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Triton Bay, Indonesia for Fisherman to Throw Some Fish Their Way

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Triton Bay, Indonesia for Fisherman to Throw Some Fish Their Way Dive Traveller t’s all a blur, green to the side Words and Photography and blue below. The lush, jungled by Brandon Cole coastline is unbroken by habitation and the sea below us is full of A place so remote only promise. Three days into our travel marathon to far eastern Indonesia— a journey that began six flights ago 600 divers per year visit, and ends with this two hour boat ride—I remind myself of the diver’s maxim: “A marine ecosystem’s but it will blow your mind! health is often directly proportional to the distance off the beaten path.” The t-shirt across from me pithily concurs: “Triton Bay: Remote, and worth it!” For geographical reference, if Raja Ampat is the head and beak of Bird’s Head Peninsula, think of Triton Bay as the neck wattle, and Iris Strait as the jugular vein through which the lifeblood of the Kaimana Regency flows. And that pulse is strong. This remote and remarkable region of West Papua has been proclaimed a “species factory” by marine scientists. That was all it took to convince a roving fish geek like me to travel 10,564 miles (17,001km), give or take. Tired eyes open wide upon submersion at a dive site called Little Komodo. Hundreds of fusiliers are flowing around us, a river of quicksilver refracting bright sunlight. Like a wave they crest, then descend to blanket a forest of black coral bushes glowing green- white. I’ve never seen so much of the stuff, and so shallow. We’re barely 33 feet (10m) below. We poke into the thicket to find bannerfish standing at attention and brassy cardinalfish sheltering amongst the tangles of fine branches that appear to be coated in hoar frost. Jack, one of the lead guides for Triton Bay Divers, beckons us onward, a hint that there’s even better ahead. When the current’s just right, divers can swim around the point to the flip side of Saruenus Island. KINGDOM OF THE FISHES Fisherman lower nets at night to catch anchovies and other baitfish. Whale sharks are attracted to the vessels and wait—with their remora counterparts— TRITON BAY, INDONESIA for fisherman to throw some fish their way 52 Magazine www.divermag.com 53 Dive Traveller We do just that, moving reef left pinnacles, coral gardens, walls, Healthy shallow Island. I’d happily repeat either of shrimp cunningly camouflaged on a The shark takes a series of mighty, symbionts galore, including spindle to Aquarium, where the shallows drift dives, sand slopes, and mucky corals, crinoids, yesterday’s submersions, or try a sprig of black coral; and a butterfly cowries living on gorgonians, are choked with swarming fishes critter sites. All of which see less and branching new spot on the west side where nudibranch so small and transparent emperor shrimps riding shotgun on cup corals. sucking gulps, and then glides off into both sea cucumber and sea slug, —damsels, baitfish, and different than 600 visiting divers per year. Rarely-visited the soft corals are rumoured to be I just dumbly nod, dutifully smile, species of fusilier—and nicely Using my own brand of fuzzy reefs make beyond breathtaking. But that’s not and quickly snap a photo without the gloom, only to return for more and clownfish luxuriating in the plumped yellow and red soft corals math, I plug that number into an this corner of going to happen right now. “Pintu even trying to focus. We bottom stinging embrace of their anemone sprout from large boulders. There equation that produces billions of Indonesia a gem Arus. Means door to the current,” out at 66 feet (20m), and then find different colour morphs of life partner. are also lumps of pink-orange cup fish in residence. Quick calculation: amongst gems Jack explains solemnly, pointing slowly work our way back up the Bargibant’s and Denise’s pygmy coral, like big wads of chewing gum the odds of fish-rich dives like we at the surface slop and mini- slope where crab-eyed gobies and seahorses, including the charming Strategic symbiosis stuck to this sweet reef by the sea enjoyed this morning are all but whirlpools. The current is cranking, decorator crabs await, flatworms “Santa Claus” variety so named There’s another form of symbiosis gods. Meandering about monolithic guaranteed. Sea slugs, too. The pushing our boat sideways one squirm, tiger shrimp hide, and for its red suit with bumpy white on display. As a bonus, the players rocks are coral groupers, oversized gentleman seated next to me, a moment and then bucking us up and upsidedown jellyfish pulse against accents. For those possessed of are bigger and correspondingly blue-ringed angelfish, and a polka- hardcore “brancher” who travels the down the next. We’ll come back and the fine, tan-coloured sediment. the second sight so commonplace