Raja Laut is a small eco-resort experience that comes from my passion for sea and scuba diving. After years of travelling and diving, I decided to stop in a special place: Indonesia, North Sulawesi, Bunaken Marine Park, Says Roberto Miotto.
Raja Laut in indonesian language means "Sea King". In this case we refer to a fish, a special one, indeeed. The Coelacanth were believed to have been extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period.
There are two different coelacanth species: latimeria chalumnae and latimeria menadoensis.
Latimeria chalumnae was discovered in South Africa in 1938, when Mayore Courtenay Latimer working for East London Museum, found a coelacanth between some fishes that were caught from a fishing boat on the river Chalumna.
Latimeria menadoensis, was discovered more recently, in 1997 in Indonesia, when two tourists, spouses Erdmann, discovered in a market on the island of Manado Tua what seemed a Gombessa fish, a species they called "The Sea King". Then with some research on DNA,, was discovered that the species is also different from Latimeria chalumnae and was called Latimeria menadoensis.
The coelacanth is now living in the Indian Ocean, including the Comores and Madascar, South Africa and Indonesia.
It 'a big fish and can be up to two meters long and 80 kg in weight. Live on average 60 years, prefers to swim deep and hunt at night. It feeds on eels, stingrays, small sharks and squid. Swimming is particular, as the fins move in pairs, or the two in front, pectoral fins or the rear ones, pelvis.
We decided to call our Resort RAJA LAUT to don't forget the great privilege we enjoy to dive daily in this SPECIAL sea.
For more informations about this beautiful place, you can follow this link or at our sponsors at the top of this page.