I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah Porter, who is a journalist for The Jakarta Post, when I worked as Dive Resort Manager for Bastianos Dive Resorts in Indonesia. She arrived at the dive resort with two friends who decided to do their PADI Open Water Diver course with me, while Sarah tagged along on our training dives.

We had lots of fun during the course and saw loads of exciting marine life. They left as a happy bunch after their course was done and I went on with my work. A while later I discovered that I was mentioned in The Jakarta Post, as Sarah had written an article about the experience! So here it is:

Tucked away on a treasured island

Features – January 13, 2008

An unforgettable holiday in Indonesia needs nothing more than a still volcano, a village disco, internationally recognized tropical reefs and a pack of playing cards. Sarah Porter reports from Pulau Bunaken, North Sulawesi.

The sound of the old boat’s engine churned and groaned, sending gentle vibrations through the bow’s crackling timber planks, where six of us lay like lazy lizards under a sun we hadn’t seen or felt for far too long.

The office and work stresses of Jakarta were moving behind us and our holiday had begun. The slap of the Sulawesi Sea against the boat’s hull was inviting us to disappear.

No one stayed below deck. The view north already held a spectacular promise; yet another of Indonesia’s awesome old volcanoes, Manado Tua, was already in full sight.

For some, the one-hour boat trip to Pulau Bunaken — Bunaken Island — from North Sulawesi’s capital Manado was filled with a mixture of fear and dread, excitement and nerves. This holiday would see us take that plunge and learn to scuba dive.

For others, it was a break to heal pollution-locked Jakartan lungs, to get away from the city’s traffic and noise, and to feel the sun against a bit of naked skin.

A few on board had dived before and would again at Bunaken. Others had no intention of testing potential claustrophobic tendencies and were armed with nothing more than suntan lotion and a book.

The snorkeling and dive base we were headed for, Bunaken Island, is just one of the tropical treasures that make up Bunaken National Marine Park, and is ranked among the world’s top 10 spots to dive. But there would be something for everyone, we had been promised.

The park has an ecosystem and marine life second to none in Indonesia and an underwater world that is allegedly one of the best the earth has to offer.

The official tourism website for North Sulawesi says the park covers a total surface area of 89,065 hectares, 97 percent of which is underwater. The rest is made up of five islands including Siladen, Bunaken, Mantehage, Nain and Manado Tua, the old and apparently haunted volcano.

It also boasts Indonesia’s flagship environmental program. Positive efforts to stop illegal fishing (including the use of bombing and cyanide) and prevent destruction of precious coral reefs are in part thanks to funds from a tourist entrance fee, collected and managed by the North Sulawesi Watersports Association.

The association works with the some 30 villages in the national park, interested parties and government agencies to help fund programs run by the Marine Environmental Education Center on Bunaken Island.

For tourists wanting to know where their national park entrance fee goes, unlike so much of the archipelago’s administration efforts, official reports suggest environmental activities and educational programs are making a difference — because the money is actually being reaching its intended destination.

In 2006, gold mine operators succumbed to pressure from activists and the local community and reversed a decision to dump waste into the sea between the national park and the Lembeh Strait.

North Sulawesi’s children are being educated on the importance of sustaining their coral surrounds, and in 2007, a turtle hatchery was established on a section of the national park’s beach where turtles come ashore to lay their eggs.

Unfortunately, the rubbish that makes its way from Manado to the national park and beyond is nothing less than unforgivable and the regular water shortages where we stayed at Bastianos Dive Resort on the southern side of Bunaken Island were reportedly a reflection of poor water management across the park.

But at the time of our visit, the country was suffering a drought and at least one of the staff at Bastianos told me he had made himself unpopular by insisting on better water management practices across the island — and that his efforts alone were working.

Despite everything there is to read and hear about this far northern tip of Indonesia — brooding volcanoes, untouched hinterlands, white sands and tropically blue waters — our arrival to the shores of Bunaken took us a little by surprise.

Having only ever completed a fun dive in Australia and on the Great Barrier Reef, I immediately wanted to find out how far away from the resort we would travel the next day for our first PADI lesson.

The spot we’d booked didn’t look all that spectacular, the beach was covered in rubbish, the tide was out, the mangroves looked sick and the water murky.

Dogs and campfires were visible only a few kilometers up the beach and kids were running around the not-so-pretty-sand playing with broken fishing nets and old tires.

The dive boats I could see anchored just off the beach were open timber vessels in desperate need of a paint job and I wasn’t the only one looking sideways to see if we had come to the right spot.

