Raja Ampat - Divemaster & Research

I joined the 8 week divemaster and research programme in Raja Ampat with IOP just after the start of the project in November 2022. It was a truly incredible experience to dive Raja Ampat almost every day and see the unrivalled abundance and variety of the marinelife that inhabit the coral reefs there, whilst researching the key marine species there and learning about their biology and conservation from the IOP team.

The location of the Scuba Republic dive centre where we stayed is remote, with only a tiny village next door and a few other quiet resorts between it and the main town of Waisai, but with this comes opportunity to be fully immersed in nature in the heart of the coral triangle. On one side it is backed by pristine rainforest rich in wildlife (with birds of paradise a short walk away and hornbills, parrots and frogmouths overhead) and on the other by a shallow coral reef that is still for the most part in remarkably good condition. Just off the jetty we saw epaulette sharks, various rays, sea snakes, octopus, cuttlefish, batfish, schools of trevally, the occasional dugong and countless smaller reef fish to name just a few! The dive sites offshore are quite varied and include a mix of sloping reefs, underwater pinnacles, sandy night dives with some awesome macro critters and a shipwreck of an old liveaboard alongside a jetty. Most dives had minimal or mild current but occasionally there are stronger currents, creating drift dives which were a great experience to have for the divemaster training. We also did night dives and guided dives ourselves once we had gotten to know the sites.

The training aspect for the divemaster is very well organised and good fun, with it being spread out enough not to feel rushed, but you are definitely always kept very busy with the combination of training, learning and research. With the density of marinelife the research aspect was sometimes challenging with so many species to record and keep track of on the surveys or BRUV playbacks (!), but also meant we learnt so much about the different creatures and the research techniques. The reefs are clearly very healthy, but even here there are challenges - from plastic pollution and illegal fishing to the early signs of coral bleaching and the impacts of tourism - for which projects like this, in collaboration with the local communities and stakeholders as IOP are doing, will be essential in ensuring that this spectacular marine ecosystem can continue to thrive.

Finally a big shout out to the staff at IOP who are all incredibly helpful, from the organisation and planning (I arranged it quite last minute and they made sure everything went smoothly and that I had everything prepared for visas, learning materials etc. before arriving) through to the divemaster training and all the different workshops on the fish species, conservation and research techniques. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has a passion for marinelife and wants to develop their dive skills to the next level.