We Found the Special Trip to Meet Whale Sharks and Birds of Paradise

By Celia Prentice

We discovered SeaTrek at the Destinations Travel Show at London Olympia at the end of January 2025. A fabulous poster of a maroon-sailed, wooden ship floating on a turquoise sea, surrounded by verdant islands – how could we resist?

We wanted a trip towards the end of the year, and after looking at the website, two trips fit our time frame. I was most excited by the opportunity to swim with Whale Sharks, and even better it would be aboard the ship I had seen on the poster, the Katharina.

Fast forward to November and after five flights, we find ourselves at Kaimana airport. No one said Raja Ampat is easy to get to – and that is one of the things that makes it so special.

We were met by Tinae, our tour leader, and whisked to our hotel for one night. The next morning we transferred to Katharina, our home for the next 10 days.

Swimming with Whale Sharks

As we were settling into our cabins, Tinae said we were not far from the Whale Shark area in Kaimana, and that the boat was heading there now. By the time we had changed into swimwear and been fitted with fins and snorkels, we had arrived. The crew helped us into the rib and we were off.

Whale sharks are magnificent mammals, grey with white markings, enormous mouths sucking in gallons of water, and filtering it through their gills.

They project an aura of calm, going about their business, showing no interest in us, if they were even aware we were there. They are wild animals and we were told not to get too close or to touch them. But when one emerged from below me, I had no time to move out of the way and I felt its dry leathery skin brush my side. For the next few days, I had sore ribs, a happy reminder of our encounter.

What a way to start our trip – and all before lunch!

Life Onboard Katharina

Our days fell into a pattern of morning and afternoon activities, snorkelling from the rib or from beaches, visits to island viewpoints and a visit to an island community where we were welcomed with music, songs and dance.

But don’t think there wasn’t time to relax, to sit on the boat, lay back on a sun-bed under a canvas awning. To soak up the scenery or read a book as the boat rocked gently at anchor or sailed to our next destination. To watch the sunset, cocktail in hand. To my mind the the trip offered the perfect balance of activity and relaxation. Time to unwind and relish being ‘off grid’ away from the constant demands of mobile phones and the internet.

All our meals were eaten round a rectangular table on deck, made from the hatches where originally cargo would have been loaded into the hold. Before supper, Tinae would give a presentation, perhaps on Raja Ampat, marine life, or the history of pinisi building, show photos of the day’s activities, and explain the schedule for the following day.

Adventure and Nature Activities in Raja Ampat

Snorkeling over the Raja Ampat coral garden was a highlight. Floating above fan corals in stunning red, pink, green, purple and yellow. Enormous table corals, hard corals and fronts of soft corals waving in the current. The abundance of brightly coloured fish of all shapes and sizes swimming in schools or individually darting around the coral was dazzling.

Another outstanding adventure was swimming in a lagoon with stingless jellyfish, ranging from babies the size of my thumbnail to some the size of the palm of my hand. It took a while to relax in their company, but then I could enjoy studying their delicate translucent form and graceful movement through the water.

Searching for the Birds of Paradise was a different experience all together.

Leaving the boat in the dark and walking through the forest to the hide. Sitting in silence as the sounds of the night petered out to be replaced by the sounds of the day as the daylight increased. At last rewarded with the sighting of a Red Bird of Paradise bird up in the treetop or a Wilson Bird of Paradise down on the ground cleaning his display ground of leaves and debris. Our patience rewarded, we trekked back to the boat for a late breakfast.

Our Lovely Fellow Onboard

Tinae was always there to point out sea life we could easily have missed, nudibranch, a walking shark, lobsters, rays and all manner of other things. Her breadth of knowledge is huge and her enthusiasm is infectious.

On board, our crew were friendly, professional, and attentive, seeing us off the boat at the beginning of each adventure and welcoming us back on board with smiles and cheers. Our chef produces delicious food from the tiny galley while happily singing along to his music.

The crew surpassed themselves on the day of our beach BBQ. Transporting tables and chairs from the boat, setting out the area with strings of fairy lights, raking the sand so we could walk and dance without danger from shards of coral, and entertaining us with music and dancing. A magical evening enhanced by Sara responding to the crew’s singing with a song in Welsh, her voice ethereal across the dark beach lit by strings of lights.

We Found the Special Trip

We were looking for a special trip, and we found it!

If you have been on a SeaTrek adventure, you will know of the lengths the crew and staff go to look after you and the amazing sights and experiences that make up your trip. If you haven’t, then what are you waiting for?