Snorkeling in Raja Ampat's Waigeo Island

The southern part of Waigeo island of Raja Ampat is a very good destination for snorkeling. I often go there to guide tourists who like snorkeling and are also interested in wildlife.  To take pictures of marine life, I bring my old Fujifilm XQ2. 

Marine Life at the beach of Waigeo

The coral reef in Waigeo and its surrounding islands is 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 Waigeo

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 of Waigeo

Birdwatching Tour

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. 

For accommodation, I and my clients usually stay in Raja Ampat Dive Resort in Waigeo or other resorts in Kri or Mansuar island which is a nice place 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.

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.

Also read:

• Sightseeing and Birdwatching in Kabui Bay
• Wonderful Raja Ampat

My Freediving Photos from Raja Ampat

I often guide tourist on a snorkeling tours to Raja Ampat. During the tours, I could take a lot of pictures and coral reef. To make high quality photos, I need to be on the same eye level with my subject. It means I have to freedive to deeper water.
Here are some photos that I made in Warduwer beach of Waigeo island in Raja Ampat

Freediving Picture from Raja Ampat

Freediving Picture from Raja Ampat archipelago

Raja Ampat Underwater

If you are looking for a guide for your snorkeling and birding tour in Raja Ampat, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or whatsapp: +6281332245180.

Kingdom of Nemo

I frequently guide tourists on snorkeling trips to coral reef areas in Raja Ampat, Tambrauw, and Manokwari. The objective of the trips is to find and see various species of beautiful and colorful tropical fish. The fish that I and tourists like to see is anemonefish. There are several species of nemo.

Red and Black Anemonefish

In the waters of Yengkawe homestay and Raflow Beach Resort of Raja Ampat, I see Pink Anemonefish. In northern coast of Manokwari, the ones that I often see are Red and Black Anemonefish. Yesterday I went to the same beach to enjoy snorkeling again. When I walked into the waters, it was in low tide. As usual, I carried my digital camera Fujifilm XQ2. I had inserted it into its waterproof case.

Slowly I swam away from the beach. There were Striped-surgeonfish, Yellow-tailed Blue Devil Fish, Butterflyfish, Rabbitfish on the reef flat area. As I moved closer to deeper water, I saw more varieties.

Kingdom of Nemo

There was a huge boomie that was located in deeper water. I went there. Because it was in low tide, the distance of the top of the boomie from sea surface was around 2.5 meters. So, it was easy for me to freedive. With the camera in my right hand, I decended to the boomie. I had visited it a few times. So, it was not a new thing for me. Its top was covered by anemone. I found a hard coral where I could grab to stabilize my body in the water. It was a cauliflower coral that was strong and would not easily brake. I pulled myself deeper to be in eye level position with the anemone. There were a lot of fish around me. I did not want to waste my time down here. So, I quickly aimed my camera at the fish and made a lot of shots. Most of the nemo fish were Red and Black Amemonefish. I called this boomie as Kingdom of Nemo.

Spinecheek Anemonefish

When I was busy exploring the boomie, I found another different species of nemo playing on some anemone inside a crevice of lettuce coral colony. It looked like a Spine-cheek Anemonefish. Interestingly the fish was much smaller. The edges of its fins were yellow. Its body was dark yellow with three vertical white bars covering its front, middle and rear sides. The one that I saw in Mansinam island was significantly bigger with strong maroon color.
For one hour in the water, I saw a lot of species of marine creatures including the sexy Burrowing Clam, Crab, and Leopard Blenny. My snorkeling experience that day was very nice. The sea was calm and the visibility was good. I could upload new photos and stories to this blog.
If you are interested in taking a snorkeling tour in Raja Ampat, Tambrauw and Manokwari regencies of Indonesia, and want me to be your guide, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Leopard Blenny

Burrowing Clam

Clownfish are attractive for visitors who are avid snorkelers. They are colorful, easy to be watched, and are not affected by the venom from the "hair" of the sea anemone. The symbiotic mutualism relationship is nice to be watched. Anemone provides protection to the nemo fish from predators. Its poisonous tentacles are safe nest for nemo. On the other side, movements of clownfish swimming through and wedging inside the anemone has improved the circulation of water as well as supply of air to the anemone. Clownfish cleans anemone by eating leftover meals from its tentacles, so, he is a carpet expert. Charles Roring/ 20 May 2019.

