By Jennifer Hancock 

I had never heard of Raja Ampat until fall 2023 when I watched a travel show called Raw Travel. In the episode, the travel host was sailing on a Phinisi through the archipelago of Raja Ampat, and I was captivated, in awe of its beauty and told myself I would go there one day soon.

I’ve always been a water and ocean lover – swimming, snorkeling, sailing, boating. I swim several times a week in a pool in Vancouver all year round and last summer purchased a wet suit and have started ocean swimming.

In 2019 I had spent a month in Indonesia, touring Sumatra, Java, Bali, Lombok, and the Gili islands. It was in Bali where I had experienced the joy of seeing my first clownfish whilst snorkeling in the Blue Lagoon. Such a contradiction, snorkeling in the beautiful Blue Lagoon, but when I lifted my head out of the ocean, I saw an LNG (liquid natural gas) tanker and plant on shore.

Back to Indonesia

I knew I wanted to go back to Indonesia, but wasn’t sure where to go until I learned about Raja Ampat. So that’s how I found myself on the SeaTrek vessel called Katharina in December 2024.

I flew solo into Sorong from Makassar, Southern Sulawesi where I had enjoyed a wonderful week-long tour to Toraja with Pacebo tours, during which I was on the go every day. I admit I am a Type A personality who likes to be active and see a lot and exercise every day. Once embarking Katharina I had to surrender–slow myself down, both body and mind–not an easy task for me but a necessary one. Once I stopped resisting and surrendered, I was able to open myself up to experience The Jewels of Raja Ampat.

Once we motored out of the busy harbor city of Sorong, we seldom saw more than a few vessels every day. Raja Ampat is still being discovered. I appreciated this very much, having recently travelled to islands which were so crowded with tourists, me being one of them of course.

Snorkeling in Raja Ampat

I have many fond memories of my cruise on Katharina. One afternoon our tour leader Anastasia took us to a beach for some free time. She said she hadn’t visited this particular island before. A banana plantation was visible alongside the white beach and turquoise ocean. I happily walked along the beach discovering some of the most beautiful sea shells I’ve ever seen. Cowrie shells in all sizes and shades of purple, pink, and browns.

With each guided snorkeling experience I saw stunningly beautiful coral and fish, the best I’ve ever seen out of all my snorkeling trips. Under Anastasia’s tutelage during her nightly lectures and guided snorkeling expeditions, I was able to soon learn the names of several of the varieties of fish and coral which made snorkeling more enjoyable and helped me practice mindfulness.

Such joy in seeing varieties of clown fish, bat fish, porcupine fish, box fish, tuna, snapper, butterfly fish, angel fish, rabbit fish, parrot fish, trigger fish, scorpion fish, sting rays, puffer fish, sturgeon, the huge Bonaparte Grasse, a spider sea star, sea sponges, baby reef sharks, sea turtles, and schools of hundreds if not thousands of fish. The vibrantly colored coral, some appeared iridescent and glass like.

My favorite snorkeling spot was what Anastasia called The Fish Bowl. I think it was her favorite too. I was touched when Anastasia and her crew mates provided 1:1 assistance to one of the guests who was nervous in the water; even more wonderful to observe her confidence and excitement grow with every snorkel.

Exploring the Beautiful Raja Ampat

One morning after a fun excursion planting mangrove seedling as part of Constantine’s conservation project, we went snorkeling. One of the crew grabbed my hand and pointed out a manta ray! We attempted to follow it, but it was too fast. I was so happy, my first manta ray! Two weeks later I would see many of them at Manta Point near Komodo Island. Truly majestic creatures.

If you google Raja Ampat, the photo that generally comes up first is of Piaynemo. We visited Piaynemo one morning, taking the zodiac from Katharina zigzagging through the islands to the dock, then walked up the stairs to the viewpoint. What a beautiful view of the islands and turquoise sea. But for me, the best was yet to come. Near the end of our cruise, we motored into my favorite areas, Tomolol and Balbulol, hundreds of limestone islands jutting out of the turquoise sea. We took a long tail boat excursion into the karst island forest, and I was overwhelmed by the beauty.

We spent two days in this majestic area, snorkeling, walking along white sandy beaches, doing drift wall snorkels, viewing cliff drawings, swimming in a massive cave, and swimming with the stingless jellyfish. On our final day, we took the zodiac through turquoise lagoons of cone shaped karst islands, truly stunning.

The Lovely Crew of Katharina

I loved Katharina, a beautiful and tough vessel. The skilled captain and crew kept us safe during our entire cruise and all excursions. I observed the cheerful crew too seem very happy in their jobs and they worked well as a team. I enjoyed the evenings when the crew sang and danced for the guests, playing the ukulele, fishing off the boat. The beach dinner was magnificent; I was touched by the time and effort the crew took to decorate the beach with candles, lights, and build a bonfire. The freshly caught fish was delicious.

The wonderfully sumptuous meals prepared by Chef Ari and sous chef Devi were a highlight each day as were the “welcome back to the boat” fruit smoothies.

Another highlight was sleeping on the deck for a few nights, lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves after star gazing.

A Trip of a Lifetime

I had a wonderful 9 days on Katharina. The best snorkeling I’ve ever experienced. I understand that Raja Ampat has the best coral and marine species in the world; I am truly grateful I was able to experience this.

After disembarking Katharina in Sorong, I flew via Jakarta to Flores Island for a week of hiking up to the village of Wae Rabo, then sailing from Labuan Bajo through the islands of Komodo National Park. Then continued on to Singapore for a couple of days then home to Vancouver.

What Will My Next Adventure Be?

Now I need to plan my next adventure. I’ve never been to Scandinavia or the Netherlands. I’d like to go cycling there. I recently watched a travel show hosted by Joanna Lumley where she toured the spice islands, beginning her journey in the beautiful Banda Islands of Indonesia. If I do return to Indonesia I will do a second voyage with Sea Trek to see the whale sharks. Perhaps when I retire in a couple years, I will start my retirement celebratory journey with SeaTrek, then head south to explore Australia. Who knows, only time will tell.