This place is famous, though, we said to one another. The Lonely Planet and every other publication we’d referred to couldn’t have it all wrong?

But Bastianos Dive Resort doesn’t advertise itself as a five-star beach holiday destination, and a couple of accommodation spots on the island actually turn away non-divers.

The island is not a tropical getaway to come to laze on the beach, drink cocktails and hope for something other than ridiculously unorganized food and beverage service.

The real surprises — and what we will all go back for — are hidden away and underwater, just like everyone said.

They are to be found climbing up the old volcano, trekking across to the other side of the island and getting lost, invitations to village discos, strange ojek adventures, incredible night sky views, boat trips for hours across to other islands, and wonderful, wonderful nights with a deck of cards, a new game, and some self-sung music.

Complimented of course by a few warm Bintangs.

Apart from our diving adventures and shared stories of resplendent walls of coral, unbelievably alive and with every inch moving — a near fatal sea adventure to seek-out neighboring Siladen Island and its new-ish five-star resort, was a stand-out adventure for us all.

Climbing aboard from Bunaken, cameras in hand, and excited for an adventure, none of us were to know one of the very worn timber boats we’d hired for our Bunaken-Siladen excursion was about to break down, in the middle of the deep dark sea.

But the very fluorescent phosphorous in the water and the view of the old volcano as the sun set itself across a haunting open sea, are scenes and memories difficult to disregard. Even if a few of us will never go to sea again.

Fellow travelers Yousuf Rangoonwal and Timo Thoennissen say they’ll also never forget almost falling off the top of the magnificent Manado Tua.

Their wet ascent one day included coming across wild boars (they think), fresh coconut milk and machete-proof coppice.

Their accidental ojek driver informed and warned them the volcano island was haunted and that by climbing it they would become sacrificial offerings, alive or dead. Both men today say they believe this now to be almost true.

And Australian Sean Stratton and Marco Fischer from Switzerland reportedly received numerous marriage proposals, friendliness to-boot, and palm wine hangovers, after an evening visit to Bunaken’s local village and annual street disco. Their story we’re all quite sure has some missing parts — and their photographs of crowding villagers, untouched beaches and unthinkable snorkeling left us wanting to know more.

But while others were falling off tops of mountains and losing themselves to the locals, beginner divers Sandra Furh, Daniel Schmidt and I completed our PADI open water certificate, passed our exam and saw our very first turtle underwater. I’ve not a clue of the names of all the fish we saw or of how Mother Nature dreamed of creating such an underwater world. Learning to dive for me was more than learning to breathe again, it was being put inside a fairy tail.

The highlights are too many, but our ever-so-patient Norwegian instructor Sean Nordbo said we were lucky to have come so close to a turtle he guessed was more than 100 years old.

The ancient sea-dweller’s shell alone was magnificent, and as I looked up to make sure the others were watching, and could see him, I wondered what he would say to us, if he had the chance.

Then as he slowly turned away, magically moving his flippers as if in flight, incredibly, I’m pretty sure, he gently smiled, and asked us to come back one day.

Finding Nemo, now, has nothing.

As a beginner diver, don’t go anywhere else than Bunaken Island. And do stay at Bastianos. The diving teachers and assistants were all wonderfully patient and absolutely committed to ensuring we learned to dive the right way — without a hangover, safely and with the most respect for our surroundings.

At the time of our holiday, Bastianos Dive Resort, telephone +62 431 853566, was charging US$22 per night accommodation for divers and a little extra for non-divers.

The open water dive course, a PADI certificate, was $350, and they charged $50 for PADI’s manual, which is useful, and helps you avoid drowning.

But send them an email for further up-to-date information and prices: info@bastianos.com.

Flying to Manado is possible from Singapore, the Philippines, Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali. Getting out to Bunaken Island from an overnight stop at Manado involved calling Bastianos and asking for help. They organized the lot.

Taking a ferry from Singapore to the island of Bintan, Indonesia for a relaxing break.

Being a stone’s throw from Singapore those who are time-starved can get some R&R just 55 minutes away by ferry. Bintan Island, Indonesia, offers all the beachside appeal of Singapore without the stress.

Bintan is just 40 kilometers from Singapore and is the largest of the Riau Islands. Tanjung Pinang, the Riau capital, is located at the south-western tip of Bintan. While its sister island Batam has developed into an industrial town with substantial Singaporean investments, Bintan has become the resort playground of the Riau Islands and is a favourite among Singaporeans.

