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Raja Ampat diving with Larry Smith
on Adventure Komodo
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Adventure Komodo (pdf file 560 KB)
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Sample Itinerary: Kupang/Sorong
This voyage is my All Time Favourite in all of Indonesia
! It takes us through remote, distant, and pristine regions of Indonesia
that even the most seasoned Globe Trotting Divers dream of experiencing!
From spectacular swim-thrus, unusual aggregations of sea snakes,
high-voltage current dives, and "world-class"
muck - this rarely scheduled route has something special & spectacular
for everyone !
Day of Departure :
Arrive in Sorong aboard Merpati Airline 14:20 and transfer to Adventure
Komodo. After an initial "nest building session in your guest
cabins and around the camera table, the ship's Safety Briefing will
be presented, followed by the New Arrival Briefing. Around 17:00,
Adventure Komodo will get underway for the overnight steam to numerous
Islands East of Sorong.
Day 2 & 3 :
The beginning 2 days of this dive adventure across the Banda Sea
will be in and around the region of South Waigeo. A WWII American
fighter plane wreck, pinnacles with clouds of fusiliers & banner
fish, more pygmy seahorses, and huge king mackerel patrolling these
species rich sites are some of the features you can expect here.
Some of the sites are current swept, bringing in the "big stuff"
while others are quiet / protected areas inside the reef of remote
small islands.
Day 4 :
After an overnight steam to West Waigeo, we are in for another day
of productive "Critter Hunting". Fire
urchins with Coleman shrimp, Zebra crabs, and other comensual; pygmy
seahorses in as shallow as 45 feet; cuttlefish & squid; and
more nudibranchs are among the Exotics we can expect to find here.
This area is well patrolled by security from the modern Australian
pearl farm in the vicinity, insuring that destructive fishing practice
is not an option here.
Day 5 :
Another remote Island group, northeast of Misool, is so pristine
and untouched that I will not give the name here. I've always used
giant tridactic clams as an indicator as to how "un-touched"
an area is. The area we dive this day has an unusual high concentration
of huge, undisturbed, giant clams still un-discovered! And the steep
slopes on the "outside" recently went
off-the-scale in species diversity ! No where on Earth have scientist
ever recorded such a high fish and coral species diversity!
Day 6 :
Early this day we arrive and begin diving the Misool Island region
of Western Papua. Only recently we have discovered this species
rich area that is matched with un-inhabited terrestrial beauty.
We have only begun to scratch the surface in discovering the wealth
of dive sites that exist here ! A huge swim-thru that begins at
70 feet and exits at over 130 feet, a large cavern alive with lobster,
and another "tip" with a big school of
swirling barracuda, and at least one very large & territorial
gray reef shark - just a few of the many discoveries here so far
!
Day 7 :
"Too Many Fish", a name that was inspired
by the comments of Helmut Debelious when he dived it with me several
years ago, is scheduled for today ! A real "Honey Hole"
of a dive site, aggregations of just about every fish species that
swims in the Sea comes here to this current swept "tip"
to spawn at various time of the year. And we have had regular encounters
with Orcas and sperm whales in the channel between this amazing
dive site and the group of Islands only 3 miles to the South !
Day 8 :
Early today we leave Banderia Harbor behind for the short trip around
to Banda Besar. Here, a vertical wall with a sensational swim-thru
is the feature. A big school of black snapper and big-eye trivially
are residents of this "corner" that is sometimes swept
with strong currents. A resident great hammerhead shark has not
disappointed me at this site in over 10years of coming here ! We'll
probably do this one numerous times !
