Raja Ampat Explained

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Raja Ampat, or the "Four Kingdoms," is a group of Indonesian islands off West Papua's Bird's Head Peninsula. It became a hot diving spot in the '90s after Australian ichthyologist Gerry Allen and underwater photographers Denise and Larry Tackett revealed it had the world's richest reefs. More species of coral and fish have been identified off Cape Kri than anywhere in the world.

What makes these reefs so rich? Pacific ocean currents combine with tides and force water up through the Dampier Strait, where Kri Island acts as a foil to the flow. The nutrients in the cold oceanic up-wellings support the fabulous and prolific underwater flora and fauna....

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