Bintan is blessed with beautiful white beaches and year-around tropical weather. Take a South Bintan tour that brings you to the heart of this island that is Tanjung Pinang, Senggarang and Pulau Penyengat. Explore Tanjung Pinang’s fish and fruit markets; seasoned Singaporeans often haul home snacks and condiments by the truckloads.

Architecturally, Bintan is rich with heritage sites, clustered in Pulau Penyengat, centre of the Malay Riau-Lingga empire. These include an old Dutch fort built in the 18th century and the Sultan of Riau Grand Mosque which is believed to have been built with egg white!

Although Bintan, being part of Indonesia, is a Muslim island, Senggarang is a Chinese fishing settlement and filled with centuries-old Buddhist temples, making it a popular pilgrimage site.

Visitors can even opt for trendy eco tours. Explore a traditional Indonesian kampung (village) and watch how they weave pandan leaves and tap trees for rubber.

The big bintan outdoors
Bintan is built for the sporty traveler. Gunung Bintan is situated at 340 meters, the highest point in all of Riau. Once an active volcano, it’s now called a mountain and a must-trek for the outdoorsy visitor.

Lagoi Park and Reservoir is a large (14,7 square kilometers) reservoir that supplies potable water to all the island’s resorts, and is open to kayak enthusiasts.

For company outings, Bintan offers a menu of corporate training activities. Paintball is a big favourite, with companies playing out scenarios of team rescue and hostage situations.

For a more edgy team-building exercise, there is the Adventure Training Centre. Teams climb up a tower using tight-ropes and rickety ladders. Fastest team to make it to the top (and over the only way down is by flying fox) wins. It is unnerving stuff that is meant to emotionally glue you to your workmates. That may or may not work, but the exercise is definitely fun.

All-in-one-holiday
On Bintan Island, there are plenty of hotels to stay at – Mana Mana Beach Club is the choice of backpackers and swinging singles; Angsana Resort and Spa Bintan for girlfriends who prioritise their spa treatments; and luxury hotel Banyan Tree for canoodling couples.

For the family (or families) with multiple kids and maybe even grandparents, nothing beats Bintan Lagoon Resort. This resort is also a favourite with corporations due to its sheer size.

Bintan Lagoon is the largest resort on Bintan Island, covering over 300 hectares of ground, much of which faces the tranquil South China Sea. There are 473 rooms, suits and villas, all tastefully done up in a modern Balinese style.

The Foral Suites are built for honeymooning couples, with a jacuzzi and private sundeck, while the Forest Suits offer separate living areas for parents and an adjoining suite for two children.

For VIPs, there are two huge suits – the Indraloka and Swargaloka, which come with separate living areas, sofa lounges and executive club access.

Private villa
The best options for families is the villa. There are three types which vary in size and view, and all are equipped with a kitchen and BBQ facilities. The largest of these, the Angsoka villa offers plenty of creature comforts. Watch DVDs indoor all day or dip in the private pool in the back garden. The villas are located a few minutes away from the main hotel, so every villa is equipped with a golf buggy so you can get to the big pool or restaurants for meal.

If you’d rather have your food come to you, full-service in-room BBQ dining is available. For SGD 200, there is enough food for 10 adults. A professional “BBQer” will do the grilling for you.

At the resort, two grand pools, including one with a waterslide, are guaranteed to keep your kids busy for hours. The beach is just a minute away – relax with a book and gaze at the clear horizon.

The resort also offers activities in the unlikely event guests get bored: Archery, all-terrain vehicles, beach volleyball, go-carting, petanque, elephant rides, laserquests as well as seasports such as snorkeling, scuba-diving and jet ski. or just enjoy a massage in the privacy of your own villa or a sala by the beach.

Dinner at Nelayan, the beachside restaurant, is highly recommended. Take your pick from a huge spread of fresh seafood – snapper, prawn, lobster – or sirloin steaks for meat eaters. Your selection is freshly grilled and served with a buffet of salads, starches and dessert.

Work of all that food in the championship 18-hole golf courses. Both are designed by golf legends, Jack Nicklaus and Ian Baker-Finsh. Each offer different terrain, landscapes and water hazards to challenge golfers of all standards.

Where to stay:
Bintan Lagoon Resort
Jalan Indera Segara, Bintan Utara,
Lagoi, Riau, Indonesia

Telephone: +62 (0) 770 691388 (Indonesia)
or: +65 6750 2280 (Singapore)

Things to do:
BRC Nature and Heritage Tours
Telephone: +62 (0) 770 692092 (Indonesia)

I’ve been on my holiday for five solid weeks now so I guess it is time to update my diary. Not everything has worked out as planned during my leave from work, but I have been to new places and met some really amazing people along the way.

