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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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