coraltriangleadventures

From the rare and bizarre to the beautiful and breathtaking, the animals seen on this trip were incredible. In just over a week on the water, we snorkeled our way from Waigeo in the north down to the island of Misool in the south.
 

After we all met up in Jakarta and flew east to Sorong, we boarded the Gaia Love, a gorgeous and spacious vessel that would serve as our home for the following week of snorkeling. As we cruised north across the Dampier Strait on the first day, we were greeted by shearwaters and frigate birds soaring over the water and a pod of Spinner Dolphins alongside the boat.

With the travel day behind us, we awoke in Alyui Bay to start our snorkeling. Right from the get-go, we were seeing colorful critters from nudibranchs and peacock mantis shrimp to a myriad of brilliant reef fish. After lunch, we were able to visit a local pearl farm and witness the impressive dexterity required to extract pearls from oysters, before hopping back in the water to find more nudibranchs and our first of many Banded Sea Kraits. The next day, we stayed in Alyui, and we hit the critter jackpot: Reef stonefish, spiny devilfish, seahorses, and even the incredibly rare flamboyant cuttlefish! When anyone got close to this marvelous little cephalopod, it instantly changed from camouflaged brown to a bold palette of white, yellow, black, and pink. Here we also had great views of Tasseled Wobbegong.

After two days in Alyui, we headed southwards along Waigeo to Pef, where we snorkeled along a beautiful fringing reef and found a large mottled green crocodilefish and a tiny but stunning nudibranch, the creamy Chromodoris. We also managed to spy another rare cephalopod, the dwarf cuttlefish, hanging out in some seagrass near the end of the snorkel.

Continuing south along the western edge of Waigeo to Gam and Yangeffo, we found our third species of cuttlefish for the trip, the large broadclub, which dazzled everyone with its color-changing abilities during a long, intimate encounter with the whole group. Close inspections of Nephthea soft corals brought views of the adorable Minute Filefish, almost perfectly camouflaged among the soft pink cauliflower-like branches. Much less camouflaged was a clearfin lionfish, boldly perched against a large rock in the shallows, confident that its venomous spines would keep us snorkelers at bay.

Overnight we powered south to Misool, where we would find some of the fishiest reefs of the entire trip. Huge schools of Chromis and silversides swarmed over really healthy coral reefs, and a few schools of squid graced us with their presence as they swam nearby in deeper water. Here we also got to see one of Raja Ampat’s endemic species – the Raja epaulette shark, which is less than a meter long and looks like a leopard-print iguana. Our last evening in Misool, we hopped out of the water and into the dinghies for a little tour of the nearby islands. Sheer limestone cliffs studded with carnivorous pitcher plants contrasted with gorgeous turquoise waters, giving us all the feeling of being transported back in time, to some prehistoric untouched wilderness.

The trip ended with a “Bang!” on the north coast of Batanta, where we floated over a number of enormous manta rays at a cleaning station. With just a little bit of current to fight against to keep the mantas in view, everyone earned their dessert that day! The final snorkel of the trip was more mellow, with no current to speak of but still plenty of fish. A beautiful fringing reef along a plateau of seagrass and white sand was enjoyed by all, with chocolate-chip sea stars in the shallows and one last broadclub cuttlefish along the coral-laden slope.

In just a week, we travelled 400 nautical miles around Raja Ampat and were rewarded with spectacular views, pictures, and experiences that will never be forgotten.

Our next Raja Ampat departure is in November, 2020!

 

For the first Coral Triangle Adventures trip of 2020 we embarked on a special snorkel journey that began in Sorong, skirted the outermost islands of Halmahera in the Molucca Sea and then returned through the northern islands of Raja Ampat. The weather was spectacular throughout the voyage, entrancing us with glassy seas and just a light breeze each afternoon.

Arriving in Sorong from Jakarta, we boarded the Mermaid I, one of our favorite vessels that works with CTA in several Indonesian locales. Soon we headed north into the Dampier Straight and began our thrilling underwater experiences there at a small island south of Kabui Bay. The following day found us doing two snorkeling sites along the north coast of Batanta. The second site gave our group some fleeting but memorable glimpses of some unique manta rays. Feeding near our moored boat were several white mantas. Almost all white with black streaks along their dorsal sides, they seemed the exact opposite coloration of most mantas. In old-school film speak it was as if we were viewing negatives of the original versions. Incredible!

