Raja Ampat: Exploring Above and Below

One of my favorite activities is to explore underwater, to seek new valleys, animals, fish, and the unexpected. For this 2018 dive trip, I traveled over 40 hours, took 3 flights and two boat rides to get to Indonesia and the magnificent archipelago of Raja Ampat - over 1500 islands and nearly 25,000 square miles.

The beauty of the lands was matched by the undersea diversity and vibrancy of the corals.

Arrival

Only two boats travel to the Cove Eco Resort on the island of Yeben per week. The staff of over 20 cater to a maximum of 24 visitors (at the time of my visit). The welcome was fun.

A quick tour of the resort and I stumbled upon a turtle nursery and some amazing beaches.

Diving

Now for a few highlights of my undersea explorations

Around the Islands

A trip to an adjacent island at 4 am and a few pics of the group I shared this experience with.