MSY Seahorse & The Birds Head Seascape.

I was recently lucky enough to travel aboard the fantastic dive safari vessel the MSY Seahorse for 12 days exploring the most incredible coral reef ecosystem environment remaining on planet earth located in the Raja Ampat National Park, The Birds Head Peninsula seascape, West Papua, Indonesia.

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The MSY Seahorse is one of the many world class boats offered as Liveaboard dive safari vessels by the All4Diving Indonesia travel team who can organize hassle free bookings and an A-Z Indonesia Liveaboard database, availability and booking service for people wishing to find 5* boats to get them to these remarkable diving areas in Indonesia.

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The diving was out of this world, with thousands of dives in some of the remotest corners of the world I was wondering if Raja Ampat would live up to its reputation, especially with the current state of the environment and the decline of the world’s healthy reefs, it is so often the case that you are disappointed by the hype. Raja Ampat deserves it reputation, I have never seen anything like it and I spent 12 days in a state of shock at the sheer beauty of the reefs capes, the color, the staggering variety of species, it is truly amazing !!

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We spent the first few days up in the north of Raja Ampat in the Waigeo area before moving south to Misool. Txus (one of the MSY Seahorse owners who was often diving with us) explained there would be “no boring dives” and it was so true, every dive was like being slapped in the face from the moment you hit the water, big stuff like giant Mantas, Wobbegongs, Tornadoes of Barracuda and Jacks and the small stuff, Ghost Pipe Fish of every description, Pygmy Seahorses of every description, Nudibranch, Flatworms and the pulsing clouds of small tropical fish, the Soft Corals, Hard Corals, Sponges, Sea Squirts, every imaginable color and texture, a blanket of life so intense that divers would come out of the water in a state of complete sensory overload, struggling to find the words to explain the drama just witnessed.

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Raja Ampat boasts over 1500 fish species, 540 coral species, 700 mollusk species and the highest number of different fish species ever counted on a single dive was here in Sorido Bay, a survey conducted by Dr. Gerald Allen in 2012, an amazing 374 different species !!

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The MSY Seahorse is a pioneer of diving in Indonesia and has been exploring the Birds Head peninsula seascape for 15 years. I can only say that I thought MSY Seahorse was absolutely brilliant, you can’t ask for more than a classic boat full of character with amazing food, comfortable cabins, a great fish book library, brilliant dive guides and fantastic variety of diving. The air con worked, the NITROX worked, the camera equipment handling, dive tender handling and diver pick up all attentive, safe, easy and flawless, these are the things I look for in a successful dive expedition !!! Txus and CiCi who have been involved with the Seahorse since its birth and construction helped to make the atmosphere onboard, safe, friendly and fun with many beautiful Spanish influenced meals and evening nibbles, Iberico ham, Chorizo, Manchego cheese and so on from Txus Spanish heritage.

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So if you’re wondering what is left to do on your diving bucket list before you die get in touch with the All4Diving Indonesia travel team and let Philippa find you a top class boat like the MSY Seahorse to get you out to Raja Ampat !!

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