After an easy overnight sail, we woke up in an incredibly aesthetic part of Kofiau, an island group on the edge of the Molucca Sea. This was day of exploratory snorkels, knowing that few, if anyone, had ever donned fins and mask to explore the reefs here. Shallow, delicate coral colonies encircled the many islands in this group, two of which we chose as sites to investigate in detail. Javanese damselfish, Clown triggerfish, Reef octopus, Orangutan crabs, and many, many other reef animals showed their colors to us in this area.

The subsequent day found us on the southern coast of another stunning island group called Pulau Boo. Technically, these beautiful islands are part of Halmahera and again, little known to people outside of local fishermen. Quaint wooden huts sat on spindly stilts built along the lagoon here. Coconut palms dominated the small, sandy islands and again, shallow, fringing reefs meandered along the edges. Planktivorous fish swarmed above the hearty reefs while we swam in search of Yellowspotted scorpionfish and other rarities such as Leaf Scorpionfish.

As the sun angled downward on this stunning area, the Mermaid turned northeast and made its way overnight to Penemu back in Raja Ampat. Morning brought us glorious sunshine and excellent visibility while we drifted slowly along walls covered by Tubastrea, soft corals, and sea fans. Threadfin anthias reflected colorful light as they swam above Coral groupers, Lined sweetlips, Semicircle angelfish, and several species of fusiliers.

After Penemu, we repositioned further north into Alyui Bay. As always, this area provided breathtaking snorkels and many rarities as the underwater habitats here are the definition of unique. Just a few of the highlights in this area were Tasseled wobbegongs, Reef stonefish, a multitude of nudibranchs, and one of the most uncommon fish in Raja Ampat, the White-Bonnet anemonefish – a relatively new addition to the known species within this biodiverse region.

Two days later we did a special snorkel into Secret Bay, a well-hidden lagoon dotted by dozens of limestone islands on the north coast of Pulau Gam. Perfect conditions allowed us to gently drift over slopes of gorgonians and past bright orange Scleranephthya soft corals that lined the channel walls. Later in the day we experienced a wonderful snorkel in Pef, another group of rock islands, which was home to Pygmy cuttlefish, Signal gobies, Velutinid snails, Variable jawfish and even Ornate ghost pipefish.

The last few days of this magical journey were spent in the lush channel between Gam and Yangeffo Islands and then the famed Dampier Strait. Broadclub cuttlefish, Radial filefish, Pinnate spadefish, and schools of Two-spot snapper were just a few of the creatures of interest in Yangeffo and the Dampier Strait was overflowing with schooling fish and offered close views of Hawksbill turtles feeding.

All in all our time exploring the islands and reefs in the Halmahera and Raja Ampat regions was fabulous. We couldn’t have asked for better weather or better underwater scenery so undoubtedly Coral Triangle Adventures will continue to explore this amazing part of the planet.

Our next Raja Ampat departure is in November, 2020!

When people ask about our favorite trips we always mention, without hesitation, Komodo National Park. Sure, the park is beautiful and possesses some of the coolest lizards on the planet, but there is something consistent about Komodo; it is always epic! Our recent trip was just that. Epic.

The islands in Komodo are quite unique among almost any that range along the equatorial region in that they are almost devoid of lush tropical jungle. The islands not only reside in a quasi- ‘rain shadow’ (larger and taller peaks on Flores and Sumbawa capture a lot of moisture before it reaches the islands in Komodo National Park), but they also receive heated air from the Australian deserts transported via the trade winds. While Komodo does have a rainy season, the islands tend to have flora that resembles savannahs rather than jungles. Underwater, however, the story is much different. Ultra-lush coral reefs harboring some of the highest levels of marine biodiversity on the planet can be found just about anywhere in the park.

We began our tour along the eastern edge of the park, visiting several islands that showcase just how amazing the reefs are in this part of the world. On our first snorkel we swam with thousands of tropical fishes as they hovered above the reef to capture plankton as it floated by in the gentle currents, as well as some larger reef inhabitants including turtles and a large bamboo shark. Several snorkelers spent good time with a fairly cooperative juvenile rock-mover wrasse and were treated to a rare sight: foraging behavior and the successful capture of a crab!

Moving into the park, we had great conditions at our favorite places to snorkel, including a nearly perfect snorkel where we had close to 100ft visibility, a slow-moving current that allowed us to stay in the area but brought out all of the planktivorous fish, and plenty of sunshine to light up the reef! Not only is this sight one of my top destinations in the world, it was one of the top snorkeling sessions I’ve had on that reef!

