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The very epicentre of marine biodiversity with the richest coral reefs in the world. Best place to see Omura's Whale.
The name Raja Ampat means ‘Four Kings’, in reference to ancient rulers of the four largest islands in the group, but there are many, many more islands to explore. All of our cruises are slightly different, taking best advantage of conditions at the time. On some cruises we head north to savour the extraordinary karst scenery around Waigeo, on others we head south and west to the beautiful but little-visited Kofiau islands. Whichever way we sail, all of our cruises around the Raja Ampat islands typically start and finish at the port city of Sorong, on the western tip of the great island of Papua. And all visit sites for Birds-of-paradise, offer world-class snorkelling and provide plenty of cetacean-watching opportunities.
Day 1
Start of cruise from Sorong. Board MV Mermaid at Sorong port, mid-morning. Depart around lunchtime. We usually see Omura’s Whales and Spinner Dophins soon after leaving port. Cruise towards Waigeo Island, looking out for other cetaceans en-route. After sunset tonight there will be an orientation talk, and on most other nights there will be a slide show.
Days 2-8
Cruising Raja Ampat. We will wend our way slowly through the Raja Ampat islands, looking out along the way for whales and dolphins, flying fish and seabirds. There will be opportunities for snorkelling on the coral reefs, probably including at least one site with Manta Rays. And we can also expect opportunities for island visits, including a Birds-of-Paradise excursion.
Day 9
Back to Sorong. Another full day, with during which we can expect a morning snorkel or island visit, and plenty more time for whale and dolphin watching. We should arrive back at Sorong port in the late afternoon.
Day 10
Disembark. After breakfast we will sadly have to disembark and transfer to accommodation ashore or to the airport for flight home.
The waters around the Raja Ampat islands are home to large numbers of Spinner Dolphins and Spotted Dolphins. This also seems to be a particularly good location for Pygmy Killer Whales. However, the big draw here are the good numbers of tropical whales. Indeed, this may be the best location in the world to see Omura’s Whale, a species described as new as recently as 2003. In addition, Dugongs occur around Batanta, and we have been lucky enough to see up to 3 on
previous trips.
Omura’s Whale Balaenoptera omurai
Bryde’s Whale Balaenoptera brydei
Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus
Dwarf Sperm Whale Kogia sima
Spinner Dolphin Stenella longirostris
Spotted Dolphin Stenella attenuata
Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Indo-pacific Bottlenose Tursiops aduncus
Fraser’s Dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei
Rough-toothed Dolphin Steno bredanensis
Risso’s Dolphin Grampus griseus
Shortfin Pilot Whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Melon-headed Whale Peponocephala electra
Pygmy Killer Whale Feresa attenuata
False Killer Whale Pseudorca crassidens
Highlights will include an excursion on Waigeo Island to look for both Red Bird-of-paradiseand Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise, two of the most extravagantly plumed of all birds. Other landbirds that we see regularly include Dusky Scrubfowl, Pinon’s Imperial Pigeon, Spice ImperialPigeon, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Papuan Hornbill, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot,Common Paradise-kingfisher, and many more. At sea: Streaked Shearwater, Tahiti Petrel, Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, Black Noddy, Brown Noddy. Black-naped Tern, LesserFrigatebirds, and more.
