Saturday 25th July 2015
Yesterday was an
excessively Attenborough Day for 2XS. In
the morning we went diving, with Barefoot Conservation, based on Pulau Arborek.
Our dive master
was wonderful José Cortez (formerly of Lisbon.)
He is a joyful man, and the most careful dive master I have ever come
across.
Gita, who also
works for Barefoot Conservation, came with us, and also Paul and Michelle, from
the Czech Republic.
We had the most
fabulous morning.
First up – the
manta cleaning station, where mantas can be expected at certain times of day,
cleaning themselves on a cluster of coral outcrops, with the help of keen
little specialist fish. We did not have
high hopes – the mantas do not always turn up to schedule.
 |
| Pete with MantaFriend |
But – joy! We spent an hour with at least two
(recurring) or possibly six beautiful mantas.
 |
| Marguerite - at home in the deep! |
They weren’t in
the least bothered by our presence, although they didn’t hang around and dance
wingtip to fingertip, as did my very own beautiful manta near the jetty on
Arborek.
Michelle and Paul were
so very delighted. They love diving, and
try to go somewhere warm with beautiful coral and fish every year. They said that yes it is possible to dive in
the Czech Republic, in the lakes. But…it is cold, dark and muddy… Hmmm…I can
understand why they saved up to come to Raja Ampat. And I am very pleased the mantas came out to
play.
 |
| Marguerite and MantaFriend |
 |
| Pete and Marguerite, creatures of The Deep! |
After a
restorative cup of tea on a little beach on Mansuar Island, we got back in the
water to dive along a steep reef wall.
Before we got in José said, firmly.
“Here you will see beautiful beautiful coral. NOT just coral, but BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL
CORAL.”
And he was
right…it was glorious.
 |
| Pete along thereef wall |
The photos are all
down to Gita. She snapped away and took
great shots, I think.
 |
| nudibranch |
She saw lots of
nudibranchs, which I particularly love.
I am embarrassed to say I only saw one of them…the rest of them were
seen by Gita’s eyes only… They are very small and I haven’t trained my eyes to
notice them in amongst all of the colour and spectacle on the coral reefs.
 |
| Another nudibranch |
00 degrees 39.176S
130 degrees 17.372E
Pulau Fam
4.4 metres depth
Sand patches amongst coral
In the afternoon
we left to go to Pulau Fam, highly recommended by other sailors visiting Raja
Ampat.
We arrived just
before sunset and I got in for a bit of a swim but…I had used up all of my
swimming energy. Also, for some
inexplicable reason, I didn’t really like it there. No reason at all – it is very pretty; there
is lots of coral; it was a good anchorage.
00 degrees 39.002S
130 degrees 34.625E
Pulau August mooring
8.8m depth
strong current
So we packed our
bags and left this perfectly nice anchorage.
Pete had met the owner of a new resort on Pulau Agusta, not far from
Pulau Arborek, on the jetty (while I was swimming, no doubt.) Mara had said, DO come and see us! So…we did!
The resort is on a
lovely little island, and has only existed for twelve months. It is still under construction, and will soon
be the only resort in Raja Ampat with a swimming pool.
 |
| under construction |
I think they need
a swimming pool because the glorious crystal clear water is a bit of a
maelstrom…I tried to swim but ended up clinging pathetically to the ladder.
The resort is just
lovely. We arrived, very fortuitously,
at lunch time and were invited for a wonderful Italian meal. (Italian food is my very favourite cuisine…)
 |
| Pete with Marco and Mara |
Marco and Mara are
very hospitable and we enjoyed sharing a table with a whole party of
Italians.
In the afternoon
Pete and I walked right around the island.
We saw the Leaning
Lighthouse of Agusta…
a majestic
kingfisher
and many squealing little
red parrots.
What a lovely
island!
Wednesday 29th July
AM
00 degrees 46.495S
130 degrees 53.263E
Pulau Batanta (mangrove) anchorage
11.5 metres
We had three
nights at Agusta Resort, in the company of excessively stylish, good-looking
Italians, who made us very welcome indeed.
Their dive centre
is brand new and all of their equipment gleams.
I think I was the first person to use the set which they organised for
me, on our first diving day.
Aaahhh diving…
Raja Ampat is a
perfect diving location. The water is
clear and clean, the fish are plentiful, the coral is glorious. Couldn’t be better if it tried.
After our dives at
Pulau Arborke, with our wonderful José Cortez, I was positively euphoric. I had made diving my bitch! Water was my element; the diving gear no
problem. Up and down I went, effortlessly.
We zoomed along the reef wall; I was so very happy, so very pleased with
myself.
Pride…yes it goes
before a fall…
Marco and Mara are
not only building their resort, cooking, looking after their guests, trying to get the
internet and phone to work but also they are dive masters. They take people out for two or three dives a
day, with boundless energy and enthusiasm and kindness.
On our first
diving day I mentioned to Mara, just casually, that I need a lot of weight on
my belt and that sometimes I have difficulty getting and staying down below the
water. My body has a tendency to pop up,
like a hot air balloon. OK, she would
monitor this…and oh dear…I couldn’t stay down at all… Mara had to link arms
with me to keep me from bounding inelegantly (and dangerously) up to the
surface. This must have been very
difficult; she probably weighs 45 kilos and…I weigh more than that…
The dive itself
was just fabulous. We swam along a reef
with so much sea life it was breathtaking.
Lots of fish (black-tipped and white tipped sharks and another bigger
bulkier one I couldn’t really identify) and a large school of barracuda
circling lazily. Fabulous coral; tiny
nudibranchs, and many turtles, which didn’t seem in the least concerned by our presence.
No matter how lovely
it was, I didn’t want to go in for a second dive. It was just too exhausting, and embarrassing
– I felt like such a liability, although, of course, Marco, Mara and the crew
were very kind and uncritical. So…back
in I went, with, I think, nine kilos on my weightbelt. This time I stayed down but I was a bit
unwieldy and found it hard to swim horizontally; I did a bit of flailing and
flopping, but at least I didn’t have to be led by the hand…The second dive, off
Pulau Mansuar, was just as fabulous – this really is a spectacular part of the
underwater world.
Sad to say my two
difficult dives took their toll. I have
been absolutely exhausted; wiped out in fact.
I hardly took any photos, and didn’t write any blogstuff at all from
Sunday until today (Wednesday.) Great
fun, I have been!
I did go with the
troupe on the next day, to Kabui Passage, our old stomping ground. Pete was disappointed that I didn’t dive but
it took all the energy I had to get into the water at all, or even, really, to
get out of bed at all, to tell the truth.
I had already swum down the channel, with Pete following more slowly in
the dinghy, but this time I followed the divers way down below, and enjoyed it
very much. (Not too much energy
required, to swim with the tide…)
We left Agusta
Island yesterday morning and met Marco, Mara and Claudio plus crew near a
beautiful little island about one hour away, so Pete could do another
dive. He is indefatigable! He said it was wonderful, diving over a
wreck, with an almost completely intact plane – the pilot had managed to ditch
the plane and swim to the island.
PM
00 degrees 52.967S
131 degrees14.204E
Pulau Doom
14.7
metres
And now we are
away from the beautiful little islands with the clear blue water…back at Pulau
Doom, near Sorong, ready for another step in The Adventure!
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