Misool Eco Resort, South Raja Ampat

11 – 16 January 2010

Almost TOTALLY built from salvaged wood, not a single tree was cut to construct this enchanting resort situated at the best diving sites of south Raja Ampat

It feels like such a great reward to be here in Misool Eco Resort, after our tuna adventure during the Christmas holidays. We have been traveling intensely for this expedition for about 10 months now and have covered quite some WWF work in the field as well as fishing and village life from all over the Indonesian part of the Coral Triangle.

But as much as we have photographed and documented topside life, we need to pay attention to what is underwater, for this after all is why the Coral Triangle is special.

Raja Ampat has reef and fish diversity that would make all diver’s jaw drop. It is so busy with life. And this is LIFE on OVERDRIVE!

This is what reefs should be, if left alone and left to flourish.

We have been diving three main areas these past week – Fiabacet and Boo chain of reefs and the Misool Eco Resort House Reef.

Gorgonian fan corals abound and if you look closely, it harbours life after marine life all the way to minute pygmy seahorses! Here a big pufferfish is stationary getting a cleaning by a wrasse

Schooling yellowtail fusiliers passing us by feeding on plankton

A batfish gets a grooming by 2 cleaner wrasses. This disk-shaped fish has the same behaviour as the similarly shaped massive oceanic sunfish! It rotates with its mouth up and tail down. Oh, by the way, this is my picture with Yogi's strobe behind the batfish!

Marine scientists have counted over 540 species of hard corals and 1320 reef fish species in the Raja Ampat Archipelago. And we're not talking yet about soft and fan corals . . .

And the incredible house reef of Misool Eco Resort

Thousands of big-eyed jacks in the blue of the Misool house reef

Hundreds of yellowlined scads under the jetty getting hunted by blue-finned trevallies