Unexpected marine life encounters while scuba diving in Raja Ampat

The beautiful corals covered in fish are indeed the expected in Raja Ampat. However, here's a list of animals I never expected to see while diving in Raja Ampat.

1. Pygmy Pipehorse

How cute is this seahorse-pipefish crossover??!! I had no idea these guys even existed!!! This one was SO small I couldn't tell which way it was facing. Seeing the pygmy pipehorse was a highlight of the trip, definitely keep an eye out for these guys!
​
Dive site: Marty's Garden 
Island: Batanta
Areas to check: small hydroids on the sandy bottom or attached to reef 

2. Male and female pair of the ringed pipefish

I totally fumbled the picture of getting them both in frame but here's the front side of the male. The ringed pipefish are best known for their big red paddle tail. The male is much smaller than the female but watching them interact was truly special. They may face to face, paused to look at each other, and continued swimming next to each other. A wonderful encounter I'll never forget!
​
Dive site: Marty's Garden
Island: Batanta
Areas to check: rock and coral formations standing alone on the sand that are about 2 feet in height. In general, the isolation of these structures usually yield sightings of amazing animals. 

3. 3 color variations of the pygmy seahorse 

The pink pygmy seahorse (middle) is the usual expectation of the color variations. I did not know that pygmy seahorses came in yellow (left) and red (right). All of them are equally hard to see and quite uncooperative in front of the camera. Nevertheless, their beauty and delicate nature makes them a truly special sighting. 
​
Yellow Pygmy Seahorse: 
Dive Site: Marty's Garden (also Warahnus Dive Homestay House Reef
Island: Batanta and Kri 
Areas to check: yellow flowery sea fans 

Pink Pygmy Seahorse:
Dive site: somewhere in Misool
Island: Misool
Areas to check: Pink sea fans!

Red (Santa Claus) Pygmy Seahorse:
Dive Site: Four Kings
Island: Misool
Areas to check: Red Sea fans

As a bonus, we saw a baby pygmy seahorse (not pictured) was looked like a white speck on the reef. Our guide has magical eyes. My mom was able to photograph it but I could barely see it. 

4. Dolphin 

No photos here because this happened in a blip! Such an amazing experience though! After seeing dolphins at the surface for days with no luck while diving, I finally saw ONE dolphin underwater. the dolphin swam around a huge rock formation and then left, all very fast. I did not expect to see a dolphin underwater (but was overjoyed) and I also did not expect to see so many at the surface. From the liveaboard, we saw them almost everyday. 

5. Male and female pair of the ornate ghost pipefish

How special! Like the ringed pipefish, the male is the smaller of the two. I was lucky enough to see not one but two pairs! Keep an eye out under the female, as she might be carrying eggs in her pelvic fins which will fuse to hold the eggs. 
Dive Site: Sawandarek
Island: Sawandarek (near Kri)
Areas to check: near rocks with larger openings/crevices

6. Thin ghost pipefish

How can something as thin as paper be alive? I wonder that every time I see this photo. The thin ghost pipefish is a small fish you can find camouflaging in green backgrounds, floating vertical in the water. Batanta was the only island I saw the thin ghost pipefish.

Dive site: unknown but near Marty's Garden
Island: Batanta
​Areas to check: nearby any green algae, seagrass, or coral

7. Bubble coral shrimp

I love bubble coral. Seeing the bubble coral shrimp was really magical and makes for some otherworldly photos! Check out this guy grabbing a snack! 

Dive Site: multiple 
Island: Misool
Areas to check: bubble corals which look close to anemones but have circular looking polyps - bubble corals  are usually no larger than a baseball 

8. Boxer Crab

Not my best image, but this crab was running all over this coral. I was SO thrilled to see the boxer crab, known for the anemones it harbors on its front arms. This crab was way smaller than I expected and very difficult to spot. 

Dive site: Boo Windows
Island: Misool Area
Areas to check: I can't even say, our guide found this crab and I showed up late to the party. 

Thanks for reading! Check out more of my posts below :)

All Aruba Australia Florida Grand Cayman Indonesia Maldives Qatar Airways Washington D.C.