Misool, Yapap Lagoon, Indonesia

By Glen Bruels
This is part of a series called Oceania 2025
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Today was a nature day. We visited the Misool Yapap Lagoon, nestled in the Raja Ampat archipelago. This area is truly breathtaking with its crystal clear turquoise waters and the dramatic limestone karsts (a topography created from dissolved calcium carbonate rocks that leaves stone towers, caves, sinkholes, etc.). And it is dead quiet, with only the sounds of birds that break the silence. This place is a photographer’s dream with the contrasting colors, shapes, etc. Part of the reason for this is that the Misool Lagoon and surrounding areas are a protected marine reserve. We spent the morning exploring the karst formation, admiring both the towering cliffs and the lush jungle plants that somehow survive with practically no soil to grow in. We started in the sunshine, but then were treated to a tropical rainstorm (more like a deluge). We got soaked but thoroughly enjoyed traveling through the narrow channels and shallow coral passages.

Getting ready to head out. The skies are a wee bit threatening.
There were some narrow passages through the islets…
… a perfect place to capture nesting birds.
Some areas next to the reef were too shallow to visit, but was where we were going to snorkel later in the day.
And then the rains came.
This poor Swedish family was looking how we all felt.
But we continued on to see what else we could see…
… like this amazing cave (complete with stalagmites and stalactites) that was eroded into the limestone cliff over time…
… and this isolated “resort.” The caretaker didn’t look too happy to see us.
A beautiful view as the rains stopped — as we were heading back to the ship.

In the afternoon, we took advantage of those crystal clear waters in the lagoon to do some snorkeling. I can honestly say that I’ve never seen so many vibrant colors in a myriad of hard and soft corals, teeming with life. Both Deb and I took a load of pictures, but only have room to share a few here. Definitely a relaxing day!

It cleared up for the afternoon, so we went snorkeling. The water was warm and relatively clear.
Yikes! Extreme closeup!
As our first snorkel on this trip, we were pretty excited. The colors of the coral, fish, and other sea life were stunning.
The colors of both the hard and soft colors were unreal…
And the fish were plentiful, like this parrotfish.
After snorkeling, we had a little time to wander around the island.
A perfect end to a perfect day!
This entry was posted in Cruising, Indonesia, Travel
Glen Bruels

I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.

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