Raja Ampat survey reveals new species & key manta ray data

Raja Ampat is the global epicentre of marine biodiversity - and the species count is still rising, thanks in large part to two scientists...I'm at five metres, clutching a rock outcrop on the seabed when the manta ray fixes me with its gaze. I'm free diving so there are no distracting bubbles - just the undulation of wings - four metres from tip to tip - as it passes close enough to touch, with a look that feels...nuanced. We stare at each other for a couple of moments before it wheels round, showing me a white belly scattered with dark spots and a couple of remora fish hitching a ride. Being that close to a manta is thrilling - but it's the look that stays with me. An archipelago of 1500 odd islands scattered over 40,000 square kilometres off the coast of West Papua, Indonesia, Raja Ampat is a great place to see manta rays - and indeed sea creatures in general. For one, these waters are home to more marine species than anywhere else on the planet: there are single reefs in Raja Ampat that contain more species than the entire Caribbean. And then there's the fact that the entire region was declared a sanctuary for sharks and rays back in 2010 - a move that four years later led to the whole of Indonesia becoming a manta ray sanctuary - easily the world's largest. Continue reading...