THE RAJA AMPAT through the lens of by Stichting RARCC

The Raja Ampat through the lens of: Burt Jones Claudia Pellarini-Joubert David Doubilet Denise Nielsen Tackett Dos Winkel Gerry Allen Jennifer Hayes Larry Tackett Leon Joubert Mark Strickland Maurine Shimlock Paul Munzinger Roger Steene Stephen Wong Takako Uno Tim Laman Thomas Haider With contributions by Alex Tait, Jรถrg Adam, Mark Erdmann, Max Ammer and Sterling Zumbrunn

Gof island (Max Ammer)

Photographers

Burt Jones

Claudia PellariniJoubert

David Doubilet

Dos Winkel

Denise Nielsen Tackett

Gerry Allen

reveal the magic rainbow colors of the

Jennifer Hayes

Larry Tackett

Leon Joubert

Mark Strickland

Maurine Shimlock

Paul Munzinger

Roger Steene

Stephen Wong

Takako Uno

Thomas Haider

Tim Laman

© Burt Jones, Claudia Pellarini-Joubert, David Doubilet, Dos Winkel, Denise Nielsen Tackett, Gerry Allen, Jennifer Hayes, Larry Tackett, Leon Joubert, Mark Erdmann (www.conservation.org), Mark Strickland, Maurine Shimlock, Max Ammer (www.papua-diving.com) (www.stichting-rarcc.org), Paul Munzinger, Roger Steene, Stephen Wong, Takako Uno, Thomas Haider and Tim Laman

Photography

© Angela Beer (www.conservation.org) © Burt Jones (www.secretseavisions.com) © Claudia Pellarini-Joubert (www.bittenbysharks.com) © David Doubilet (www.daviddoubilet.com) © Dos Winkel (www.dos-bertie-winkel.com) © Denise Nielsen Tackett (www.tackettproductions.com) © Gerry Allen (tropical_reef@bigpond.com) © Jennifer Hayes (www.daviddoubilet.com) © Jörg Adam © Larry Tackett (www.tackettproductions.com) © Leon Joubert (www.bittenbysharks.com) © Mark Strickland (www.markstrickland.com) © Max Ammer (www.stichting-rarcc.org) © Maurine Shimlock (www.secretseavisions.com) © Paul Munzinger (www.uw-media.de) © Roger Steene © Stephen Wong (www.stephenwong.com) © Sterling Zumbrunn (www.conservation.org) © Takako Uno (www.takakouno.com) © Thomas Haider (www.thomashaider.at) © Tim Laman (www.timlaman.com)

Maps

Graphic Design Brigid Sullivan (brigid.sullivan@skynet.be) Dos Winkel Printed by

Thie Wah Press Pte Ltd, 4 Pandan Crescent, Singapore (www.twpsin.com)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

ISBN 978-90-814853-1-9

Contents Colophon

Contents

Maps

Alex Tait, International Mapping

Introduction

Mark Erdmann, Conservation International

10-15

The Raja Ampat

Max Ammer, Papua Diving, Raja Ampat Research and Conservation Centre (RARCC)

16-23

Ichthyology

Dr. Gerry Allen

24-39

6-9

Underwater photography

Maurine Shimlock and Burt Jones Takako Uno and Stephen Wong Paul Munzinger Mark Strickland Denise Nielsen Tackett and Larry Tackett Jennifer Hayes and David Doubilet Roger Steene Dos Winkel Claudia Pellarini-Joubert and Leon Joubert Thomas Haider Tim Laman

40-59 60-79 80-99 100-119 120-139 140-159 160-179 180-199 200-219 220-231 232-245

Topside photography

Selection of images by participating photographers

246-267

Selection of images by participating photographers

268-288

Aerial photography

Acknowledgements

287 5

Maps

Wayag 6

(Tim Laman)

Map: ÂŠ Alex Tait, www.internationalmapping.com

Maps: ÂŠ Alex Tait, www.internationalmapping.com

Kri island

Introduction away beneath the karst cliffs of Wayag and Uranie to the deep, nutrient-rich bays of Mayalibit, Kabui and Aljui to the “blue water mangrove” channels of Kofiau and Gam to the plankton-rich upwelling areas of Misool and the Dampier Strait – is home to unique assemblages of species that, when taken together, add to produce the most impressive species lists ever compiled for a coral reef system of this size. To date, some 1,320 species of coral reef fish have been recorded in Raja Ampat by renowned ichthyologist Gerald Allen, with new species being uncovered on every trip he makes to the region. Over 540 species of hard coral have been confirmed from Raja Ampat, with coral scientists estimating there are likely over 550 species existing here (which equates to a mind-blowing 70% of all known coral species on

Karst islands in the Wayag Archipelago, one of the Raja Ampat’s 7 marine protected areas

Exploring an underwater cave on Uranie island, one of many in the Raja Ampat

Photos: © CI/Sterling Zumbrunn

“Reefs on Steroids.” “The Kingdom of Coral.” “Heart of the Coral Triangle.” “The World’s Richest Reefs.” The magazine cover articles written on Raja Ampat (which literally translates as “the Four Kings”) in the past 5 years are never short on superlatives. Even David Doubilet, the normally understated legend of underwater photography who has most certainly “seen it all” in over forty years of traveling the globe to document the marine realm, effusively named his recent National Geographic story on Raja Ampat “Ultramarine”. It seems Raja Ampat casts a spell on all who visit – scientists, photographers, novice divers and crusty sea-salts alike. As stunningly beautiful above water as it is below, the “King of Kings” has a startling diversity of habitats to explore. Each of these – from the stark wave-pounded slopes that drop

Mark V. Erdmann, Ph.D. Senior Advisor, Conservation International Indonesia Marine Program

the planet!). In my own work, I’ve recorded some fortytwo species of reef-associated stomatopod (mantis shrimp) – easily the highest diversity ever recorded for an area this size. Perhaps just as important as the recordbreaking species tallies, many of these fish, corals and crustaceans appear to be endemic to the region, found nowhere else on earth. Indeed, Raja Ampat and the surrounding Bird’s Head Seascape in northwest Papua have been deemed a “species factory” for marine life. As deep technical diving makes a debut in the area, even more new species records are sure to follow as divers plunge into Raja Ampat’s unexplored twilight zone. Though Raja Ampat has only recently captured headlines as the global epicenter of marine biodiversity and as

a “must-dive” destination for divers, the first time that I personally heard of Raja Ampat was in 1992 as a Ph.D. student, under very different circumstances. In those days, I was based in a small Makassarese fishing community on the island of Barang Lompo off South Sulawesi. Rather than reading about Raja Ampat in a dive magazine, I was mesmerized by the stories of my shark-finning neighbors – who described a mysterious faraway land of strange karst islands and reefs teeming with sharks, a veritable gold mine for their baneful activities. A small armada of long-lining boats would regularly sail from our island home, returning 6-8 weeks later with stacks of dried fins that bespoke the undersea bounty of Raja Ampat. Sadly, nearly two decades of intensive shark-finning in the Bird’s Head has

Dr. Gerald Allen searches for the 1,321st fish species from the Raja Ampat

Effective marine reserves are the best tool to manage reef fish stocks 11

dramatically reduced shark populations to a tiny fraction of what they once were.

that this stunning collage of photographs will bring further world attention to Raja Ampat and the Bird’s Head Seascape, building additional public and political support for efforts to conserve this marine Eden far into the future. To be sure, conservation initiatives in Raja Ampat are already making great progress. Thanks to the passionate efforts of dive pioneers Max Ammer and Edi Frommenwiler, Raja Ampat’s mind-blowing marine biodiversity was revealed to the world earlier this decade when Conservation International (CI) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) sponsored a series of rapid biodiversity assessments in 2001 and 2002. Since that time, both CI and TNC and a host of local environmental NGOs like the Papua Sea Turtle Foundation, Raja Ampat Research and Conservation

Raja Ampat’s local population is highly dependent on healthy marine resources

Sunset on Kri jetty; marine tourism is a main pillar of economic development in Raja Ampat

Photos: © CI/Sterling Zumbrunn

Today, nickel mining threatens to replace shark-finning as the top insult to Raja Ampat’s awe-inspiring beauty. And thus the paradox of Raja Ampat – world unique, globally outstanding, literally bursting at the seams with biodiversity - yet highly threatened. It is thus with great hope and a sense of urgency that I write the introduction to this unique photojournalistic essay on Raja Ampat as seen through the lenses of a select group of the world’s top underwater photographers. Along with producers Dos Winkel, Brigid Sullivan and Max Ammer and the environmentally-minded photographers that have donated their time and images to this book, it is my sincere hope

Centre, Yayasan Nazareth, CORAL, WWF-Indonesia and Belantara have been working closely together with the people and government of Raja Ampat to conserve this global heritage. An impressive range of donors have committed funding to Raja Ampat, including significant investments by the Walton Family Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development, the Bakrie Green Program, Dexter and Susan Paine, the Seacology Foundation, the Henry Foundation, the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation, the Beneficia Foundation and the Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation. Together, these organizations’ investments have focused on a comprehensive three-pronged approach to conservation in Raja Ampat, which I’ll briefly outline below.

The first initiative has centered on the scientific characterization of Raja Ampat, including its biodiversity and the important large-scale ecological and oceanographic processes that influence this diversity. Besides generating world record species lists and describing dozens of new and endemic species, this initiative has also succeeded in revealing patterns of genetic and oceanographic “connectivity” that are critical to understand in order to develop plans to manage the region’s marine resources in a sustainable manner. Other important results under this initiative include the revelation that Raja Ampat’s corals are regularly exposed to a nearly 17°C variance in sea surface temperatures (thus “pre-adapting” them to the temperature fluctuations that scientists predict will become increasingly common

CI scientist Muhammad Lazuardi monitors coral reef condition

Turtles like this hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) now benefit from an intensive nesting beach protection program 13

in an era of global climate change) and evidence from satellite tagging that green turtles nesting in the SayangPiai rookery in northwest Raja Ampat subsequently return to feeding grounds as far away as southern Borneo and southwestern Philippines.

align them with a sustainable vision for the area while also dramatically increasing local understanding and appreciation of Raja Ampat’s biodiversity, the threats to it, and the need for local leadership in effectively managing it. Notable achievements under this initiative include the development of a network of community conservation radio stations and a monthly full-colour newspaper that explores a different conservation issue in depth each month, the launching of the MV Kalabia “floating marine conservation education center” that now delivers a 3-day interactive curriculum to all the villages in Raja Ampat, and the successful implementation of the Raja Ampat Marine Tourism User Fee, which ensures that local communities derive health and education benefits from the burgeoning marine tourism in the area.

