Raja Ampat: A Recap of Diversity, Discovery, and Conservation

In this article from The Underwater Photography Show, we discuss Raja Ampat which remains a high-priority destination for underwater photographers globally, and for good reason. Raja Ampat, which translates from Bahasa Indonesia to "Four Kings," refers to the four largest islands of this massive archipelago. However, for the underwater photographer, the true magic lies within the 600 officially named islands—and up to 1,500 total rocks and outcrops—that form this vast seascape and dive sites.

What makes Raja Ampat unrivalled is its combination of extreme biodiversity and sheer biomass. The waters are kickstarted by a powerful food chain driven by strong currents, upwellings, and seasonal weather systems that introduce vital nutrients into the upper water column. This creates a "mixed topography" where you can photograph everything from pure coral reefs and craggy rocks to mangroves and jetties.

In my opinion (Alex), it remains the absolute best place in the world to photograph coral reefs. Having visited for over 20 years, I recently returned from a trip that combined both a liveaboard expedition and a land-based resort stay to capture the full breadth of what this region offers.

The Hybrid Approach: Liveaboard & Resort

After years of debating the merits of each, I finally realised the best strategy is simply to do both on the same trip. When you are lucky enough to be able to have your cake and eat it.

• The Liveaboard Experience: We spent the first portion on the Solitude Adventurer, a large catamaran. While perhaps less "romantic" than traditional wooden boats, its massive dive deck and large above-deck cabins with big windows make it a brilliant platform for photo workshops.

• The Logistics of the Switch: We managed to transition from the boat to the resort without really missing a dive. In my mind, before the trip, this would be as easy as just swapping tank. In reality it was more involved with every guest having dive gear to use, dive gear to store, camera gear to use, camera gear to store and then clothes, etc. for the room! But thanks to the resort it was a smooth transition.

• The Resort Advantage: At Sorido Bay Resort on Kri Island, we focused on the central Dampier Strait. This allowed us to access both classic sites and lots of special spots that only the resort visits. Sweetlips, jetties, mangroves, mantas, wobbegong and above all super fishy sites. Also, we benefitted greatly from the guides’ local knowledge and the flexibility to time dives perfectly with the tide.

Exploration and Site Highlights

Despite diving here for 20 years, I still make an effort to include sites that I’ve never done before on each Raja trip. Our liveaboard itinerary was specifically designed to avoid well-trodden sites in the Dampier Strait and those easily accessed from Misool Resort, focusing instead on more remote or specialised locations.

• Southern Misool (Daram & Pele): We prioritized Daram, a personal favorite known as "sea fan and soft coral city," where baitfish are everywhere and mantas or turtles frequently pass by. We also pushed further west to Pele, an area few liveaboards visit due to the time constraints of modern 7-9 day itineraries. In the northeast, Wagmab and Balbulol offered rich, nutrient-heavy reefs reminiscent of Triton Bay.

• Fam Islands: We explored the famous hard corals of Melissa’s Garden and the stunning colourful scenery on other sites in the area.

• The Muck and the Macabre: At a large concrete jetty in the Fam Islands, we went hunting for the marblemouth frogfish. While we found three males and two females on a night dive, we unfortunately missed the chance to photograph the males brooding eggs on their flanks—a shot I’d always lusted after. The week before a dive guide had photographed one brooding and a couple of weeks later another guide filmed the eggs hatching.

• Mangroves: We visited the Yangeffo Mangroves at the end of Gam Island. Our cruise director told us that one of his friends on another boat had seen a 3 metre saltwater crocodile here a week previously. We asked at the local homestays who were happily swimming in the water and they hand’t seen or heard anything. Many people now avoid the legendary “Passage” dive site, due to the risk.

Biodiversity and Conservation Realities

The numbers in Raja Ampat defy belief. It hosts 550 to 600 species of reef-building corals, compared to just 70 in the entire Caribbean. On a single dive at Cape Kri, Dr. Gerald Allen famously recorded 374 different fish species, while the entire region is home to approximately 1,600 species of reef fish.

However, the "boom" in tourism has brought significant challenges.

• Shark and Ray Success: On a positive note, the 46,000-square-kilometre Shark and Ray Conservation Area is working. I am seeing more reef sharks, wobblegongs, and mantas now than I did two decades ago. This wouldn’t exist without tourism.

• The Sewage Lag: The most pressing "hidden" issue is untreated sewage. Research by Amelia Wegner and Phil Dustin shows that sewage levels can be higher inside MPAs than outside. These places attract people but the infrastructure for waste cannot keep up with the population growth of resorts and homestays.

• Topside Beauty: Beyond the water, the jungle remains vibrant. We encountered cuscuses, long-tailed kingfishers, and Raja shelducks right around the resort. Next time, I plan to bring a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens specifically to capture more of the topside life and I really must try and see the famous Birds of Paradise.

A Call to Action

The unseen sewage story in Raja is a reminder that as photographers and travelers, we must be diligent about our footprint. I know that top-tier resorts like Misool and Kri utilize bio-treatment systems, as do others. But we encourage all divers to ask their liveaboard operators about their waste-management policies—specifically ensuring that sewage is only released during transit, well away from sensitive reef systems, and chat with resorts about how they manage it. And while it isn’t the subject for a conversation over dinner, it is well worth bringing up at the right moment. This is an increasingly important issue and it helps when resorts and liveaboards know it matters to their guests.

To see the full episode, click the link below.