Magical Reef: The Islands of the Four Kings

Between the islands of Indonesia

lies a remote underwater paradise,

which holds some of the world's most rare

and incredible species.

Evolution has created an unparalleled

underwater world of strange shapes,

vibrant colors, and truly incredible species.

The natural ebb and flow of the sea's tides and currents

seems to create a constant stream of new species,

leading to the continuing discovery of new life forms

amongst the 1500 islands of the archipelago.

This peaceful water world

has created species which can be found

nowhere else on Earth,

creating spectacles of elegant

and truly unique beauty.

There is no other place

where unknown and already discovered species

come together in such colorful and striking variety.

What started 100,000 years ago

with a constant motion of the seas

has evolved over time

to create the unique world of natural diversity

which we see today.

This world ranges from clear water-fringing reefs

to the dark but colorful depths of the sea.

Come along with us on our journey

through the wonderful underwater landscapes of Raja Ampat.

[relaxing electronic music with piano sounds]

Translated from the Sanskrit,

Raja Ampat means "The Four Kings."

The story behind this name

lies within the ancient mythology of the region,

which states that four kings, hatched from eggs,

rule over the four biggest islands of Raja Ampat.

This extraordinary sea world

covers an area roughly the same size as the Netherlands.

Raja Ampat lies directly in the center

of what is known as The Coral Triangle,

an area of extreme marine diversity,

which reaches from the Philippines

over Indonesia and Papua New Guinea,

and up to the Solomon Islands.

One of the most common families of animal found in the waters

is the wrasse family.

Here we found a whole school of wrasse.

But although the wrasse are the most common species of fish,

they are just the beginning of the hugely diverse range of species

to be found in the reefs of the Indo-Pacific.

In Raja Ampat, an area the size of a football pitch

is home to a greater number of unique species

than can be found among the whole of the Caribbean,

or the Great Barrier Reef.

Because of this unbelievably varied biodiversity,

the area is sometimes referred to as the Amazon of reefs.

The four major islands of Raja Ampat

are Misool in the south,

Waigeo in the north,

and Salawati and Batanta in the center of the archipelago.

The population of the island chain is very small,

and those who do live there

survive predominantly by working

in the fishing or diving tourism industries.

The reefs of Raja Ampat

have to cope with a multitude of undersea currents.

The motion of these currents can stir up the sediment in the water

and make it murky.

Sometimes, though, the water's movements

can create an extraordinary play

of colors and light

after the stirred up water and sediment

has calmed down again.

These reef inhabitants are a subspecies

of a group of fish known as grunts.

The appearance and behavior of grunts

changes throughout their life span,

with young grunts being far more colorful and active

than grunts which have reached full maturity.

In the daytime, these fish tend to linger

in swarms underneath corals,

emerging at night to hunt.

Grunts are not shy,

and can be very friendly to underwater visitors.

Let's follow one of these grunts

through this section of the reef.

The vast biodiversity of species found in these waters

cannot be explained by one factor alone.

What is thought to be

one of the main reasons for this abundance of life

is the numerous different biotopes

found in the area.

Here in Raja Ampat,

you can find what are known as fringing reefs,

wide lawns of seagrass, and sheltered bays,

which offer various types of species

the perfect conditions to settle down.

[relaxing distorted music with occasional drums]

Cleaner wrasses make sure

that all of the fish on the reef have healthy skin.

The fish who want to be cleaned

signify this by opening their gills and jaws,

which the cleaner wrasse recognizes

as a signal of their passiveness.

This means that the cleaner wrasse

can go about his job

safe in the knowledge that he won't be eaten.

The fish need to be cleaned,

as dirt builds up in their gills over time,

which leads to inflammation,

creating breathing problems.

This sea turtle is a particularly interesting inhabitant

of the area.

All sea turtles are born ashore,

but only the females return to lay eggs.

Here, under the protection offered by the coral reefs,

hatchlings stand a far greater chance of survival

than if they were to be raised in open water.

This area also contains the most important nesting site

for leatherback turtles,

the largest species of turtle in the world.

There are two main coral groups:

the soft coral, shown in this picture,

and the scleractinia, also referred to as stony corals.

Soft corals look far more alive and vibrant

than their relatives, the stony corals.

The combination of soft coral and stony coral

can look unusual,

but the buildup of soft coral

can be visually spectacular.

When amassed, soft corals are incredibly colorful,

and can look like strange, other-worldly flowers.

The fish seem unfazed by this natural beauty,

and pass amongst the reefs with seeming indifference.

The deeper you go into this coral jungle of beauty and color,

the more you are rewarded with an ever-increasing variation

of living creatures.

The vivid and busied activities

of the sea dwelling creatures

give the area the appearance of a thriving city.

The deep, dark sea is brought to life

by the colorful variety of species.

Large and small sea creatures bustle around the reefs,

making it seem almost like a playground.

This underwater world seems to offer

a never-ending supply of surprises.

As we swim over the coral field,

we discover a huge school of fry,

who look for shelter in a bay.

Each different species has invented

its own individual way to survive.

The clown fish, for example,

is able to hide in anemones.

Other reef species like the lionfish

prefer more extraordinary disguise methods.

And some fish just hope

that enough of their fellow species can survive.

The question of which method of survival is most effective

is put to the test by nature every year.

If a species is not able to adapt

and change to meet the challenges,

it will not find a place to live.

These are the harsh rules of nature,

which exist even in a paradise like Raja Ampat.

The different sea creatures of this area

have been forced to change and adapt over time

in order to survive the natural selection process of evolution.

This leads to the breathtakingly varied array of species

with which we are presented today.

To survive in nature,

every species produces offspring

which have adapted ever so slightly from the previous generation

in order to better cope with the ever-changing conditions

created by their habitat.

This process creates species which look unusual,

and some creatures have developed features

which at first sight appear to be a hindrance.

But every characteristic created by evolution

has its own specific purpose for existing.

The sea dwellers of this region

develop a huge range of different strategies to survive.

These surgeonfish group together in large swarms

and nibble on the algae which live on the coral.

Surgeonfish owe their name

to the sharp spines on the tips of their tails,

which are being likened to a surgeon's scalpel.

These spines are used by the fish

to defend themselves against larger predators.