Raja Ampat on Shakti - May 2006


Raja Ampat (the Four Kings) in Indonesia is currently THE destination for photographers and critter hunters. We took a trip on the liveaboard Shakti, taking 3 flights to reach Sorong in West Papua to embark. We did the Northern itinery and spent time around various islands, Waigeo, Uranie and the stunning lagoons of Wayag. With only 7 guests the diving and life on board was super relaxed.

The only casualty was our main camera, which mysteriously flooded in a bucket while waiting to dive, it took a few days to get used to the backup but finding things to take pictures of was no problem!

Many thanks for a great trip to Captain Dave, his crew and our fellow divers.

The panoramic view from above the achorage on Wayag
climb2.JPG 		Slipper lobster
IMG_5224.JPG 		Rob doesn't notice the fish forming a giant finger to squish him
IMG_5290tweak.jpg 		A screen of bait fish
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An ornate ghost pipefish - Katja's find
IMG_6121.JPG 		A Barramundi Cod or Pather Grouper resting after hunting under a bommie
IMG_6216.JPG 		The coral inspector checking the reef
IMG_6299.JPG 		Dawn out for a walk before lunch on Wayag
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A mudskipper in the mangroves of Wayag
IMG_6355.JPG 		Shakti parked for the night
IMG_6401.JPG 		A bit spotty but our best turtle
IMG_6562.JPG 		A tiny cuttlefish putting on a show
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Cleaners waiting for clients
IMG_6781.JPG 		Jacks swarming around Cape Kri
IMG_6844.JPG 		Batfish
IMG_6972.JPG 		A Chromodoris Kunei, climbing a hydroid
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This bruiser has vampire teeth!
IMG_7035.JPG 		This Trevally looks a bit underfed
IMG_7060.JPG 		As usual trying to take close ups of Garden eels wasn't very productive
IMG_7124.JPG 		Barracuda don't show up against the blue... which is exactly their plan
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The batfish boys on the way back from the bar
IMG_7153.JPG 		A razor fish, so called because of its flip up and forward dorsal fin
IMG_7172.JPG 		A face even its mother wouldn't kiss
IMG_7201.JPG 		This one is very like those we saw in NZ, only smaller, a Nembrotha type
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Another obscure slug
IMG_7246.JPG 		We nearly landed on this Wobbegong!
IMG_7258.JPG 		I couldn't imagine divers discovering these without knowing where to look but now other types are being found as guides search everywhere for new things to tempt tourists
IMG_7360.JPG 		These seahorses were discovered accidently when a fan coral was taken to a lab for study and someone noticed it moving.
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Raja Ampat is the 'Realm of the Pgymy Seahorse' - it doesn't make them bigger or easier to photograph
IMG_7583.JPG 		Probably a Chromodoris tinctoria
IMG_7623.JPG 		Sorry I can't resist bubble coral shrimps
IMG_9303.JPG 		The delicate coral love the storming currents of Raja Ampat
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Every anemone has its own residents
P5161250.JPG 		A transparent anemone shrimp going back into hiding
P5161276.JPG 		Clown fish are hard to catch whilst they're smiling.
P5161298.JPG 		Cute?
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A filter feeding bifurcated worm, doesn't Christmas tree sound better?
P5161381.JPG 		Bolshy blenny
P5161417.JPG 		Whiskery wobbegong
P5171585.JPG 		Colonial tunicates (a stick of sea squirts)
P5171591.JPG
Chikoko's nudibranch
P5171615.JPG 		Another showy slug
P5171674.JPG 		Who knew those dull brown fish were this brilliant brick red?
P5171761.JPG 		Lots of very varied hard and soft coral, they love the currents
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A robust seasquirt
P5171939.JPG 		Cleaner shrimp
P5171946.JPG 		Furtive Hawkfish
P5171979.JPG 		Chikoko striking a pose
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It's cool the way you can play 3D hide and seek in big caves!
P5182061.JPG 		Crayfish!
P5182068.JPG 		Surfacing in Depraved Dave's Big Cave
P5182074.JPG 		Inside the hollow islet near Uranie
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Hanging around waiting for the bus home
P5182162.JPG 		Fat little fish on a whip coral
P5182207.JPG 		A bobtail squid, who told him metallic blue and purple was the best outfit to blend in with white sand?
P5182430.JPG 		Sleeping with the fishes at the 'Sleeping Barracuda' end of Chicken reef
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Rob Spray.