Moving on from Debut in the Kei Islands, we headed north to Raja Ampat, famous for its beautiful scenery and diving.
Unfortunately, our timing was a little off as we were in Raja Ampat during the rainy season. The weather was grey, wet and windy with even a few squalls. Not at all what we were expecting!
Undeterred, we made our first stop at Balbulol on the eastern side of Misool. Here we anchored in between limestone stacks in clear, but deep water (30m). There was limited room for the boat to swing, so a line ashore (well round a large rock actually) was necessary. Many thanks to Mary Doll for the drone shot.
The clear and warm water was great for snorkelling and diving. The stacks created steep walls which were covered in coral: plate, sheet, fan and staghorn. These formed homes for a huge variety of reef fish, including damsel, chromis, surgeon, butterfly and rabbit fish. Sorry no photos!
Knowing that we were hoping to spend several weeks in northern Raja Ampat where the islands are mainly uninhabited, we made our next stop the large industrial port of Sorong. We anchored off, amongst the fishing fleet and liveaboard dive boats. It was a bumpy and wet dinghy ride ashore, so a water taxi was in order. Once ashore, it was a small minibus/taxi to the supermarket and local market. This was a busy place full of people buying and selling fresh fruit, vegetables and fish. It certainly was an assault on the senses.
Fully stocked up, we continued north up into the islands of the Raja Ampat Marine Park. Our first stop was Friwin, a small island off the east coast of Gam. Here we anchored close to a small village. We were greeted by friendly fishermen motoring past and smiling children waving from the jetty.
Whilst at Frown we did four dives with Biodiversity Eco Resort. Gentle sandy slopes were scattered with colourful coral bommies and bright sea squirts. Teaming with the usual reef fish, we also saw scorpion fish, lion fish, unicorn fish and a couple of reef sharks. Our lucky finds were a wobbegong and our first crocodile fish.
Boat life is not always play. Before leaving Friwin we had to repair the dinghy which had popped a seam during the heat of the midday sun. Essential repairs for us as the dinghy is our car!
Heading west along the south coast of Gam, we made a quick stop at the southern bay. A dinghy safari to find the bat cave was unsuccessful, but snorkelling at a manta ray feeding station was a superb find. We had about seven of these majestic creatures ‘flying’ gracefully around us!
Apologies for the photo quality, there was a lot of sediment in the water.
Next stop was Yanggefo. There was just enough room for our two boats to anchor. Anchoring in a deep bay meant lots of chain and a stern line ashore. Once safely anchored, we took the dinghy to Citrus Ridge for an excellent dive. The sandy slopes not only had a huge variety of coral, but also sponges and anemones. In addition to many reef fish, we spotted several large puffer and a school of inquisitive bat fish.
Keen to dive again on such a beautiful site, we started to fill the tanks in preparation. Unfortunately, the compressor decided it was not to be and Martin spent the morning fixing it. More boat mending in exotic locations.
Continuing north, we had an overnight stop at Bantangpele, sharing the anchorage with a few fishermen and their large boat.
Next stop was KaweNot the prettiest of places, but we had a great catch up with Casamara and Mary Doll to celebrate John and Susie’s 40th wedding anniversary and Derek´s birthday. The celebration took place on Equator Beach and we reminiscing about the celebrations a year ago – karaoke in Tonga.
Our main stop in Raja Ampat was the stunning Wayag. Completely uninhabited, the area is crammed full of towering limestone stacks. There are deep water anchorages, pristine beaches and brilliant blue water.
A hill climb turned into a scramble over razor sharp volcanic rocks, but the view was definitely worth it.
The inside anchorages were home to shallow reefs, but we were disappointed there were no good dive sites. The water was cloudy with sediment and there was very little coral and marine life. Not to be downhearted, we headed out of the protection of the stacks to more open water. With a little time exploring, we discovered Ridge Rock and Figure of Eight Rocks. The secure anchoring of the dinghies was a challenge in the wind and swell, but the reefs and marine life were amazing. It was like swimming in a aquarium. We were surrounded by thousands of small, colourful reef fish and also saw reef shark, many variety of trigger fish and several scrawled file fish.
After a week chilling in Wayag, the time had come to head south. Retracing our steps, we headed back to Gam. This time with a brief stop in the northwest corner. The only two boats in the calm and protected anchorage, we spent two days exploring the underwater scenery. Unfortunately, the visibility was not always great again due to sediment in the water. But we still spotted a triffid! (We have great video of it feeding – but you will have to wait for that!)
As we were passing, we had a two day return visit to Yangeffo. Another two superb dives and also a night dive. Just as good as before.
Having spent three weeks at anchor, we were beginning to run short of food, so we made a bee line for the small town of Waisai. We found a great little marina with a pool and cocktails – luxury!
We had been recommended an English speaking driver who ran us about town helping us at the local markets, finding somewhere to refill the gas bottle, sorting laundry and diesel. He even managed to find us some backstreet beer, quite difficult in a predominantly Muslim area.
He also recommended a couple of amazing local restaurants which, of course, we had to try.
