INDONESIA DIVER

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Pef stands a littleapart among RajaAmpat islandssays THOMASHAIDER, but he

reckons it can offer the bestof everything. He wrote thewords and took the pictures

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RAJA AMPATIN MICROCOSM

Left: Featherstars,crinoids, cardinalfish andanthias create a riot ofcolour.

Above: View ofRaja4Divers from thehouse reef, including a blacktip reef shark.

Below: Coral reefreflections with variousdamselfish.

during El Niño events by flushing it withcooler waters. Species from Indonesia,Philippines and Papua New Guinea areencountered there. Just don’t expect the sea water always

to be clear! The nutrient-rich currents canlead to reduced visibility and also to shiftsin water colour from blueish- to greenish,with all the various cyan colour nuancesin between. But it’s this dynamic switching between

clear and murky waters that makes

THE REMOTE ISLANDS OF RajaAmpat in West Papua have been inbig demand with divers ever since

marine scientists started describing thearea in the heart of the Coral Triangle asthe world’s richest eco-system. The abundance and variety of marine

life are due to the islands’ position at thecrossroads of different oceans. Strongcurrents converge from all directions,channelling plankton-rich waters intothem and protecting the eco-system �

MARINE LIFEINDONESIA DIVER

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this area so interesting for underwaterphotographers.Most of the dive-resorts are in the

central part of Raja Ampat, and mainly inthe Dampier Strait. Pef Island, operatedby Raja4Divers, is located a bit off thisbeaten track, however, north-west of theDampier Strait, so is more distant fromwell-known diving spots such as CapeKri, Sardine Reef and Blue Magic, thoughthey can still be accessed on day-trips. On the other hand, the celebrated

cleaning station Manta Sandy is just a half-hour boat-ride from Pef.The island lies on the edge of the Raja

Ampat underwater shelf, which descendsto no more than about 50m depth. Go west of Pef and you can drop into

deeper water. It’s this that gives divers thechance to experience waters that are oftenclearer than those in the Dampier Strait.The dive-sites are pristine and very“fishy”, with extensive hard- and soft-coral gardens.

THE ACCESS TO DEEPER WATER alsoraises the possibility of seeing whales

and feeding-frenzies in open water.During my stay I was lucky to have suchan encounter with a Bryde’s whale withinsight of the jetty. It was quite trickyto follow a 12m whale feeding onanchovies in the open water, thoughI finally managed to obtain somedecent underwater images.What makes the area around Pef

really special is the possibility ofdiving in so many different habitats.Signature Raja Ampat dives such asthe Blue Water Mangroves ofYembraimuk, the Passage and HiddenBay are just around the corner, sowhere other resorts have to make a fullday-trip, from Pef you can get thereeasily for a single dive. The entrance to Hidden Bay is a

narrow, twisting fjord that leads intoan extensive mangrove area. In themiddle is a huge bay surrounded bytypical karst islands. Steep cliffs androcky islands covered in lush vegetationprotrude from the sea like mushrooms,and a huge labyrinth of waterways cutthrough this fantastic landscape. You can easily see the seabed from

the dive-boat. During high tides oceanwater flushes all these mangrove areas,and the water is so clear that you can seethe fish and corals even before diving. This is the perfect time to snorkel or

dive between the mangrove roots andwatch schools of juvenile fish, particularlycardinalfish and the archerfish that canshoot down insect prey with a jet of wateremitted from the mouth. Due to this permanent flushing with

nutrient-rich water the stilt roots of themangroves are covered with colourful

This page, clockwise fromtop: School of bigeyetrevally in dappled light;golden damsel in whip coral;a feeding Bryde’s whale nearthe jetty; a manta ray getscleaned by blacklipbutterflyfish; diver with anelephant-ear sponge.

sponges and sea-squirts, and even softcorals and seafans. If you like currents and action the

Passage, a strait between the islands ofGam and Waigeo, is one of the mostunusual of experiences, not unlike a riverdive and with two caves to explore. One of these caves opens on top,

allowing divers to ascend to the surface –in the middle of the jungle! The current is always very strong

in the strait. Scattered along thepassage are small bays and rocksthat can be used as shelter, and youcan find a lot of macro stuff there,only don’t forget to look out into thestrait, because almost any pelagicanimal could be passing by. The little bays are covered by

rainforest canopy. If there issunshine, stay in the area and amystical, even spooky atmosphere candevelop as small gaps in the densefoliage bathe the rainbow-colouredsoft corals, gorgonians, sponges andsea-squirts just beneath the surfacewith shafts of light. The result is a scene of absolute

tranquillity – it’s Raja Ampat at itsbest, and you will never forget the

impression it makes.On day-trips to the Fam Islands you

can dive Melissa’s Garden, which has oneof the biggest table-coral aggregations I have ever seen. Clouds of damselfishhover above and hide in the branches ofthe acropora corals. Out of the water you can also climb

a hill to a platform that offers a breath-taking view over a lagoon, with its typicalmushroom-shaped limestone rocks.