easier to spot. We’re up north near dotted, slope-headed barramundi world diving for nudibranchs, has try again later in the week, when the Nearby Jack’s Spot, named for among Indonesia divemasters, Namatote Island, 16.5 feet (5m) cod. Rather than retreating like most already seen 65 different species door isn’t wide open. you-know-who, proves another search for the even smaller Pontoh’s below the surface, hovering next of its shy kind, it glides nonchalantly here this week. Across the strait we turn into a productive critter hunt. and Satomi’s pygmy seahorses. to a whale shark of about the same past me while I gaze upward through narrow waterway with dead calm Our third dive of the day, an (Good luck, we’re talking less than size. It is pointed skyward, with dancing light beams and the sea’s Blow my mind water. The walls of the passage afternoon splash at Tangga, 0.4 inches (1cm) in length and cavernous mouth agape. Dozens of ceiling to the shimmering emerald Tucked into an idyllic bay on are limestone islets eroded at the brilliantly concludes the macro cryptic to boot.) They’re both here, remoras are stuck to its milk white mirage of ovherhanging jungle. I’m Aiduma Island’s northeast flank, base and topped with palm trees trifecta. South of the resort on the waiting patiently to be discovered belly. Baitfish rain down from the mesmerized. My depth gauge reads the beachfront resort is ideally somehow making a go of it on Aiduma side of Iris Strait, Tangga, in the algal turf. Without a doubt, heavens. The shark takes a series only 13 feet (4m), so narcosis is not located to facilitate exploration of the jagged karst. Think tropical which translates into “ladder” for Triton Bay’s species factory works of mighty, sucking gulps, and then the culprit. This is simply a beautiful the entirety of Iris Strait. We head fjord from the Jurassic period. We the shelving steps of the reef slope, overtime in the pygmy department. glides off into the gloom, only to little pocket of ocean paradise. north again today, and after just five gear up, roll back, and slip down carries another name, Pygmy Point. I also delight in the site’s return for more a moment later. Denise’s pygmy larger macro creatures—a white These spots are only two of many. minutes we’re alongside Saruenus to explore Froggies, one of the Purple, pink, and yellow sea fans seahorse is less We swim alongside the majestic Over a lunch of tasty bihun goreng premiere muck dives in the region. in 33 to 66 feet (10 to 20m) host a frogfish actively luring, white than one inch creature, stare into cartoonish eyes noodles to which I’ve added a bit too Pinnacles, coral gardens, walls, drift Vis is a hazy 20 feet (6m). Jack multitude of diminutive sygnathid leaf scorpionfish, solar powered long and is often way too small for its bus-sized body, much fiery sambal, Lisa English, co- goes to work immediately, finding superstars to challenge your powers nudibranchs feeding on leather coral well camoflauged and fill a 32GB memory card with founder of Triton Bay Divers, tells us dives, and mucky critter sites, all see things I never could on my own: of observation and strain your to recharge their internal batteries, amongst its pictures to preserve the memory of they have more than 30 dive sites in a pygmy cuttlefish masquerading skills of underwater photography. and neon purple dottybacks home turf of this special meeting. Iris Strait and Triton Bay, showcasing less than 600 visiting divers per year as a bit of algal scuzz; a tozeuma You (or in our case, our guide) will flitting under ledges—and uncover gorgonian coral We found this gentle giant not 54 Magazine www.divermag.com 55 Dive Traveller by random happenstance, but thereby learn more about their A whale shark are more species of fishes and thanks to the traditional bagan numbers and movement patterns, feeding on invertebrates in Indonesia than fishing platform looming above and as well as assess any effects anchovies anywhere else on Planet Ocean. under a bagan, the helpful fishermen onboard the burgeoning elasmobranch eco- The corner in which we currently a specialized strange contraption—a bamboo tourism may be having on the whale fishing platform. find ourselves is a microcosm of scaffolding extending out from sharks. Citizen scientists can aid in Whale sharks are outsized proportions, biologically both sides of the boat sandwiched the ongoing conservation efforts. attracted to the speaking. Preeminent ichthyologist in between. A clever, mutually The resort encourages guests to boats and often Dr. Gerry Allen counted a mind- beneficial partnership between share pictures and video to help suck on the full boggling 330 different fish species man, shark, and dive tourist has build CI’s database of identification nets attached on a single dive at Tanjung Papisoi been forged over the last few years.
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