Photo: © CI/Angela Beer

Photo: © CI/Sterling Zumbrunn

The second set of strategic conservation activities, conducted simultaneously with the scientific characterization of Raja Ampat, has focused on creating an “enabling environment” for effective conservation and collaborative management of Raja Ampat’s rich marine resources. Over the past 3 years, we have worked intensively with the local government and citizens in the 90 remote villages of Raja Ampat to both better understand their development aspirations and

The “floating ranger station” Inbekwan patrolling the Dampier Strait MPA 14

Raja Ampat schoolchildren on the marine conservation education vessel M.V. Kalabia

These three initiatives have made impressive progress over the past 5 years, but there is still much work to be done. Raja Ampat’s MPA network needs to be “operationalized” and the restrictions on destructive and unsustainable fishing practices strictly enforced. Marine tourism development must be carefully managed to provide optimal benefits for local communities while minimizing its “footprint” in the area. Perhaps most importantly, we face a continuous uphill battle to impress upon policy-makers and community leaders the need to wisely conserve and manage this area, as the seemingly inexhaustible global demand for commodities ranging from fish to minerals to timber products continues to create strong short-term financial incentives to mine all of these resources from Raja Ampat.

Papua Diving and other marine tourism operators are important conservation partners in Raja Ampat

I invite you now on a spectacular, colour-saturated journey through the pages of this book to experience Raja Ampat in a most unique fashion, through the lenses of 17 of the best underwater photographers on the planet. Each feels passionately about the need for longterm conservation of this extraordinary region, and has donated many of their best photographs of the area for this book in the hopes that it will inspire local, national and indeed global commitments to do whatever is necessary to ensure the wise stewardship of the world’s most biodiverse seascape. On behalf of Conservation International and our local and international conservation partners, I can assure you that we are strongly committed to this vision, and we greatly appreciate your support in helping to achieve it. Enjoy your journey, and welcome to the Realm of the Four Kings!

Photo: © CI/Sterling Zumbrunn

The final strategic initiative (based upon the scientific understanding and strong local community support generated by the first two strategies) has been to facilitate the establishment of an ecologically-connected network of marine protected areas (MPAs) across Raja Ampat. In May 2007, under the wise leadership of Regent Marcus Wanma and with the support of Indonesia’s Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Fredy Numberi, the Raja Ampat government declared a network of seven MPAs that together covers nearly 1,200,000 hectares and approximately 45% of Raja Ampat’s coral reefs and mangroves. Effectively implemented, these MPAs should ensure the longterm health and sustainability of Raja Ampat’s marine ecosystems.

The Raja Ampat ARCHIPELAGO Geography

who ruled the Raja Ampat by means of Rajas (regents) for a period of at least 400 years.

The Raja Ampat islands encompass over 4 million hectares (roughly 350 x 250 kilometers) of land and sea area off the far north-western tip of the Papua Province of Indonesia. They consist of approximately 600+ islands, including the four largest: Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool (also known as Batanme). The Raja Ampat area boundaries are between latitude 3° 00’ N and 2° 15’ S and longitude 129° 17’ E and 131’ 50’ E.

With the exception of some low coral islets, the majority of the islands have rugged and steep coastlines, covered mostly with virgin forest. The shorelines are deeply indented with bays and inlets, the beaches backed by dense forest without any track communications. Limestone mountains form the interior of the three largest islands, Misool, Batanta and Waigeo. The waters immediately surrounding these three islands are greatly encumbered with small islets, rocks, shoals, and detached reefs, and are fairly well charted.

Beehive islands South of Tamoelol Bay

There are no navigable rivers of importance. The few

Photo: © Max Ammer

The name ‘Raja Ampat’ (meaning Four Kings) comes from the period when the region was under influence of the North-Moluccan sultanates of Ternate and Tidore,

Rock islands in the Mesemta island area

Max Ammer Raja Ampat Research and Conservation Centre / Papua Diving

inhabited islands are but sparsely populated. The native people had little contact with the outside world until the 1950s, and still travel primarily by canoe / prahoe (most are not motorized!). As a result, even today roads and graded tracks are very few and there are no cars, except at the new government centre of Waisai (South Waigeo).

East Misool . The leading clans in the Maya villages were vassals of the sultan, and each paid him a yearly tribute. They also contributed vessels and men to the Hongi, a fleet that raided Western New Guinea for slaves. An important consequence of the Moluccan contacts of the Maya was the introduction of Islam: in the Raja Ampat archipelago, only the Maya villages are Muslim. Nowadays the Maya number between 4,000 and 5,000 people, of which about half live on Misool; the other half are evenly divided over the other 3 main islands.

The people Due to the absence of a written history it is not clear who the earliest people in the Raja Ampat were, however it is commonly believed that the Maya clan hold that right. During the North-Moluccan sultanates of Ternate and Tidore period, the area was ruled by four Rajas, residing at Waigeo, Salawati, West Misool and

Photo: © Jörg Adam

Photo: © Michael Westcott

Traditionally, all original Raja Ampat groups built their houses on poles. When the villages were constructed on the coast or near a river, they were built on the water; otherwise they were built on poles above the ground.

House Boat with Papuan family and Sulfur Crested Cockatoo at the Kaboei Bay

Traditionally built Papua houses at Kri Eco Resort by night 17

History

Gam islands villagers in their houseboat on a collecting trip 18

The oldest written information on New Guinea is thought to be from the Chinese merchants who, in the 8th century, gave the king of the Sumatran Sriwijaya kingdom a “black curly haired girl” from New Guinea. The first European accounts of the East Indies can probably be attributed to Marco Polo, whose sojourn in Sumatra in 1292 led to reports related to the flow of spices such as nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon from the East Indies to Europe. As the demand for spices increased in Europe, merchants established agencies and correspondents, mostly Indians, Chinese and Arabic people, in the East Indies which encouraged

Photo: © Max Ammer

Photo: © Paul Munzinger

At the present time the majority of the villagers call themselves Biak-Raja Ampat which means that they are born in Raja Ampat but that their ancestors originated from the island of Biak, situated 750 kilometers to the East. Other villagers are Gaman, which on Waigeo is divided into three different groups: the Laganyan, the Wauyai, and the Kawe. Taher Arfan, a senior family member of the original Raja descendants, at the time of writing, still holds a senior position in the current Raja Ampat government. The people of the Raja Ampat form an extremely tolerant and religious society consisting of Muslims and Christians. Often two religious groups will coexist harmoniously in one clan, despite their different beliefs.

Rock paintings are plentiful around Ogar island on the MacCluer Gulf but can also be found throughout the Raja Ampat

active trade and the growth of ‘middlemen’ peddling these goods between Europe and the East Indies. As the cost of spices increased due to Venetian, Arab and Indian middlemen, many European powers, notably the Portuguese, strove to ensure control of the spice production itself and for about 100 years the Moluccas were the centre of European activity in the East Indies.

Photo: © Max Ammer

Photo: © Claudia Pellarini-Joubert

In January 1623, the ships Arnhem and Pera under the command of Jan Carstenz sailed to north Australia. The ship Arnhem landed in New Guinea and was attacked by the Papuans. Between 1636 and 1824 the Dutch stayed away from New Guinea as it was not a significant enough source of profit.

Jenbeser villagers selling their crops at Sorido Bay Resort

Pak Jafet Soor fishing around Wai Island

The first visit of a Dutch ship to the Raja Ampat islands probably took place in 1702. The Dutch recognized the Sultan of Tidore as the sole leader, however as no spices were found, there was little interest. It was not until 1779, when an agreement was made between the United East India Company and the Sultan of Tidore, that Dutch authority was actually asserted.

Dutch retained control of the Dutch East Indies until Indonesia became independent in 1945. They however held on to Dutch New Guinea (now Papua) until as late as 1962. After this, Papua was run by Indonesia under a United Nations mandate and finally became part of the Republic of Indonesia in 1969. Prevailing winds

Local means of transport: an outrigger boat between Mansoear and Gam islands 20

The SE monsoon sets in during the latter part of May and abates during October. The NW monsoon is established by December and blows until March. During the SE season, prevailing winds vary between east and south, while in the NW season, between north and west.

Photo: © Thomas Haider

In 1810 the British, on behalf of Holland, undertook the protection and administration of the Moluccas. In 1814 this territory reverted to Holland and 10 years later, as reported in the Public Gazette 1824, the “Papuan islands Waigeo, Salawati and Misool, and the portion of New Guinea coming under the sovereignty of Tidore” were brought under control of the Residency of Ternate. The

Local outrigger fishing boat at The Passage, a very unusual dive site between Waigeo and Gam islands

Winds in the NW monsoon are stronger and steadier than in the SE season. November, April and the greater part of May are transitional periods in which winds are generally light and variable. Sustained gales do not occur. Misool, in the Ceram Sea, lies in the track of the monsoons as they blow uninterrupted through the sea passage between New Guinea and Ceram.

Photo: ÂŠ Tim Laman

Photo: ÂŠ Leon Joubert

Waigeo, in the north, comes less under the influence of New Guinea. Irregularity of contour and sea channels, around Waigeo in particular, leads to diversion of winds from the normal direction of the monsoons.

Gerry Allen and Mark Erdmann exploring a river

Some of our guests exploring the rock islands of the Fam islands 21

Standard time

fauna, and Englishman Alfred Russel Wallace, whose travels within the Malay Archipelago introduced us to the concept of the centre of biodiversity. At the turn of the century, the area was again visited by the Siboga expedition (18991900) and later by the Snellius expedition (1929-1930).

Standard time of the Raja Ampat archipelago is nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (UTC/GMT +9 hours). Research in the past

Today we can find terminology related to the early expeditions in strange sounding island names like Uranie island & Quoy islands and naturally in the many fish and coral species named by the early explorers. The now famous Walking shark, Hemiscyllium freycineti, named after French explorer Louis Claude de Freycinet, is another example of names from the past. The well-known Blacktip reef shark is another species originally discovered in the Raja Ampat area.

