RAJA AMPAT, INDONESIA
22/12/19 to 1/1/2020
PRISTINE
NATURE
ITINERARY
Join us to the heart of the Coral Triangle - the famed archipelago of Raja Ampat! Diving of our luxury SeaSafari 8 we will be exploring the remote islands of the coral hot spot. We will spend a time in the exciting south of Raja Ampat and then work our way to the center and North of the area.
Traveling with award-winning photographer Simon Lorenz you will get the most out of your photography. However this is not a photography-dedicated trip, non-photographers will enjoy the perks of this diverse region even more!!
THE REGION
The territory within the islands of the Four Kings is enormous, covering 9.8 million acres of land and sea, home to 540 types of corals, more than 1,000 types of coral fish and 700 types of mollusks. This makes it the most diverse living library for world's coral reef and underwater biota. According to a report developed by The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International, around 75 percent of the world's species live here. When divers first arrive here their excitement is palpable. It's common to hear people praise God as they take in the remarkable scenery. Others prefer to remain in silence taking in the overwhelming sight of so many islands with crystal clear water that softly brushes over the white sandy beaches.
Check out the photos from our last trip to Raja Ampat
from our 2018 expedition
THE SEASON
Christmas is the best season for massive schools of silversides and hunting Mobula Rays. That is what we will look for first, in the south of Raja Ampat, an area called Misool. This is also where we find Pelagic Manta Rays - the really big ones!
Check out this amazing video about silversides by Thai Photographer/videographer Nu Parnupong. (see his portfolio here)
THE EXTRAS
On this trip we will have the entire boat to ourselves, which means we can decide on the itinerary outselves. The plan is to do South, Central and a bit of the North of Raja Ampat, but we can fine tune according to wishes of our guests.
Simon will give several talks on flora and fauna and for the photographers he will be offering photography training for macro and wide-angle. On this trip we will also aim to do several black water night dives, for the keen macro photographers.
THE BOAT
SeaSafari 8 is the latest, and biggest boat of the SeaSafari fleet. Its spacious intererio and exterior leaves space for everyone including their camera gear. It is subject to change but likely we will be doing the northern route, but this may change. http://www.divingseasafari.com/itineraries?diving=40
