Raja Ampat – A Voyage of Biodiversity

This week’s voyage aboard the Mermaid II through Raja Ampat was full of diverse encounters. From big school of fish, feeding frenzies, beautiful reefs, mangroves and to the smallest of critters, Raja Ampat has it all!

Starting off down south in Misool, guests were treated with beautiful landscapes, great visibility, kaleidoscope of colourful soft corals and sea fans that decorates Misool’s rocky underwater pinnacles, schooling fish and feeding frenzy all over the reefs.

Moving on north, we stopped by the island of Batanta, exploring the seldomly dived muck sites south of the island. The black sandy slopes are absolutely crawling with rare critters such as the elusive Mimic and Wonderpus octopus, Dragonets, Cuttlefishes, Nudibranches and tiny Crustaceans! We then cruised towards Penemu, diving the famous Melissa’s Garden with its stunning hard coral gardens, and Batu Rufus with a wall of Yellowtail Fusiliers above beautiful shallow reefs. Also a quick stop at Yanggefo where guests enjoyed diving the unique Bluewater Mangroves.

Going further north, we cruised towards the island of Kawe, just right below the Equator, where guests encountered a massive Reef Manta going to its cleaning station. Our last leg of the trip were well spent in the Dampier Strait with encounters of an Oceanic Manta Ray and a group of Devil Rays. What a way to finish the trip!

 

– Christopher Pen

Mermaid II
January 11-20, 2025

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