Photo: © Gerry Allen

Photo: © Max Ammer

The Maluku and and other parts of the region were visited by at least five major naturalist expeditions in the early to mid 1800s. This included the French ships the Uranie (1818-1819), the Coquille (1823), the Astrolabe (1826), the British ships the HMS Samarang (1843, 1846), the HMS Challenger (1874-1875). Research on marine life in the area during the 1860s included the Dutch ichthyologist Peter Bleeker’s comprehensive studies on Indonesia’s fish

Exploring remote areas for new rainbow fish with Gerry Allen

Interesting picture of a Sail-finned lizard Hydrosaurus weberi

Current research Over the past decade, scientists and resource managers have realized the dangers of the ‘shifting baseline’ phenomenon, whereby our perspective of ‘what is natural and pristine’ is blurred by the increasing overexploitation of reefs over the last half-century. We have ‘forgotten’ what a truly healthy reef or fish stock looks like; a reef that today seems healthy and dense with fish may actually be only a vestige of its former self. It is sad to hear from pioneers in the dive industry as we often do, that in the old days there were many other places as good as the Raja Ampat area still is today. Accounts from the late 1700s and early 1800s that mention seas swarming with big fish and beaches packed with turtles, are nowadays hard to believe. We are coming to understand that this really was the way that reefs naturally existed – but sadly we have greatly reduced the numbers of most large marine life over the past 100 years. Owing to personal interest in nature and our experience in organizing exploratory trips in the area since 1990, we have had pleasure in assisting most of the conservation and scientific teams that have conducted research in this area and since we share common goals, we founded the Raja Ampat Research and Conservation Centre (RARCC). One thing that sets us apart from other NGOs is that to us the Papuan people are an important part of that nature and our first priority. Our main goal is thus to assist the local Papuan people to protect their natural

inheritance against destruction and to build a better living through sustainable industries focusing on eco tourism. I also believe as a Christian that we all are stewards, and we need to take care of the world in which we live in. As a steward it is my wish that we all work together to keep the Raja Ampat in good condition and better still, to improve it. We hear from our returning guests that the reefs around our two resorts have more sharks and bigger fish than they had 10 years ago. This is unfortunately in strong contrast to other Raja Ampat areas where shark finning is still a legal activity. The 15+ years we have been active in protecting the area has paid off! There is still much work to be done. We can use all the help we can get. The RARCC was established to give a helping hand to NGOs and scientists who do research in the area. In doing so we have continually had the opportunity to expand our own knowledge of the area. It has been a pleasure to work with all these dedicated people and the book is a result of that relationship. Each of the contributors of the book gave willingly without any financial reward. The profit made from sales of this book will go directly to conservation. It is our hope that each person reading it will keep the Raja Ampat in his/her heart and become an ambassador for us in spreading the word to protect this amazing area. It is my sincere hope that you will join us in our effort. For now, however, please enjoy the pictures....

Gerry Allen

Banded toadfish 24

Halophyme diemensis

Ichthyology Dr. Gerald (Gerry) Allen

I was born in 1942 at Los Angeles, California. My interest in nature received a huge boost when my family moved to the mountains of northern California when I was 12 years old. Suddenly things I had only dreamed of – hiking, camping, horseback riding and fishing – became a reality. I’ve always been keenly interested in sports and played American football in high school and university. I probably would have never gone to university if I had not received football scholarships. I’m also grateful to famous Waikiki Beach in Hawaii – that’s where I met my dear wife Connie and where I discovered the fantastic world of coral reef fishes. I also received my PhD from the University of Hawaii, back in 1971. Shortly afterwards, we joined a research cruise to Australia and have been “Down Under” ever since. The city of Perth has been the perfect base to pursue an ichthyological career. I was Curator of Fishes at the Western Australian Museum for 25 years, leaving that position in 1997. Although still associated with the Museum, I now work as a private consultant, primarily involved with coral reef surveys for Conservation International (CI) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). My scientific resume includes more than 430 publications, including 35 books. Many of my studies have involved New Guinea reef fishes and I’ve also published extensively on the region’s freshwater fishes. I’m just as passionate about my hobbies – rock climbing, mountaineering, cycling, and underwater photography. Connie and I have two sons, Tony and Mark, who are both married and have young families of their own. Unlike the other contributing authors my interest in the Raja Ampat islands is strongly motivated by scientific research. I feel privileged to have “discovered” this special place relatively late in my career, providing a rare opportunity to compare it with the numerous locations I’ve dived at around the globe. There is absolutely nothing else that compares! My first trip to Indonesia was in 1974 when I spent one month at Ambon. I’ve been a regular visitor ever since. My personal mission has been to document the country’s reef fish as thoroughly as possible. It’s a huge country with more than 17,000 islands and each and every visit is a real learning experience. Amazingly, after 34 years of research I’m still discovering new fishes on every visit. The most exciting part of Indonesia without a doubt, is the Raja Ampat area and adjacent Bird’s Head region of western New Guinea (Papua). I’m filled with the same sense of discovery that I’m sure was experienced by the first foreign (French) naturalists in the early 1800s. The past two years have been especially rewarding. Working in association with Mark Erdmann, the regional coordinator for CI’s Bird’s Head Seascape Program, we have discovered more than 25 new fishes, a remarkable feat for such a relatively limited geographic area. Our survey activities reveal this region is the richest on the planet for shallow (to 60 m depth) reef fishes. Our current totals now stand at 1,320 species for the Raja Ampat islands and 1,511 for the entire Bird’s Head region. Additional species are added to the list on every trip and I would conservatively estimate that another 200 species can be expected. 25

An array of diverse factors have contributed to the outstanding richness of the Raja Ampat fauna. These include a long history of warm sea temperatures, the merging of disparate geological and biological elements due to tectonic activity (e.g. Waigeo island has origins in the Central Pacific and drifted to its present position over millions of years), and widely fluctuating sea levels that have created both bridges and barriers for species dispersal and evolution. Biological factors have also played an important role. Numerous species with a reduced pelagic larval period have apparently evolved and accumulated in the region. Importantly, the Raja Ampat islands are situated in the midst of a “biological crossroad”; pelagic larvae are transported from several distinct regions including the Bismarck Sea to the east, Timor-Arafura Sea to the south, and the Indonesian Archipelago to the west. The result of this “mixing” is a lavishly rich reef fish fauna that has no equal. There is no better place that I could recommend for underwater photographers and reef fish aficionados. The islands of the Raja Ampat boast an impressive array of fish inhabitants unsurpassed by any other area of similar size. Three key families – damselfishes, wrasses, and gobies are particularly well represented with respective species totals of 116, 117, and 155. It is also the best place that I’ve experienced for certain groups that are notoriously difficult to find such as garden eels (7 species), jawfishes (10), and dottybacks (21). There is growing evidence that the region comprised of the Raja Ampat islands and greater Bird’s Head Peninsula is also a hotspot for reef fish endemism. In other words, there are a host of species (“endemics”) confined to this area and found no where else. This exclusive group contains at least 25 regional endemics inhabiting the Bird’s Head, including a small number that have only been recorded from the Raja Ampat islands. The special species that are known only from the islands include the delicate Raja goby (Eviota raja), the ubiquitous and still scientifically undescribed Ammer’s dottyback (Pseudochromis sp.), and rare Slim-lined cardinalfish (Apogon leptofasciatus). Of equal significance is the group of Bird’s Head endemics that are seen only in the Raja Ampat area and the neighbouring peninsular region typified by the dazzling Fakfak flasherwrasse (Paracheilinus nursalim), Ornate pipefish (Corythoichthys benedetto), Erdmann’s tilefish (Hoplolatilus erdmanni), and Jamal’s dottyback (Manonichthys jamali). Lastly, there are several freshwater rainbowfishes (family Melanotaeniidae) that are endemic to the larger islands. For example, Catherine’s rainbowfish (Melanotaenia catherinae) is known only from Waigeo island. Surprisingly, my first visit to the islands was motivated by freshwater fishes. I obtained funding from the National Geographic Society for two separate visits in 1998 and 1999. On both occasions I worked closely with Max Ammer, a keen adventurer and fountain of knowledge about the islands. Casual snorkelling during the first visit aroused my interest in the rich marine fauna. The following year Max brought along his compressor and some scuba tanks and I began to get serious about listing the reef species. Over the next three years I did my best to persuade Conservation International to organize a marine biological survey of the islands of the Raja Ampat. Finally in March-April 2001 I was able to lead the first official survey of the area under CI’s sponsorship and one year later I also participated in a similar survey conducted by TNC. The survey results generated considerable international publicity and really focused attention on the area’s unparalleled marine biodiversity. As they say – the rest is history! The photographs selected for this book reflect the powerful magnetic attraction of these special islands – the unbelievable panoply of coral reef organisms, as well as the breathtaking landscape. It’s one of the few places on earth where pristine rainforest is abruptly bordered by amazingly rich coral reefs. The featured photographs of coral reef fishes include species that are either unique to the Raja Ampat islands or are regional specialities that are particularly abundant in this island group. 26

Brown-spotted garden eel Gorgasia naeocepaea

Fakfak flasherwrasse Paracheilinus nursalim

Female Ammer’s dottyback

Male Ammer’s dottyback

Pseudochromis sp.

