Kategorie: News
With the Papua Explorers to See Wobbegongs, Sharks and Schools of Fish
There are diving destinations whose names alone raise expectations. Raja Ampat is undoubtedly one of them. Huge schools of fish, manta rays and numerous macro highlights immediately spring to mind. And, of course, the legendary wobbegong – that carpet shark which has apparently registered a permanent address here.
Travel report by Jan Finsterbusch
But before we turn our attention to the wonders beneath the waves, it’s worth taking a look at the name of this extraordinary archipelago. Raja Ampat traces its origins back to an ancient legend. According to the legend, a woman finds seven mysterious eggs. From four of them hatch men who later become kings. From the remaining three emerge a woman, a spirit and a stone. How one is supposed to make sense of all this remains a subject of lively debate to this day. With a family history like that, it’s hardly surprising.
Admittedly, the journey from Europe to this little paradise is long and arduous. Yet the moment we step into our pondok – a traditional overwater bungalow – the hardships are almost forgotten. We make our way across the dark ironwood floor to the spacious, glass-fronted terrace. Stretching out before us is the Dampier Strait, famous for its biodiversity. Somewhere out there lie legendary dive sites such as Cape Kri and Blue Magic. By now, at the very latest, we know it was well worth the journey. Even if our bodies aren’t quite of the same opinion yet.
We stand on the terrace for a long time, letting our gaze wander over the water. In our minds, we’re already thinking about the dives to come. But after the long journey, the bed wins the battle against our curiosity.
From the Breakfast Buffet to the Reef
Early in the morning, we’re woken by the sounds of the jungle lying directly behind the resort. The calls of all manner of birds mingle with the sound of the waves and the splashing of leaping fish being hunted by small blacktip sharks on the reef. There’s no time for daydreaming, though. The dive centre is calling! Naturally, on the way there, we stop briefly at the restaurant to help ourselves to the lavish breakfast buffet.
‘Three, two, one’ – and in an instant we’re rolling backwards over the side of the small, fast speedboat and plunging into a world that never ceases to fascinate. Our first dive is mainly for acclimatisation, as well as to check our equipment and weights. Even so, ‘Mioskon’ is already showing us what the dive site has to offer. Small schools of reef fish glide over the reef. A blacktip shark crosses our path, and to round things off we even spot a small carpet shark. Unfortunately, it just turns its tail towards us in its cave, but we’ve still got time.
After the two morning dives, the next buffet is already waiting for us at the resort. The choice and variety of the lunch are every bit as good as the breakfast. And to say it right away: there’s a buffet in the evening too. Anyone who goes to bed hungry here has probably just not found their way to the restaurant.
Well fed, we head back into the water in the afternoon. Anyone who still hasn’t had their fill can go on a twilight dive with mandarin fish or a night dive to search for the ‘Walking Shark’, the region’s second star shark. In fact, life here is reminiscent of the motto of countless liveaboard trips: Dive, Eat, Sleep, Repeat! The days fly by in exactly this rhythm. The team at the dive centre, led by Lukas and Riko, tries to visit one of the top dive sites every day, even if this isn’t always possible due to visibility and currents. They also make every effort to take us back to the sites we particularly enjoyed.
One wish, however, is still on our list: manta rays. The best time to see these elegant giants doesn’t start until mid-October. Nevertheless, we try our luck at the manta spot. Whilst we wait for the giants, we watch, fascinated, as a seamoth circles in the sand. The mantas clearly haven’t marked our appointment in their diaries. Never mind – after all, the incredible abundance of fish and the numerous black- and white-tipped sharks provide plenty of distraction.
More Than Just Diving
Raja Ampat has plenty to offer not just underwater. On land, too, there are stories worth telling. One of them is the story of the Papua Explorers. The residents of the nearby village of Yenwaupnor were involved right from the construction of the first pondoks. Under the guidance of experts from Sulawesi, they built the overwater bungalows. Particular emphasis was placed on using local materials and ensuring sustainability. Even today, many staff members come from the village. The Papua Explorers have trained them for a wide variety of roles at the resort, some even as dive guides. This collaboration later gave rise to the SEA Centre. But that’s a story in its own right, which we’ll tell you about in a separate article.
Back underwater, the next spectacle is already waiting for us at the legendary Cape Kri: huge schools of jacks fill the water. We encounter blacktip and whitetip sharks on almost every dive, and occasionally a grey reef shark makes an appearance too. But what fascinates us most, time and again, is the wobbegong. The predator lies stoically in its cave or amongst the corals, undisturbed by either our cameras or other visitors to its resting place. On one occasion, we spot a visibly stressed moray eel swimming freely before disappearing into the very same cave where we’d photographed a carpet shark just moments earlier. We wait expectantly to see whether the shaggy shark or the presumably even more annoyed moray eel will reappear. Nothing happens. So we take a cautious peek inside – and sure enough: the moray eel is lying on top of the shark! Suddenly, the name ‘carpet shark’ takes on a whole new meaning.
The days go by, and as so often when you wish time would pass a little more slowly, the time to say goodbye comes far too soon. Once more, our gaze wanders over the Dampier Strait, beneath whose surface lie all the encounters that have made this trip so special. The memories of this extraordinary diving holiday will stay with us for a long time to come.
Further information:
Papua Explorers website
Papua Explorers on Taucher.Net
SEA Centre: Research, Education and Environmental Awareness