With a few days of fantastic snorkeling under our belts, we traded our fins for shoes and spent the morning visiting Komodo National Park on Rinca Island. Much like our snorkels, the park offered us the chance to see adults displaying some aggressive behavior towards each other as opposed to our usual encounters where they are lounging around the ranger station. The group also had rare sighting of a juvenile resting on a tree limb, where it remains protected from adults until it grows large enough to defend itself. That evening we did our first of two night snorkels and saw lots of nudibranchs, a couple of octopuses, flatworms, and a long encounter with a coral cat shark that remained exposed on the reef for several minutes before continuing with its hunt for food under the cover of darkness.

The next day we embarked for Horseshoe Bay at the southern end of Rinca Island. With cooler water temps, we still managed to log a lot of time in the water and saw a huge variety of nudibranchs, fishes, and rare invertebrates like a blue-ringed octopus and basket stars. We also had the chance to visit the beach for some more encounters with awesome Komodo dragons. The next day we moved back towards the north end of the park and visited one of our sites that allows us the chance to ride swift currents in search of large reef fish, and then ‘eddy out’ onto a health reef flat where more gentle currents guided us around the island. Towards the end of our snorkel session, we had a manta hang out with us in the same currents that we enjoyed.

The next day we began our cruise westward towards Bali, but still had plenty of snorkeling days ahead of us. Gili Darat and Gili Laut, both on the northeastern tip of Komodo Island, offered us more mantas, another great night snorkel that included egg-laying and mating nudibranchs, and healthy reefs with a such a huge diversity of fishes that we felt like we were in an aquarium!

Our last full day of snorkeling was at Sangeang volcano and like many times before, it delivered on the rare critters! Ornate ghost pipefish, frogfish, nudibranchs, leaffish, and garden eels were some of the crowd-pleasers, with mantis shrimp, cuttlefish, and unusual reef fishes adding to the excitement. For an area that has little in terms of coral reef, this spot was easily one of the highlights of the trip!

On our last day, we decided to try something different. Rather than visit our usual reef, we opted for the chance to snorkel around floating fish platforms called bagans. While there was no reef, no bottom for that matter, it did offer us the chance to see one of the more incredible fish species on the planet: Whale sharks! And we had many to choose from. At our designated bagan, we had two that remained with us then entire time. There were four others nearby, one of them easily 25ft long! Our gamble paid off and we ended our snorkeling adventure on an incredible high note!

 

Trip Report: Snorkeling the Heart of the Coral Triangle, Sept. 23-Oct. 11, 2019

What an epic journey we just completed! Coral Triangle Adventure’s most recent snorkeling trip took us deep into our namesake, the center of the Coral Triangle, known to harbor the greatest diversity of marine life on planet Earth. From Flores through the Banda and Ceram Seas to West Papua, we explored the healthy, shallow reefs of many islands and were amazed at the underwater life discovered each step along the way.

After meeting our intrepid group of snorkelers in Bali we flew to the island of Flores, just east of Komodo National Park, where we boarded our striking liveaboard ship, the MV Pindito, which was to be our happy home for about two weeks. Overnight we sailed along the north coast of Flores under starry skies to Lembata Island and awoke to the sunrise illuminating the living volcano of Lewotolo. A protected bay was a perfect spot for us to snorkel a mushroom coral-laden reef that led to seagrass and a lush mangrove forest. An additional attractive site in this bay found us hunting critters, such as juvenile Flying gurnards, Pegasus sea moths, various pipefish and nudibranchs in black, volcanic sand.

Forward we moved to the island of Pantar and a current-swept channel that was a perfect home for literally millions of Threadfin anthias. At one point we were even able to watch as a pair of Blue whales swam within 200 meters of the very reef we were snorkeling! Next on our journey was the Pantar Strait, flowing between Pantar and Alor. This body of clear, blue water brings just the right gumbo of food and sunlight for its abundant, shallow reef habitats to prosper. During one of our snorkels here we had a charming encounter with local children as they showed off their free-diving skills and showed us their handmade dive goggles.

Moving along to Wetar Island we had close encounters with both megafauna and macrofauna. A large pod of Pilot whales gave us an exciting show while the nearby reefs provided hunting grounds for scorpionfish, ghost pipefish, Fire dartfish, and Red spotted blennies. The incredibly aesthetic islands around Romang, in the southern part of the Banda Sea, was where we marveled at some of the most delicate and healthy corals we’ve encountered in Indonesia – which says a lot! Later that day, as the Pindito began working its way northeastwards, we spent time watching Blue whales feed in the deep waters near Romang. This was by far the closest any of us had ever been to the largest animal that has ever evolved on Earth.

