Shark Attack

Posted on July 12, 2024July 14, 2024 by Annabel Thomas

Shark Diving in Indonesia

Looking for some shark-y Indonesia diving? AMD-B ‘Beyond Bali’ Dive Travel Consultants would be delighted to put together the best possible arrangements to enable you to visit one – or all! – of the below Indonesian dive destinations! You can contact them on Tours@AquaMarineDiving.com.

Komodo, Raja Ampat, and Bali

Catsharks in Komodo: Night-diving will increase your chances of encountering them as they’re nocturnal hunters.

Carpet aka Wobbegong sharks: There are multiple Raja Ampat dive sites where you can encounter Wobbegongs. You’ll see them lying on the bottom (including in caves) – hence the name ‘carpet’ – and are pretty cool with ambushing their prey. Also expect to see Grey and Black-tip reef sharks.

Reef sharks at Mimpang/Tepekong, Bali: You can see them out in the open, and sleeping in caves and under table corals. They’re very timid so please don’t harass them.

West Papua, South Lombok, and Alor

Whalesharks in Cendrawasih Bay & Triton Bay, West Papua: You can visit either location whether you’re on a liveaboard or on a Day Trip from a resort. At most dive destinations, Whaleshark sightings are considered rare however these Whalesharks appear to be resident. However, you do need to know where and when to visit.

Hammerhead sharks at ‘The Magnet’, South Lombok: You’ll need gloves and a reef hook! Hammerhead season here is July to October; the currents can be VERY challenging however it’s worth it – “schools of hammerheads” should be on your bucketlist!
Hammerheads are also seen in the Banda Sea on their seasonal, migratory routes.

Thresher sharks in Alor: This one is like hitting a jackpot! There are multiple, seasonal records of schooling Thresher sharks in Alor but remember that sadly these days they are endangered and pretty rare.
A non-profit foundation registered under the Indonesian government has been established to pass on to the local populations that these creatures are at a high risk of extinction. Want to come and try your luck?

Note: The majority of the dive sites where these big pelagics are usually encountered can have quite challenging currents. We suggest you get an Advanced certification (dive to greater depths) and – perhaps more importantly – your Drift Dive specialty before proceeding on your Indonesia Shark Diving Adventure.

Cenderawasih Bay

Posted on July 5, 2024July 6, 2024 by Annabel Thomas

Comment

Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua

Located in the Bird’s Head peninsula, Cenderawasih Bay is the location for the largest (1.5 million hectares) National Marine Park in Southeast Asia. Acclaimed as the ‘newest’ dive destination in the region, the bay is more than 300kms wide, and has a 700kms coastline with several rivers emptying into it.

Cenderawasih Bay includes 18 pristine paradise-like islands and combines a coral reef ecosystem with mangrove and terrestrial tropical forests. Here you can find endemic flora and fauna, including the Birds of Paradise.

Diving in Cenderawasih Bay

Diving here is done by liveaboard, usually on trips of 10 days and longer. The resident whalesharks are the primary reason people visit this remote area. They are resident simply because they have a continual supply of sardines that fall from the nets of the floating fishermen’s platforms. These massive, slow-moving fish simply ignore any divers and snorkellers; it really is an amazing and unique experience!

The Cenderawasih region is a remarkable dive destination for large and small animals, beautiful reefs bursting with life, and a dozen WWII shipwreck sites across the bay. One of the most famous wrecks is the Shinwa Maru which lies at 16-34m, a large cargo vessel with two huge holes from bomb damage on its starboard side. Other famous dive sites in this region are Kwatisore Bay, well known for the whalesharks and Sungei Omiand, a muck site with a black volcanic sand seabed.

Cenderawasih Bay is a perfect remote destination for a sailing holiday and one of the best scuba diving destinations in Indonesia.

Cenderawasih Bay Diving Conditions

Diving here is basically good year round however the liveaboard ‘season’ is normally May to October. Heavier rain can be expected July/August and November/December. Surface conditions are usually calm with currents ranging from moderate to strong depending on the dive site. The visibility is 10-30m with the temperature relatively constant at 27°-30°C.

How to reach Cenderawasih Bay

Most liveaboards use the 3 small towns of Manokwari, Biak and Nabire as their embarkation and disembarkation ports. There are daily domestic flights from Jakarta to Manokwari, Biak or Nabire (with stopovers in Makassar/Surabaya and Sorong). Carriers servicing the area are Garuda Indonesia, and Sriwijaya Air. Another option is to fly from Manado to Sorong and take a connecting flight to Manokwari.

