Kategorie: News
Diving somewhere in the middle of nowhere
Divers are seekers. New areas or unknown destinations that no one knows about yet? Very good. That's exactly where we want to go! And if they have a mysterious name, even better. Forgotten Islands, that's just the right teaser to woo me to faraway Indonesia. Aboard the Indo Aggressor, I set out to conquer this unknown part of the island nation.
Report by Sibylle Gerlinger
Our travel weather is perfect, allowing the pleasantly sedate Phinisi schooner to leisurely sail us through the sea like a mirror; an absolutely calm Flores Sea . A liveaboard is always a special trip. Because of the extraordinary places you can't reach otherwise. But also because of the psychology. Fourteen strangers plus crew on a forty-meter-long ship and no one can get away. The common goal ensures that this does not turn into a disaster. Everyone wants to have the "best dives ever" and enjoy their vacation in peace. Within a few days, the group dynamics create a kind of temporary family.
Miraculous worlds under and above water
The first dives take place around Alor, the waters here are bursting with marine life. The abundance of nutrients allows a wide variety of creatures to enjoy a life of plenty here. We anchor in the channel between Pantar and Alor, directly above one of the local highlights. Anemone City is the name of the dive site that made diving pioneer Cousteau go into raptures. On the other hand, where was he not excited by the fantastic underwater worlds he visited all around the world? Anyway, an area the size of several soccer fields is completely covered by sea anemones. The current drives us swiftly and without having to move actively over the seemingly endless carpet of anemones. There must be many thousands of specimens, in which countless tomato and Clark's clownfish have their home.
Only one kilometer further it looks completely different. Muckdiving is the order of the day. This is one of these places where recreational diving becomes "muck diving". I love sand diving sites like these, which form a very unique marine habitat. Here the focus is not on colorful corals, but on rare and mostly small sea creatures. Bizarre crustaceans and wondrous fish, such as the lacy scorpionfish, colorful sea apples and whimsical frogfish specialize in this barren environment. On the sandy substrate, their bright colors stand out.
In the port of Kalabahi, food is once again bunkered. We use the shore leave for a visit to the Takpala Village. Here lives the Abui tribe, who call themselves "mountain people". Their simple life, the passionate traditional dances and warlike rites seem like a far away parallel universe to our technologized world and like to deceive us that this is a performance for tourists at the end of the world, with which the Abui supplement their modest income.
Forgotten by modern times
We are heading further direction east and reach islands that are so remote that they have simply been forgotten by modern times. And so they are called. Forgotten Islands. They are located somewhere in the middle of nowhere, outside the usual shipping routes. Many are nevertheless inhabited, neat little villages hide behind white sugar sand beaches and lush tropical greenery. Satellite dishes at least already provide the connection to the rest of the world. Outside each one the sea offers us fabulous dive sites that hardly anyone knows about yet. First we reach Gunnung Api, famous for the endemic olive-brown banded sea snakes. And indeed we see them everywhere under water, thick as children's arms and actually deadly poisonous. The animals are curious and unafraid, yet so peaceful as if they knew nothing of their danger. They scurry through the reef landscapes like paper snakes at a New Year's Eve party.
Big fish in sight
After all the macro beauties of Alor we are now diving on stunning drop-offs. Close to each other the soft corals sit here like candy colored broccoli and stretch their arms into the nourishing current. The names of the dive sites are imaginative and promising. Dusburgh Wall, Nildesperandum, Pulau Nila. Schools of mackerel shoot through the blue, barracudas stand in front of the wall and finally we see the "big boys": Hammerhead sharks and manta rays move along the reefs, the consummate elegance of their movements always humbles me.
At the end of the trip the Banda Sea at Dawera Island conjures up another great fish show. "A bit far Rock" is the name given to the tip of an elongated reef, where the Indonesian fish world bids us a devoted farewell in crystal-clear water. Escorted by countless batfish that almost stick to our masks, we marvel at the fish ballet of thousands of yellow pyramid butterflyfish.
The experiences still echo in my mind. You never ever forget such a safari. You want more. Exploring the horizons, adding new and fantastic pictures to my head and chilling on deck between the dives as the island world slowly passes by. Further east, there is still so much to discover, waiting for more, even more unknown dive sites. The next cruise begins where this one ends. The Indo Aggressor sails this remote route of the southern Moluccas between the islands of Tanimbar and around the vast Kei Archipelago. Here, at the easternmost bend of the Ring of Fire, the deep Banda Sea meets the Seram Sea off the vast landmass of New Guinea. What might be waiting for us there in the clear blue beneath the blue surface? It could hardly be more remote. That's where I want to go, because divers are always seekers.
Whoever wants to, can travel with me when the Indo Aggressor is heading again for unknown territory from 19.10. - 04.11.2021.
Bookable at: www.waterworld.at
More Informationen:
Indo Aggressor on Taucher.Net
Forgotten Island on Taucher.Net
© Pictures by Sybille Gerlinger and Gerald Nowak