Ornate pipefish

Erdmann’s tilefish

Corythoichthys benedetto

Hoplatilus erdmanni 29

Jamalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dottyback

Raja goby

Manonichthys jamali

Eviota raja

Catherineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rainbowfish

Juvenile Pewter angelfish

Melanotaenia catherinae

Chaetodontoplus dimidiatus

Azure demoiselle

Blue devil

Chrysiptera hemicyanea

Chrysiptera cyanea

Springerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demoiselle

Goldbelly damsel

Chrysiptera springeri

Pomacentrus auriventris 31

Starry triggerfish

Radial filefish

Abalistes stellatus

Acreichthys radiatus

Bowerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parrotfish

Painted frogfish

Chlorurus bowersi

Antennarius pictus

Magenta dottyback

Masked grouper

Pictichromis porphyrea

Gracila albomarginata

Randallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anthias

Redfin anthias

Pseudanthias randalli

Pseudanthias dispar 33

Zebra dartfish

Lagoon shrimpgoby

Ptereleotris zebra

Cryptocentrus cyanotaenia

Spinecheek goby

Wide-barred shrimpgoby

Oplopomus oplopomus

Amblyeleotris latifasciata

Juvenile Moyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dragonet

Splendid dottyback

Synchiropus moyeri

Manonichthys splendens

Juvenile Humphead or Napoleon wrasse

Wideband cardinalfish

Cheilinus undulatus

Apogon oxygrammus 35

Striped fangblenny

Juvenile Yellowtail damsel

Meiacanthus grammistes

Neoglyphidodon nigroris

Bleekerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demoiselle

Juvenile Coral grouper

Chrysiptera bleekeri

Cephalopholis miniata

Spinecheek anemonefish Premnas biaculeatus

Three-spot angelfish

Blue-girdled angelfish

Apolemichthys trimaculatus

Pomacanthus navarchus

Blue-ringed angelfish Pomacanthus annularis

Maurine Shimlock Burt Jones

Wonderpus octopus 40

Wonderpus photogenicus

Burt and I are adventurous spirits who have always loved wild places. For 15 years we lived on Yucatan’s Caribbean coast. Our playground was the world’s second longest barrier reef. When winter winds forced us inland, we searched beneath the jungle canopy for hidden freshwater caves. In the late 1980s Mexico’s massive resort development drove us to the Pacific where we pioneered liveaboard diving in the Solomon Islands and taught ourselves marine life photography by trial and error. Although our images have been published in countless books and magazines and won numerous international awards, we pursued careers in underwater photography so that we could spend a lifetime exploring coral reefs. The reefs of the Raja Ampat stunned us at first sight. For nearly a decade we have hardly felt the need to dive any other place because we have been consistently amazed by the region’s beauty and diversity. Strong currents flow through the Raja Ampat and carry coral and fish larvae to an interconnected system of reefs, islands, bays, and mangroves. Habitat diversity is one of the key factors for the region’s healthy biomass. In the Raja Ampat we can photograph a seamount teaming with silversides and sea fans on one dive, then plunge into the mysterious waters of a mangrove lagoon on the next. In the Raja Ampat we are as likely to observe manta rays hovering above cleaning stations as we are to watch a mimic octopus, its long tentacles folded like a parachute, drift through the water column. Even though the Raja Ampat’s marine life is undeniably exquisite and perhaps the richest on earth, the same pressures that threaten reefs around the world exist there as well. Dive tourism is essential to the region’s conservation plan because a steady influx of divers reduces the territory open to commercial fishing operations and benefits the local economy through park entrance fees. One important way to entice divers to return to an area many times is to offer new dives with unseen wonders to explore. Through our work with Conservation International, we are constantly mapping and photographing new dive sites throughout the Raja Ampat. Cooperative efforts between local villages, conservation agencies and the area’s tourism operators are ensuring that the Raja Ampat’s unequalled habitat mix and species count will enthrall divers for generations. The reefs of the Raja Ampat have become our new oceanic playground and we look forward to documenting their treasures for the rest of our lives.

Larry Smith has been called the best divemaster in the world. Before he passed away in March 2007, our dear friend introduced countless divers to the Raja Ampat’s incomparable marine life. We were with Larry on an afternoon dive near Batanta island when he discovered a baby wobbegong shark lying in a vase sponge. As Larry showed the tiny shark to the other divers, it wiggled onto his hand and together they posed for our camera. 41

Reef scene at Boo island

Soft corals on mangrove roots in bluewater mangroves

Juvenile Sailfin tang Zebrasoma veliferum

Banded archerfish and reflection in bluewater mangroves 44

Toxotes jaculatrix

Tail-spot combtooth blenny Escenius stigmatura

Reef scene with seafan and Silversides Melithaea sp. & Hypoatherina barnesi

Reef scene at Neptuneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fan Sea with Wayilbatan island visible above

Reef scene at Magic Mountain, SE Misool

Cuttlefish hiding in soft coral Sepia sp.

Tasselled wobbegong shark and Golden sweepers 50

Eucrossorhinus dasypogon & Parapriacanthus ransonneti

Commensal shrimp on Black coral Pontonides unciger & Antipathes sp.

Commensal sea pen shrimp Dasycaris symbiotes

Sea whips and Lionfish Ctenocella sp. & Pterois volitans

Reef scene with schooling Yellowtail fusiliers Caesio cuning

Nudibranch feeding on Stalked tunicate Nembrotha rutilans & Perophora namei

Coral grouper Cephalopholis miniata

Reef scene with Golden sweepers Parapriacanthus ransonneti

Crinoid detail Lamprometra sp.

Stephen WONG Takako UNo

Flatworm Pseudoceros dimidiatus 60

(Takako Uno)

In mid 2004, Mr. Max Ammer of Papua Diving kindly invited us to visit his establishment in Raja Ampat. For a number of reasons, we couldn’t make the trip until June 2007. Wow, what an eye-opening experience that was! Honestly, Max’s turf (both above and underwater) simply takes your breath away. An excerpt from our article for a wildlife journal: “To the right, a dozen Yellow-ribbon sweetlips suspends motionlessly above a pinkish sea fan. On my left, hundreds of Blue-lined fusiliers shower my way. In the cobalt blue water near the sloped reef, a hefty school of Big-eyed jacks spirals around an imaginary axis. Dangling amongst the silvery tornado, dots of colorful Anthias and Surgeonfish dance in unison. At the reef’s edge, Barracudas gawk at passers by, selecting their next meal. Corals, hard and soft, carpet the vicinity. If it weren’t for the current, I would swear I was watching a marine video on a giant screen. … … I surface. My air gauge now reads 20 bar (not wise to have so little air remaining). Yes, I am usually a big air-drainer even on a boring dive. This time, I blame the animals for my speedy air consumption. The name of the dive site is Mios Kon - my first dive in the Raja Ampat, ‘The Kings of Diving’.” Indeed, Raja Ampat is the king of diving spots. Max’s backyard teems with so much life and color - from Manta ray and Pygmy seahorse galore to the most pristine coral structures. Having performed a fish count right in front of the resort, scientists have found this area to have the greatest diversity of fish in the world. Other specialists have recorded more than 450 species of corals thriving here. New species of marine fauna also pop up regularly. Very impressive! Our sincerest congratulations to Max, his hugely successful resorts and live-aboard, and a heartfelt thanks for everything. We’ll be back soon! A little about ourselves (Stephen) Unlike most divers, I did not choose to start diving, but was instead coerced into it by my brothers at the age of eight or nine, in the late 1960s in Hong Kong. I have a number of unpleasant memories of those initial dives: not only was the gear heavy and cumbersome but the scuba tank valve was merely a tad lower than myself, which often meant that I returned home with sore bumps on the back of my head. As I grew older, I continued to scuba dive because it became fascinating and fun – best of all, I had grown taller than the scuba tank valve and no longer had to return home with a sore head. In 1975, I went to high school in Vancouver Island, Canada, where I became divercertified. In 1990 I took my first underwater photo: a Flame angelfish in Palau. After working in a hotel for 6 years, I quit in 1997 and have since worked full-time as marine photojournalist. That same year, I met my wife Takako on Mabul island in Malaysia. I have coauthored 4 books with friends, but “An Ocean Odyssey” - a 240 page pictorial anthology that I made together with Takako - is so far my greatest achievement. I was born in Suizenji, Kumamoto, in Japan. I guess I was always destined to be around water, as Suizenji means ‘temple-in-front-ofwater’. My interest in the underwater world started at an early age. According to my parents, when I was still a baby I would point at fish-like objects and say “JiJi” (meaning ‘fish’ in the dialect of young children). Later - as a small child - my favorite picture books were Fish ID books. My parents - recognizing this enthusiasm - would plan our summer vacations around environments such as rivers, lakes and the ocean. My interest in water and its inhabitants steadily increased until I ultimately could no longer resist the call of the sea and in the 80s became a scuba diver, finally living my dream with multiple immersions into its depths. It was when I began photographing the marine world, that I met Stephen. Quitting my nurse instructor job was not easy, but observing the marine ecology, encountering the underwater creatures and meeting people of a similar passion is pure joy. I have been fortunate to be published in the magazines National Geographic and BBC Wildlife, amongst others. Furthermore, I have located 3 new species of nudibranchs, one of which has been given the English name ‘Takako’s Trapania’. My wish is that - even if just for a while - everyone would forget all the complications of life, and submerge themselves to share the lives of the ocean inhabitants. (Takako)

Harlequin crab on sea cucumber - Lissocarcinus orbicular 62

(Takako Uno)

Clarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anemonefish in beaded sea anemone - Amphiprion clarkii & Heteractis aurora (Takako Uno)

Hairy squat lobster Lauriea siagiani (Takako Uno)

Unidentified shrimp inside tunicate (Takako Uno)

Broad club cuttlefish Sepia latimanus (Takako Uno)

Banded toadfish Halophyme diemensis 66

(Takako Uno)

Pygmy seahorse - Hippocampus bargibanti 68

(Takako Uno)

Pygmy seahorse - Hippocampus denise (Takako Uno)

Soft coral garden at Five Rocks (Stephen Wong)

Tasselled scorpionfish Scorpaenopsis oxycephala (Stephen Wong)

Pickhandle barracudas Sphyraena jello (Stephen Wong)

Western clownfish and Magnificent sea anemone Amphiprion ocellaris & Heteractis magnifica (Stephen Wong)

Diagonal-banded and Ribbon sweetlips Plectorhinchus lineatus & Plectorhinchus polytaenia (Stephen Wong)

Ribbon sweetlips Plectorhinchus polytaenia 74

(Stephen Wong)

Oxeye scads Selar boops (Stephen Wong)

Oxeye scads and Takakoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shadow Selar boops 76

(Takako Uno)

Manta rays and Blue and gold fusiliers Manta birostris & Caesio caerulaurea 78

(Stephen Wong)

Manta rays and Blue and gold fusiliers Manta birostris & Caesio caerulaurea (Stephen Wong)

