Basking in the diversity of life
The Raja Ampat Islands extend from the tip of the beak of the condor-shaped island of New Guinea. Because they are not in Japan, I include the Raja Ampat Islands as an extra edition in this High-Resolution Tour series. It is a place that I would like to visit again, having been there twice already. The longitude is almost the same as Japan's Kyushu, and there is no time difference, so if we were to travel straight southward, it wouldn’t take much time to get there, but in reality, we have to fly via Jakarta, making a huge detour. It takes an entire day, on multiple flights and a high-speed boat service, to travel from Japan to Raja Ampat.
These waters, located directly on the equator where the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean meet, are said to have the greatest diversity of aquatic life. Because it is a difficult place to get to, the water is astonishingly limpid, revealing an amazing expanse of coral reefs visible even from the surface. I'm no expert, so I can't say for sure, but it seems that all manner of coral is spread out beneath aquarium-clear water. Coming here makes you feel as if you are witnessing with your own eyes the miracle of life nurtured by the planet of water known as Earth.
Because the water is pellucid, aquatic and terrestrial scenes can be captured in the same image. If you center the lens at the waterline, you can get sea, land, and sky in one photo.The first time I visited, I came with a photographer to capture shots like this for another project. The forests of land-based plants are indeed a treasure trove of biodiversity, while a mesmerizing array of marine forests reflects this diversity under water. This is something you really have to experience to understand.
The accommodation is surprisingly comfortable. There is something about the atmosphere of the pier extending into the sea that makes you feel the serenity of the ocean. The air-conditioned wooden lodges are interspersed throughout the greenery that lies a few meters from the beach. Manager Max Ammer, born in the Netherlands, fell in love with the location and built the facilities in 1991. Fortunately, the area was featured in National Geographic magazine, renowned for its coverage of culture and science, and Raja Ampat gained global respect.
I’m scuba certified, but I’m not inclined to dive with a tank here. The shallow waters are well lit and the water is clear, so snorkeling is enough to enjoy the spectacle of the coral reefs without worrying about dive time. Marine life pulsates in the sunlight. Countless fish school, forming close communities with the various corals and sea anemones. It is an experience of being bathed in the abundance of life.
All my High Resolution Tour project photos up until this point had been taken with a smartphone, so I attempted that here too, creating a device that could work in seawater and mounting the phone on that, trying my hand at underwater photography. The camera swayed in the waves, but I was able to shoot successfully in natural light. I was mesmerized by the interweaving of marine creatures, and became unexpectedly absorbed in photographing them. I was particularly intrigued by the clownfish, and couldn't help but wonder why they have such strikingly contrasting colors of orange and white, despite their habit of sheltering among the tentacles of anemones.
The colors of creatures that live in coral reefs are mysterious. There are brightly colored fish that seem to emit a slight glow as well as those that are jet black and absorb light. The colors of the fractal-structured corals each appear to be an accumulation of countless colors. Why are these creatures vividly colored, and why do they appear this way to our eyes? Perhaps as a result of sunlight continuously shining through and reflecting off the waves, life has begun to take on colors in response to the sunlight. Being in this ocean environment, I have a faint sense of understanding why.
2024.10.7