Do sharks have personalities? 🦈👀
Turns out, they might not be so different from us…
Some stick to their favorite resting spots, others are always on the move. Some prefer the deep, while others hang out in the shallows. Some keep to themselves, while others are way more social!
After spending hundreds of hours observing and caring for our Indo-Pacific leopard sharks every single week, our StAR Indonesia aquarists — Mardia from our @rarcc nursery at Kri and Annisa from our @misoolfoundation nursery — certainly know these sharks better than anyone!
They’ve also spent time on exchange at each other’s nurseries for capacity building — and yes, they definitely have their favorites (and opinions).
If only the sharks knew how much their nannies talk about them behind their backs… 🙊
📸 @qinthanaa@rarcc@misoolfoundation@pambajeng
#ReShark #StARProject #Indonesia #RajaAmpat #Shark
What strong marine protection can deliver 🌊
@misoolfoundation has maintained its Platinum Blue Park status after its five-year review, with strong evidence that protection here is working.
Over time, fish biomass has increased, sharks are more abundant, and critical habitats like mangroves and seagrass continue to support a thriving ecosystem.
It’s not just about biodiversity either.
Long-term monitoring, updated management, and consistent protection are helping ensure these gains last!
Misool Marine Reserve is a reminder that when protection is done well, ecosystems can recover and continue to thrive.
Read the full five-year review at the link in our bio.
#BlueParks #MarineConservation #OceanProtection #EnduringBlueParks
Baby blacktip reef sharks glide through the shallows at Kalig Beach.
Just behind the camera sits the Kalig Ranger Station.
Inside, and out on patrol, a dedicated team of full-time Rangers work tirelessly to protect these sharks and the 300,000-acre Misool Marine Reserve they call home.
Today, we celebrate the people safeguarding this extraordinary corner of the ocean.
Join us in thanking them for all they do.
Happy Earth Day
#Misool
#MisoolFoundation
#ProtectWhatYouLove
#RajaAmpat
People don't always think macro photography when they come to Raja Ampat, but some of our guests can't get enough of the critters.
@z_dive_photos takes jaw dropping shots during his time spent at @misool.resort
Here are a few of our favourites.
1. Peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) may look tiny, but they strike with the speed of a .22‑caliber bullet, using club-like claws to smash crabs and snails on Indo‑Pacific reefs.
2. You’re looking at a close‑up of damselfish eggs, each one holding a developing embryo with its own pair of dark pigment eyes and oil droplet for buoyancy and energy.
3. Flying saucer. Juvenile fish often shelter inside jellyfish bells during their vulnerable open‑ocean phase, gaining protection from predators and sometimes feeding on prey captured by the jelly’s tentacles.
4. Chromodoris willani nudibranch may look delicate, but it’s running a clever chemical defense lab in miniature.
5. Juvenile yellow boxfish, Ostracion cubicus found on a black water dive.
6. Pikachu nudibranch (Thecacera pacifica), a 2 cm Indo‑Pacific sea slug.
7. Magic Carpet— Pseudobiceros bedfordi, a large polyclad flatworm known for its elaborate colour patterns and graceful swimming.
8. Bargibant’s pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti) is a master of camouflage, growing to less than 2 cm and living almost exclusively on Muricella gorgonian sea fans.
#Misool
#RajaAmpat
#Indonesia
Part two of our history of sharks at Misool.
What an incredible journey this has been: from shark finning camp to the centre of global shark rewilding.
Photo credits
@shawnheinrichs
@sabinegt
@alexlindbloomphoto
Dan Beecham
Jeff Kaufmann
#Misool
#RajaAmpat
#Indonesia
Sharks have survived five mass extinctions.
They predate trees in the fossil record.
At Misool we experience the might and majesty of sharks every day, but this hasn't always been the case.
Sharks were under threat when we first visited the Misool area in 2004.
In fact, @misool.resort and Misool Foundation were founded to protect them, and all the marine animals in the Misool Marine Reserve.
Join us to dive into the timeline of sharks at Misool over the last two decades.