Paul Munzinger

Oxeye scads under a jetty 80

Selar boops

Logbook: “18.10.1996 - The Passage (Kabui Bay) - depth 12 m, time 97 minutes. Comment: absolute world class diving: strong current, hunting sharks, macro dream, wonderful soft corals.” A log file entry, which I never forgot! Exact briefing and preparation was necessary, as you drifted away, carried by the tide as in a river. For chief guide Max Ammer the strait between Waigeo and Gam was also an almost unknown spot. Everybody was very enthusiastic. Logbook: “18.06.2007 - The Passage, depth 8 m, time 84 minutes. Comment: A real diving dream - the same as it was years ago. Unchanged.” Between the two entries eleven years had passed, in which time I had enjoyed four visits to West Papua. Once you have been there you will always come back. Nothing had changed for the worse. On the contrary: “Eco-ist” (not Egoist) Max had systematically learned many things in the hard business of eco-tourism. He had built up two small eco-resorts, been on many adventurous diving tours and found top spots, which are a must for every enthusiastic diver! Fact: There is no bigger variety of fish and coral to be found anywhere on our blue planet than in the waters of Raja Ampat; scientifically also the number one spot in bio-diversity. For divers this spot is the unrivalled highlight. Various sharks, enormous manta rays, large schools of fish, gigantic gorgonian forests, wonderful soft coral gardens, spectacular macro life such as pygmy seahorses and mandarin fish can all easily be found. We have to say a special thanks to Max Ammer, who enables us to enjoy this diving dream. He has fallen in love with the pristine country and its friendly people. There is nothing else in his life that matters as much as his passion for his work. Although the path to the end of his rainbow was - and still is - not a smooth one, he never doubts his goals, forcing his way through rough terrain and convincing others time and again as to his future plans. Today Papua Diving is a well known and highly estimated name in the diving world. It must also be said that Max - although very busy with all his enterprises - never forgets to help and support the people of Papua. This book is also his idea - he wants to wake up the world and move things to a better future. And it will definitely not be his last idea, as this former Harley mechanic runs on many cylinders and at high speed. About myself I experienced my first encounter with the underwater world at the age of eight. I was totally enthused by the reports of the diving pioneers and numerous books by Hans Hass and Cousteau were not only read, they were devoured. My first snorkelling trips led me to the side arms of the river Rhine near the town of Freiburg. Today, when not on one of my many dive journeys as a free-lance journalist, I still live in this charming part of southern Germany and enjoy the freshwater ponds with their crystal clear water. As a boy I was fascinated by the new world; those snakelike eels, pikes and other fish. The flora was also overwhelming. It was Inevitable that I started diving “seriously”. My first real dive took place at the age of 18. Later, as a student of architecture, I intentionally chose a university at the Lake of Constance, in order to have the opportunity to dive as often as possible and to take pictures of the underwater world. Journeys in remote areas followed, always with my camera at hand. Result: a real underwater-paparazzo. What started as my passion, has become my occupation. International photography contests have brought me more than 60 honours over the years, and 18 of my own books are to be found in my library - not including those resulting from my cooperation with many other projects. I have enjoyed spectacular expeditions to the Yucatan caves, finding the teeth of prehistoric Mastodons and have also dived under the ice in Greenland. The international underwater world serves as my studio. A fantastic job I never want to miss! My work includes cooperation with tv-productions, publications of articles and pictures in magazines such as “Geo”, “National Geographic”, “Mare”, “UWF”, “Unterwasser”, “Sportdiver” and many others. I have presently been working for over 20 years as a vagabonding freelancer for the diving magazine “Tauchen”. Despite the many journeys to remote areas of the seven seas, the beautiful and clear fresh water lakes and springs always draw me back home again. And - frankly spoken - I love them most of all. Here, where everything began with pike, eel and company. Old love doesn’t rust - back to the roots!

Coral reef scene at Mikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Point

Spinecheek anemonefish Premnas biaculeatus

Picture dragonet Synchiropus picturatus

Soft coral garden

Papuan scorpionfish Scorpaenopsis papuensis

Tasselled scorpionfish 86

Scorpaenopsis oxycephala

Pearl diver checking his oysters Pinctada margaritifera

Bumphead parrotfish Bolbometopon muricatum

Broad club cuttlefish 90

Sepia latimanus

Coral reef scene with crinoids

Red whip coral Ellisella sp.

Triplefin on Tubastrea coral Helcogramma striatum

Children fishing from a jetty

Many-spotted sweetlips Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides

Cauliflower soft coral Dendronephthya mucronata

Three different sweetlips between soft corals From top to bottom: Diagonal-banded sweetlips Ribbon sweetlips Goldstriped sweetlips Plectorhinchus lineatus Plectorhinchus polytaenia Plectorhinchus chrysotaenia

Spearing mantis shrimp Lysiosquillina maculata

Manta ray amid Goldband fusiliers 98

Manta birostris & Pterocaesio chrysozona

Tasselled wobbegong shark 100

Eucrossorhinus dasypogon

From my first dive in Raja Ampat several years ago, I knew this place was special. I had already heard a lot about this region — stories of pristine coral gardens, amazing biodiversity, and prolific marine life. Of course I was eager to believe these reports, but such descriptions are often thrown around rather loosely, and I was reluctant to draw any conclusions before seeing it first hand. Within just a few minutes underwater, however, it became clear that the reports were not exaggerations. Often referred to as “The World’s Richest Reefs”, this group of 600-plus islands offers stunning scenery above and below the surface, abundant fish life, and possibly the greatest marine biodiversity on earth. From huge mantas to schools of sweetlips and bumphead parrotfish, to well-camouflaged wobbegong sharks and an incredible range of colorful reef fish, there is always something interesting swimming by. On the opposite end of the size spectrum, these reefs hold perhaps the greatest abundance and variety of pygmy seahorses to be found anywhere. There is also an incredible range of invertebrate life, with more species being discovered all the time. More than anything, though, it is the overwhelming beauty of these reefs that I find most compelling. In some areas, vast gardens of delicate hard coral cover the sea-bed. Elsewhere, brilliantly colored soft corals and fans grow mere inches below the surface, bordered by living carpets of orange cup corals — a virtual kaleidoscope of colors, all contrasting with shifting beams of sunlight filtering through overhanging tree branches. This kind of imagery is the essence of Raja Ampat, and is typical of many sites in the archipelago. The scientific community has wisely recognized the tremendous biological importance of these islands, and thanks to Max Ammer and NGOs like The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International, much progress has been made toward conserving this precious region. It is my fervent hope that books like this will promote a greater appreciation for Raja Ampat’s unique beauty and ecological significance, and help secure the protection that is needed to preserve it for future generations. Autobiographical notes The sea has been a life-long source of inspiration for me, leading to careers as an ocean lifeguard, boat captain, diving instructor and underwater photographer. My fascination with the underwater world began before I could swim, laying on the dock at my parents’ summer cottage in Vermont. I’d spend hours each day peering into the lake, straining to see what the fish were up to. When our family moved to Florida, I was captivated by the crystalline waters of the many fresh water springs, and wasted no time donning snorkeling gear. Experiencing the underwater realm first-hand was something I’d previously only dreamed of, and I was immediately hooked. Following my father’s lead, I also became an avid fisherman, but my interest in angling was eclipsed by a keen desire to observe and explore from a fish’s point of view. Another revelation occurred when I first saw a living coral reef in the Florida Keys. Mesmerized by the complexity and beauty of this dynamic natural community, I resolved then and there to make diving a big part of my life. My passion for underwater photography began in the Caribbean, subsequently progressing to many of the world’s best diving areas, including Thailand, where I spent many years working on live-aboard dive boats. In spite of an aversion to cold water I now reside in California, trying to maintain a tropical state of mind while embracing local diving opportunities. An avid marine naturalist, I‘ve been fortunate to discover several nudibranch species. My photos and articles have appeared in books and magazines and books around the world, including BBC Wildlife, National Geographic World, Natural History, and many others. I am also primary photographer and co-author of Lonely Planet’s award-winning book, “Diving and Snorkeling Thailand”. Currently, I lead several dive trips each year to my favorite destinations, with Raja Ampat being at the top of the list.

101

Banded shrimpgobies and Alpheid shrimp Cryptocentrus cinctus & Alpheus sp.

School of Scissortail fusiliers at Melissaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Garden 102

Caesio caerulaurea

103

Soft coral Dendronepthya sp.

104

Pygmy seahorse Hippocampus sp.

105

Zebra lionfish Dendrochirus zebra

106

Soft coral with mangroves Dendronepthya sp.

107

Regal angelfish on coral bommie 108

Pygoplites diacanthus

Giant clam encrusted with colorful soft corals and tunicates at Melissaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Garden Tridacna gigas

109

Huge barrel sponge among soft corals at The Passage 110

Xestospongia testudinaria & Dendronepthya sp.

Soft-coral crab on soft coral Hoplophrys oatesii & Dendronepthya sp.

111

Imperial shrimp on sea cucumber Periclimines imperator & Thelenota ananas

Orangutan crab and Translucent flatworms on Bubble coral 112

Achaeus japonicus, Waminoa sp. & Plerogyra sinuosa

113

Pygmy seahorse Hippocampus sp.

Eye of a Crocodilefish 114

Cymbacephalus beauforti

115

Pygmy seahorse Hippocampus denise

116

Pygmy seahorse Hippocampus bargibanti

117

118

Pair of Commensal zebra crabs on venomous Fire urchin Zebrida adamsii & Asthenosoma varium

Purple dragon nudibranch on tunicate Pteraeolidia ianthina

119

Denise Nielsen Tackett Larry Tackett

Mouth of a Magnificent sea anemone Heteractis magnifica 120

(Larry Tackett)

