Raja Ampat has long been known as heaven for divers, with the waters surrounding its reefs containing some of the most diverse marine life on the planet. It’s one thing to hear about Raja Ampat’s incredible biodiversity or even see pictures of it, but it’s something completely different and magical to experience for yourself.
If you haven’t had the chance to dive in Raja Ampat’s waters yourself, you can get a small taste of the experience with this stunning 3D video which takes viewers into the Bird’s Head Seascape, an area the size of Great Britain that holds more species of fish than Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and more species of coral than the entire Caribbean Ocean.
(Note: If you can’t access the 3D camera controls, try opening the video in the official Youtube app or the Youtube website)
The video is much more than just underwater spectacle. Much of it deals with the conservation efforts in the area over the last decade or so. Produced by Conservation International (CI), “Valen’s Reef” tells the story of local fisherman-turned-coral-reef-scientist and CI staffer Ronald Mambrasar as he monitors the reefs with his young son, Valen. As described by CI’s page about the project:
“Ronald tells Valen the story of how the area was almost destroyed and how the community-led conservation initiative restored it. As a native Papuan and father of four, Ronald shares what it means to protect his home for Valen’s generation and shows just how successful conservation can be when local people are empowered to take a leading role.“
To learn more about Conservation International’s work in Raja Ampat, you can check out their website about “Valen’s Reef”.
