Those of you who have been to Misool Resort in the last couple of years will have surely noticed a little stilted platform standing in the tranquil waters off of South Beach. Now, you might think that this is just a nice little structure the resort installed for resting snorkelers, paddleboarders, or kayakers. Or, maybe it’s a place to have a special dinner with your loved one! Nope, none of those ideas are correct. All wrong. “Then what is it, Alex!?” I'll tell you, that beautiful little structure is a fancy sea pen for a very special type of shark! Many many years ago leopard sharks used to cruise in the waters of Raja Ampat, from the very north and beyond, all the way down to the south in Misool. They were abundant. As they are a very docile species of shark that tends to spend the majority of their time resting on the bottom and doesn’t shy away from humans, their populations were decimated as a result of unregulated shark fishing and bycatch. Now, with the different MPAs (marine protected areas) in place and strictly enforced around Raja Ampat thanks in part to the Misool Foundation and other marine conservation agencies, these sharks stand a chance at recovering. However, as the leopard shark population was essentially wiped out in this region, there is just not enough of them to naturally repopulate. For example, prior to working for Snorkel Venture, I worked as an underwater videographer on a liveaboard for five years. I would average about three-hundred dives a year all around Raja Ampat. Not once did I, or any of the thousands of guests we took diving ever catch a glimps of a leopard single shark. So, since there is very little hope for the leopard sharks at repopulating
Those of you who have been to Misool Resort in the last couple of years will have surely noticed a little stilted platform standing in the tranquil waters off of South Beach. Now, you might think that this is just a nice little structure the resort installed for resting snorkelers, paddleboarders, or kayakers. Or, maybe
If you had asked me 10 years ago, while I was finding my way in the world as a diving instructor. “Do you want to be a snorkel guide?” I most likely would have laughed and said NO. 10 years on and I could not imagine doing anything else. Like most people who choose this career and lifestyle, you start out with a lust for travel and the ocean. Even better to combine the two together. As I was making my travels and wishing I could stay in all these exotic places longer. But instead having to go back to the UK to save money for the next adventure. I kept meeting all these people that were maintaining a life I wished for. living by the sea, great tans and having a great lifestyle. Not to mention spending their days at sea looking for beautiful marine creatures. All of them were working as dive instructors or dive masters. Without too much hesitation I decided that was the life for me. In 2009 I packed up and moved to Thailand to embark on my not so certain career in the diving industry. I was informed the best way into the industry was to do a 4 month divemaster internship. I joined a dive centre on a small island in the South Andaman sea, and began my 4 month internship. Once completed I was hooked. The ocean, and working in the dive and travel industry was my new home. I would spend the next 4 years working as a divemaster in Thailand, gaining a wealth of experience on the sea. After 4 years it was time to transition into becoming an instructor. Again I decided a great way to gain experience as an instructor was to do another internship. I was very
If you had asked me 10 years ago, while I was finding my way in the world as a diving instructor. “Do you want to be a snorkel guide?” I most likely would have laughed and said NO. 10 years on and I could not imagine doing anything else. Like most people who choose this
Here in Indonesia we are very lucky to find 6 out of the 7 species of sea turtle. Green turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys Olivacea) Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea) Flatback sea turtle (Natator Depressus) Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta Caretta). The Leatherback sea turtle is the largest of the species, reaching up to 2.75 metres length and 600 - 900 kilograms weight, while the smallest sea turtle in Indonesia is the Olive Ridley weighing around 50 kilograms. The most commonly encountered species we come across almost every trip are the Hawksbill and Green turtle, both on the endangered list. Despite the abundance of sightings during our trips with the high numbers we see on our trips it's hard to believe. This is due to the great work of the Indonesian government and conservation efforts in making the trade in turtle products illegal, and designated national park areas. Which is why we are so lucky to go to some of the best destinations to see them. Our Snorkel Venture trips run to - Komodo Resort is on the Komodo National park, Siladen resort in Bunaken. Papua Explorers in Raja Ampat and of course Misool Eco resort in the Misool sanctuary. Making any one of these trips gives you the best chance for a great turtle interaction. Green Turtle Green turtles are one of the largest sea turtles and the only herbivore among the different species. The name is due to the greenish colour of their cartilage and fat and not their shells. In the Eastern Pacific, a group of green turtles that have darker shells are called black turtles by the local community. Green turtles are found mainly in tropical and subtropical waters. Like other sea turtles, they migrate long distances
Here in Indonesia we are very lucky to find 6 out of the 7 species of sea turtle. Green turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys Olivacea) Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea) Flatback sea turtle (Natator Depressus) Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta Caretta). The Leatherback sea turtle is the
What's the difference between Misool and Raja Ampat? Short answer, nothing. Though it often sounds like—when people or websites talk about Misool—they are talking about two different locations, when in reality Misool is just one of the regions of Raja Ampat. Raja Ampat is made up of four large islands—one of which is Misool—and hundreds-and-hundreds of much smaller islands. I think some of the confusion comes from the fact that Misool is just much further away from the other areas, so much so that it looks and feels like it's a completely different destination. If you were going to join a snorkeling safari with a liveaboard you will most likely spend about half the trip exploring and snorkeling around the islands of Misool, then sail north—about 8-12 hours or so—to explore some of the other areas of Raja Ampat, like the Fam Islands or the Dampier Strait. If you were to join a resort based snorkeling safari to Misool, you would take Misool Resort's speedboat from the main port—Sorong—down to Misool and spend the entirety of the snorkeling safari exploring the Misool area from the comfort of this stunning resort, which also happens to be the only resort in Misool. So there you have it, mystery solved, Misool is actually just one area of Raja Ampat!
What’s the difference between Misool and Raja Ampat? Short answer, nothing. Though it often sounds like—when people or websites talk about Misool—they are talking about two different locations, when in reality Misool is just one of the regions of Raja Ampat. Raja Ampat is made up of four large islands—one of which is Misool—and hundreds-and-hundreds
At the beginning of December 2020 I had the absolute pleasure of being invited to Misool Resort in Raja Ampat to take a short (ten day) tour of their iconic resort island. Long story short I was absolutely blown away in just about every possible way. The location—of a remote tropical island in the heart of what is widely considered to the best snorkeling in the world is the first thing is the first that made my jaw drop. My mouth remained in this position as we settled into our eco-elegant water bungalows where dozens of blacktip reef sharks and juvenile green sea turtles paraded about below. I did eventually have to close my mouth around a snorkel though as Montse—my fiancé and snorkel partner for life—and I proceeded down our bungalow steps into the pristine waters for a snorkel session on their famous house reef. Through a combination of eco-awareness, natural and creative aesthetics, and world class service Misool Resort has cultivated an experience and atmosphere at a level like I've never quite seen before, and right now I want to highlight those different elements in detail for you. Arrival in Sorong I'll be the first to say that arriving to Sorong in West Papua—the port town to Raja Ampat—is not quick hop, not even from Bali. I promise you though the trip is well worth the reward and the moment you collect your bags at the carousel in Sorong you can begin to relax as the Misool staff pick us up in comfortable Air Conditioned vans and drive us around the corner to their own Cafe for a complimentary breakfast. While we relax in their cozy cafe the resort's staff load our large bags into their custom built 1,500 horse power luxury transfer boat—Merantau. After breakfast we'll be
At the beginning of December 2020 I had the absolute pleasure of being invited to Misool Resort in Raja Ampat to take a short (ten day) tour of their iconic resort island. Long story short I was absolutely blown away in just about every possible way. The location—of a remote tropical island in the heart