We are professional photographers, writers, and presenters specializing in underwater and natural history subjects. We lived in the Indo-Pacific region for many years, racking up thousands of dives in the world’s best dive destinations. We now reside in the US in West Virginia, where we are Master Naturalists for the state. A species of pygmy seahorse, Hippocampus denise, was named in honor of Denise’s work on pygmies. Our work has appeared in books and magazines worldwide and we are represented by stock photo agencies in the US and UK. We were contributing editors to Skin Diver magazine for several years and are travel consultants for Asian Diver magazine. We have contributed to BBC, Ushuaïa Nature, and National Geographic TV documentaries about the underwater world and have produced two of our own short videos: Stayin’ Alive and The Littlest Seahorse. Our two books, Reef Life: Natural History and Behaviors of Marine Fishes and Invertebrates, and The Essential Underwater Photography Manual are widely available, as is our annual Reef Life calendar. Raja Ampat: The pygmy seahorse paradise Denise Nielsen Tackett Although records of tiny seahorses go back to the mid-19th century, we really know very little about them. The first real pygmy seahorse was discovered in New Caledonia, and was named Hippocampus bargibanti in 1970. Less than two cms tall, this diminutive species is so adept at camouflaging itself on Muricella sp. gorgonians, that it went unnoticed until it was rediscovered in Indonesia around 1996. Since then, divers continue to find and photograph what appear to be new species of pygmy seahorses. Efforts are ongoing as scientists work to recognize and classify specimens, processes that are frustratingly difficult and time-consuming. DNA work is also underway. To date, eight species have been scientifically identified: Hippocampus bargibanti, H. minotaur (a deep water [>60 m] species), H. denise, H. colemani, H. severnsi, H. pontohi, H. satomiae and H. waleananus. Several others are under investigation and some will likely turn out to be new to science. There are reports of sightings from various locations in the Indo-Pacific, Australia, Japan, and the Red Sea. West Papua alone seems to have at least five species of pygmies. Pygmy seahorses belong to the family Syngnathidae. Like their larger relatives, they have an upright posture with the head at a 90° angle to the body and a prehensile tail that they use to tether themselves to bits of seaweed, hydroids, gorgonians, or other invertebrates. They seem to survive because they are uniquely suited to their specific environments. For example, H. bargibanti has small tubercles on its body that resemble the polyps of its host gorgonian, while H. colemani grows skin filaments that help it blend into the algae beds it inhabits. Color is variable and not indicative of species. Some species have two gills, others have only one; some are inactive, others frequently swim about their habitat. The best way to find pygmies is to search a small area, less than a square meter, with a magnifying glass and a torch, while watching closely for movement. I’ve spent about 200 hours observing pygmies and their camouflage is so good that I can still lose one in the blink of an eye. Juveniles strongly resemble adults but are quite slender with tails no larger than pieces of thread. I’ve seen as few as one and as many as 28 pygmies on a single gorgonian, although they seem to live in pairs or clusters of pairs. Like other seahorses, the males brood the eggs after the female transfers them. The brood pouch of male pygmies is not visible as it is on larger seahorses, even though I’ve seen them give birth to 13-34 live young. Unless a male is pregnant, it is quite difficult to differentiate the male from the female underwater. Their diet is unknown but they probably feed on small crustaceans or on detritus in their environment.

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Pair of Denise’s pygmy seahorses Hippocampus denise (Larry Tackett)

Yellow variant of Bargibant’s pygmy seahorse Hippocampus bargibanti 122

(Larry Tackett)

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Splendid dottyback with soft coral Pseudochromis splendens (Denise Nielsen Tackett)

Isopod on Magenta dottyback Isopoda cf. Anilocra sp. & Pseudochromis porphyreus (Denise Nielsen Tackett)

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Mixed shoal of Redbar anthias and Damselfish with branching corals Pseudanthias hutchii & Acropora sp. (Larry Tackett)

Individual zooids of a sea squirt colony Perophora namei 126

(Larry Tackett)

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Green sea squirts on Orange elephant ear sponge Didemnidae & cf. Agelas sp. (Denise Nielsen Tackett)

Green and white sea squirts on a colony of sea squirts Didemnum sp. & Symplegma sp. (Denise Nielsen Tackett)

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Unidentified crustacean on zooid of Colonial sea squirts - Clavelina moluccensis 130

(Larry Tackett)

A mass of Acoel flatworms cover the surface of a Sarcophyton leather coral (Denise Nielsen Tackett)

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Tail-spot blenny at burrow Ecsenius stigmatura (Larry Tackett)

Ribbon sweetlips and juvenile Convict blennies Plectorhinchus polytaenia & Pholidichthys leucotaenia 132

(Larry Tackett)

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Bubble snail laying egg mass Bulla sp. (Denise Nielsen Tackett)

Parasitic snails on a sea urchin Note their white egg sacs on spines Eulima sp. (Denise Nielsen Tackett)

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Coral crab among coral branches Trapezia sp. (Denise Nielsen Tackett)

Webbed goby Priolepis vexilla (Larry Tackett)

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School of Golden sweepers Parapriacanthus ransonnetti (Denise Nielsen Tackett)

Huge Gorgonian Melithaea sp. (Denise Nielsen Tackett)

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Jennifer Hayes David Doubilet

Moon jellyfish Aurelia aurita 140

(David Doubilet)

Jennifer and I met each other underwater, not in a vague sense but literally while we were working on a lemon shark project in Bimini, Bahamas. She was a field biologist working with the sharks and trying to improve her underwater photographic skills and I was an underwater photographer hoping to improve my scientific skills. Since then we have spent years on assignment for National Geographic Magazine, much of it photographing the warm productive ocean belt that embraces our planet. Jen and I always enter the sea together as a team and we have had the honor, challenge and pleasure of photographing in most of our equatorial and temperate corners of the sea, but in the end we are always drawn back to coral reefs. Our travels have taken us across the Caribbean Sea from the pristine untouched reefs of Cuba to shark rich waters of the Bahamas and into the crystal clear waters of the Cayman Islands and finally out to the far western barrier reef systems of Belize. But it is our time spent in the Pacific that has given us a perspective of the extraordinary beauty, complexity and fragile state of our coral reefs, the crowning jewels of our blue planet. We have watched mantas feeding on clouds of krill at night off Kona, squadrons of grey reefs sharks soaring on the incoming tide in Rangiroa and the steep coral walls of Palau’s Blue Corner. We have watched the numbers of species grow as we travel north along the Great Barrier Reef all the way to waters of Eastern New Guinea. Each successive westerly step across the Pacific Ocean brought us more complex and abundant reefs systems as if all roads lead into the coral triangle. Our journey across the world’s reefs has given us a global perspective to truly understand the power and complexity of Indonesia’s richest reefs. The reefs of Raja Ampat are at the very heart of the coral universe, throbbing and rich like nowhere else on our planet. An extraordinary combination of factors has produced an extraordinary place: Isolation, incredibly diverse habitat bathed in ultra rich waters have produced a marine world exploding in a hailstorm of biodiversity. Coral reefs are cities in the sea, layers of life - but in Raja Ampat these layers are infinite, producing a visual living chaos. Photographing here is like going on marine safari, you never know what to expect, what will appear and when the currents will change direction and gust like a whistling wind. Like a frontier, the water here can be as frustrating as it beautiful and that is what makes this place so wonderful… it is unruly and humbling to the camera and the soul. Raja Ampat is a frontier that has just begun to be explored. It is remote even though it is becoming easier to get to by the day but more importantly it is fragile. Those of us that share the passion of diving and photographing here owe a debt of gratitude to explorer and conservationist Max Ammer and the many NGOs now involved in the preservation of this marine kingdom. As photographers we now collectively share a larger responsibility: our images will capture and record this delicate and magic place but they must also work to protect it.

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Porcelain crab Porcellanella sp. (David Doubilet)

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Cowry Prionovolva sp. (David Doubilet)

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Manta rays Manta birostris (Jennifer Hayes)

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Diver Daniel â&#x20AC;&#x153;Abiâ&#x20AC;? Carnadie amid Manta rays Manta birostris (Jennifer Hayes)

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Ribboned sweetlip and Bluestreak cleaner wrasse Plectorhinchus polytaenia & Labroides dimidiatus (David Doubilet)

Ribboned sweetlips Plectorhinchus polytaenia (Jennifer Hayes)

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Great barracuda hiding in a school of Bluetail unicornfish Sphyraena barracuda & Naso caeruleacauda (David Doubilet)

Dussumierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s halfbeaks Hyporhamphus dussumieri (David Doubilet)

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Spearing mantis shrimp Lysioquillina maculata (David Doubilet)

Fisherman after a clearing storm 150

(David Doubilet)

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Pygmy seahorse Hippocampus sp. (David Doubilet)

Goose barnacles on mooring line Lepas sp. (David Doubilet)

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Crocodilefish or Giant flathead - Cymbacephalus beauforti 154

(David Doubilet)

Tasselled wobbegong shark - Eucrossorhinus dasypogon (David Doubilet)

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Sea whip shrimp Pontonides unciger (Jennifer Hayes)

Coral explosion with Golden sweepers Parapriacanthus ransonnetti 156

(David Doubilet)

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Bluewater mangroves near Gam (David Doubilet)

Commensal shrimp on Moray eel Urocaridella antonbruunii & Gymnothorax javanicus (Jennifer Hayes)

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Roger steene

Bluefin flasherwrasse 160

Paracheilinus cyaneus

As a resident of Cairns, Australia, I took up underwater photography in 1964 and have been actively involved ever since. I am the author of 13 books, a Research Associate of the Australian Museum Sydney and an Associate of the Western Australian Museum Perth. I have dived extensively in the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean and have always sought new and unexplored areas.   In recent times, the Raja Ampat islands have exploded onto the world’s diving scene. A look through the pages of this book will readily demonstrate the tremendous diversity of underwater scenery and life of the area. Numbering more than 1,500 individual islands and covering an area of over 40,000 square kilometers, they boast an ichthyofauna that is almost without equal and are blessed with some of the most spectacular topography in the Indo-Pacific. Over millions of years, limestone islands have been eroded by waves and wind resulting in undercut beehive-shaped and jagged karst structures that rival the fabled rock islands of Palau. What is not well known is that this geological phenomenon also extends southward down through the Bird’s Head Peninsula of West Papua to the Raja Ampat area. Huge pillars rise from the sea, sometimes in regimental formations. This is nowhere more conspicuous than the fabulous chain of islands that run for more than 60 kilometers eastward from Misool, one of the four major islands of the group.    All of the Raja Ampat islands abound with lagoons, channels, passages and waterways within waterways that snake through tropical jungle-clad islands. They are also permeated with countless caves, both below water-level and above. Some are so large they can be explored from the comfort of a small boat. Stalactites hang from the ceilings of these subterranean cathedrals and provide shelter for flying foxes and bats. Those caves below water level can also provide a unique diving experience. Sheltered calm waters and hidden lakes give the photographer another alternative – reflections and over-under images!   Extensive mangrove areas flushed with crystal clear waters provide a fascinating and unusual look at nature. Not only can one find juvenile fishes, which are typical to similar ecosystems, but also hard and soft corals growing up to and enveloping the leggy-prop roots that anchor these trees to the seafloor.    From the beautiful islands of Misool in the south to Wayag in the north, the Raja Ampat offers memorable diving as well as an attraction that few others can – unique and unrivaled topside scenery. I have never seen a more spectacular place!

