Report from the World’s Richest Reefs

Oct 1

Written By

Dear Friends,
Greetings from New England where it’s that beautiful time of year when the the forest bursts into fall colors. I’m overdue to share with you some new images from another very colorful part of the world - the Reefs of Raja Ampat.

Back in August I had the pleasure of co-leading an underwater photo workshop at the Papua Explorer’s resort in the Raja Ampat Islands with my good friend Zafer Kizilkaya, a leading underwater photographer from Turkey. I’m happy to report that the reefs of Raja Ampat continue to be vibrant, lack significant bleaching, and are teaming with fish. The diving industry there is thriving, and local communities are benefiting, which is great to see. Many villages are protecting reefs and creating no fishing zones, and profiting from fees paid by visiting divers.

If you are interested in joining us, we will be having our next workshops at Papua Explorers in August and September 2025, including a workshop on the live-aboard “Coralia”. To learn more send me an email at studio@timlaman.com, or send a query via the Papua Explorer’s website (papuaexplorers.com).

A Kaleidoscope of Life

Toward the end of one of our last dives of the trip at an amazing dive site called “Blue Magic”, I ducked under an overhang to get out of the current, and was confronted with this incredibly colorful scene. I loved the vibrant colors of the soft corals, crinoids, tunicates, and other creatures. The multiple windows to the blue beyond added great depth and interest to the potential photograph. I just needed a fish in just the right spot to create a silhouette in one of the windows to add that extra little something to the image. So I settled down and waited, taking test shots to get my lighting just right (the foreground is lit by two flashes). Before my air supply ran too low, a surgeonfish passed in just the right spot, rewarding me for my patience with this image.

Riches of the Raja Ampat Reefs

Zafer Kizilkaya swims over a healthy reef of Acropora hard coral. It’s awesome to see the abundance of healthy coral in Raja Ampat.

A school of sergeant major fish mixed with other fish species hover under a dock at a small village. The numbers of fish at some locations is mind-boggling, even right by villages.

A clown triggerfish swims against a wall completely covered by colorful invertebrate life. Raja Ampat is a great place to photograph not only wide underwater scenics, but fish portraits as well.

Fascinating small creatures also abound, like this so called “candy cane” crab, perfectly camouflaged in a colorful soft coral.

Raja Ampat not only has vibrant coral reefs, but also other fascinating habitats to explore, like the mangroves. Here in a view looking up through the sponge-covered mangrove roots, you see pajama cardinal fish taking shelter.

Finally, its impossible to resist photographing the abundant and charismatic clownfish. Especially when you find one in an unusual blue-tipped host anemone.

Raja Ampat is truly a special place. The resort we partner with, Papua Explorers, is dedicated to empowering local people and partnering with them to conserve the reefs of Raja Ampat, one of the world’s truly important marine protected areas. It’s great to feel that by visiting and photographing this amazing area, one not only can help spread awareness, but also support its protection economically by giving the people good employment.

As always, thanks for tuning in.
Warmest regards,

Tim Laman