Administrator’s note: Alex has been a friend and contributor to the BHS site since first visiting the region in 2006.  He recently returned from two trips: one land-based, which gave him a new perspective on the value of live-ashore diving.  The other trip was via liveaboard, which confirmed his appreciation of being able to visit multiple regions on a single, in his case back-to-back, visit.  He shared so many amazing images, I feel the need to split his submission into 2 parts, even though I still can’t share them all, so we can leisurely appreciate the depth of his talent as a creative image maker.  We started with his visit to the land-based Misool Eco Resort. (In case you missed that post, click here https://bit.ly/2T1XXhr). Now enjoy the images from his liveaboard trips!

A moon jelly (Aurelia aurita) swims in front of an aggregation of stingless golden jellyfish (Mastigias sp.) in a landlocked marine lake in the middle of an island. Their golden colour comes from endosymbiotic algae, which provide nutrition for the medusae, as long as the jellies stay in the sun. Farondi Islands, Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Tropical West Pacific Ocean.

100 Dives In Raja by Alex Mustard

A reef scene with an orange soft corals (Scleronephthya sp.) and red sea fan (Melithaea sp.) with schooling silversides above. Pelee Island, Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Ceram Sea. Tropical West Pacific Ocean.

I was fortunate to make two long visits to Raja Ampat in 2019 and clocked up over 100 dives. This collection shares some of my favourites from a stay at Misool Eco Resort in January and back to back liveaboard trips on Indo-Siren in October-November. I have to admit that I am not that efficient with my processing, so these very much represent a first skim through the images.

The yellow head of a Brown Coral Blenny (Atrosalarias fuscus holomelas) peers out its home in a bed of hard coral (Galaxea sp.) on a coral reef. Piaynemo Island, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Tropical West Pacific Ocean.

Every dive in Raja Ampat is a privilege. Yet, despite so much time in the water, there were lots of spots I didn’t get to see on this trip. While other dive sites I visit several times and was fascinated how much the diver experience/quality of a site usually changes so much between visits. And despite many trips to Raja before, I still found myself diving at least 10 sites for the first time ever, in 2019.

Detail of hard coral (Goniastrea sp.) on a coral reef. Dayang Island, Batanta, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Dampier Strait. Tropical West Pacific Ocean.

I loved both trips to Raja in 2019 and despite making so many dives in the same destination, I felt the variety of my experiences were as rich as if I had spread these dives all around the world. I was uplifted by the success of marine protected area in Misool, seeing biomass booming and so many big creatures, especially sharks. I first dived Misool in 2006 and didn’t see a single shark all trip. Although, it does make me a little sad to see development slowly creeping into the archipelago. It was definitely upsetting to hear chainsaws running so regularly in parts of the Dampier Strait.

A tiny snapping shrimp (Synalpheus sp.) looks out from within sea squirt (Didemnum molle) at night on a coral reef. Piaynemo Island, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Dampier Strait, Tropical West Pacific Ocean.

2019 marked my first visit to Raja land based – staying at Misool Eco Resort, which is an amazing place and really delivered underwater. I’d always been sceptical about going land-based in Raja because the different areas, that can be accessed on a single trip by liveaboard, offer such diversity. However, I was bowled over by the array of underwater experiences, secret spots and subjects we could access from the resort. Plus, the ability to shore dive and dive and dive in the heart of Misool is something liveaboards can’t match. I also really enjoyed doing an early season liveaboard. Sailing on Indo-Siren in late October worked well, with so many boats doing multiple crossing trips these days, Raja was really quiet and we hardly saw anyone, which was great. It felt like the old days – but with more sharks!

A Denise’s pygmy seahorse (Raja Ampat pygmy seahorse: santa pygmy: Hippocampus denise) on a red and white seafan (Melithaea sp). Wayil Batan Island, Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Ceram Sea, Tropical West Pacific Ocean.

Alex Mustard is an underwater photographer from the UK and author of the book Underwater Photography Masterclass. www.amustard.com

A giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia testudinaria) releases a large cloud of gametes as it spawns on a coral reef, while a Threadfin Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys aprinus) looks on. Daram Islands, Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Ceram Sea. Tropical West Pacific Ocean.

Silversides (Atherinidae) schooling below a wooden jetty while local children look on. Yanggefo Island, Gam, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Dampier Strait, Tropical West Pacific Ocean.