My journey started from Phi Phi Islands in the beginning of March. I left the on the morning ferry and went straight from the harbor to the airport in Phuket. As I had no ticket when I arrived I looked trough the options with the different companies. Tickets from Phuket to Bangkok can be found for as low as 1700 Thai Baht, but I had to pay 2975 Thai Baht as the only flight available with reasonable waiting time was with Thai Airways.

BANGKOK
I had already found a couple of telephone numbers to hotels when I arrived in Bangkok in the early afternoon. The hotels I called was Majestic Suites, Grand Business Inn and Dynasty Inn, and the only one with available rooms was Dynasty Inn so I headed there. The price was 1480 Thai Baht for a room in the new building. I stayed in the old building before and did not like the room at all, so it was a nice surprise to see that the rooms in the new building was much nicer.

My only reason for travelling from Phuket to Bangkok was a digital camera and waterproof casing from Canon. I bought the system in Singapore just two months earlier, and on my fourth dive the waterproof casing got flooded. That resulted in a camera full of sea water so it couldn’t be used again. I suspected the waterproof casing to be faulty as it flooded when I took it on some test dives later without the camera. So I contacted Canon in Thailand and was told that I could send it to them.

I thought that an even idea then sending it to them would be to bring it to them. I went to the offices of Canon in Thailand on a Tuesday and told them that I needed it back by Friday as I had a airline ticket to Singapore that day. Was told by the assistant manager that it would be no problem and even got his cellular number. Friday came and I heard nothing, and after loads of calls from me that went unanswered I had to cancel my airline ticket. Tried to make contact trough the weekend as well but with no luck. On monday I was able to get hold of them, but the assistant manager was not willing to talk to me. I guess he was embarrassed. So I got the manager on the phone and he told me that they had done nothing as they had no instrument test with in Bangkok. I just couldn’t belive it as they could have told me that before I came to Bangkok and visited their offices.

SINGAPORE
After a wasted week in Bangkok I made a reservation on a Air Asia flight to Singapore. I paid 3140 Thai Baht for the ticket. Arrived in Singapore very late on a Tuesday and the hunt for a hotel started immediately. Singapore often got conventions going on so I normally make a reservation for a hotel before I arrive there. The only available option when I arrived without reservation was Carlton Hotel. It is a quite nice hotel, very central location, but also expensive for a person who live in this part of the world with 270 Singapore Dollar per night (+ 21 Singapore Dollar for Internet connection if that is needed per 24 hours).

Went to Canon in Singapore the following day and delivered my digital camera and waterproof casing to them. Got in contact with the assistant manager there as well and he gave me his cellular number so I could contact him directly if needed. He could not promise me an answer before monday as the testing would require some time.

My next stop after Singapore would be Sulawesi in Indonesia where I had planned some amazing diving. And where there is amazing diving a digital camera is needed. I did have a digital camera already, but it was flooded, and I had no idea if I would get it back when it was promised as experience with Canon told me I wouldn’t. So I went to the Scubacam who has lot of knowledge when it comes to digital cameras and waterproof casings. It was them who adviced me to buy my now flooded Canon camera in the first place.

Scubacam adviced me once more to buy the same brand and model that had been flooded as it was the best option for me and the chance for me being unlucky twice was slim. So I went to Sim Lim Square and bought a new Canon G7 with waterproof casing and memory cards. It cost me 1300 Singapore Dollar for the package. My plan was to sell the package that I had delivered to Canon in Singapore if I got it back and it worked.

While I was in Singapore I went to the cinema and saw the movie 300. Not my favorite movie of all times but it was a good movie. The cinema was located in the new Cathay Mall and before the movie started I went to a restaurant named The Indulge on ground floor. A restaurant I can not recommend for anyone. They cheated me for money and the food experience was the poorest I’ve experienced during all my stays in Singapore. The amount of money I was cheated for was not more than around 10 Singapore Dollar but it still should not have happened. I was charged for a dessert I never had and they did not honor my discount coupons they had given me to get me into their restaurant. My food was cold and the only positive thing I have to say about this restaurant is that their apple cider from South Africa was good.

I like Singapore in so my remaining days was spent on several walking trips around the city and some great food at local restaurants. I reserved my ticket to Sulawesi in Indonesia on Friday, and the only available seats for the flight on Monday was business class tickets one way that went for 684 Singapore Dollar.

