Unforgettable Diving Trip to Raja Ampat

3 years ago scuba diving was not even something I thought about and now I can't get enough of it! I'm addicted! I have to say though Indonesia and the surrounding areas have some pretty epic diving so it's not surprising I'm obsessed! 

In March, we took a journey to Raja Ampat. You may be thinking... where is Raja Ampat?? Don't feel stupid. I'd never heard of the place either until moving out to Indonesia. Raja Ampat islands are located in the West Papua province of Indonesia. Raja Ampat islands are part of the "Coral Triangle" which I learned is home to the richest marine biodiversity on earth. It's known as the "Amazon of the seas." 

It's quite a trek to get there, but totally worth the trip. Since there were no direct flights from Bali, we had to take 2 flights to get to town of Sorong. From Sorong airport we jumped in this pimped out taxi to get us to the harbor complete with shag carpet and some sick bass! And check out all those mirrors! 

We waved goodbye to the driver and headed for the ferry. We splurged and purchased the VIP tickets that included karaoke and air conditioning. Luckily I brought my noise cancellation headphones and slept for most of the 2 hour ride to one of the main islands called Waigeo. From the harbor, we paid our entrance fee to the national park and ventured on a 30 minute car ride to the resort on some bumpy and curvy roads! 

Finally we arrived! Half asleep we checked in, dropped our bags and headed for the beanbags by the water til dinner time. 

Our resort was pretty basic but served its purpose. Electricity ran in the evenings only and we were lucky to have air conditioning to keep us cool while we slept. We had some beautiful views of the sunset off the dock as we waited for dinner most nights. We were spoiled to some diving alone with just our dive guide before a larger group came in. Only sounds of small boats passing occasionally...no loud motorbikes or cars. :)

Initially we planned to only do 2 dives a day but after day 2, I was craving more and we increased to 3! 

The week consisted of the following routine...Eat, Dive, sleep, REPEAT! Wake up, eat breakfast, short boat ride to first dive spot, dive, snack and relax on boat, dive 2, lunch on boat, dive 3, return to resort, relax and watch sunset, eat dinner, sleep. REPEAT

We took a day trip to Pianynemo see one of the most beautiful and iconic views in Raja Ampat. I was prepared for a hike, but it was well maintained sets of stairs. The view truly was stunning. 

I decide to spread some of Aunt Hollie's ashes. I figured she would have loved the view as well. 

I ended the week with 49 dives...so close to 50! I feel so much more confident in the water and actually started spotting some creatures myself! Here are some of the highlights:

• Dive location called Melissa's garden - the most amazing coral I've ever seen - it just seemed to go on forever! Beautiful yellows, blues, greens, pinks...watching the small schools of fish dip in and out
• Cape Kri - epic ending to the dive, even our dive master said it's not usually like that - when we shallowed up around 6-8 meters we were surrounded by large schools of fish, turtles swimming by and a black tip reef shark circled around....so much happening in one location we didn't know which way to look
• Bat fish attempting to bite Ted on the arm and Ted shaking his finger at it. 
• Seeing wobbegong sharks swimming and resting  - google them and check out their shaggy beards!
• Pygmy seahorses! Our dive master was great at spotting these incredibly small animals on a coral fan. We tried to get some photos but our camera didn't have the proper zoom to catch them clearly!
• Ghost pipe fish - didn't even know what they were before this trip!
• Octopus - took away for me to spot him but it was so cool to watch him change color and texture as he moved in and out of his hiding place 
• I've discovered my favorite fish is the puffer fish. They are so cute but also look so sad! They tend to float around by themselves and have a sad looking back tail. I love them!

Got to watch a turtle having a snack!

Scorpion Fish

Nudi branch

I would definitely go back again and try some more dive spots. We were stuck with some beginners for a few days and I think we missed out on some more challenging dives. Although I'm super nervous of a strong current, I think I need to push myself to do it. 

I'll try to remember to upload the video of our underwater highlights after Ted finishes it! :)