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According to National Geographic (Jhon Roach, August 8 2001) the waters of the Indonesia's province of Irian Jaya (formerly Raja Ampat) may replace heralded Palau as the most species-rich sea in the world.
Irian Jaya is considered one of the last diving frontiers, the far eastern edge of Indonesia. Not just brilliant diving in Irian Jaya but probably one of the bests topsides sceneries of any dive destination in the world. At times you will be diving at the edge of tropical rainforest and cruising amongst masses of small mushroom shaped islands.
This region is where Dr. Gerald Allen, from the Western Australia Museum in Perth, found the highest fish count of 273 different species on one single dive.
Irian Jaya is probably the only place in Indonesia where you can regularly see the strange looking wobbiegong (carpet) shark.
Irian Jaya is not really about rare critters or seeing sharks, there are generally not as many of what you would call - classic critters or big marine life as there are in other destinations. There are sites with many unusual nudibranchs and some rare marine life but not too many. What is so special about this area is the scenery and in places the abundance of fish life. Dives where you are inundated with vast schools of fish, on the best of dives fish seem to block out the sun there are so many.
Mellow drift dives across the most beautiful coral slopes and channels, unique dives with heavily undercut mushroom shaped islands with gorgeous coral growth virtually to the surface. Taking a liveaboard will allow you to see not just these great fish dives but also the topside highlights of this area too.
For fish life, amazing (I repeat AMAZING) reef scenery and topography then a cruise in this area is a must. It is not an area for those wanting shark sightings and lots of critters. Ironically, it is a pity that a place that has that much to offer in terms of coral scenery and underwater topography has lost almost all of its big animals due to local over fishing. If this where not like that Irian Jaya probably would be the best diving place in the world!
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