Thanks to the incredible photographers who have shared these photos with us.
@shawnheinrichs
@sabinegt
@alexlindbloomphoto
Jeff McBride
#Misool
#RajaAmpat
#Indonesia
Meet Cantik - the FIRST EVER pregnant whale shark recorded in Indonesia!
Cantik (pronounced chan-tick) means pretty in Indonesian. And we think she's pretty amazing!
She's an 8-10 meter Whale Shark and this is the first confirmed sighting of her in West Papua.
Claim to fame: According to Mark Erdmann, Executive Director of @reshark_org and all-round shark geek, Cantik is the first pregnant Whale Shark ever recorded within Indonesia.
She was filmed in February by Misool guest, Jeff Kaufman. Thanks Jeff! We can feel the excitement.
Find out about more special sharks in Misool in our March newsletter. Link in profile.
#Misool
#RajaAmpat
#Indonesia
Happy International Women's Day to our incredible team of conservationists and ocean guardians.
The world is a better place because of you.
#ProtectWhatYouLove
#MisoolFoundation
Why do we say that Misool is home to the World’s Richest Reefs?
Because Misool’s reefs lie at the epicentre of marine biodiversity, in the heart of the Coral Triangle.
Raja Ampat is home to almost 1640 species of reef fish and this number is constantly growing as more are described by science.
This region is home to over 75% of the world’s known coral species including 554 species of reef-building corals.
The Misool Marine Reserve includes many critical habitats:
Shallow lagoons are used by black tip reef sharks for breeding as well as pupping.
Saltwater mangroves which provide a critical habitat for juvenile reef fish and marine invertebrates.
Cleaning stations frequented by manta rays. This is one of the only places on earth where both species of manta (Manta birostris and Manta alfredi) can be seen at the same time, sometimes even interacting.
Anchovy aggregation and squadrons of mobula rays that follow and hunt the anchovies during the South West Monsoon.
Pods of the rare Omura whale possibly on a new migration pattern as they follow stocks of anchovy which are recovering.
Beaches for nesting endangered Green and Hawksbill Turtles.
There have been 19 new species of ‘restricted range endemics’ described at least in part in Misool in the past 10 years, including the Raja Ampat Walking Shark.
In an area the size of two football fields, scientists discovered more than six times as many coral species as live in the entire Caribbean Sea.
That's why we're proud to call them the World's Richest Reefs.
#MisoolFoundation
#WorldsRichestReefs
Ever seen a WHITE leopard shark? 🤍🦈
Wild Indo-Pacific leopard shark sightings in Raja Ampat are already rare — which is exactly why the StAR Project exists. But a WHITE one? That’s something truly extraordinary. This stunning leucistic individual was recently captured by @misool.resort dive manager Mega Aurine at Boo West. 🌊📍
Leucism is a rare genetic condition that causes partial pigment loss, giving the animal a pale or white appearance while still retaining its normal dark eye color. Unlike albinism, it’s a pigment cell deficiency rather than a complete absence of melanin.
Leopard sharks can live at least 40–50 years , and a close look at this individual’s faded pattern strongly suggests it may be the very same shark documented by Dr. Mark Erdmann at Eagle’s Nest (at 60 meter depth!) back in 2015. Imagine that — over a decade later!
P.S. We came up with a brilliant name : PaLe = Pace buLe! “Pace” means “mister” in Papuan, and “bule” is the Indonesian term for a white person. Pretty apt, right? 🇮🇩✨
Videos by @mega_aurine , Mark Erdmann
#ReShark #StARProject #LeopardShark #ZebraShark #Ocean #Conservation #Shark #Rewilding #Indonesia
Coral fragments start their journey to building a new reef system.
Thanks to Julia and Simon for joining our Coral Gardeners and supporting our mission to protect the world's richest reefs.
#WorldsRichestReefs
#MisoolFoundation
📸 @pambajeng
We don't just protect the big things. Every creature is important to maintain a balanced and healthy ecosystem.
#MisoolFoundation
#Misool
#RajaAmpat
📹️ @shawnheinrichs
