For us, the new year of 2023 began in the traditional way — with warm latitudes, though in different corners of the world. One group flew off to Peru, another headed to the distant shores of the Papua islands. We had visited the far reaches of Indonesia many times before, but always in the format of a diving liveaboard. This year we tried something new: a castaway-style stay on a tiny island in the heart of a marine reserve. And it turned out to be just as wonderful — if a little different.
Unlike a liveaboard, we had time for no more than 3 dives a day, but nearly every day we complemented our underwater activities with excursions on land. We visited several small villages, hiked through the hills, and walked out to waterfalls.
Diving in Raja Ampat is a world unto itself. Some dives were so overwhelming that, floating underwater, you just wanted to shout with joy.
Here is just one example.
At a depth of 12–16 metres, our group of eight had settled on the reef and was waiting for something large to appear. The current was moderate, and for the first ten minutes nothing happened. We were already losing patience and any hope of a miracle. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, like a squadron of great aircraft, enormous and impossibly graceful oceanic manta rays appeared and surrounded us on all sides. I counted 16; someone else counted 18; others said even more. And this whole spectacle lasted 30 to 40 minutes — as if the whole show had been arranged just for us.
And here are a few more underwater impressions from this remarkable edge of the world!
Thank you to everyone who joined us on this journey to the far end of the world. And if these experiences have inspired you, look for our new diving expeditions in the schedule on our website.
