Every year, Tim Harvey and I lead an expedition on the ship PINDITO to Raja Ampat and every year something extraordinary happens.

This year was no exception. Everything you are about to read is a small extract of what happened on one 12-day expedition!

If you'd like a copy of the full trip report, then drop us a line.

We got back just last weekend and have been busy writing stories about the amazing encounters we had with our mixed team of snorkelers and divers.

• Among the most memorable was when we found Killer Whales hunting. 
• Also, spending an afternoon watching Red Birds of Paradise displaying in the treetops. 

From time to time, it was hard to extract the snorkelers from the water where they were seeing manta rays, turtles, colourful Mantid Shrimps, Bump-head Parrotfish. Same too for divers ... the Manta Ray experience was quite extraordinary.    

And of course, the hospitality and laid-back professionalism of PINDITO staff and crew, who have known these waters longer than anyone ... almost 30 years. 

Raja Ampat is very hard to describe unless you've been there and taken the time to discover it properly. There is a good reason why this place is considered the most important marine area on Earth. It holds three quarters of all the world's coral species in an area 10% of the size of the Great Barrier Reef. 

This is a place you can't ever hope to truly comprehend. The Galapagos is geologically quite young, it appeared about 5 million years ago. Raja Ampat has had over 20 million years to develop in its current form. The ocean around it has been evolving for 100 million years. This is why there is nowhere like Raja Ampat on Earth. 

Best wishes,  

Simon Mustoe
Founder, Wildiaries

CALLING DIVERS AND SNORKELERS - if you're looking for a magnificent trip, join us next February. But hurry, every trip sells out. 

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From the Realms of the Dead

After breakfast we resume our hunt for whales and dolphins heading south west into the heart of the Dampier Strait. A slice of nutrient-poor Pacific Ocean water pushes into the narrows from the east to meet bountiful currents and upwellings from the other side. In this three-dimensional world, fish and squid concentrate in the layers between vast water masses. At their boundaries, currents extend ...

"Conservation of coral reefs is critically important and choosing reef-safe sunscreen is one of many things you can do to minimise your impact. We used WotNot, a zinc-based product that uses natural oils and also acts as a moisturiser. Over 12 days and cruising between islands we racked up at least 70 hours outside in the direct sunshine and glare and were very happy with the way it performed, both protecting us and the precious locations and wildlife we encountered". Simon Mustoe, Wildiaries   

Visit https://wotnot.com.au/search?type=product&q=sunscreen 

Birds of God in the Heart of Paradise

"The people told us that those birds came from the terrestrial paradise, and they call them bolon diuata, that is to say, 'birds of God'"  Antonio Pigafetta (c. 1491 – c. 1531).

In the absence of natural predators, Birds of Paradise have evolved elaborate plumage and displays that correlate with males’ sexual prowess and fertility. It’s the undercurrent of an evolutionarily stable strategy, that’s to say a way to ensure populations ... 

An oceanic Manta Ray with a wingspan of over 6m dwarfs a diver and drifts serenely over the sand floor seeking the company of cleaner fish. The animals split their time between here and skimming the surface, entertaining the snorkelers above. 

Raja Ampat: A Fantastic Voyage

To visit Raja Ampat is to dive inside a gigantic living organism; to navigate through its nervous system, ride the rush of currents passing down networks of ancient channels, highways for cells and plankton that feed the organs of its being: reefs and ocean fronts where miniature forces combine on a massive scale, giving and supporting life ...

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To enquire about any of the latest deals or offers, or for advice on travelling

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CALL +61 (0)3 9014 9687