Swimming with whale sharks along this remote Indonesian reef

This article is a snippet from the Financial Review story by Hannah Wootton.

I’m at the start of a glorious cruise with a dozen fellow whale shark fans aboard the Ombak Putih, a 12-cabin traditional wooden pinisi ship. It has taken nearly 24 hours to get here from Melbourne, despite being closer to Australia than Bali. In return, we are sailing through an archipelago that is home to some of the most magnificent and least visited reefs in the world.

As the sun breaks, we jump in the water. There are four whale sharks – three adults and one juvenile – all swarming the bagan fishing nets we are bobbing up and down beside.

The adults are roughly the size of a bus, their backs a galaxy of blue and grey spots gleaming against the dark blue ocean. Smaller fish hang onto or under their fins, taking the current they produce for a ride.

They swim down deep, then dart up again to eat. Sometimes you don’t even realise one is there until it’s hitting you (gently, of course, and despite our best efforts not to touch them, as instructed). We can hear dolphins even deeper beneath them too, a series of clicks that has even our guides, Jemy and Tinae, excited.

One of the trip highlights is swimming in a giant, 30-degree lake full of stingless jellyfish. Another is getting up before dawn to trek to see birds of paradise dancing. We swim through a giant underwater cave. I make everyone turn their torches off and stop talking. We float in the darkness, slivers of light poking through cracks in the rock and no sound beyond our breaths.

Even zipping around some of Raja Ampat’s 612 islands on dinghies is fun. Dense forest hangs over the edge of each island in vibrant green clumps, broken only to reveal ancient hand paintings on the rock underneath.

We traverse Indonesia in our meals, enjoying various regional specialties. The on-board menu includes whole giant trevally, dolphin fish, snapper, bangus (milkfish) and fresh salads so good I try to discern their ingredients to recreate them at home (navy beans, mango, papaya and fresh chilli are all frequent additions).

Both the variety of food and its freshness defy logic, given the space and location constraints the chefs are working under. The seafood is a stalwart, but every lunch and dinner offers both chicken and beef options too. One morning, one of the staff proudly presents me and my travel companion with a bottle of proper maple syrup, to serve with the banana pancakes I’m developing an addiction to.

Each night we’re presented with lessons on the sea life we will encounter the next day, the history of Raja Ampat or the Pisani, which I’m sceptical about; I’ve always questioned people who are deeply into boats, similar to those who get a kick out of big cars. But all I needed to see was the crew unfurling its seven sails, deftly scurrying up ladders and tugging ropes into place, to be convinced of its majesty.

Words by Hannah Wootton, who travelled as a guest of On Water Expeditions. Read her full experience.

HOW TO EXPERIENCE IT

→ 10-day adventure cruise aboard Ombak Putih

This trip only runs four times a year (once in each direction for each of the two boats).

INCLUSIONS:

• 9 nights twin share cabin accommodation in Raja Ampat aboard an intimate 12-cabin traditional Indonesian sailing boat
• 9 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 9 dinners 
• Park entrance fees and boat levies 
• Snorkelling equipment 
• Use of kayaks and paddle boards 
• Local, passionate guide and expertly trained crew 
• Airport transfers