Monday came and the first thing I tried was to contact Canon in Singapore as they had promised me answers regarding the testing. Well, not unexpected it was impossible to get hold of anyone there that could give me any answers. What is it with Canon and customer service? Was lucky that I had already bought myself a new digital camera and waterproof casing so I would be able to take some photos during my upcoming dive holiday. The airplane departed in the evening and I arrived in Manado on Sulawesi at late night.

INDONESIA
When I arrived in Manado I had to buy a tourist visa for 30 days that set me back 25 U.S. Dollar. I collected my luggage and went to the waiting area. Had been in contact with a resort named Bastianos for weeks and got a really good deal with them. Part of the deal was that they would pick me up and get me to one of their resorts. They have two resorts and as I had made a reservation for a week divided on both of them they would give me all transfers for free.

As soon as I arrived at the waiting area between 5 and 15 guys was on me and asked if I wanted to go to a dive resort. I told them that I had made a reservation already and that it was with Bastianos. They just laughed and pointed me to a really nice guy. He apparently had not been told that I would be there so he was very surprised. The first thing he did was to get on the phone with the owner of Bastianos and was told that a car was on the way and that I had to wait for 10 minutes..

After 10 minutes a car arrived and I slept all the way to the city of Bitung. There a boat from Bastianos Lembeh picked me up and after a boat ride of 10 minutes we arrived at a very nice resort. I was welcomed by a German guy named Sven who was the General Manager there and got to my room. They have both standard and superior rooms there and my standard room was really nice.

Next day was my first day of diving. It was only me and a guy from Singapore who went out with a local divemaster named Bobby. The only guests on the resort was me, the Singaporean guy and a Swedish guy. I did 3 great dives that day and had a really nice time on the resort with amazing food. The day after the two others left and I was the only guest there so I got lot of attention from the staff.

Sven was a great host and I had all my meals together with him. So my days was divided between 3 amazing dives, food with Sven and relaxation in my room. After a couple of days I was told by Sven that the owner would arrive at late evening with some friends. So while we had our dinner they arrived and was ready for a good time as they had brought a guitar and some nice drinks.

I was invited to joined them and had the best time ever. Candy was the owner and she had brought with her Allan, Riska, Nadine, Ingrid, Kiki and Glenn. I became friends with them and the next two days was magic with lots of fun. Really feel lucky to have met them there and privileged to call most of them good friends now.

A total of 14 dives was done at Bastianos Lembeh and they was all great. The first 2 was with Bobby as divemaster and the 12 last was with a really nice guy named Winston as divemaster. I saw frogfishes of all kinds, scorpionfishes of all kinds, mimic octopus, several pygme seahorses, huge cobias, the largest Jenkins Stingray I have ever seen, electric clam, flamboyant cuttlefish, reef cuttlefish, pipefishes of all kinds and lots more. Never seen so much cool marine life at one spot before.

Next stop for me was Bastianos Bunaken. I went from Bitung with Candy and Ingrid and arrived in Manado a while later. There I was allowed to use Internet at the main office of the two resorts before I was transferred to the harbor. From the harbor it was a 40 minute boat ride to Bastianos Bunaken.

As Bastianos Lembeh is brand new and Bastianos Bunaken is a bit older there is some difference between them. But what Bastianos Bunaken lack in new buildings they have in a nicer beach. I had a bungalow on the beach that had been renovated just a month earlier. My neighbors was Kurt and Julie, a couple from Canada. I hung out with them most of the time and I did 6 dives in total with Kurt.

All my dives was done with a local divemaster named Steven. Lembeh and Bunaken dive wise is very different. In Lembeh there are very little corals and it is mostly shallow muck diving. Bunaken got huge areas of shallow coral gardens that turns into amazing wall dives where the walls are incredible deep. I saw turtles, two different kinds of sharks, pygmee seahorses, bluespotted stingrays, nudibranches, different kind of pipefishes, garden eels, moray eels and much more.

Next stop was Manado where I would stay a couple of days and wait for my flight to Davao in Philippines. I was picked up by Candy and she set me up at Gran Central Hotel where I paid 340.000 Indonesian Rupiah per night. This was a really nice hotel with free broadband Internet. First night I was invited to eat dinner with Allan, Candy, Ingrid and a couple of their friends. Allan picked me up and took me to a new and really nice restaurant. To my surprise Sven was there as well as he had a meeting in Manado earlier that day. After dinner Candy had to go home to her family and Ingrid headed of as well. The rest of us went to a disco and had a really cool night out. One of us got so drunk that a wheelchair had to be used to get him out, so a bit of alcohol was consumed. A friend of Candy had been told by her to get me home safe and well, so she drove me back to my hotel. I couldn’t belive how caring my newly found friends was.