The distant volcanoes of Teun and Manuk (island of the snakes) offered more highlights for us with color-changing Broadclub cuttlefish, massive Bumphead parrotfish, and many, many Broad-banded blue sea kraits (Laticauda semifasciata) that languidly hunted for fish beneath abundant corals. The following stop brought us to Banda Naira, the epicenter of the extremely lucrative spice (nutmeg and mace) trade from the 1500s through the early 1800s. This was also an area that gave us wonderful views of mating Mandarinfish. Onwards and northwards the Pindito sailed, bringing us to the secluded Pulau Koon. Large schools of Lined sweetlips, Orange-spotted trevally, Longnose emperors, various fusiliers, Redtooth and Black triggerfish swarmed along the reef edge in Koon.

The final part of our snorkeling adventure brought us sailing north through the Ceram Sea and into the craggy, tree-laden limestone islands of Misool. This part of Raja Ampat contains some of the most beautiful scenery on Earth and looks as if it should be the backdrop of a James Bond film. Fringing reefs, beginning just inches below the low tide line, surround the hundreds of islands stretching southwest from Misool and we snorkeled many hours in this idyllic area. One of many attractions for us was watching elusive Mobulas hunting vast schools of silversides that swam along the reefs here.

Having covered over 1000 nautical miles, numerous tropical islands, and copious amounts of flourishing coral reefs, we ended our adventure in Sorong, Raja Ampat and flew back to where it all began in Bali. It will unquestionably take many weeks for all of us to digest all the beauty and diversity that we were exposed to both above and below the waterline over the course of this trip. While we may be finished with the snorkeling part of this journey the memories will stay with us for a lifetime.

Palau is where it all started for Ethan and I and every time we return, it reminds us of just how much we love what we do! The reefs looked spectacular as ever and our group of 16 snorkelers enjoyed every minute of our time on sites from the outer barrier reef to the inner lagoon.

We began our 10-day snorkeling tour with a special CTA ‘Rock Island Tour’ in Nikko Bay. Having spent many years exploring this incredibly scenic bay, I took our guests to several of our special snorkeling sites – which looked fantastic – as well as to a few hidden gems including unusual caves, tunnels to all-but-hidden marine lakes, and relics from WWII. It was so nice to visit the ‘old stomping grounds’ and see that the reefs we’ve enjoyed so much are looking, in many cases, even better than they did 20 years ago. After a fun-filled day playing in Nikko Bay, we boarded the Rock Islands Aggressor to begin our seven-day exploration of Palau from the comfort of a truly superb liveaboard.

We started at the southern end of the barrier reef with a visit to Ngedebus Coral Gardens and Turtle Cove. Both reefs offer an incredible diversity of fish and coral and we had good encounters with both black and white tip sharks, turtles, and a spotted eagle ray. The next day, we spent the morning snorkeling the magnificent reefs around Virgin Blue Hole. Our weather looked good and with the low tide in the afternoon, we snorkeled one of the most dynamic places in the world: The famous Blue Corner! We started at Blue Holes, a series of sink holes that can be accessed from atop of the reef and have huge exit chambers beginning at 30 feet deep. We hovered over the enormous openings and watched as the light bounced off of fish and coral below. With a slight drift to the corner, we made it there in time to see all of the usual suspects that make this site so incredible. Napoleon Wrasse, Black and white tip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, turtles, schools of barracuda, jacks, and, of course, the ever present schools of pyramid butterflyfish and red-tooth triggerfish out in the blue waiting for food to drift by. Was that enough to call it an amazing day? Nope! That night we snorkeled Big Drop-Off and saw octopus, squid, basket stars, and our special blue lights brought out the fluorescence in coral as if the coral was electrified!

The next morning, we went back to Big Drop-Off to snorkel above the 1000-ft wall during the day. Calm, clear blue skies and seas and a brisk current promised a fantastic snorkel. Upon entering the water, we immediately felt the energy of the reef! Turtles, sharks and thousands of colorful fish greeted us within our first few minutes and we even had a large “day” octopus hang out with us for over ten minutes. We drifted over lush hard and soft coral gardens along with the ever present schools of pyramid butterflyfish and red tooth triggerfish hovering just off from the reef to capture plankton as it passed by. It was indeed one of my best snorkel sessions in many years! In the afternoon we visited German Channel where shallow coral gardens gave way to expanses of sand where we found spotted eagle rays and white tip reef sharks.

