HEART OF THE WORLD CORAL TRIANGLE

 (Di muat di Bali and Beyond Magazine, 2005)

Wayag Islands, Raja Ampat. Photo: M.E. Lazuardi.

Just imagine, that in only one dive I could find 283 different types of fish, exclaimed Dr. Gerald Allen, an Australian marine biologist doing research on the islands of Raja Ampat.

Undoubtedly, Raja Ampat has become a new haven among divers all over the world, especially among underwater photographers and marine scientists. How astonishing that through the research done by the CI (Conservation International) and TNC (The Nature Conservancy) in 2001- 2002, a total of 537 coral species has been discovered. This makes up about 75% of the world’s coral. No other location with the same coverage area has such a copious number of species. From the geographical locations of the spread of coral, the scientists frequently mention it as the Heart of The World Coral Triangle. This triangle covers Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Japan and Australia. Besides that, research by both institutions hasrecorded 1,074 fish species, 699 types of mollusks, and they have also found 5 types of turtles in Raja Ampat waters.

Raja Ampat is a collection of islands on the westernmost part of Papua, right on Papua s bird head seascape comprising over 1,500 small islands, mostly karst limestone with an area covering 43,000 sq km. Four among them are large islands, namely Waigeo, the largest in the north, Misool at the south, and Batanta and Salawati.

There are several coral reef zones that are still in good condition with live coral percentage coverage of 90%, in the Dampier strait (between Waigeo and Batanta), the Kofiau islands, and the southeast Misool and Wayag islands. The types of reefs are mostly fringe reefs which have slope to wall contours. But there are also atolls and platform reefs.

In some places, such as Saondarek village, at low tide you will be able to witness the stretches of coral reef without the need to dive, and with their own adaptive capabilities are able to survive even when exposed to open air and direct sunlight. You can view them while sitting or laying down on the white sand together with a sip of fresh coconut milk in a tranquil village far from the urban hubbub.
A unique species that one may encounter on a dive here are several different types of Pigmy Seahorses, Wobbegongs and Mantas. There are also prevalent fish in Raja Ampat, namely Eviota Raja, which is a type of Goby. At Manta Point, located at Arborek on the Dampier Strait, you can dive with the company of gentle Mantas as you would at Derawan Islands in Kalimantan.

If you dive at Cape Kri or Chicken Reef, you can be surrounded by thousands of schooling fish. Sometimes there are even schoolings of dogtooth tuna, giant trevallies and snappers, but the most thrilling experience is to be surrounded by schooling barracudas, not considered a threat (solitary barracudas are the most dangerous). Reef sharks also are frequently visible, and if you are lucky you can also see sea turtles silently eating sponges or swimming around you.
Due to the profuse number of islands and narrow straits, most of the dive sites have at certain times relatively strong currents. This makes it possible for drift diving, which is to dive following the strong currents with very clear visibility breaking through the schooling fish.

There are also WW II fighter plane wrecks that can be encountered at several sites, making a suitable place for wreck diving such as in Wai Island. And there are many other coral reef sites that have never been ventured before, adding to the challenging distinctions that the Raja Ampat dive sites have to offer.

Myth

The name Raja Ampat meaning Four Kings , is a developed myth with numerous variances among the locals. It tells of a woman who finds seven eggs. Four of them hatched into four princes who separated and each became ruling kings in Waigeo, Salawati, and east and west of Misool, while the other three turned into ghosts, a woman and a rock.

Access

To reach the Raja Ampat Islands, you need to book a flight from Jakarta or Denpasar to Sorong with a transit to Makassar or Manado. Upon arrival at DEO (Dominie Edward Osok) Sorong airport, a Rp 50,000 taxi ride takes you to the Sorong seaport in 15 minutes. From this port you can board a regular boat for Raja Ampat I, Kie Raha I and Kie Raha II with a ticket costing from Rp. 26,000 50,000 per person, depending on the class and duration of the ride, which is 4 hours at the latest and with several stopovers. However, for faster access you can rent a speed boat at the Karembeu seaport for a minimum of Rp. 500,000 depending on which island destination you head for. Karembeu is a small port aside the Sorong seaport. The ride to the Raja Ampat Islands in a speed boat from the The immaculate natural beauty at its best nearest to farthest takes from one to four hours.

Only one dive resort operates in Raja Ampat, namely the Papua Diving Resort located on Kri island south of Dampier strait, and two other resorts, Kri Eco Resort and Sorido Bay Resort. If you were to head to the dive resort, from the Sorong seaport you will be picked up by a Papua Diving speedboat that takes you to Kri in just over one and a half hours. The resort offers diving supplies and equipment, bird watching, island traveling or merely enjoying the exotic beach and tranquility. Accommodations and food are 65 euro per night and a dive costs around 45 euro. Papua Diving Resort can be accessed via the web:www.papua-diving.com.

The trip from Sorong to Raja Ampat usually involves being followed by schools of dolphins under the speed boat, and it is not impossible to be lucky enough to encounter groups of migrating whales that cross through Raja Ampat. You can travel to Raja Ampat most anytime, but from July to December rain and storms frequent the area, especially if you re heading to Misool at the south end of the north part of Waigeo due to their more open waters.

Community
The people of the Raja Ampat Islands are generally traditional fishermen that inhabit small villages and are from different islands. They are friendly people who open their arms to outside guests, moreover if we present them with gifts in the form of pinang or candy. These items become somewhat of an Indian peace pipe at Raja Ampat. Casual talks feasting over pinang is also called Para-para pinang when jokes and funny tales are told to one another.

They are followers of the Moslem and Christian faith and most of the time in a family or clan there are two of these faiths. This has made way to order and peace among the people of Raja Ampat, although of different faiths.

Conservation efforts

The richness of the biodiversity in Raja Ampat has made itself a target of high threats. This is apparent from the damage to the coral reefs and forests. Coral has been diminishing due to destructive fishing. To cut down on this activity, conservation efforts are direly needed for this area. There are two international institutions concerned with the conservation of the natural resources of Raja Ampat, namely CI (Conservation International) and TNC (The Nature Conservancy). The two institutions coordinate with local stakeholders to hand-in-hand boost the conservation efforts at Raja Ampat, to protect the potential, provide sustainable management planning, and in the end to increase the sustainable prosperity of the people. From this comes the Tomolol Declaration, a collective declaration of the people of Raja Ampat to protect the natural resources and the formation of Raja Ampat Collective Development Forum, a forum where all components of the society participate in the conservation efforts.

Through these endeavors, tourism promotion, and optimal area management, it is not impossible that perhaps Raja Ampat will become the new tourism area providing the exceptional natural beauty of coral reefs supported by professional facilities. With its natural otential it is also possible to make way for Raja Ampat to becoming a world heritage site.