The day after I was offered to go to the countryside with Allan, but I declined as I was rather tired. So I slept most of the day away and in the evening Allan picked me up and took me to a new and nice restaurant that a friend owned. There was Candy, Ingrid and a couple of more friends as well. Went home early that night as I had to be on the airport at 7 A.M.

Allan came to my hotel at 6 A.M. to wake me up and we had some breakfast at the hotel, before he drove me to the airport. I had to buy my ticket to Davao in Philippines there and he fixed it all for me. The ticket was pretty expensive at 130 U.S. Dollar with a flight time of just about 50 minutes or so.

Said good bye for now to Allan and thanked him for the amazing time he and his friends had created for me while I was in Indonesia. It is hard to find good friend these days, but I really feel that Candy, Allan, Riska, Ingrid and Nadine are good friends. Will see some of them on a dive convention in Bangkok in the end of April and really looking forward to that.

PHILIPPINES
Sat beside a young Swedish man who did a visa run on the airplane to Davao. He had married a Indonesian girl and invested 400 million Indonesian Rupiah in a fishing boat on Sulawesi and made a good living out of it. We had a good chat before the airplane arrived on the new airport in Davao. Tried to find a regular taxi but there was none so I had to go with a guy who owned the oldest car I’ve seen in years. He wanted 400 Philippine Pesos to take me to the city of Davao. Included was a detour to a ATM machine as there was none on the airport, and to be able to pay him I needed some money.

Took a while to find a ATM that accepted VISA cards, but after it was found I was taken to The Royal Mandaya Hotel. It was very centrally located in the city of Davao and they charged me 2200 Philippine Peso per night. My room was basic and not to nice, but good enough to sleep in. The City of Davao is one of the largest in the world if you look at the land area, but the city center itself is not that large. So I never used a taxi for the two days I was there, but enjoyed walking around.

Planned to do some diving while I was in Davao as they have some dive spots not to far from the city. But after talking to some western people who live there I didn’t bother as they said the marine life and visibility at the time was not so good. I spent my days getting used to the city life in Philippines and had some really good food.

The best restaurant I’ve visited so far during my trip was without doubt De Bonte Koe. It has a central location in the city center. The owner is a very helpful man from Holland who also own a great Spanish restaurant next door. You should not miss these restaurants if you ever visit Davao, I know for sure I will eat there next time I get there.

A couple of days goes by very fast so it was time for me to get to Cebu. I made a reservation with Cebu Pacific Airlines to Cebu the night before at the cost of 2321 Philippine Peso. The only available flight had departure at 7 A.M. so I had to be at the airport very early. Boarded a Airbus 319 with ampble space, and was served a pineapple juice to drink during the trip. And around 1 hour later I arrived at the airport in Cebu.

At the information counter a helpful guy made a reservation for me in a deluxe room at Richmond Plaza Hotel for the price of 1800 Philippine Peso per night. My plan was to get to Malapasqua and stay there some days to do world class diving. But when I arrived in Cebu and called the resort they told me that there was no rooms available. Tried to tell them that I had made a confirmed reservation several weeks before but was told that it didn’t matter as they were fully booked.

So I only got one day of diving at Malapasqua as I did a two day trip, but did not see the thrasher shark that I had come to see. Did spot a lone hammerhead shark in a distance and a lot of nice marine life.

The rest of the days in Cebu was spent as a tourist visiting all the regular spots, eating at some nice local restaurants and checking out some nice malls. Also met a couple of really nice people there that took pride in showing me their city.

Had to change hotel after a couple of days, and got a room at Golden Prince Suites for 1550 Philippine Peso per night. In my last hotel I had a deluxe room and in this one I got a standard room, but this was much nicer then the first one. Internet was also available in all rooms for 60 Philippine Peso per hour or 500 Philippine Peso per day.

Cebu was a nice place, but I was very disappointed that my plans to dive there for a full week did not work out. So after some days I made a reservation for a ticket with Cebu Pacific to Manila for the price of 2814 Philippine Peso.

Same kind of airplane as from Davao to Cebu, but on this one my seat was so damaged that it was very uncomfortable to sit in. My complaints was not heard as the airplane was full and there was no available seats. So I arrived in Manila with cramp in my legs and a back that had seen better days.