DIVING AT PEF’S house reef is veryconvenient, because the diving-

equipment room is located right abovethe coral reef at the end of the jetty, so youneed only take one big step to access thewater. Just a few metres from the jetty themain coral reef plunges to 30m, and aridge leads away from it at a 90° angletowards a plateau. Being so close to deeper water, this area

is full of fish and densely packed withhard and soft corals, leather corals,seafans and anemones. With ao many wide-angle attractions

it’s easy to forget to look into the corals,but they host many macro creatures. Between the pillars of the jetty, many

different species of fish seek shelter.Batfish are among them, and even long-jaw mackerel can be observed zig-zaggingaround the jetty, mouths wide open asthey feed on the plankton. When the weather is rough around Pef

you can dive in a sheltered area behindthe island. These are not only macro sitesbut harbour many fish, including a

This page, clockwise fromright: big blue octopussearching for prey; school ofdark-striped squirrelfish;solar-powered nudibranch; a whip-coral goby.

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FACTFILEGETTING THERE8 Garuda now flies direct

from London to Jakarta. Continue with LionAir/Batik Air/Wings Group or Garuda Indonesia to

Sorong. With Garuda you can check through fromLondon with an additional 23kg weight allowance fordive gear. The boat to Pef takes 3.5 hours.

DIVING & ACCOMMODATION8 Raja4Divers offersmore than 60 sites, a maximum of eight divers perboat and a guide for every four divers. Free nitrox, 10water bungalows for 1-4 people, raja4divers.com

WHEN TO GO8 There are no thermal seasons butsun, wind and waves can change daily because Pef isso close to the Equator.

MONEY8 Raja4Divers can’t take credit cards butaccepts Indonesian rupiah, euros or US dollars.

PRICES8 One week full-board (two sharing), airporttransfer, last night hotel in Sorong and unlimiteddiving costs £2150. Return flights around £750.Packages with flights available from Dive Worldwide.

VISITOR INFORMATION: indonesia.travel

resident school of barracuda. There is alsoan extensive field of huge elephant-earsponges in yellow and violet colours. There is nothing simple about Pef,

because it offers a combination ofcoconut-fringed beaches, coral reefs,limestone rocks, lagoons, bays,waterways, mangroves, rainforestcontaining a hidden lake and an ancientrock painting. As such, it assembles RajaAmpat’s topography all in one place.

ITS NATURE GIVES RISE TO activitiesbesides scuba-diving, such as climbing,exploring the rainforest, birding,kayaking and snorkelling. Some parts ofthe island offer hiking opportunities andwild-animal encounters. Monitor lizardspopulate the boardwalk to the bungalows.Maya Hadorn, the Swiss owner of

Raja4Divers, was able to rent Pef Islandfor 50 years, and the resort is designed forup to 18 guests. The 10 over-water stiltedbungalows are built with local materials,and all face west so that guests can enjoythe sunsets from their verandas. There isno air-conditioning, just a big ceiling fan. The power supply is shut down

between midnight and 5.30am, so it canget hot under the mosquito net but Ididn’t find this a problem because thebungalows are so big. The small number of guests at the

resort allows for both privacy and a

INDONESIA DIVER

Clockwise from top left:Painted frogfish; blackfinbarracuda, mackerel scads andelongate surgeonfish; tasselledwobbegong; giant grouperwith golden trevally; moonjellyfish in the rainforest.

Far left: Weedy pygmyseahorse.

Above: Green turtle.

Left: Whitetip reef sharkand bandtailed cardinalfish.

Bottom, from left: Clownanemonefish; and bandedarcherfish and orbiculatecardinalfish in mangroves.

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friendly atmosphere as desired, helped byfamily-style eating at one long table in theover-water restaurant – look down andyou’ll see blacktip sharks cruising aroundthe pillars. The combination of western and

Indonesian-style food is sumptuous andmakes much use of local produce. For each bungalow Raja4Divers

provides an iPad containing interestingapps, including ones for fish ID, tides andstar-gazing. Underwater photographersbenefit from a well-equipped climate-controlled camera room, including alarge-screen iMac on which to view their work.Maya’s passion and enthusiasm is

reflected in all aspects of what she callsher “little village”. For example, she hasestablished her own carpenter’s shop,featuring the creativity of the localpeople, and you can also enjoy theirartistry under water. Beneath the jetty a group of concrete

sculptures portray a family preparing ameal – and quickly becoming coveredin corals and sponges.The owner’s personality, her friendly,

cheerful staff, the breathtaking beautyand diversity of this Garden of Edenisland and the exceptional diving in manydifferent habitats are the ingredients ofsuccess – as reflected by a notably highrate of returning guests.

Y Thomas Haider’sphotographs are partof a long-term projecton the seascape ofWest Papua, supportedby Subal UnderwaterHousings (subal.com)