Page 64 - Underwater Photography (January-February 2020)

Raja Ampat impressions

by Albert Kok

Trips to Raja Ampat start and modern civilization.
end in Sorong , Papua New Guinea. The islands are located in a
Most people fly to Jakarta, Bali, or region on the western border of
Singapore first. My late November trip the equatorial Pacific Ocean and at Nikon D7200,
went from Amsterdam via a 2 stops in the Northeastern ‘entrance’ of the Ikelite housing,
Medan to Jakarta. Here I spent 8 hours Indonesian Through flow from the Tokina 10-17,
rest in the airport hotel that helped Pacific to the Indian Ocean. The high 14.0 mm, dual DS
to break up the long trip, before marine diversity in Raja Ampat must 161 strobes, f11.0,
starting the final leg – a night flight- to be related to its favorable position 1/160, ISO 200
Sorong. between the Indian and Pacific
All my flights were with Garuda, Oceans, as coral and fish larvae are
a member of Sky team that checked more easily shared between the two
my heavy 26 kilo bag through from oceans.
Amsterdam to Sorong without any The four larger islands make
additional charges. I carried a second up the vast majority of the landmass
10 kilo roller bag with the camera in the area, but are surrounded by
lenses with me. I here report my major numerous other small islands, some
impressions of the trip, without going of which are part of atolls, covered
too much into all the details. witch green jungle forest and
The region The Indonesian surrounded by blue water and strips
archipelago of Raja Ampat of white sandy beaches. The smaller
(Indonesian for ‘Four Kings) is part of mushroom (or: beehive?) shaped
the Coral Triangle that stretches from ‘karst’ (limestone) islets, create a
the Philippines to Timor to Papua unique landscape of spectacular rock
New Guinea. Extending over more islands that dominate the region.
than 24,000 square kilometers, the Especially the more remote locations
archipelago of Raja Ampat, with its south of Misool looked like a tropical
four large islands Waigeo, Batanta, paradise, far from the rest of the
Salawati and Misool and its more world worrying about climate change,
than 1,500 islets, is home to the last environmental pollution and the loss
remaining nature preserves in their of biodiversity.
pure state, seemingly unaltered by In many respects our boat, the

Issue 112/64 www.uwpmag.com