Raja Ampat, of course, is familiar to diving lovers. Cendrawasih bay, one of the favorite spots for domestic and foreign divers, and home to the largest marine park in Indonesia to see a very large number of underwater species. What’s so amazing that so many divers decide to take a Raja Ampat cruise and dive in Cenderawasih Bay?
Raja Ampat Cruise And Meet The Whale Shark
Cenderawasih Bay is a remote tourist destination on the east coast of West Papua. The biodiversity in Cenderawasih Bay is indeed not comparable to the surrounding Raja Ampat. But this one spot is perfect for long-distance diving and is an area of the few places in the world where divers can swim with whale sharks.
In fact, schools of whale sharks frequent Cenderawasih bay and it is very easy for professional divers to approach the large and beautiful species. Raja Ampat cruises take divers to the best places in the world to swim with whale sharks.
What To See At Cenderawasih Bay
Cenderawasih in Indonesian means bird of paradise which is the largest marine national park in Indonesia. This national park is home to 150 species of coral, 200 species of fish, dugongs, and dolphins. Raja Ampat diving takes you to see four types of turtles, such as Hawksbill turtles, green turtles, sea turtles, and leatherback turtles.
The best time to do Raja Ampat liveaboard and visiting Cenderawasih Bay
Whale sharks around Cenderawasih bay are the only non-migratory whale sharks in the world. There is no specific whale shark season in Indonesia. Why? Because fishermen feed them so you can see whale sharks all year round.
You need to know before doing the Raja Amputa cruise that the monsoon season occurs 2 times a year, July/August and November/December which worsens visibility.
The best time to see whale sharks is to dive in the morning or evening. Raja Ampat liveaboard, meaning you stay and sleep on the boat so you can save time finding dive spots to find whale sharks. If you stay in the plains, you have to leave at 6-7 in the morning. Don’t imagine being able to reach many dive spots in Raja Ampat quickly because everything will take time.
The earlier the morning, the better for diving and swimming with whale sharks. The whale shark lost interest more and more after some time and disappeared into the depths. So if you want to snorkel, do it before the whale sharks disappear into the depths.