, the unassuming mucky sand revealed all sorts of otherworld creatures. Each location brought some new element unique to itself and we delighted in exploring each one.

Setting off from Alor, we indulged in a day of weird and wonderful creatures, exploring the vast array of macro life Alor has to offer. From juvenile Ornate Ghost Pipefish, numerous Rhinopias, Seahorse, and so much more, the seafloor was alive with all sorts of critters.

Leaving Alor behind us, we headed off into the Banda Sea to explore the remote waters around the visually striking Forgotten Islands. Submerged reef atolls and active volcanoes set the stage for some pristine diving conditions, treating us to warm water with incredible visibility and an abundance of marine life. The perfect conditions were only topped by our solitude; with no other boats in sight, we had the Banda Sea to ourselves.

Sighting in the Banda did not disappoint; dozens of juvenile grey reef sharks patrolled while schooling surgeon fish and massive Tuna passed in the blue; the water was alive everywhere we went. Some groups were even lucky enough to glimpse schooling Hammerheads in the deep.

While in the Banda Sea we were incredibly lucky to witness one of nature’s amazing spectacles, huge barrel sponges spawning, multiple sponges in unison released their spawn into the water, looking like something out of a fairy tale they appeared to be smoking, as huge plumes floated up from within. This became a theme throughout the rest of our trip, encountering multipipe species mating and spawning, dozens of butterfly fish grouped together atop the reefs in vigorous mating displays, while Sea Urchins spawned all along the sea floor. Along with the rest, of course, the famous Mandarin fish of Banda were also putting on quite the show with their nightly mating
display.

After many days exploring the Banda Sea we eventually made our crossing up towards the legendary Raja Ampat.

Arriving in the south of Misool we were greeted in true Raja Ampat fashion, marine life everywhere! Our first dive rewarded us with multiple Manta Rays, swopping and gliding above, below and straight towards us. At first a couple of Reef Mantas were the highlight, then soaring in from the blue some enormous Oceanic Mantas joined the show, these gentle giants are truly mascots of Raja Ampat diving.

The sheer biomass we encountered on each dive was remarkable. One site hosted thousands of anchovies, shoaling together like an enormous glistening murmuration of birds, their colossal gathering shimmered and pulsed with every synchronised movement, their mass blocking out the sun casting wavering shadows across the reef.
Larger predators soon arrived and began to hunt. Giant Trevallies and Tunas exploded onto the scene firing through the shoal picking off unfortunate stragglers.

As always, Raja Ampat was truly astonishing.

Vast Walls and bustling seamounts, coral atolls and thriving coral gardens, mucky creatures and mangroves, this trip was a diver’s paradise, we witnessed so much diversity in every shape and form.

– Aaron Sanders

Mermaid II
Alor-Banda Sea-Raja Ampat
November 14-29, 2024