The Kingdom of Fish Species

Raja Ampat is possibly one of the most famous diving spots in the world. Hundreds of tiny islands breaching the turquoise waters and in between, there are some of the best reefs on the planet with everything from huge manta rays to tiny critters.

Raja Ampat is an archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands in the region of West Papua in Indonesia. The name means “Four Kings” and these kings are the 4 biggest islands Misool, Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo. But the archipelago consists of hundreds of islands, many of them uninhabited. Raja Ampat lies right in the middle of the Coral Triangle. This and the remoteness makes the conditions for marine life exceptional. The variety of marine life is one of the highest in the world. It is sometimes also called “species factory” as people discover so many new creatures here. There are 1,400 species of reef fish here as well as 600 species of hard corals, making up 75% of the world’s total species population. Raja Ampat also contains five of the world’s seven sea turtle species, 700 types of mollusks, and 13 marine mammal species. You can find everything from pygmy seahorses, mantis shrimp, little walking sharks to the big oceanic manta rays, that come here every year.

Currents can sometimes be quite strong here but there are also places with calm water. That makes Raja Ampat suitable for divers with all levels of experience.

BEST TIME TO DIVE IN RAJA AMPAT

The best time to dive in Raja Ampat is from September to April when large numbers of manta rays are present at the cleaning stations. From October to April it is also the dry season, so the conditions are perfect. Mid-June to September the winds are stronger and can make diving a bit more unpleasant. The average air temperature is 31 degrees and the water temperature is 29 degrees average.

BEST DIVE SPOTS IN RAJA AMPAT

Cape Kri is a record-breaker. In only one dive people counted 374 species of fish. You can´t find such a variety in any other place in the world. Vibrant soft and hard corals created a beautiful reef here. You can swim with schools of sweetlips or swarms of glassfish.

Melissas Garden is close to Batanta Island and can be combined with a day trip to the famous viewpoint of Piaynemo. It is a large coral garden reef, especially for macro lovers. Nudibranchs, soft corals but also wobbegong sharks and black tip sharks can be spotted here.

Magic Mountain is located close to Misool Island and is a great spot to encounter manta rays as this is a cleaning station. You can also see sharks, napoleons, jacks, trevallies, Spanish mackerel, barracuda and snappers here.

Raja Ampat has not only a huge variety of marine life, also the number of dive sites is just countless. Other famous dive sites are Mike´s Point, Blue Magic, Lau Lau Reef or Fiabacat. One thing is clear, you will not be bored on your liveaboard trip.

LIVEABOARDS IN RAJA AMPAT

It is possible to visit Raja Ampat in a Resort with daily diving trips. However, to see the real variety of this archipelago a diving liveaboard is by far the best option. There are a huge number of liveaboards operating in this area. All of them visiting the hotspots of Raja Ampat, plus combining some trips with great dive spots around like the Banda Sea, Triton Bay or Cenderawasih Bay. Choose your liveaboard now.