Raja Ampat: Fishopcalpse in the Last Paradise - PUBLISHED with DYK.net & DYK.dk - English Versin

Prepare to witness a "Fishocalypse" in Earth's last untamed paradise. Award-winning photojournalist Lawrence Alex Wu takes you on an unforgettable journey to Raja Ampat, Indonesia—the epicenter of marine biodiversity. This is not just a dive destination; it's a living, breathing odyssey where tectonic forces and colossal ocean currents conspire to create the richest underwater ecosystem on the planet.

Discover why scientists call it the "Species Factory," home to walking sharks, seven species of pygmy seahorses, and majestic manta rays with 7-meter wingspans. Learn how powerful conservation efforts have preserved this beacon of hope against global reef degradation. From vortexes of barracuda that blur visibility to pristine coral gardens accessible to snorkelers, this article reveals why Raja Ampat is the ultimate aquatic Valhalla.

Dive into the full article to explore the mythical landscapes and understand the geological and oceanographic marvels that make this the Last Paradise.

1. NOTE: this is not the complete set of images for the final article.

Raja Ampat: Fishocalypse in the Last Paradise

By Lawrence Alex Wu

Raja Ampat, introduced to the broader diving world only since the early
1990s (Allen & Steene, 1994), has since earned the fitting nickname
“The Last Paradise”. Nestled in Indonesia’s West Papua province, it
boasts an unmatched tapestry of marine biodiversity, untouched coral
gardens, and dramatic island landscapes sculpted by geologic history,
time and tides.

In the context of famous global dive destinations—think the Galápagos,
the Great Barrier Reef, etc—Raja Ampat may be the youngest dive
region on the map, but in terms of sheer marine species diversity, it
easily outshines them all. A single dive here, filmed for proof and
posted on YouTube, a Japanese dive team broke the Guinness Book of
Records for the number of species found on one dive! It’s no
exaggeration to say Raja Ampat is the Earth’s richest underwater
ecosystem.

Being so remote, after an arduous travel to Scuba Republic Raja Ampat
Basecamp in Waisai last March 2025, a refreshing hot shower in the
comfort of an air conditioned room prepared my trip start. Welcome to
the beginning of an adventure.


The Calm before the Fish-Storm

Having dived and photographed numerous locations as an
underwater photojournalist since 2004, what struck me first
underwater wasn’t just the pristine beauty and abundance—it was
the density of coral of fish life and the amalgamation of multiple
species cohabitating so naturally together. It’s the kind of place
where one minute we're gazing at sedentary wobbegong waiting to
ambush its next prey and the next minute you are immersed into
armada swarms of fish. Vortexes of barracuda and jackfish form
glinting, unified cloud walls. Silvery scads stream past in such
density they blur the visibility like slow motion typhoons
underwater, while they all corralled around us like tectonic
continents of fish in motion. My first ever Fishocalypse!

These fish aggregations are no accident though. Raja Ampat’s dramatic reef
topography is influenced by powerful neighbouring oceanic currents. As these
Pacific Ocean currents weave through the Indonesian archipelago, the
underwater topology funnels the water shallower from the depths like legions
besieging the castle walls. At the “current splits”—where these deep currents
collide with submerged seamounts—the upwelling nutrients from the deep
ignite feeding frenzies that gather fish species in mesmerizing alliances. Many
dive sites we visited here with Scuba Republic Raja Ampat featured the same
epic congregations —offering front-row seats to Neptune's vibrant torrent
of animals.

Over decades of diving, there have only been a handful of
places around the world that I've encountered such grand
proportions of fish life and diversity all cohabitating in such
grand numbers.


The Myth of Raja Ampat Continues

From the big iconic Blue Magic site near Scuba Republic Raja
Ampat Basecamp to southern Misool’s limestone labyrinths
and the more isolated Wayag islands, legions of oceanic manta
rays glide through cleaning stations with silent confidence. In
fact, Wayag, in recent years only has just been confirmed as a
manta breeding ground (Karam et al., 2023), adding another
reason divers seek its remote embrace. These giant majestic creatures sporting wing spans of up to 7 meters,
were encountered at sites a day trip away from our Scuba Republic Raja Ampat Basecamp to the southern
Misool islands and at central Raja Ampat around the Dampier Straits.

On the smaller scale, Raja Ampat is a macro lover’s nirvana. Here you will
find creatures that don’t exist anywhere else on Earth—from the elusive
Hemiscyllium Freycineti, aka the walking shark, that grows just over half a
meter in length, to a kaleidoscope of nudibranchs scattered throughout the
region. Only here you can find up to seven different pygmy seahorse species,
clinging to coral branches shorter than the nail on
your pinky... if you have small hands! It’s the
underwater photographer’s aquatic prism—and a
macro enthusiast’s dream catch.

One of my guides, with over 18 years of daily
logged dives in Raja Ampat, came across a
nudibranch at his house reef, which had eluded
him for almost 2 decades. It's no wonder that
scientists studying Raja Ampat coined it as the
"Species Factory" of the world. (IMAGE nudi photo)


A Natural Marvel Supercharged by the Earth

Raja Ampat sits at the very heart of the Coral Triangle, often dubbed the
“Amazon of the Seas.” It's a designation deeply rooted in its unique geological
history and the oceanographic forces that gave birth to its extraordinary
topology and biodiversity.

