Fittingly, we took three cameras on our most recent triple back-to-back Raja Ampat trips aboard the Wellenreng; the Nikon D810 in its Nauticam Housing was accompanied on this trip by a GoPro 4 Silver and a compact Sony RX100MKIV in a Nauticam NA-RX100IV housing with the spanking-new and amazing WWL-1 wet mate wide angle lens and a CMC macro adapter.

Kerri staffed the D810 throughout while I took the GoPro on the second and the RX100MKIV on the third cruise exclusively. With this year’s El Nino causing some headaches earlier on in the season we were pleasantly surprised to find pristine conditions awaiting us in the south along with hordes of baitfish. The wide angle was so spectacular throughout the trips that you’ll find very little macro below, sorry macro lovers!

The Sony and the GoPro both got dedicated trips so this post will cover some of our favorites from all three cameras. To see more on the RX100MKIV check out the review. The GoPro article discusses setup and real world use of the system as well as our video from the trip.

Our first two trips focused on southern Raja Ampat, taking advantage of the spectacular conditions in Misool. Blue water, frenetic baitfish schools and the ever present soft corals vied with some of the best oceanic manta ray encounters we’ve ever had (yes, even better than the last time I said that!) for the attentions of our lenses and sensors.

The GoPro Video pretty much says it all…

Here is a link to YouTube if Vimeo is blocked for you.

Below are some images from the D810:

Our third trip took us north to Waigeo, Penemu, and the Dampier Strait. Although we struggled with less than ideal visibility on most sites we still had some stunning dives and great photo opportunities especially at Melissa’s Garden, Citrus Ridge and Otdima.

Below are some images from the RX100MKIV:

As always it was a pleasure to dive off the intimate Wellenreng with only six passengers (including us!) and some of the best food and service of any liveaboard. We’ll be back on in August for Komodo!