For more information on Cenderawasih Bay diving, dive resorts, transfers, and to start your planning, please contact AMD-B’s ‘Beyond Bali’ Dive Travel Consultants today. As always, they will be more than happy to offer recommendations and make arrangements to suit your preferences. Contact us on Tours@AquaMarineDiving.com today!

Bali’s Muck and Macro Dive Site

Posted on June 21, 2024June 21, 2024 by Annabel Thomas

Comment

Muck and Macro Dive Site

North west Bali

Secret Bay/Gilimanuk
This was Bali’s first and so best-known muck location. 2km wide, 3-12m deep; the only bay off the narrow Bali Strait (where currents can reach 7 knots), it acts as a large catch-tank for many larval and juvenile fish, and rare marine species. The water is cold; the fish fat and healthy! Unusual nudibranchs, Banggai cardinalfish, gobies, Ambon scorpionfish, filefish, puffers, dragonets, pipefish, juvenile Batavia batfish, Mimic octopus, Hippocampus kuda and many other organisms. Elsewhere juveniles hide to avoid predators, but here there are very few large fish, so juveniles have no need to hide. The bottom is fine sand with patches of algae and seagrass, some branches, coconuts (housing for octopodes!), cans, etc. Night-diving yields Bobbit worms, cephalopods, crustaceans, and frequent surprises!

Bayu’s Place
Visibility varies (can be as low as 10m), and the water is warm. Much of the area is rubble and coral, with white sand, although there are some pinnacles. It is usually very easy to see Mandarinfish, along with Pyjama cardinalfish, ghostpipefish, batfish, Demonstinger, many kinds of gobies (inc Signal goby), nudis, Pygmy seahorses, Blue-ring octopus, and many species of shrimp (inc Whip coral shrimp).

Pemuteran Biorock
This site lies right off the beach and is made from individually-shaped metal structures through which low level electricity is run to increase the speed of coral growth. The artificial reefs sit on white sand and provide homes for Signal gobies, eels, small rays, lionfish, frogfish and scorpionfish including Leaf scorpionfish and (occasional) Pegasus seamoths and Finger dragonets. Interesting night diving.

North Bali

The Puri Jati area
Bali’s current hotspot for muck-diving, PJ itself is a wide, gentle, brown sand slope with patchy seagrass, seapens and 20cm tufts of lavender soft coral. Vis is 5-25m, and the water warm. Frequent sightings of Common and Mimic octopus, pairs of Ambon scorpionfish, Flying gurnards, Emperor shrimp, Blue-ringed octopus, frogfishes, unusual Mantis shrimps, Fingered dragonets, wide variety of ghostpipefish, seahorses, seamoths, Demon stingers, Cockatoo flounders, Veiled melibe nudibranchs, juvenile batfish and lionfish, crustaceans, cephalopods and sand dwellers, soft coral cowries, various large shells, pelagic tunicates, the list goes on!

Nearby Kalang Anyar is a gentle, dark sand slope with a variety of seapens and seagrasses. Sightings include Painted frogfish, Mimic octopus and other sought#after cephalopods, Pegasus seamoths, eels. There are noticeable differences in some of the species, quite often the nudis here are totally different from those seen on the same day at PJ.

North east Bali

Tianyar
Located a little north of Tulamben Bay; the undulating black sand topography changes due to the currents and waves that can affect the site. The marinelife can be very interesting: Ghostpipefish, seahorses, Mimic octopus and Wonderpus, eels, frogfish, gobies and many nudis.

Tulamben River Bed
Depending on the season, sightings here may include Ornate and Robust ghostpipefish, Harlequin and Skeleton shrimp (both also found in the Coral Garden), nudis, juvenile frogfish, lionfish, Mimic octopus, Halimeda ghostpipefish, and a multitude of other tiny critters.

Seraya Slope
About 5 minutes south of Tulamben Bay, this black sand slope offers Rhinopias, Harlequin / Coleman / Tiger shrimps, many nudibranchs, Yellow#spotted frogfish, Boxer crabs (although very difficult to find them out in the open with the goatfish around!), ghostpipefish, stonefish, anglerfish, seahorses, and a school of barracudas.

Amed Ghost Bay
The artificial reef and sand slopes can yield Ambon scorpionfish, Ornate and Robust ghostpipefish, Mimic octopus, Wonderpus, frogfish, stonefish – we’re never quite sure what we’ll find here!

East Bali

Jepun
An extension of Blue Lagoon, Jepun yields Leaf scorpionfish, Solar-powered nudibranchs, many varieties of ghostpipefish and frogfish, Pegasus seamoth, Flamboyant cuttlefish, Rhinopias (eschmeyeri and frondosa), shrimps, crabs, Thorny seahorse, shrimpfish and Cockatoo waspfish.