Raja Ampat Liveaboard Diving Cruise
Located off the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula on the
island of New Guinea, in Indonesia's West Papua province,
Raja Ampat,
or the Four Kings, is an archipelago comprising over 1,500 small
islands, cays and shoals surrounding the four main islands of
Misool,
Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo, and the smaller island of Kofiau. It
encompasses more than 9.8 million acres (40,000 km²) of land and
sea, which also contains Cenderawasih Bay, the largest marine
national park in Indonesia. It is a part of the newly named West
Papua (province) of Indonesia which was formerly Irian Jaya. The
islands are the most northern pieces of land in the Australian
continent.
According to Conservation International, marine surveys suggest that
the marine life diversity in the Raja Ampat area is the highest
recorded on Earth. Diversity is considerably greater than any other
area sampled in the Coral Triangle composed of Indonesia,
Philippines and Papua New Guinea. The Coral Triangle is the heart of
the world's coral reef biodiversity, making Raja Ampat quite
possibly the richest coral reef ecosystems in the world.
The area's massive coral colonies along with relatively high sea
surface temperatures, also suggest that its reefs may be relatively
resistant to threats like coral bleaching and coral disease, which
now jeopardize the survival of other coral ecosystems around the
world. The Raja Ampat islands are remote and relatively undisturbed
by humans.
The high marine diversity in Raja Ampat is strongly influenced by
its position between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as coral and
fish larvae are more easily shared between the two oceans. Raja
Ampat's coral diversity, resilience, and role as a source for larval
dispersal make it a global priority for marine protection.
Over 1,070 fish species, 537 coral species (a remarkable 96% of all
scleractinia recorded from Indonesia are likely to occur in these
islands), and 699 mollusk species, the variety of marine life is
staggering. Some areas boast enormous schools of fish and regular
sightings of sharks, such as wobbegongs.
Raja Ampat Liveaboard Diving Cruise Boat List - click on the vessel images.
Quick Links:
- Baliem Valley and Biak Island Tours Trekking - 15 Days
- Papua Adventure - 18 Days
- Baliem Gorge Papua Trekking - 8 Days
- Baliem Valley Tour - 4 Days
- Biak Island Tour - 4 Days
-
Sorong Raja Ampat Adventure Trip - 8 Days
