Indonesia, April 2023:

 

In April 2023 Malini and I, along with our Swiss diving buddies Michi & Daniela, joined a diving cruise in Indonesia which had been postponed for some time due to the pandemic. The excursion would take us to some of the world's best tropical dive sites in Raja Ampat and the southern Spice Islands (Maluku Islands).

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Starting point was Sorong, the largest city and capital of Southwest Papua, on the western end of the island of New Guinea: a main gateway to Indonesia's Raja Ampat Islands. End point was the island and city of Ambon, capital of Maluku province. 

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Raja Ampat (The Four Kings) is the name of a tropical archipelago situated west of New Guinea's Vogelkop, or Bird's Head Peninsula, which is part of Indonesia. The archipelago comprises of more than 1'500 islands and shoals around the four main landmasses of Misool, Salawati, Batanta, and Waigeo, as well as smaller islands such as Mansuar and Kofiau. Forming part of Southeast Asia's Coral Triangle, Raja Ampat is one of the world's most significant coral reef and marine biodiversity hotspots. The excursion included dives at Mansuar, Batanta, Misool, Pulau Seram, as well as various islands and reefs in the Banda Sea, including Banda Neira, and Ambon.

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This gallery contains photographs made during our dives and is completed by some spectacular land- and seascapes, as well as a few pelagic birds we spotted along the way.

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I hope you enjoy what you find here!