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- GREAT DIVES. GREAT VIBES.
- GREAT DIVES. GREAT VIBES.
Raja Ampat, Misool, Triton Bay
Best in the World?
Here at Scuba Travel Ventures, we do our best to avoid the “best diving” talk and try to appreciate each destination for what it is and isn’t.
That being said, there’s no denying West Papua is something special. The two name brand destinations — Raja Ampat and Triton Bay — have earned their spots at the top of the bucket list for divers far and wide.
Best Time to Travel: Year-Round. Diving: Boat and Shore Diving. Unique Marine Life: Too Many to List. Level: Intermediate & Advanced. Sea Temps: Average 84°F. Air Temps: Average 84°F. Accommodations: Land-Based Resort & Liveaboard.
Raja Ampat (Indonesian for “Four Kings”) refers to the islands of Misool, Salawati, Batanta, and Waigeo — but there’s over a thousand small islands in between them. It’s one of the world’s most coveted dive destinations, with more than 1,700 species of fish and 600 species of coral (about 75% of all known coral species). The Four Kings have dominion over the richest biodiversity on planet earth.
Although Triton Bay is overshadowed by its northern neighbor, it’s a bucket-list destination in its own right. Because of the nutrient-rich upwelling, you won’t always have Red Sea-visibility, but you will get to enjoy some of the world’s most beautiful gardens of soft coral. Pelagic animals, including whale sharks, anchovy schools, dolphins, and marlins, are a big draw.
You will love Raja Ampat, Misool, and Triton Bay…
If You’re Looking for Amazing Coral Reefs
Raja Ampat is home to vast coral fields that seem endless, and it’s a mind-blowing experience for anyone accustomed to diving sandy patch reefs or coral walls. The hard coral steals the show at Raja Ampat, but at Triton Bay it’s all about the soft coral. Although Fiji is considered the “Soft Coral Capital of the World,” there’s more than a few divers who swear by Triton Bay.
If You Love Biodiversity
You could spend 2 weeks diving Raja Ampat, Misool, Triton Bay, at 4 dives per day, and you would still encounter new corals and creatures until the very last dive. The biodiversity is mind-boggling. Coral aside, there’s manta rays, sharks, mandarin fish, harlequin shrimp, flasher wrasse, dugongs, all varieties of schooling fish, and migrating whales. Triton Bay is your best bet for whale sharks.
If You’re an Advanced Diver
You’ll get the most out of Raja Ampat, Misool, Triton Bay if you’re an advanced diver. Strong currents sweep through the area (boosting the region’s productive coral spawning), so you can expect drift diving at most of the dive sites. Raja Ampat gets stronger currents, which carry you over a kaleidoscopic coral landscape, and through schools of pelagic fish. Triton Bay has calmer drifts, so you can slow down a bit and enjoy the coral-covered boulder formations and underwater pinnacles.
Like the Banda Sea, this part of Indonesia does not have a well-developed tourism industry (and the marine life is much healthier for it). Scuba diving is the main adventure; on the topside, you can indulge in the luxury amenities offered by your resort or liveaboard.
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