Raja Ampat Revisited

I may have titled the previous entry “Raving about Raja Ampat” but, after re-reading it, I realize I did little raving. So, time to rectify that. Raja Ampat deserves better.
This snorkel trip had been on our wish list for several years. We had read accounts and seen pictures and it sounded and looked too good to be true. Besides which, it was hellishly expensive for two retired teachers who try to maximize the value of their budget travels. This year, since we aren’t getting any younger (or healthier), we decided to bite the bullet and pony up the money when spots were available on a charter being organized by Wendy in California.
We’ve had a fair amount of snorkeling experience though we certainly wouldn’t be considered much more than dabblers. A couple of years ago, we had our best day ever when we signed up for a snorkel tour in Palau. We were the only ones on the boat and the guy took us to six of the best spots in Palau–the German Channel, the Ngemelis Drop-off, the Blue Hole, the Blue Corner, Turtle Cove and Cemetery Reef. The sites ranged from great to terrific to awesome.
We have fond memories of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Mana and Waya Islands in Fiji. We’ve always liked the turtles in Maui. The single greatest experience was being in the water with a pod of a hundred plus spinner dolphins one morning in Lanai–a magical hour that left us with sore necks from all the gaping. Maui was also the place where we watched eagle rays swim a racetrack course and where we heard whale song while we snorkeled. And you can always count on ‘Turtle Town’.
Palau had blown all these previous experiences away. Now I was reading that Raja Ampat would make Palau pale in comparison. You could say I started this trip with a certain amount of skepticism. I expected the snorkeling to be good but how much better than Palau could it realistically get. I’d settle for as good as.
We were on the boat for twelve days and managed to snorkel twenty different spots. Dave and Din do a masterful job of finding these places–Batanta Dayang, Alyui Bay, Wofoh, Wayag, Dantecastreaux, Firwin , Penemu, Kri, Tear Drop Bay, the Spooky Channel. Batang Pele would have joined the list but, just after we anchored for the night with snorkeling planned for the next morning, one of the crew spotted a saltwater crocodile–no snorkel here!
So, how did the snorkeling go? I wasn’t a big fan of the visit to the mangroves but it was interesting enough that I’m glad I did it. However, having done it once, I would pass on a second visit. All the other spots followed a fairly predictable routine–Din and/or Dave would check the current, the boat would drop us off, we’d start snorkeling over the coral and, 90 minutes or so later, we’d make our way back to the dinghy. In all that time, we’d not had to backtrack but kept exploring new territory with prolific coral and fish life.
I gradually came to realize how great this was. There was no one, single moment like my jaw-dropping experience at Ngemelis, just a seemingly never-ending procession of wondrous sights. Even in Palau, we’d gone back to the same (great) sites each time we went out on a boat. The cumulative effect here was outstanding. This goes to the top of the list of adventures I’d like to re-do. Where are my winning lottery numbers when I really need them?
Part of the reason why this was such a great trip had to do with the professionalism and personal touch of Din and Dave. They were beyond great. Part of the reason had to do with the other members of the tour. Usually we’re either on our own or with a couple of friends like Anker and Arlene or Laurie and Sandy. Here, we were in the company of eight other enthusiastic snorkelers who were all experienced travelers with a diverse range of previous travels. Lots of cameras to record the underwater world. Lots of discussion on the boat afterwards and sharing thoughts and pictures.
Generally, I’m interested in coral and fish. Throw in the odd turtle, dolphin, ray, shark, octopus, eel and such and you up the satisfaction level. We saw lots of corals - both hard and soft - most of it in pristine condition. And we saw lots of fish - so many at times that you were overwhelmed - so many new species that we lost track. We didn’t see as many of the ‘specials’ as I would have liked but we did see our first wobbegong shark. That was different.
Doreen generally has the same interests. But, as the week progressed, she found that she was becoming fascinated with nudibranchs and other small elements that we had previously overlooked. Some of that was a result of the ability of Din and Dave to spot the little critters and some was because of the enthusiasm of Jeff, a marine science teacher in a California high school, who was only too willing to share his knowledge. Might there be macro photography in her future? Not me–even with a prescription mask, my vision isn’t good enough that I want to search out a nudibranch.
Lest I give the impression that this was a perfect trip, let me end on some weather notes. When we first boarded the boat on Wednesday, Dave told us that the rainy season had already begun - a month early. Indeed, we had lots of rain that Friday and some again on Saturday. Rain isn’t a real problem when you’re snorkeling (you’re already as wet as you’re going to get) but it does affect visibility. More importantly, the gear doesn’t dry between snorkels. Everything was soaked. Putting on a wet ‘wet suit’ isn’t a joy. But we survived. And then the sun came out.
The weather kicked up again on our last full day. After a morning snorkel near Tuluk Kabui, we were headed to the Dampier Channel for our final outing. However, the wind picked up, the seas started running heavy and Dave decided to head straight to Sorong, our start/finish point. The boat was really rocking in the open sea and the spray was flying. When we woke up the next morning, we were anchored in the harbour and our adventure was over. Sitting around the boat until it was time to leave for the airport was kind of anticlimactic.
But we’re left with a ton of memories, hundreds of pictures and a burning desire to do this again.