I bought myself a SIM card with a telephone number in Cebu for 99 Philippine Peso, so I called up Best Western Hotel La Corona when I arrived at the airport. They had available standard rooms with breakfast for 2600 Philippine Peso per night. The queue to metered taxis was so long that I took a limousine from the airport to the hotel for 530 Philippine Pesos. Arrived at the hotel after 30 minutes and liked it immediate as it had great staff. There was free wireless Internet at the lobby (that seldom worked), the room had all amenities that could be asked for and some sort of breakfast was included.

My only reason for travelling to Manila was to get tourist visas to India and Thailand. I needed one to India as my friends Wayne and Sian was there to visit our friend Jez who own a dive shop in the Andaman Islands. But when I got to the Embassy of India I was told that it would take a full week to process my application. Therefor I could just forget about a trip to India at that point as I needed to be in Thailand just two weeks later.

My next stop was the Embassy of Thailand to apply for a tourist visa there. The processing would take one working day so that was nice. But when I arrived there they wanted bank account statements, proof that I had a job or studied back home in Norway and lots of other stuff I’ve never had to add to the application before.

So even if I know it can be hard to get a tourist visa for me at the Embassy of Thailand in Singapore I will take my chances there. The reason why it can be hard for me to get it in Singapore is that I have been to Thailand very often the past years and they do not like that for some reason. But at least all they need there to process my application is one passport photo and it is free of charge.

I made a reservation for a one way ticket to Singapore with Cebu Pacific Airline for the price of 6800 Philippine Peso. Departure date should be April 14, but by a mistake somewhere my ticket said April 12. When I tried to call Cebu Pacific Airline to get it corrected I was told that I had to pay a fee of 3000 Philippine Peso. In addition to that I had to pay 6500 Philippine Peso extra for the ticket on April 14 as they had no cheap tickets left. So it would cost me 9500 Philippine Peso to do the re-booking after an error had happened. I got irritated and cancelled it for a fee of 3000 Philippine Peso and made a reservation for a one way ticket with Singapore Airlines for 9000 Philippine Peso instead.

I love unusual rocks and will travel around the world to see famous ones. I’ve visited Ayer’s Rock in Australia and the spires of stone in Greece’s Meteora area. Perhaps one day I’ll even see El Capitan in Yosemite Park. I’m also quite fond of diving, so it’s no wonder that my favourite dives in Komodo National Park are an underwater rock and a nearby rocky point.

Return to Komodo
It had been several years since I had dived the Komodo area. The opportunity to do a checkout trip with liveaboard SMY Ondina in preparation for a charter in Raya Ampat arrived rather suddenly. Within twelve days my dive buddy and I had made out travel arrangements, flown to Bali, connected to Bima and were sailing into the prolific waters of Komodo, Rinca and the Komodo National Park.

Lucky that we keep our gear packed for such occasions! Two of my favourite dive sites in the area are Cannibal Rock and Torpedo Point. Both sites are hidden in a deep bay on the southern end of Rinca Island and are further sheltered by Nusa Kode, which sits in the middle of the bay. As with many great sites, strong currents often prevail. Fortunately, these sites are somewhat protected, so it only takes a bit of effort to coordinate dives for slack tide.

Cannibal Rock
Cannibal Rock just breaks the surface at low tide. Its barren appearance is deceiving, as below the water is some of the most concentrated marine life in the world. The nutrient-rich upwellings produced by the meeting of the cool Indian Ocean and the warm Flores Sea bring in food for scores of invertebrates and fish. The rock is blanketed with corals, gorgonians, black corals and crinoids in an endless variety of colour. The sheer density of life is mind-boggling.

Red, purple and yellow sea apples, a type of rare sea cucumber, are quite common here. For me, they are reason enough to make the trip. At night and when the current are running, these fascinating creatures extend their bright yellow and white tentacles to filter plankton from the water. We found plenty of other interesting animals – lionfish, angelfish, fire urchins (sometimes with Coleman shrimp!), lobsters and decorator crabs among the cracks and crevices of Cannibal Rock. At one large coral, we looked on as surgeonfish stopped for a spa treatment at the cleaner wrasse station.

When there was current, fish were more active. I watched as a golden trumpetfish tensed, then released like a golden arrow set loose from an aquatic archer’s bow into a closely packed target of silversides. Small schools of snapper, surgeonfish and other species swarmed around Cannibal Rock, making every dive frenetic and enthralling.

