Raja Ampat’s Incredible Encounter

This week’s voyage aboard the Mermaid One through Raja Ampat was marked by a series of incredibly unique encounters, ranging from oceanic manta rays and free-swimming wobbegong sharks to tiny blue-ringed octopuses and even a playful baby reef manta ray.

Throughout the trip, guests encountered two species of wobbegong sharks: the ornate and the tasselled. These bottom-dwelling sharks are distinguished by the unique growths around their mouths, resembling shaggy beards. Typically, they are found resting motionless on the seafloor, ambush predators laying in wait. But on this occasion, guests were lucky enough to witness the rare sight of these large sharks freely swimming over the reef, providing an exhilarating first-time experience for many. They even came across a baby wobbegong nestled beneath a coral bommie!

And that wasn’t the only baby marine life encounter. As the trip neared its end, guests encountered a baby manta ray. While diving alongside a chain of fully grown manta rays, a small juvenile, only a couple of feet across, approached the guests, following and playing with the divers throughout the dive.

These once-in-a-lifetime encounters are what make every journey to Raja Ampat unique and unforgettable.

John Roney

MV Mermaid I
March 25 to April 4, 2024