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Heart ascidians Polycarpa aurata

Fiabacet Rock, thought by some to be the 162

worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most spectacular reef

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Leachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tunicate 164

Botrylloides leachi

Bluering octopus Hapalochlaena lunulata

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Saddled butterflyfish Chaetodon ephippium

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Beaked coralfish Chelmon rostratus

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Burrowing clam mantle Tridacna crocea

Sapphire tunicate Perophora namei

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Coâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nudibranch Chromodoris coi

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Blackmargin nudibranch Glossodoris atromarginata

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Sorido Bay Resort 172

has coral reef on its doorstep

Limestone islands litter the Raja Ampat

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Javanese damsel Neoglyphidodon oxyodon

Azure demoiselle 174

Chrysiptera hemicyanea

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Polychaete worm Eunice sp.

Mixed ascidian colony Clavelina sp. & Didemnum spp.

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Reef crab Liomera sp.

Hingebeak shrimp 178

Rhynchocinetes durbanensis

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DOS WINKEL

Detail of a Giant clam 180

Tridacna gigas

I grew up in a small village on the Dutch coast with sand dunes in front of our house. As a small boy, my father “infected” me with a great passion for nature. By the age of ten, I knew most of the plants and sea shells by name: the Dutch as well as the Latin names. It was then that my father let me use his camera for the first time. I took pictures of plants, frogs and sea shells. At this early age I was already fascinated by details like frog’s eyes, flower stamens etc. To me, nature is art and photography is a form of art. The challenge of nature photography is to capture unique moments and unique subjects. This is not easy. People often ask me “which is your best picture?” In my opinion, only at the end of one’s career, can one say “this is my best picture”. I began underwater photography in 1983. Whilst teaching a course on orthopaedic medicine on the island of Aruba in the Caribbean, I was enormously fascinated by the beauty of the coral reefs and its inhabitants and I knew that this would change my life forever. We visited the nearby island of Bonaire, fell in love with the island and its well preserved coral reefs, bought land, built a house and in the following years made over 1,500 dives in the surrounding waters. Of the many places I have visited, the Raja Ampat, the Lembeh Strait, Komodo, Papua New Guinea, the Galapagos Archipelago and the temperate waters of South Australia – home to the elusive Leafy and Weedy sea dragons – are my favourite spots for underwater photography. To me the Raja Ampat is the place with the richest biodiversity in the world. Conservation of this very special pristine area is of the utmost importance. In between all the diving, my wife and buddy photographer (but non-diver) Bertie and I have made over 100 expeditions to many non-diving destinations for topside photography of deserts, rain forests and tribal people in many South American, African, Asian and Oceanic countries. Besides taking pictures in tropical seas, I also photograph the underwater life of rain forests, mangrove forests, high altitude lakes and cold(er) seas. Once, in the Lago Titicaca in the Andes of Peru, at an altitude of 3813 meters, I photographed a prehistoric looking giant frog. Author of nine books about the Marine World, my pictures have been published by National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, AQVA, Digital Photo Mapt (Russia), Terra, Terre Sauvage, many dive magazines and other prestigious publications. Television documentaries about my work have won major awards including two Golden Camera Awards at the Los Angeles Film Festival, a Gold and a Bronze World Medal at the New York Film Festival. Artistically portraying the amazing beauty and life that exists in the infinitely small, capturing details rather than whole elements, my aim is to stimulate peoples’ interest and imagination: my art is an instrument which I use to inform people about the sea’s vast impact on our lives, and to encourage awareness of the fact that our well-being is unquestionably linked to the well-being of the oceans. Finding many of the amazing critters that live in the Raja Ampat area would not have been possible without the help of Max Ammer – the initiator of this book – and his fantastic dive guides at the Sorido Bay and Kri Eco Resorts.

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Black-tipped grouper Epinephelus fasciatus

BlochÂ´s bigeye 182

Priacanthus blochii

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Pink anemonefish in Magnificent sea anemone Amphiprion perideraion & Heteractis magnifica

Decorator crab Camposcia retusa

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Pygmy seahorse Hippocampus ‘pontohi’

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Pair of Mozambique ghostgobies: the female lays eggs whilst the male fertilizes them 188

Pleurosicya mossambica

Pygmy seahorse Hippocampus sp.

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Foreplay: male Raja epaulette shark sucks the tip of the tail of his female partner Hemiscyllium freycineti

Leather coral 190

Sarcophyton sp.

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Anemone shrimp Periclimenes tosaensis

Commensal shrimp on Bubble coral Vir colemani & Plerogyra sinuosa

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Nudibranch Chromodoris magnifica

Triplefin Ucla sp.

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Blueband goby Valenciennea strigata

Yellowmask angelfish 196

Pomacanthus xanthometopon

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Eye of a Titan triggerfish 198

Balistoides viridescens

Coral reef scene with Acropora corals Acropora sp.

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Claudia Pellarini-Joubert Leon Joubert

Ribbon sweetlips and Glassfish Plectorhynchus polytaenia & Salangichthys microdon 200

(Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

Travelling has always been our passion, photography always the ulterior motive. For more than a decade we travelled the globe incessantly, all the while documenting and photographing, until we felt the need to explore the underwater realm in the same way. Then for seven years in the Bahamas, we co-ordinated and worked on a constant flow of underwater productions, honing our skills alongside the world’s top underwater photographers and cinematographers alike. There was no shortage of excitement, adrenaline rush and challenging scenarios. And there were sharks, many sharks. On a daily basis we could be found working in the midst of 40 or more swirling sharks. We played host to and trained several movie stars and famous personalities, whilst working on feature films, commercials, documentaries and television shows. Through the years, our underwater footage has been broadcast on major networks such as the Discovery channel, National Geographic, BBC and the History channel, amongst others, and our images, articles and cover features are regularly published in a variety of international media. Several thousand shark dives later, we were both ‘bitten by sharks’. Both on the left arm, and within a few months of each other. The experience for each of us was certainly life-changing, but not in the way one might expect. We took it in our stride and recognised that the sharks’ teeth had touched more than mere skin and bone. Somewhere deep within, the sharks had connected with us both, and rekindled our spirit of adventure; ever since, we have been on a quest to find the ocean’s ultimate hidden treasures. Our quest led us to the Raja Ampat many times, and repeatedly, she has stopped us in our tracks. She has never disappointed us. With each visit, Max Ammer has never failed to inspire us with his positive mindset and contagious enthusiasm for the area and the Papuan people. We have paid homage ever since, to this unique part of the world through our seemingly futile and humble attempts to capture her magnificence in our imagery. Raja Ampat underwater memories: Under the water, we became convinced that this must surely be the final aquatic frontier. Nowhere on the planet had we witnessed such excess, such undisturbed abundance of life in the water. Nothing had prepared us for the spectacle that played before our eyes: a jumbled mess of coral and fish, fish and more fish. We became enveloped in walls of fish so thick, that they blotted out the sun. A cacophony of sound reached our ears: the crackle and pop, munch and crunch of thousands of fish going about their business, utterly oblivious to our stares. On Cape Kri, the house reef of Kri island, we would watch in pure fascination as eight or more giant trevallys patrolled the outer edges of a swirling mass of thousands of fusiliers, their slow confident movements causing the schools to shiver and swoop to and fro in trepidation. It was like a grand opera stuck in its thundering crescendo with all the instruments in use at the same time: we became confused, and overwhelmed. More than once, we would lower our cameras, and look on transfixed. How could we capture this for the world to see? How could this be real? The variety of dive sites is staggering: historic World War II wrecks and unblemished reefs teeming with life; virgin mangrove ecosystems and protected bays alive with pulsating jellyfish; spectacular rich coral gardens and sheer vertical walls; from calm glass-like conditions to adrenaline-filled drift dives; giant Manta rays, Wobbegong sharks and rare pygmy seahorses. The Raja Ampat has it all! We understood when a fellow diver, moved almost to tears after his dive, sat dazed and dripping, muttering a mantra under his breath: “one million fish, one million fish, one million fish….” Now based in the Raja Ampat, we are living our dream: Bittenbysharks Underwater Imaging is committed to educating and inspiring the eclectic mix of aspiring and advanced underwater photographers that visit the area, to shoot responsibly, yet simultaneously inspiring them to capture the true essence and spirit of the Raja Ampat. Every now and then, we subconsciously rub our shark scars just as one would rub a lamp in the hopes of a genie appearing. With or without the genie, we will do our part to preserve the Raja Ampat archipelago, not just another dive destination, but the ‘Holy Grail’ of phenomenal scenic wonder, for many many generations to come.

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Coral encrusted swim-through, Fam islands (Leon Joubert)

Oxeye scads under Arborek jetty Selar boops (Leon Joubert)

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Batfish at Mikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Point Platax teira (Leon Joubert)

Coral garden at Five Rocks 204

(Leon Joubert)

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Tasselled wobbegong shark - Eucrossorhinus dasypogon 206

(Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

White tip reef shark - Triaenodon obesus (Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

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Giant Manta ray at Manta Sandy Manta birostris (Leon Joubert)

A squadron of four giant Manta rays lining up at a cleaning station Manta birostris 208

(Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

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The wreck of an American WWII P47D Razorback fighter aircraft at Wai island 210

(Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

The coral encrusted propeller of a WWII P47D Razorback fighter aircraft at Wai island (Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

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Reeftop pipefish at Mikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Point Corythoichthys haemotopterus (Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

Four Hairy squat lobsters in a Barrel sponge Lauriea siagiani & Xestosponga muta 212

(Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

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Moon jellyfish at Gam Bay Aurelia aurita 214

(Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

Orbicular cardinalfish in the bluewater mangroves of Gam island Sphaeramia orbicularis (Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

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Under the jetty of Kri Eco resort, Kri island 216

(Leon Joubert)

Dug-out canoe in the cavern at The Passage (Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

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Western clownfish in green Magnificent sea anemone Amphiprion ocellaris & Heteractis magnifica (Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

Giant Manta ray and a pair of Spine cheek anemone fish Manta birostris & Premnas biaculeatus 218

(Claudia Pellarini-Joubert)