Geologically, the archipelago sits at a crucial confluence of tectonic plates
when all our seven continents were one single land mass. The complex
movements and interactions of these fractured landmasses over millennia
have created a labyrinth of islands, submerged reefs, and intricate underwater
topography. This fragmented landscape has fostered isolation and the
evolution of endemic species, acting as a cradle for marine life. This is why
scientists also call it the “Center of Marine Biodiversity.”

From this evolution, Raja Ampat now contains over 1,650 coral reef fish
species, with at least 27 endemic species, found nowhere else on Earth (Allen
& Erdmann, 2012). As well, more than 550 species of reef-building corals are
found here, amounting to 75% of the world’s known coral varieties (Veron et al., 2009).

2. Catalyzed by the Powers of the Sea

The region’s biological richness is driven by the Indonesian Throughflow
(ITF)-a vast ocean river that funnels the lifeblood of the Pacific into the
Indian Ocean. Its volume is so immense, early oceanographers could not
describe it in ordinary terms. So they had to coin a new unit: the Sverdrup
(Sv), named after one of the scientist. 1 Sv is a million cubic meters of
moving water per second, as if measuring the very breath of Neptune
himself!

The ITF is calculated to have a massive 15 Sv of water flow from the Pacific
which fuels life in several critical ways. It delivers nutrient-rich waters
from the depths of the Pacific Ocean that feed entire food chain marine
ecosystems (Sprintall et al., 2014). With such a large area beneath the
Pacific depths, it carries almost limitless rations to feed and breed the
Ecological Odyssey of animals in Raja Ampat.

Furthermore, it also stabilizes temperatures, protecting coral in the region
from bleaching episodes and supporting larval dispersal (Gordon, 2005).
For us underwater visitors, it creates migratory corridors—or “fish highways”—for pelagic species such as
dogtooth tuna, trevallies, and barracudas, making Basecamp the perfect pivot to visit Raja Ampat's Species
Factory for visitors.


A Conservation Success Story

In an age where coral bleaching, overfishing, and
climate change have degraded reefs worldwide,
Raja Ampat has been a beacon of hope ever since
it's discovery in the 1990s. Community-driven
conservation is a major factor, with Marine
protected areas that span more than 20,000 km²
have been implemented (Mangubhai et al., 2012).

Local patrols and sustainable tourism models
have reduced illegal fishing by 90% in certain
areas (Vargas et al, 2021) and indigenous stewardship, low-density development, and long-standing cultural
taboos continue to protect sacred coastal areas. Through many initiatives, as Raja Ampat was being discovered
in the 1990's, these were skillfully and thoughtfully implemented to protect and preserve this Last Paradise.




The Mythical Landscapes Above and Below

For the land lovers and snorkelers, it’s not just divers that Raja
Ampat dazzles. Above the surface, endemic Birds-of-Paradise
dance daily from the treetops at dawn to woo their mates.
Dramatic limestone karsts erupt from turquoise lagoons, hiding
caves, jungle trails, and ancient rock paintings. Bioluminescent
bays shimmer at night right below our feet. Lenmakana’s
stingless jellyfish lake (IMAGE) from constellation dreams and
mangrove forests cradle baby blacktip sharks and batfish
(IMAGE) to a host of marine life.

For snorkelers, Raja Ampat offers you doorstep dips to underwater wonders with the simplest of mask, snorkel
and fins. Glide over shallow coral gardens so vibrant they rival any dive site, where parrotfish chomp audibly
and schools of fish patrol the surface at your eye level. The region’s famed nursery reefs teem with juvenile fish,
their colors electric against the sunlit corals.

Raja Ampat is a realm where the boundaries between myth and
reality dissolve. Here, the currents that nourish the world’s
richest reefs also summon the battalion shoals and legions of
mantas—an underwater Valhalla where life erupts in spectacle.
This is no mere destination, but a living odyssey where every
ripple whispers an ancient secret, every sunset blazes like a
warrior’s pyre, and every dive etches eternity into your memory.
To be here is to witness Earth’s last untamed paradise.

----- THE END -----


Visiting Raja Ampat

While its remote allure is part of the charm, Raja Ampat is more
accessible than it once was. Daily, there are 3 to 4 hour return
flights from Bali, Jakarta or Makassar to Sorong. From Sorong, a
short 2 hour ferry ride for 125,000 rupiahs per passenger (≈ €7)
takes you to Waisai, the gateway town to the archipelago and where
Scuba Republic Raja Ampat Basecamp is tranquilly nestled between
the wild forest and the sea.

From Basecamp, Scuba Republic Raja Ampat has 2 liveaboards
year round (Jaya and Epica), a newly built dive camp in Fam Island
and their unique Dive Safari trips, which like a liveaboard brings
divers further into the Dampier Straits to dive while overnighting at
local budget Papuan homestays instead of on board the boat.

Basecamp also offers return pickup service to and from the Waisai
ferry to it's boat trips and a host of budget-conscious bungalows
(https://maps.app.goo.gl/TTNXtf5ARWbx4nuf6). Here, they have
single, double and small family traveler units starting from dorm
rooms and all with air-conditioning, ensuite bathrooms and
Starlink wifi, next to its boat pier and seaside bar. The perfect spot
to watch the sunset, grab an icy Bintang beer and watch the stars
emerge while reminiscing over our daily Fishocalypse fury!