RAJA AMPAT ISLANDS

Raja Ampat is a series of four adjacent islands located in the western part of the Bird's Head (Vogelkoop) of New Guinea. Administratively, this cluster is under Raja Ampat, West Papua Province. The islands are now a destination for divers who are interested in the beauty of the underwater scenery. The four islands that are members named by the four biggest islands, namely Pulau Waigeo, Misool, Salawati, and Batanta Island.

Raja Ampat Islands is a place that has the potential to be used as a tourist attraction, especially diving tour. Raja Ampat Islands waters according to various sources, is one of the 10 best waters for diving sites around the world. In fact, it may also be recognized as number one for the completeness of underwater flora and fauna at this time.

  Dr. John Veron, coral experienced experts from Australia, for example, in a site it is revealed, Raja Ampat Islands, located in the westernmost tip of the island of Papua, about 50 miles northwest of Sorong, have the best coral regions in Indonesia. Approximately 450 species of coral had been identified during the two weeks of research in that area.
  A team of experts from Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Institute of Oceanography (LON) Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) never conduct rapid assessments in 2001 and 2002. As a result, they are noted in these waters there are more than 540 kinds of hard corals (75% of the total species in the world), more than 1,000 species of reef fish, 700 species of molluscs, and the highest record for gonodactyloid stomatopod crustaceans. It makes 75% of the world's coral species are in Raja Ampat. None of the places with the same area has a number of coral species as much as this.

  There are some reefs are still very good condition with the percentage of live coral cover up to 90%, which is in the Dampier Strait (the strait between the island and the island Waigeo Batanta), Kofiau Islands, archipelagic Southeast Misool and Wayag Islands. Types of coral reefs in Raja Ampat generally is fringing reef with ramps up the steep contours. But found also the type of atoll and the type of charred or taka. In some places such as the village Saondarek, when the lowest tides, coral reefs can be seen without a dive and with his own adaptation, corals can still be alive despite being in the open air and exposed to direct sunlight.

  Unique species that can be found at the time of diving is some kind of dwarf seahorse, wobbegongs, manta rays and fish. Also there is a fish endemic to Raja Ampat, namely Eviota king, which is a kind of fish gobbie. At Manta Point which is located in Arborek Dampier strait, you can dive in the company of some tail Manta Rays are benign like when you dive in Derawan Islands, East Kalimantan. If diving in Cape Kri or Chicken Reef, you can be surrounded by thousands of fish. Sometimes a collection of tuna, giant trevallies and snappers. But stressful if we are surrounded by a collection of barracuda, even though it is relatively harmless (dangerous if we see barracuda solitary or alone). Reef sharks are also frequently seen, and if you are lucky you can also see the turtles were quietly eating sponge or swim around you. In some places, such as in Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo also seen dugong or sea cow. 

 Visiting these islands is not too difficult though it takes time and considerable cost. We can use the airline from Jakarta or Bali to Sorong via Makassar and Ambon and Manado for approximately 6 hours of flight. From Sorong, a fairly large city with quite complete facilities. To explore the Raja Ampat there are two choices, take a tour by boat or stay at the resort Phinisi Raja Ampat Dive Lodge. Although most of the tourists who come to Raja Ampat divers today is, in fact this location attractive also for non-divers tourists as it also has white sandy beaches are very beautiful, a cluster of islands karst nan stunning and unique flora and fauna endemic like paradise red, paradise Wilson, maleo Waigeo, various parrots and parrot, possum Waigeo, as well as various types of orchids.