Sightseeing and Birdwatching in Kabui Karst

There are a lot of karst islets inside Kabui bay of Raja Ampat. I often travel around this bay by boat when I guide tourists on sightseeing and birdwatching trip in West Papua. Because of its remote location, very few people like to see them. 

Karst in Kabui bay

For birdwatchers, birding in the karst of Kabui bay is a challenging adventure. Holding binoculars and watching birds while standing on a small boat are quite difficult especially when the sea is a little rough. There are some beaches which can be used as good sites for birding. My favorite choice is Lesser Urai island and the beaches of Gam island that face Kabui bay. I can use my spotting scope at this beach. Sea birds such as White-breasted Woodswallow, Spice Imperial Pigeon, Beach Kingfisher, Willie Wagtail, Pacific Swallow as well as Lesser-crested Tern, Lesser Frigatebird, Striated Heron, and Eastern Osprey are the ones that I often see in the coastal area of Kabui. 

Spice Imperial Pigeon

There are also other birds such as Hooded Butcherbird, Rainbow Bee-eater, Palm Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Great Cuckoo-Dove, Puff-backed Meliphaga, and female Red Bird of Paradise. 

The scenery of karst formations in Kabui bay was beautiful. I often see dolphins on the surface of the sea. 

White-breasted Woodswallow

If you are interested in visiting Raja Ampat and want me as your guide, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or you could also write to my email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Watching Palm Cockatoo in Raja Ampat

One of the birds that I like to watch in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat is Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus). Locally this bird is called Kakaktua Raja (meaning King Cockatoo). 

King Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) in Raja Ampat

In my last visit to Warduwer beach in southern area of Waigeo, I saw some Palm Cockatoes flying and landing on the branches of a catappa tree. The birds ate its fruits. I walked closer to the tree hiding my body among thick green shrubs that covered the beach. When the birds became clearly visible, I turned on my camera and aimed it at one of them. I made several shots to make sure that I got the best pictures. 

In addition to Palm Cockatoo, I also saw several other species including Blyth's Hornbill, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Torresian Crow, Lesser-crested Tern, Eclectus Parrot, Spangled Drongo, Striated Heron, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Beach Kingfisher.

Pied-Imperial Pigeon

Warduwer beach was a nice place for birdwatching. Its beach was covered by white sand. Soon, a resort will be constructed there. The name of the resort is Raja Ampat Flower (RAFLOW). Visitors who stay at the resort can enjoy birding, snorkeling and sightseeing in that beach.

While guiding tourists in Raja Ampat, I organized boat trip to some islands in Kabui bay and its surrounding areas. Some places that we visited were Gam island, Lesser Urai island, and Wawiyai viewpoint. There we saw Stephan's Emerald Dove, Olive-backed Sunbird, Spice Imperial Pigeon, Lesser Frigatebird, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Brahminy Kite, and Singing Starling.

The coral reef at RAFLOW Beach Resort was very beautiful. There was a lot of species of fish and other marine creatures including Pink-anemonefish, Striped Surgeonfish, Moorish Idol and various species of butterfly fish.
I used Nikon W300 to take pictures of the marine life.
Raja Ampat has been famous as the epicenter of marine bio-diversity. There are more than 1,500 species of fish known to science. 

Marine Life at Raja Ampat Flower Resort

For more information about birding, snorkeling and sightseeing in Raja Ampat, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or email: peace4wp@gmail.com.