by Tom and Jan Turner – (Jamestown, PA)
As we hung out on deck the day that we boarded, we had a Blue Whale cruise by. Great start to a great trip. There were 16 passengers and 17 crew aboard the liveaboard Pindito. This trip was organized and guided by a great company that specializes in snorkeling trips to some of the best areas in the world for snorkeling.
They took us snorkeling in three small, separate groups, three times a day, every day of the trip. Always a different snorkel site with three night snorkels thrown in during the trip.
The difficult part is deciding where to begin in describing the different areas where we snorkeled. We would snorkel for one and a half to two hours, going along a coral reef that just had no end. The amount and diversity of the coral was tremendous. Also, the fish and wildlife were not to be compared with any of our previous experiences. We saw so many fish and critters that we had never seen before, it was incredible. The guides were excellent in helping us to identify what we saw, but there were so many new species, they could not help us with all of them.
We spent two snorkel sessions at Manta Ray cleaning stations. The first one had 6-8 mantas, the largest one being about 18 feet across. The second one, we only saw two mantas, but they are a magnificent creature to have a chance to watch.
We saw Green and Hawksbill Sea Turtles, many different kinds of moray eels, Banded Sea Snakes, clams that were 5-6 feet across that were very colorful in the muscle section of the clam, nudibranchs of all different colors, black tipped sharks, white tipped sharks, reef sharks, Bamboo (walking) Sharks, wobbegongs (also called the carpet shark), mandarinfish, frogfish, clownfish, pipefish, a zillion kinds of fish, some we were familiar with from the Caribbean, most we were not familiar with. We saw mantis shrimp, coral crabs, hermit crabs, several kinds of crab we are not familiar with, all different kinds of sea cucumbers, and undoubtedly some things that are not coming to mind just now.
We have snorkeled the Caribbean and the Florida Keys for almost 20 years. We booked this trip as a “trip of a lifetime”. It was all of that, and so much more. We had our expectations, and they were all surpassed. It was a wonderful trip.
After our 12 days on the Pindito, we spent a week at the eco-resort Papua Explorers in Raja Ampat. We had a great time, saw more of the stuff that we had seen on the Pindito. Great house reef, great coral, great fish and critters. It was a great finish to our Indonesian snorkeling adventure.
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Nicole and Galen – Nov 30, 2016 – Thank You!
Hi Tom and Jan, thank you so much for sharing your experience. We are so glad we can bring these types of trips to our readers!
Why is the frogfish in your picture in a glass?
Tom & Jan Turner – Nov 30, 2016 – To Answer Your Question…
Hi Galen and Nicole, I wondered if it would be obvious that the frogfish was in a glass. I guess it is.
The head snorkel guide for our trip, Eric, found the frogfish in some sargassum that was floating by. Knowing that Jan had been on the hunt for a frogfish for years, he called us over to get pictures of it in the sargassum. He then decided that everyone on the trip needed to have a chance to see it, so he put it in a bucket to bring it back to the Pindito.
On the Pindito, they put it in a glass so that everyone who wanted, could get a picture. It turned out, my picture in the glass was the best picture that I had of the fish. That is why I included this picture in my post.
After having our fun, Eric returned the fish to the sargassum that it was accustomed to, and delivered it back to the mild current location where the fish was found.
Mary Lomma – Nov 30, 2016 – So Cool!
Tom and Jan, so happy for your wonderful trip and I do want to see all of the pictures please!
Debbieo – Dec 1, 2016 – Frogfish! Oh My!
I envy your trip.
I lust for the discovery of a frogfish on my own life adventures.
Enjoyed reading your trip report.
Ruth Bevan – Dec 3, 2016 – Thanks
Thanks for the wonderful account, Tom. I do so wish we could have joined you.
Alicia – Dec 4, 2016 – Thank You for the Raja Ampat Snorkeling Story!
Thank you for your wonderfully detailed Raja Ampat trip account! We are going one the same trip in January 2017 and you have totally inspired me and got me thinking about packing my snorkel stuff! Can’t wait to see all the critters!🐬
Nancy – Dec 10, 2016 – Travel Safety
My husband and I would like to snorkel in the Coral Triangle area but have been hesitant because we worry about safety. How safe is travel to Raja Ampat and other Indonesian locations?
Tom Turner – Dec 11, 2016 – No Problems
My wife and I had the same concerns. It is about as far from home as you can get, and it is in a foreign land that is very different than our own. We found it to be very safe and the people were great. There was never a time that we were concerned for our safety.
We did spend a little time in both Jakarta and Sorong, but we never really left the hotel area. The rest of the time we were in the back country where there was an occasional small village. Folks in the villages were very friendly and helpful.
From a safety perspective, get out your fins and snorkels. It’s time to see nature at its best.
Jack H. – Feb 3, 2017 – How Crowded?
How crowded were the snorkeling spots? I have read that sometimes the best spots are crowded with liveaboard boats and day trippers, especially at the manta sites.
Tom Turner – Feb 7, 2017 – To Answer Jack’s Question…
I don’t know if it was because our guide planned the trip to keep out of the crowds, or if it just happened to work that way, but there was never a time that I can think of where we had more than just a few other people in the areas where we were.
We spent several hours at a quite busy cleaning station for mantas one day, and I don’t remember anyone else being there.
The closest we came to a crowd that I can think of was snorkeling off of the dock and beach of a little town called Arborek. They have gigantic clams there that are probably four feet across, and the muscle is quite colorful.
Our experience in Raja Ampat was anything but crowded. Have fun.
Salla – Jun 28, 2017 – About the Frogfish
Thank you for your report. I have been planning a snorkeling trip to Raja Ampat for some time now and all info is very welcome.
I have to comment on the case of the frogfish though. As much as snorkelers are keen to spot rare species, this kind of behavior should never take place and should not to be encouraged. Snorkelers and divers should always stick to a do not touch rule. Always. We are visitors in the habitat of marine life and should respect that. Marine life isn’t there just to entertain us.
Nicole and Galen – Nov 25, 2020 – More Raja Ampat Snorkeling Info
We visited Raja Ampat in Indonesia in 2020 in a different way than Tom and Jan did. We visited Misool Eco Resort in the south part of Raja Ampat and found the best snorkeling we have seen in the world there. Read our page for info about how we snorkeled Raja Ampat.
Also, Pam and Bill snorkeled Raja Ampat by staying at homestays. Read all about their experience here.