Day 9 :
I advise all divers interested in this voyage to learn as much as
you can about the historic Banda Islands before you arrive ! The
significance of these little known Islands, between 400 & 500
years ago, will entertain and amaze you ! We will be greeted at
the entrance of Banderia with colorful and noisy Kora-Kora War canoes
each propelled by more than 30 men in traditional costumes. After
anchoring across the channel from the laid-back harbor and Maulana
Hotel / under the perfect cone volcano, the walking tour of the
ancient forts will be conducted. In addition to the various forts,
there are lovingly restored old Dutch residence and a well maintained
museum to visit. This morning strole through Banderia offers an
opportunity to purchase things such as nutmeg jam, kanari nut candy,
antique Chinese & Dutch crockery, and locally made ships in
bottles. In the afternoon we will be diving on the north side of
the volcano, a site where hot lava reached a depth of 90 feet in
the eruption of 1988. Since then, dramatic / record growths of hard
corals on these lava rocks have been the continuous study of coral
experts from all over the world: fascinating formations and rates
of growth have never been recorded anywhere in the world ! How 'bout
a place where you can be standing on a sea wall drinking a cold
Bintang and watch Mandarin Fish foraging, courting, and mating just
below where you stand ? The dusk dive in Banderia offers just this
!
Day 10 :
Located over 100 miles south of Ambon, the Lucipara group of un-inhabited
Islands features vertical walls, lots of turtles, and severe clear
visibility. The sugar white sand beaches offer delightful beach
combing adventures for those ready to get off the boat for a while
and get some sand between their toes. Wide angle underwater photographers
are in "Wide Angle Heaven" here among this extremely remote
and rarely dived Island group.
Day 11 :
Gunung Api (fire mountain) represents only the
very tip top of a giant underwater volcano, the base spreading out
across the Ocean floor over 10,000 feet below ! With a surface elevation
of just over 500 feet, this lush green Island is speckled with thriving
colonies of at least 2 species of Booby Birds and Magnificent Frigates.
Divers who have accompanied me here in the past agree that the visibility
is the absolute best they have ever seen anywhere ! But if you are
un-easy with a lot of sea snakes swimming around you during the
dives here, maybe you should read a book or watch a movie this day
! This day is truly one of the most spectacular features of this
special voyage !
Day 12 :
Wetar Island, about the size of Bali, is not listed in any of the
Indonesia travel guides. This remote Island has no place for ferry
boats to dock and no airstrips to land on. And no roads ! Along
the north coast, we have discovered a picturesque bay that offers
great "Critter Hunting" dives. We have
also had a nice long whale shark encounter here. Besides all this,
there is a mountain stream that empties into the bay near our anchorage
that is navigable with our tenders. The locals call them fresh water
crocodiles, beast we have had close encounters with 2 times in the
past while exploring this little river ! After a dusk or night dive,
we are off again north to "Snake Island".
Day 13 :
Everywhere we go in this Alor Region, smiling local villagers in
dug-out canoes paddle out to greet us ! Some with songs and others
with intricately hand weaved sarongs and table covers to sell. A
variety of dolphins are encountered at some point every day in this
rich current swept strait. Early this morning we raise anchor for
the short trip north to one of the most incredible underwater phenomena
on the Planet ! I often introduce "Valley of the Clowns"
as a dive site where you will see more anemones in the first 10
minutes of the dive than all the divers on the boat, combined, have
ever seen in all their dives ! Also, blue ring octopus and more
colorful / unique nudibranchs have been encountered here. We will
make at least 2 dives at this site, more if you like, before moving
to the afternoon anchorage. After the late afternoon or night dive,
we will get underway to continue our journey into the Southwest
Edge of the Banda Sea.
Day 14 :
As many as 8 Sperm Whales in a pod have been observed in this area
as we approach our anchorage ! And this first day of diving has
consistently proved to be one of the (if not THE)
most productive days of the voyage for observing and photographing
Exotic marine "Critters" ! Rhinopia Frondosa,
the "Holy Grail" of fish ; giant as well
as clown frog fish ; and a multitude of rarely encountered nudibranchs
(including the Djibouti Giant) are just a few of
the "critters" we have enjoyed here!
Another feature of this anchorage is a black volcanic sand beach
that has a steaming hot water creek flowing directly in to the small
bay. When tide conditions are right, sea water pools with the hot
spring, cooling it down to a tolerable "spa"
temperature that you can soak yourself in !
Day 15 :
This is a sample itinerary of the 15 day / 14 night voyage from
Sorong West Papua to Kupang, West Timor. The itinerary can vary
depending on interest in macro vs. wide angle opportunities and
interest in land excursions opportunities.
From,
Larry Smith
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