This trip is a story with two different chapters: Triton Bay in Kaimana, followed by Papua Explorers Resort in Raja Ampat. I was lucky enough to have taken this exact trip in 2025, so I arrived knowing exactly what was coming. I’m not sure that made me calmer, and if anything, I was probably more excited than the other lucky snorkelers. We were heading into the heart of the Coral Triangle, home to over 75% of the world’s coral species and more reef fish species than anywhere else on the planet. And yes, mantas, wobbegongs, and whale sharks were all on the cards, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
Triton Bay – West Papua
The journey is not short. A group dinner in Jakarta, a night flight to Sorong, followed by a quick transfer to Kaimana, and breakfast at a hotel while waiting for the boat. Then the final transfer across calm water toward a thin line of jungle that slowly becomes your home. The arrival at Triton Bay feels cinematic, landing on a small private beach with eight rooms, a restaurant, and a snorkel center, all surrounded by lush green foliage. Limestone islands rise out of still water in every direction. It is everything you hope for when arriving at a remote beach resort.
Day Zero is technically for settling in with lunch, orientation, and unpacking. We lasted about an hour before someone asked, “Can we get in?” The house reef was the obvious answer. For those who had never snorkeled in Indonesia before, that first drop is a special moment. Hard corals stacked in layers hosted anemonefish tucked into their homes. A tight school of jacks spinning like a slow underwater tornado right off the beach. Butterflyfish and angelfish were everywhere we looked. Bluespotted rays lifted off the sand as we drifted over them. Even a resident wobbegong can be found relaxing on the house reef. But that was just the warm-up.
Day 1 – Color, Texture, and Slowing Down
Our first full day was spent exploring nearby sites. The kind where coral gardens slope gently into deeper water and walls glow in purples and oranges depending on the angle of the sun. Little Komodo is definitely one site not to miss. Hard coral fields stretch across the shallows before dropping away into deeper blue. Purple soft corals cling to the walls, and there are feather stars in ridiculous numbers, with more colors and shapes than I can remember seeing anywhere else. You stop trying to catalog them and just accept that every patch of reef seems to have its own palette.
Then we reached a sandy section dotted with yellow sponges, and that’s my signal to slow down and look for one of my favorite fish. At three meters, sitting almost perfectly still and blending in with the sponge beside it, was a bright yellow frogfish. If you weren’t looking carefully, you’d swim straight past. Perfectly camouflaged, with its trademark slightly grumpy expression, it was completely unbothered by us hovering nearby.
Frogfish are patient hunters who wait and use a small lure to draw prey in. When the strike comes, it’s over in a fraction of a second. Watching one at eye level in clear, shallow water is a gift. It even shuffled around with that odd half-walk they do, which made for some cool shots with my trusty OM System TG-7. It felt like an absurdly good start to a trip that was supposed to build gradually.
Day 2 – The Bagans
This is the main event we came here to experience. We left before sunrise and headed toward the bagans, traditional wooden fishing platforms used at night to attract anchovies and sardines with lights. Where you find baitfish in huge numbers, other things eventually turn up. In Triton Bay, that means whale sharks.
The local fishermen consider their presence good luck. They leave some baitfish in the water, and knowing this, the sharks return regularly. It’s a quiet, symbiotic relationship that’s been going on for decades. The area falls within the Kaimana Marine Protected Area, and interactions are monitored by several organizations, including Conservation International, to ensure all visits remain responsible and ethical.
We were the only group in the entire area, and two whale sharks stayed with us for three hours. Not circling once and disappearing, but three full hours of slow, deliberate feeding beneath the bagans. Hoovering up baitfish, then rolling slightly as they adjusted position, they would pass right next to us and then loop back again.
I’ve seen whale sharks many times over the last twenty-plus years. Most encounters are fleeting, consisting of a brief swim past, and then they’re gone. This was completely different. A prolonged, unhurried, humbling experience and truly a life-changing event.
Looking into the eye of a whale shark is a feeling you will never forget. You feel less like a spectator and more like someone who has been temporarily allowed into their routine. At some point, you stop trying to take the perfect photo and just watch. As you can imagine, I am still editing the hundreds of photos and videos these gentle giants provided.
Three hours sounds excessive until you’re there. Then it feels short. And while most of the attention was understandably on the sharks, dolphins were weaving through the scene the entire time. Surveying the scene, snacking on missed baitfish, and vocalizing constantly beneath us, you could hear them as clearly as you could see them. It was chaotic in the best way.