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Thomas Haider

Giant Manta ray 220

Manta birostris

I was born and grew up in Vienna, Austria. My father was a scientist in the field of medicine and psychology. When I was a young child our family spent a sabbatical year at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where my passion for the ocean developed, since I spent almost all the time with my mother at the beach. During my medical and toxicological studies in the 1980s I worked three months per year as a scuba diving teacher on the Maldives islands. There I met the nature documentary producer and cameraman Rolf MĂśltgen from Germany. He inspired me to pursue underwater photography and we have cooperated since then on many worldwide underwater documentary projects. Starting with still photography for the filming scene, an independent activity as publishing underwater photographer developed. Rolf and I recently completed an underwater documentary film about Raja Ampat for German and French television. The English version - â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Blue Wonder: The Island World of Raja Ampatâ&#x20AC;? - will be distributed worldwide in 2010. Currently I am working on an underwater photography book project about Raja Ampat. The abundance and variety of marine life - particularly in shallow water at the immediate boundary to the rainforest, mangroves and mushroom-shaped limestone rocks - is a unique feature of this area and will be a core part of the image line in my book. For me as a photographer, scuba diver, naturalist and natural scientist, Raja Ampat is one of the ultimate diving places because it combines the best from many different areas of the world in one place. For example, you can find the magnificent mushroom shaped limestone rocks like those in Palau, an abundance of soft coral gardens as in the Fiji Islands, big schools of fishes like those in isolated seamounts of the eastern Pacific (e.g. Cocos Island, Galapagos Islands), spectacular critters as are also to be found elsewhere in Indonesia and extensive mysterious clear water mangrove areas which I have not yet witnessed anywhere else. The Raja Ampat islands lie on the crossroads of ocean currents and are therefore an important underwater wildlife corridor. Strong currents converge from all directions channelling plankton rich waters into the islands and protecting this pristine, stable ecosystem during El Nino events by flushing with cooler waters. Species from Indonesia, Philippines and Papua New Guinea are to be encountered. The Raja Ampat islands seem to be a central meeting point - as well as a central distribution point - for marine life. The strong currents sweep marine larvae across the Indian and Pacific oceans to replenish other reef ecosystems. Flotsam with pelagic marine life also frequently passes close to its shores. The abundance and variety of marine life, the resilience to threats and the ability to replenish their reefs make the Raja Ampat islands a global priority for marine protection. The ultimate pioneer, wilderness explorer and driving force behind marine protection in this remote area is the Dutchman Max Ammer. With a strong spirit and an almost unlimited passion and enthusiasm he manages to be the central meeting point for ecotourism and scientific research programmes in this unrivalled hotspot of marine diversity.

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Scissortail fusilier, lunar fusilier and bigeye trevally 222

Caesio caerulaurea, Caesio lunaris and Caranx sexfasciatus

Ribbon sweetlips Plectorhinchus polytaenia

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Threadfin hawkfish Cirrhitichthys aprinus

Orbicular cardinalfish and purple sponges on mangrove roots, Gam island Sphaeramia orbicularis

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Raja epaulette shark Hemiscyllium freycineti

Sargassum frogfish 226

Histrio histrio

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Blue and yellow fusiliers Caesio teres

Redfin anthias 228

Pseudanthias dispar

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Coral reef scene, Misool

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Tim Laman

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Sorido Bay at low tide

Raja Ampat: It’s Not All Underwater I first learned about the Raja Ampat islands in the classic book “The Malay Archipelago”, by Alfred Russel Wallace. This book, among other things, inspired me to first come to Indonesia to work as a research assistant in 1987. Though I initially worked in Borneo, the Raja Ampat area intrigued me greatly, and I first visited Waigeo on a bird watching trip in 1990. Wallace’s vivid descriptions of his excitement at seeing birds of paradise in the wild for the first time was more than enough enticement for me to travel to Raja Ampat. Amazingly, despite their proximity to the main island of New Guinea, unique species of birds of paradise have evolved on these islands. The Red bird of paradise and Wilson’s bird of paradise, for example, are found in Raja Ampat, and no where else on the planet. The same goes for other unique birds such as the Waigeo Brush Turkey. As a rain forest biologist and marine enthusiast, I am fascinated by places where the rain forest meets the sea. Raja Ampat is a premier example of this. In fact, it is the best I have ever seen. The striking islets of uplifted limestone eroded by sea and weather, and unique formations such as Mayalibit Bay in Waigeo give Raja Ampat some of the most striking scenery in Indonesia. Here, as elsewhere, the land and sea are intertwined. The health of coral reefs is closely tied with the care of the land. Careless development on land could easily lead to siltation and destruction of reefs off shore. It is my sincere hope that this book will help promote a broader awareness of the uniqueness of Raja Ampat, and help encourage the careful stewardship of this extraordinary part of the world. To my way of thinking, the island landscapes, the unique birds and other rain forest life, the marine life, and of course the human inhabitants and their cultures – all form a spectacular whole that makes Raja Ampat one of my favorite places on the planet. Autobiographical notes I am a wildlife photographer and field biologist. I credit my childhood in Japan, where I had access to the mountains and oceans, for my strong interest in exploring nature, both above and below water. According to my mother, my first publication was in second grade, when a poem I wrote in Japanese about my pet turtle won a competition and was published in the local newspaper. Since then, my interests have led me to various remote corners of the world in pursuit of stories, photographs, and scientific data. I first went to the rain forests of Borneo in 1987, and since then the Asia-Pacific region, and especially the Indonesian archipelago, have been a special interest for both my scientific research and photography. Doing pioneering research in the rain forest of Borneo, I climbed over 500 giant trees to explore the canopy and study strangler fig trees and their associated wildlife. This work led to my Ph.D. in Biology from Harvard, as well as my first National Geographic article in April 1997. Since then, I have become a regular contributor to National Geographic, GEO, and other magazines. All eighteen articles I have photographed for National Geographic have had a conservation message, and I am proud to be a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers. I have also published more than a dozen scientific articles related to rain forest ecology and bird life, and am a research associate in the Ornithology Department at Harvard University. There was a time when I almost went to grad school in marine biology, and have maintained a fascination with coral reefs throughout my life that I now pursue primarily through photographic assignments. I find that some intensive underwater time after a long stint in the rain forest is a great way to kill off all those parasites.

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The Passage between Gam and Waigeo islands

Soft coral on tree at The Passage between Gam and Waigeo islands

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Giant trevally, Napolean wrasse and Whitetip reef shark at Sardine Reef dive site between Kri and Gam islands Caranx ignobilis, Cheilinus undulatus & Triaenodon obesus

Schooling Scissortail and Bluestreak fusiliers with Bigeye and Bluestripe snappers at Mios Kon near Gam island Caesio caerulaurea & Pterocaesio tile 236

Lutjanus lutjanus & Lutjanus kasmira

237

Tail of a Sperm whale in the Dampier Strait between Batanta and Waigeo islands Physeter macrocephalus

Sperm whale in the Dampier Strait between Batanta and Waigeo islands 238

Physeter macrocephalus

239

240

Soft coral garden in the Fiabacet island vicinity

Rich coral reef scene in the Fiabacet island vicinity

241

242

Hard coral reef scene at Mikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Point (named after Mike Ammer)

Soft coral garden at Mikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Point

243

244

Koh island with Batanta island in the background

Terns and a Reef heron rest on a sand islet near Kri island

245

Topside Photography

246

Gunung Nok, highest point on Waigeo as seen from the Mayalibit Bay (Tim Laman)

247

248

Wilsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bird of paradise Cicinnnurus respublica (Tim Laman)

249

250

Red bird of paradise Paradisaea rubra (Tim Laman)

251

Papuan hornbill - Rhyticeros plicatus 252

(Thomas Haider)

Cuscus - Spilocuscus maculates (Thomas Haider)

253

254

A family at their house in Kabilol village, Mayalibit Bay This is an area of Waigeo island visited by Alfred Russel Wallace in the 1850s (Tim Laman)

A pet female Eclectus parrot keeps a woman company in Kabilol village, Mayalibit Bay (Tim Laman)

255

Children fishing from a pier with a school of Oxeye scads beneath it Selar boops 256

(Tim Laman)

Fishing on the jetty at Yenbeser village Alfred Russel Wallace based himself in this very village for several months during the 1850s (Tim Laman)

257

Fishing from a dugout at Yenbeser village 258

(Tim Laman)

School of Oxeye scads beneath the jetty at Arborek village - Selar boops (Tim Laman)

259

Father teaches his children how to fish 260

(Thomas Haider)

Children practising fishing (Thomas Haider)

261

Local child fishing 262

(Thomas Haider)

Local people fishing (Thomas Haider)

263

Dive tender at Fam Bay 264

(Thomas Haider)

Moon jellyfish at Gam Bay (Max Ammer)

265

Dive tender at Fam island (Leon Joubert)

Super Drifter taking off at Fam island 266

(Leon Joubert)

267

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

268

Aerial of Wayag (David Doubilet)

269

The Super Drifter experimental floatplane at Miosmanggara village 270

(Jรถrg Adam)

Flying over Wayag (Leon Joubert)

271

272

Pulau Dua & reefs with Batanta island in background (bittenbysharks.com / stichting-rarcc.org)

Tsiep island looking North-West (Jรถrg Adam)

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274

Reef in front of Conservation International field station (bittenbysharks.com / stichting-rarcc.org)

275

The Wayag islands (bittenbysharks.com / stichting-rarcc.org)

The Gof islands (bittenbysharks.com / 276

stichting-rarcc.org)

277

278

Stephanie island with marine lake in foreground (bittenbysharks.com / stichting-rarcc.org)

Nabi Kecil island (Jรถrg Adam)

279

Wayag looking Northwards (bittenbysharks.com / stichting-rarcc.org)

The cliffs of Quoy island 280

(bittenbysharks.com / stichting-rarcc.org)

281

282

Sandbank with local fisherman (Jรถrg Adam)

Tsiep and Mo island (Jรถrg Adam)

283

284

Pef island with Gam island in the background (bittenbysharks.com / stichting-rarcc.org)

Hidden Bay on Gam island (Max Ammer)

285

Wai island with its surrounding reefs 286

(bittenbysharks.com / stichting-rarcc.org)

With thanks Raja Ampat government

www.conservation.org

www.nature.org

www.papua-diving.com

www.stichting-rarcc.org

The Walton Family Foundation The Paine Family Trust 287

Kri and Mansoear islands 288

(bittenbysharks.com / stichting-rarcc.org)

“The magazine cover articles written on the Raja Ampat in the past five years are never short on superlatives....”

“Reefs on Steroids” “The Kingdom of Coral” “The World’s Richest Reefs” “Heart of the Coral Triangle” “Ultramarine” Mark V. Erdmann Conservation International Indonesia

I S B N 978-90-814853-1-9