Indonesia 2015

Indonesia 2015

Raja Ampat and Gangga Island - march 5.to march 22.

Upper: Locate Raja Ampat - Right: Locate Batanta Island.
Under: Locate Pulau Birie.
(in local language pulau=island)

After the wonderful holyday we had in 2012 with Raja4Divers on Pulau Pef (on the map left) we were longing to revisit the area.
This time we chose one week with
"Papua Paradise Eco Resort" on Pulau Birie
and one week with
"Gangga Island Resort and Spa " on Pulau Gangga.

Papua Paradise Eco Resort

The journey to the island Birie was quite stressful:
Randers - Aalborg - Copenhagen - Singapore - Jakarta - Manado - Sorong - Pulau Birie.
Arriving in Manado, we lost contact with our luggage, and we got it first after a week.
But the staff that welcomed us at Birie was some really nice persons. They gave us shirts and other necessities and furthermore lended me all the divegear for free.
Now I could dive, and on the first day the underwater housing leaked - and I drowned Anettes kamera (:o(
Well, friends are a good thing and the american GP John lended me his extra kamera.
Once again on the road, no further calamities occurred, and we had a wonderful week at Birie island.
.

The arrival was a sight for sore eyes

The site was former a dense rainforest, and now it is gently opened and maintained for passage between the cottages.
Rigthmost you can still see where the jungle begins.

Between the cabins and the forest.
Entrance to the cabin.

The jetty and the restaurant.

The cabin has a wonderful bed, a bathroom with toilet, hot and cold water...
...and the sunset in front of it.

We had to use a day back in Sorong to buy clothes and what else we needed. Well, it was a bit of an experience since nobody understood english, but we got big help from the companys permanent agent in Sorong. He not only took us to the shops but also through the market. That was colorful folklore!

And now the diving!

Except this beautiful Frogfish, I frankly didn't see much more than I allready saw on Pulau Pef in 2012.
Well, it's the same area!.
.

To add a little color to the former gloomy picture, you can here see a Notodoris gardineri and a Chromodoris annae.
But if you want to se more of either Nudibranchs, Butterflyfishes or Anemonefishes, then click on the names.
Anemonefishes.
Butterflyfishes.
Flatworms & Nudibranchs.
.

...but I took some videos!.

First some leviathans of the shallows, the mighty Mantas are allways impressive with their 4m wingspan. My divefriend John and I were filming them on a cleaning station...
Take a look here.
...and these meter-long Bumphead Parrotfish are also awesome when they come in a school.
Be impressed here.
It's allways wonderful to be surrounded by these schools of fish in such healthy waters.
Meet the Fusiliers.
And at last a collection of smaller beauties.
Short videos.

Gangga Island Resort and Spa.

Left: Locate Manado.
Right: Locate Gangga in the red circle.

The resort is composed of many individual cabins scattered among the palms and trees in a lovely garden.
The restaurant is big and of international hotel standard. It's not like the cosy jungle-resort.

Anette on the path to the restaurant.

Our cabin and our sunset.

You can choose to swin in the pool "ad infinitum" - or from the beech.

Bauhinia. The flowering trees.

Barringtonia - the box tree - is a big tree where the flowerbuds begin to open when we go to the restaurant in the evening, when we come back they are open and the next morning they are laying on the ground
- sic transit gloria mundi!!!.

Plumaria.
Beach grillparty on fridays.

The diving was nothing to write about - it's for beginners.
But I had a daytrip to Bunaken and dived 3 times on these beautiful walls with a lot of turtles - when the next camera failed me.
SIGH!

...and here Anette and I are buying new cameras in the airport of Singapore!

Special pages:
Anemonefisk.
Sommerfuglefisk.
Fladorme & Nøgensnegle.

=>Emergency Exit...hvis du er faret vild ;-)


Between the cabins and the forest.	Entrance to the cabin.
	The jetty and the restaurant.
The cabin has a wonderful bed, a bathroom with toilet, hot and cold water...	...and the sunset in front of it.

We had to use a day back in Sorong to buy clothes and what else we needed. Well, it was a bit of an experience since nobody understood english, but we got big help from the companys permanent agent in Sorong. He not only took us to the shops but also through the market. That was colorful folklore!

And now the diving!
Except this beautiful Frogfish, I frankly didn't see much more than I allready saw on Pulau Pef in 2012. Well, it's the same area!. .

To add a little color to the former gloomy picture, you can here see a Notodoris gardineri and a Chromodoris annae. But if you want to se more of either Nudibranchs, Butterflyfishes or Anemonefishes, then click on the names. Anemonefishes. Butterflyfishes. Flatworms & Nudibranchs. .

...but I took some videos!.
	First some leviathans of the shallows, the mighty Mantas are allways impressive with their 4m wingspan. My divefriend John and I were filming them on a cleaning station... Take a look here. ...and these meter-long Bumphead Parrotfish are also awesome when they come in a school. Be impressed here. It's allways wonderful to be surrounded by these schools of fish in such healthy waters. Meet the Fusiliers. And at last a collection of smaller beauties. Short videos.

Gangga Island Resort and Spa.
	Left: Locate Manado. Right: Locate Gangga in the red circle.

The resort is composed of many individual cabins scattered among the palms and trees in a lovely garden. The restaurant is big and of international hotel standard. It's not like the cosy jungle-resort.
	Anette on the path to the restaurant.
Our cabin and our sunset.

You can choose to swin in the pool "ad infinitum" - or from the beech.
Bauhinia.	The flowering trees. Barringtonia - the box tree - is a big tree where the flowerbuds begin to open when we go to the restaurant in the evening, when we come back they are open and the next morning they are laying on the ground - sic transit gloria mundi!!!.
Plumaria.	Beach grillparty on fridays.