Final dives with Raja Laut, at Andy's Ultimate, Warner Ber Warner, back at Andiamo, and Andiamo night dive Feb. 1, 2023

We had a terrific final day and evening of diving with Raja Laut as we neared the end of our 17 day diving trip with them in Raja Ampat. My final tally was 39 out of the 41 dives offered during our 17 day trip. Raja Ampat certainly met my expectations, as did our dive boat Raja Laut and its wonderful crew. Below, vivid white soft coral.

Look at the colors and density of life, below:

Longfin Batfish amongst Sea Fans. Below:

A final Wobbegong Shark for the trip, below:

Beautiful Black Lionfish, below:

Beautiful Sea Anemone with Clownfish:

The night dive at Andiamo included an octopus, always a favorite when they cooperate! Below:

Cool fish, forget its name though, about 3 or 4 inches long, below:

A smiling Green Moray:

Scorpionfish face shot:

Flatworm, about two inches long:

What a great diving trip! Well worth the Covid travel imposed wait!

The Barramundi, its Remora, and a Green Moray - interaction on Warner Ber Warner Dive February 1, 2023

I decided to make a separate diving blog entry on, what to me, was the amazing behavior of a Barramundi during our dive at Warner Ber Warner on our last day of diving on a 17 day diving trip on Raja Laut. Usually Barramundi are quite shy, they frequently hide in the shadows of the reef and usually move on if you get close enough to take their picture. This Barramundi behaved very differently, he was out in the open and kept circling in the same area. I finally realized that it was being pestered by a small, maybe 8 inch Remora. Then I realized the Barramundi kept circling back to a patch of soft coral where there was a Green Moray. The Barramundi kept putting whichever side the Remora was on up against the hole with the moray, he clearly was hoping the moray would take the Remora! The same idea as fish going to cleaner wrasse stations to get their parasites picked off! Below, a Barramundi, out in the sunny open, hanging out on one patch of reef.

Here's the Green Moray living under a patch of soft coral which you'll be seeing in pictures to come. If I shot video it would have been much easier to show the behavior...

On the next three photos, if you look closely, you can see the small Remora. In the first picture below the Remora is down near the Barramundi's belly, about 6 inches behind his pectoral fin.

You can see the Remora in various positions on the Barramundi in the next four shots. The Barramundi is putting his side up against the hole with the Green Moray under the soft coral:

In the shots below the Barramundi has reversed direction in order to put the Remora in front of the Moray. The second shot is zoomed in on the first so that you can just make out the Green Moray in its hole.

Did the Barramundi succeed in ridding itself of the Remora via the cruel jaws of the Green Moray? I'll never know, I had to head for the surface after the last shot above....It was really cool to see this behavior and I was amazed!

Three Great dives at Black Rocks, Andiamo, and Candy Store with Raja Laut in Raja Ampat January 31, 2023

I enjoyed great dives at Black Rocks, Andiamo, and Candy Store on January 31, this was the next to last day for diving on Donna and my 17 day diving trip in Raja Ampat on the dive boat Raja Laut. This dive included huge, beautiful sea fans, Sea Anemones with Anemone Fish, Barramundi (I saw more of these big beautiful type of sea bass, by far, than on all my other South Pacific dive trips, combined), snapper, Butterfly fish, Puffers, Green Moray, Yellowtail Fusiliers, Goatfish, Sweetlips, Coral (aka Leopard) Grouper, Longfin Batfish, and a very patient Scorpionfish. Beautiful pair of Panda Butterflyfish. Below:

Several of the magnificent sea fans found on this site:

Sea Anemones and their Anemone Fish, below:

Below, a stunning yellow sponge:

Coral Trout, aka Leopard Grouper, below:

Donna shooting video of Big Eyed Snapper. Below:

Above, we got Dennis to use my camera to take a picture of us with the Big Eyed Snapper school. Below, Dennis shoots the Beig Eyed Snapper school:

Seascape:

Longfin Batfish:

We enjoyed seeing and photographing a very patient Scorpionfish. Here's Donna shooting GoPro video of it. Can you see it? It's right on top of the coral rock in front of her, in the foreground:

Above and below, here's closer photos of the Scorpionfish.

Our second dive was at a site called Andiamo. It's full of amazing rich life, both fish and invertebrate. Look at the sealife all around this Lionfish (below):

Above, two cleaner wrasse wait for me to move on so that their next fish customer will come to them.

Below, look at the rich, dense, invertebrate life:

Seascapes:

Below, Sea Fan, cool sponge, Clownfish in their Anemone: