Snorkeling Raja Ampat

Easy to Reach Snorkeling Site with Comfortable Accommodation

There are a lot of snorkeling sites in Raja Ampat. They are scattered across big and small islands of the archipelago.

Marine Life in southern coast of Waigeo island - Raja Ampat

Snorkeling Photo from Warduwer beach of Waigeo island

There are a lot of fish that make the coral reef of Waigeo island as their natural habitat. Some of them include parrotfish, butterflyfish, surgeonfish, hawkfish, anemonefish and a lot more.

Snorkeling in Raja Ampat

Marine Life in Raja Ampat

There are a lot of fish that we could see in the shores of Raja Ampat. Some of them include butterflyfishes, surgeonfishes, Damselfishes (pink anemonefish, clark's anemonefish, clown anemonefish), snappers, emperors, jacks, barracuda, sharks, dolphins, slender schoolers, groupers, hawkfishes, sweetlips, parrotfish, wrasses, cardinalfish, gobies, and etc. There are also sea stars, sea cucumbers,turtles, christmas tree worm, nudibranch, and a lot of other marine animals that we could see in the water.
Because coral reef is a very fragile environment, visitors are advised to avoid standing on it. To take a rest on the water, visitors can ask for lifejackets. Or visitors can swim to shallow water and stand on the sand.

Transportation and accommodation

Adventure Tour in Raja Ampat

We may go to Raja Ampat by ferry boat but we will tour around its islands by motorized boats that belong to local people. There are guesthouses in certain islands that are frequently visited by tourists. But if we go to remote areas in northeast Waigeo, or South West Raja Ampat, such guesthouses do not exist. We will stay in homestays of the villagers or in tents in uninhabited islands. Tents and other camping equipment such as cooking and eating utensils will be provided by us. So, tourists do not need to carry heavy bags along the way from their country to Raja Ampat.

Taking Pictures

Tourists who want to take this snorkeling adventure tour is highly recommended to bring underwater camera, or any digital camera that is housed in waterproof casing. Make sure that the watertightness of the case has been tested before bringing the camera into the water. I use an action camera Brica B-Pro5 Alpha Edition. It is not the best but at least it is useful for me when I want to take pictures for my trip reports that I usually write in this blog.
For rainforest tour, the camera that is needed to take pictures of birds, butterflies or other animals in high trees is the one that has got telephoto lens or super zoom capability such as the Canon SX60 HS, Nikon Coolpix P900.

Rainforest Bird and Wildlife Tour in Raja Ampat

The snorkeling tour to tropical islands of Raja Ampat will include some hiking and birding trips in the rainforest. We will do hiking and birding in the forest to find Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Palm Cockatoo, Red Bird of Paradise, and a lot of other coastal and woodland birds.

What to bring
Here are some items that visitors need to bring for adventure tours in Raja Ampat:

• Snorkeling gear: mask, snorkel, fins. 
• Underwater camera for taking pictures of fish and coral reef
• Sunblock lotion
• Anti-insect lotion
• Personal medicines
• Biscuits, sweets and other snacks and mineral water
• Towel
• Watershoes
• Binoculars for rainforest birding and wildlife tour.

Flights
To reach Raja Ampat, first, you need to fly to Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia). After that, you could take a domestic flight to Sorong city. Garuda, Sriwijaya, Batik Air and Nam Air, as well as Lion Air provide regular flights between Jakarta and Sorong.

Booking

To share the cost, I highly suggest that visitors take this tour in a group of 3 to 4 people or more. However, I can also organize private tour for single traveler or a couple. To book your snorkeling, birding and wildlife watching tour with me (Charles Roring), please, your e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or whatsapp: +6281332245180

Related posts:

Where is Raja Ampat?
Snorkeling in Raja Ampat islands
7 Snorkeling Spots in Raja Ampat
Raja Ampat Snorkeling Adventure

Snorkeling and scuba diving in Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat is a great destination for marine tourism. It is an important destinations for visitors who want to enjoy snorkeling and scuba diving. I went snorkeling at in southern area of Waigeo yesterday.  I brought an underwater camera - Nikon W300 to take pictures of fish and other marine animals that I saw in the water.

The coral reef was in very good condition. There were a lot of fish including parrotfish, butterflyfish, rabbitfish, anemonefish, surgeonfish, damselfish, lionfish and even wobbegong. 

The visibility was also very nice. I tried several settings of the camera to see the ones that are suitable for snorkeling or freediving. The fish symbol or the underwater mode is not always the best setting. I swam slowly from the beach to the reef flat area. Most of the fish here was small. When I moved closer to buttress zone and drop off zones of the reef, I could see bigger fish.

Tropical Fish in the waters of Raja Ampat

There were around 3 species of anemonefish that I found. They were Pink Anemonefish, Spinecheek Anemonefish and Red and Black Anemonefish. To take pictures of them, I had to freedive and hold rock coral. While my left hand was holding the coral, my right hand was busy pressing the shutter buttons of the camera to capture beautiful marine life in front of me.

Pink Anemonefish

I spent around two and a half hours in the water in two snorkeling sessions. In the evening which is the sunset time, the surrounding atmosphere of the resort was very peaceful.

White Sandy Beach in Waigeo

Birds such as Willie Wagtail, Mimic Honeyeater, Torresian Crow, Hooded Butcherbird, Helmetted Friarbird, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and several other birds were singing in trees or in the air. Raja Ampat is a nice destination for visitors who want to enjoy holiday in Indonesia. They can swim and do snorkeling or freediving as much as they like. They can also watch birds which are also colorful and beautiful.

Marine Life at the beach of Waigeo

If you are interested in taking a holiday at Raja Ampat, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp: +6281332245180.