Torpedo Point
As photographers, my buddy Tony and I were quite happy to dive Torpedo Point and look for macro life as often as possible. Other passengers more keen on big fish, sharks and rays went to a different site on the southern end of the bay. The first subject to catch our attention here was an upside-down jellyfish that scooted across the sand atop a decorator crab that had adopted the jellyfish as camouflage. When I tried to take a photo, the crab buried itself in the sand, leaving only its eyes and the jellyfish exposed.

Moments after leaving the crab we encountered a 25-centinmetre long Armina nudibranch, which feeds on sea pens. As soon as I photographed one creature, we’d find another, and another and then another. We spent one shallow dive playing hopscotch across the rocks finding various species of colourful nudibranchs, pretty urchins and loads of juvenile fish. At night creatures such as squid, octopus, cat sharks, lobsters, crabs and Spanish dancers ruled the area. Patches of seemingly barren sand in the day became dotted with beautifully coloured sea pens rising out of the sea floor. Tiny crabs, shrimp or gobies lived on most of the sea pens, as well as on soft and wire corals deeper down. Torpedo rays, which stun their prey with an electrical charge, were prevalent in the sandy shallows.

With our night-time vision confined to the beam of or dive torch, we discovered three frogfish, one yellow, one grey and one a brilliant red-orange all nestled among the rocks, and all of which we probably overlooked on previous dives. We explored the area for two days, then sailed off in search of other interesting adventures and discoveries among the rocks of Komodo.

An apple a day
The strikingly coloured red and purple sea apple is a sea cucumber belonging to the genus Pseudocolochirus. This filter feeder uses rows of tube feet to attach itself to rocks or corals in an area of high current, then exposes its feeding tentacles to the passing water in order to collect and consume tiny plankton particles. Sea apple tentacles are covered with mucus. Once a tentacle accumulates food, it’s brought to the sea apple’s mouth, sucked clean and recoated with mucus.

Sea apples can inflate or deflate their bodies to ride the current or undulate their bodies and “run” away. When seriously disturbed, they will eject extremely sticky threads, called “Cuvierian Tabules” from their rear ends, which then stick all over a potential predator. One thing most divers don’t know is that sea cucumbers breathe through their butts. Most people assume the front end of the sea cucumbers do the breathing, but it’s actually the anus which opens and closes as the animal inhales and exhales!

Pinsi dive ships
Several liveaboards offering Komodo itineraries use traditional “Pinisi” style ships. These wooden ships are made by hand, following time-honoured methods used by the tribes of South Sulawesi for many generations. SMY Ondina, our floating home in Komodo, was built in South Sulawesi on the famous shipbuilding peninsula of Bira. Construction of the hull took one-and-a-half years, all by wooden mallet and chisel. Shipbuilders first assembled the hull, held together by wooden dowel pins, then slowly pulled it into the sea. The standing rigging was then erected using a carefully selected three for the mast. Delicate sanding and polishing by hand was required before the ship sailed to Makassar, where modern conveniences were added.

Factfile
Getting there: There are many liveaboards plying the waters of Komodo and Rinca. Trips usually originate in Bima or Bali. There are also land-based dive operators in Labuanbajo which are less expensive but require long boat rides to reach most of the dive sites. Many major airlines fly into Bali from Singapore, Hong Kong and other Asian hubs. From Bali there are daily flights to Bima (Sumbawa) or Labuanbajo (Flores).

Dive season and climate:
Tropical climate, with diving possible year round. The preferred season falls between May and November. Although the water temperature is generally warm, it can become chilly. A 3mm to 5mm exposure suit should suffice.

Documents and taxes:
For most countries, visas are issued on arrival at Denpasar airport. The fee is currently US$25. There is also a departure tax, payable only in local currency and currently costs Rupiah 100,000 for international departures and Rupiah 20,000 for domestic.

Communication:
Most, if not all liveaboards have satellite phones for guest use, as well as USB and VHF radio communications. Mobile phone coverage generally not available once ships leave port.

Electricity: 220-240V, 50Hz. Some liveaboards may supply 110V.

Currency: Indonesian Rupiah. US$ also accepted in some situations.

Tipping: Variable on liveaboards. General range of about 10% of the trip price is recommended, but check with the boat operator.

Health and safety: Malaria is endemic in many parts of Indonesia. Although mosquitoes are not common on liveaboards, a prophylaxis is recommended for land visits.

Time zone: GMT + 8 hours.