By the time we climbed back into the boats, the group was quiet in that particular way that only happens after something genuinely special. No exaggeration needed. Just processing. Triton Bay truly lives up to its tagline: “Remote but worth it.”
Day 3 – Filling in the Gaps
After the intensity of the bagans, the following day felt almost meditative. We explored more local sites with walls and coral gardens, ticking off species we’d hoped to see. We drifted into one bay that was littered with dozens of the unfortunately named “boring clams,” in every conceivable color.
And then we found the famous walking shark, endemic to West Papua and Raja Ampat, which walks on the seafloor with its pectoral fins. Seeing one calmly resting in two meters of water, in daylight, was unexpectedly satisfying. A brief reminder that some of the most interesting animals here aren’t the largest ones.
Papua Explorers Resort – Raja Ampat
Returning to Sorong, we took a private boat transfer into the Dampier Strait in north Raja Ampat. Here, on the island of Gam, is the idyllic eco-resort that would become our home for the next week: Papua Explorers Resort.
Arriving at Papua Explorers is unforgettable. The jetty is lined with locals singing, providing a very moving welcome. The bungalows are spacious, built on stilts using local, sustainable materials in traditional Papuan design, overlooking the water toward Mansuar and Kri Island.
We had six full days of snorkeling here, twice in the morning and another session in the afternoon. To be honest, the days blurred into each other as we visited 18 different sites, each offering a new and different experience.
The Mangroves
I am lucky enough to visit this area several times each year, and the mangroves hold a special place in my heart. When I saw it was high tide on the first morning, it was a simple choice; we would open this chapter in the mangroves.
This is a very different experience from snorkeling on a reef. Soft light trickles through the branches, creating a beautiful aesthetic, and the life you find here is fascinating. The entire area acts as a nursery for juvenile fish, and you regularly find friendly batfish following you as you disappear into giant balls of fusiliers.
It is also a great place to encounter cuttlefish, turtles, and even mobulas cruising by in the blue. And the calmness of the area, with only the sound of birds overhead, is a very cool introduction to Raja Ampat.
Fam Islands
The best weather of our stay was forecast for day 2, so it was another easy decision. We headed to the Fam Islands, a stunning and remote group of islands renowned for the iconic Piaynemo viewpoint, offering one of the most recognizable views in Raja Ampat.
After a gentle hike to admire the landscape from above, we snorkeled at Fam Wall, where gorgonian sea fans adorn the walls and vibrant hard and soft corals flourish below. The sites here are stunning. Batu Rufus in particular offers fields of hard corals sparkling with thousands of chromis in the sunlight.
Sawandarek Village and Arborek
One of the highlights of our morning routine was the snack-time surface interval between snorkels. Sitting together with amazing pastries and banana chips while sipping hot tea, it’s hard not to wonder whether life gets much better than this.
We often stopped at one of the local villages, homestays, or jetties, where you get a glimpse of daily life. Coincidentally, the jetties in front of the villages provide shelter for fish, and they always seem less shy here than when you meet them out on the reef. At Sawandarek, we met some of the largest resident turtles in Raja Ampat, along with schools of fusiliers, jacks, and the beautiful oriental and diagonal-banded sweetlips.
Manifesting a Manta-fest
While mantas can be seen here year-round, there are no guarantees. Fortunately, we found them on our first visit to Manta Ridge. The current can be strong here, so we entered the water and drifted with it alongside our trusty guides until we encountered several reef mantas. This included a few “ninjas,” the rare black melanistic individuals occasionally seen in Indonesia.
Endless Stunning Reefs
The sites mentioned above only scratch the surface of what we experienced at Papua Explorers. Underwater, we ticked nearly every species box we had hoped to find. But some of the moments above water were equally memorable.
We watched banded sea kraits mating on the jetty while sipping beers at sunset. A cuscus sheltered from the rain in the restaurant rafters during dinner. Dolphins played in the boat’s wake as we traveled between islands. And one evening, children from the nearby village arrived in traditional dress to sing and dance with us after dinner.
Eventually, as it always does, the week came to an end. We enjoyed one final scenic ride back to port, sharing stories and replaying our favorite moments.
And just when we thought the journey was winding down, a whale breached several times beside the boat. It was Raja Ampat’s way of delivering one final reminder. Triton Bay and Papua Explorers, thank you for a truly memorable trip.