The following day we planned our morning snorkel around Palau’s Jellyfish Lake. We planned for an early morning venture and it paid off with intimate experiences with hundreds of jellies in view at any given time. For me, I was interested more in the endemic anemones that prey upon the two species of jellies that reside in the lake (the endemic golden jelly (Mastigias papua etpisoni) and the moon jelly (Aurelia aurelia). I was hoping to see them actually capture one but only got as close as to see one that was already ensnared by the anemone’s tentacles. In the afternoon we visited Giant Clam City, and a couple of snorkeling sites near the Milky Way.

With only a couple of days left on the Aggressor, we once again took advantage of the great weather and visited another part of the barrier reef near my favorite island group: Ulong Island. The coral in Ulong channel is simply amazing. Blue staghorn and massive table corals dominate the shallow areas while large grouper, grey reef sharks, and horse-eye jacks in seemingly never ending numbers hover effortlessly in the middle of the channel. After a ‘Rock Island Tour’ amongst the beautiful islands that make up Ulong, we snorkeled at Soft Coral Arch where, you can imagine, colorful soft corals adorn the walls along a partially submerged hole through the rock island. We also visited a shallow fringing reef that gave us great chances to spend time with a herd of young bumphead parrotfish as well as almost every species of butterfly fish that can be found in Palau.

Our next couple days were all within the lagoon and around the area of Nikko, German Lighthouse, and Risong Bay. Risong Bay is the one place in the world where snorkelers can reliably see the colorful but ultra-shy mandarinfish. German Lighthouse was a required visit for the scenery (so nice back there!), and Nikko Bay for further snorkeling adventures around WWII wrecks and reefs with an amazing diversity of hard corals.

The general census from the group was that this was one of their favorite snorkeling trips of all time and I am inclined to agree. We had great conditions for what we wanted to do and we were able to take full advantage of that and see as much of Palau as we could during our 10-day snorkeling tour.

Like last time, we made a poster of all of the butterflyfish species we saw and did pretty well with 24 out of 33 real possibilities (the other few are either too deep for snorkelers or rare). Given the amount of fun we had, you can bet that I am already looking forward to our visit again in 2021!

After a short flight from Port Moresby to Rabaul, located on the northeastern tip of the island of New Britain, our intrepid group of snorkelers boarded the MV Febrina. Shortly after settling in the ship weighed anchor and we sailed towards New Ireland where we woke to spectacular lagoon scenery, surrounded by beaches and thick jungle. For the next two days we explored the fringing coral reefs and sand habitats that grew along this attractive island. The area provided our snorkelers with a special, close up view of several Estuarine seahorses, and those who waited around eventually saw one pair mating!

Next we headed southwestward, far down the southern coast of New Britain, a locale near Gasmata that rarely (if ever) has seen a snorkeler. A beautiful barrier reef protected a large lagoon with several idyllic islands scattered about. The varied reefs were full of life. Hard and soft corals competed for space to grow while small, vibrant reef fish, including thousands of planktivorous Redfin anthias and Chromis, fluttered all about. While at least a handful of anemonefish species were prevalent on every snorkel, the Bonnethead anemonefish was certainly a highlight seen quite often. This geographically-limited species is now known to be a hybrid and is often found living with Orange anemonefish or Orangefin anemonefish.

Islands within the barrier reef offered sand habitats mixed with coral reef and thus great areas for snorkelers to discover critters. A number of pipefish species ranged in this area along with Raggy scorpionfish, lionfish, flatworms and some gorgeous nudibranchs including the dorid Gymnodoris ceylonica. These amazing nudibranchs occasionally engage in mass movements into shallow water to spawn and we witnessed this! We found double digit G. celonica gathering on a sand slope where they laid eggs and searched for mates. On this same site was a Ribbon eel, Peacock flounder, and many Sap-sucking slugs.

The Febrina then sailed northeast, bringing our group to the lush islands within Waterfall Bay, one of the wettest spots on Earth. Yes, there was a pretty waterfall that poured into a shallow, clear river which then entered the bay. Reef-building corals were prolific in this bay and while we drifted on the surface we were treated to the sight of a herd of 30 massive Bumphead parrotfish grazing on boulder corals, Palette surgeonfish, and a few Napolean wrasse.

Before heading back to Port Moresby, we ended our snorkeling trip exploring a tiny, heavenly island, called Pigeon Island, just north of Rabaul. Just below the surface, robust, reef-building corals thrived on top of the reef flat but much of the action was found along the reef crest where a vertical wall dropped into the blue. Hundreds of species of fish were found feeding in this gorgeous spot. All in all, Papua New Guinea offered some wonderful snorkeling and certainly reminded us that picturesque, remote locations still exist on this water-covered planet!

We hope to return here in 2022 (I know, it seems so long from now), but between now and then, perhaps a session in Raja Ampat or Palau?