THURSDAY - RAJA AMPAT - WAYA

A lazy day today. This morning we went exploring in the aptly named Explorer through the maze of waterways which is the Wayag Lagoon. It is a very picturesque area of numerous limestone conical shaped islands with crystal clear water and numerous coral areas where the water is shallow enough to see it. It would not be hard to get lost if you didn't maintain a consciousness of where you were.

This afternoon, we set up camp on a nearby beach where the afternoon's program was glass bottom boat viewing, kayaking, mountain climbing and, of course, snorkelling. There was no diving today. The water in this area is not deep enough. The mountain climb was to the top of Mt. Pinado from which spectacular views of the surrounding area could be seen. A very pleasant time was had by all.

WEDNESDAY - WE CROSS THE EQUATOR (NUMEROUS TIMES)

As you will have worked out by now, the internet is officially dead and can't be fixed until the ship is next in Darwin. Apparently, they recently did an upgrade after which it intermittently worked for a while but no longer. I am maintaining the blog for our records but won't be able to upload it until after we get off the ship.

We spent this morning at Aljui Bay the very special and private reef area referred to yesterday and it was indeed spectacular. It was a little beach at the foot of a steep cliff and the cliff kept descending out of sight into the depths. Diving down the wall was the best we have yet done and snorkelling along the top was fantastic. I am using the strobe and getting some spectacular colour out of the fan and other corals. I have now done four dives with more to come.

After lunch, we went to Kawe Island where we anchored just north of the equator and then went exploring in the Explorer crossing back and forward across the equator numerous times. There is a monument on the island erected within a few metres of but not on the equator to mark its approximate position.

Tomorrow we go cruising in the Explorer at Wayag Lagoon, said to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. If it is going to top what we have seen so far, it must be outstanding.

 

TUESDAY - A DAY IN/UNDER THE WATER

As you will have noticed, the internet is very unreliable so I am not sure when you will get to read this but I haven't been able to connect at all for the last 24 hours.

We had a little adventure late yesterday in that, just after today's very enticing program was announced, two things happened. The ship picked up a rope and the route it was proposing to take to our destination was unavailable because it was full of local fishermen who couldn't be seen and avoided at night. That meant that would have taken two hours longer to arrive at Wagmab, our first proposed destination for today which meant we had to skip Wagmab after the big build up it had been given.

The captain had to find the first safe anchorage he could access this morning so that the crew could get under the ship and remove the rope. It was 500 metres long and had caught on part of the stabiliser mechanism. That turned out to be very fortuitous in that the crew went exploring and found an idyllic snorkelling and diving spot near where we anchored to remove the rope so we had just as good an experience as we would have done had we been able to get to Wagmab.

We then relocated to this afternoon's spot being an absolutely idyllic part of the archipelago accessed via the Mesemta Channel, a long narrow passage just wide enough for the ship to navigate. I'm sorry I can't show you the photos. The above water scenery was simply spectacular. Under the water wasn't as good as we have seen but it was still worth a snorkel/dive.

I have now had three dives with another one to happen in the morning at a location described as a very special and private reef area where stunning coral awaits us. Sounds pretty good.

Tomorrow afternoon, we will be at Kawe Island where we cross the equator. There is a monument on the island marking the position of the equator. Apparently we will have the opportunity to swim across the equatOR.

MONDAY - ASHORE IN BANDA NEIRA

We are now under way again towards our next stop being the Misool Island Group where we expect to spend more time in the water. Tomorrow we have “water activities” in both the morning and afternoon in two different spots quite near to each other.

This morning, we spent three hours ashore having a guided tour of the town. We were divided up into four groups with a local guide. The guide leading our group was very difficult to understand so we probably didn't get as much information as we might have had his accent been less pronounced. All signage was in Indonesian. Nonetheless it was quite interesting and we certainly got plenty of exposure to the local very basic lifestyle. The roads are very narrow but adequate for motor bikes being the commonly used transportation. The only other roadworthy vehicles we saw were one jackaroo and two small wagons used as ambulances.

We learnt more of the turbulent history of the area and about the growing and processing of spices, particularly nutmeg. It is still happening here but at a very modest level. Both last night and today, we were joined by a group of school children who are quite keen to show off their limited English conversation skill. They do an introduction which they have obviously learnt. Once you stray too far from the words they have learnt, they no longer understand.

Notwithstanding their turbulent history, the people are delightfully friendly and gentle.

SUNDAY - BANDA NEIRA

After another comfortable night at sea, we arrived at our first destination this morning – Banda Neira. We were welcomed by two dragon boats crewed by about 30 of the local men. Unfortunately I can't show you the photos. After they escorted us into the harbour, they brought their boats up to the stern of the ship and each rower received a soft drink from the crew. That is apparently their reward for welcoming us.

Shortly after, the Indonesian officials came aboard to check our paperwork. It must have been OK. We have heard nothing about it.

This afternoon, we went went for a fabulous dive and snorkel at a local lava flow site. There is a volcano which last erupted in 1988 causing lava to flow down into the water. As you would expect, the lava flow on the land is sterile solid lava. Under the water, it has caused the coral which it originally covered and destroyed to grow spectacularly. Again, unfortunately, I can't show you the pictures but it was a brilliant snorkelling and diving site. There are eight certified divers on the boat. Just a comfortable number for a dive.

This evening, we go ashore to have drinks at the historic Dutch fort which overlooks the town. The Dutch took control of the area in the 1500's and killed most of the locals – very barbaric. They wanted to monopolize the spice trade. At that time, spices which were highly valued could only be grown in this part of the world – the Spice Islands. To this day the Dutch are very much hated for that piece of history.

Tomorrow, we spend time exploring the local area and then head off to another snorkelling and diving area.

SATURDAY - UNDER WAY

We were able to dodge the rain showers yesterday to get on board the boat without getting wet. We are now comfortably camped in our cabin and enjoying the hospitality of the ship and it crew. The ship has a passenger capacity of 70. The number on board appear to be fairly close to that.

We left Darwin at 5:00 pm and spent last night and will be spending today at sea. Our destination this evening is Bandar where the fun stuff will start tomorrow. The sea conditions are reasonably comfortable. There was a good crowd at breakfast this morning so, unlike the trip to Antarctica, seasickness doesn't seem to be an issue.

 

The internet is terribly slow so photos won't be an option unless it improves.

THURSDAY – ST PATRICK'S DAY - FIRST DAY OF THE WEST PAPUA ADVENTURE

The blog is back. This time for the purpose of recording our postponed adventure exploring the Spice Islands and whale sharks of West Papua.

We arrived at out hotel early in the morning of St. Patrick's Day and were collected five hours later for a day trip to Kakadu. Having seen it in the dry when we last tried to go on our West Papua cruise in November last year, we were keen to see it in the wet, and we did.

The wet season here hasn't been particularly wet but, thanks to the low pressure system in the Gulf which didn't become a cyclone as threatened, there was plenty of rain on the Arnhem Plateau which meant that the water falls were pumping.

We tried to do a scenic flight when we were here in November but couldn't make it happen. That worked out for the best because we were able to do a scenic flight yesterday and saw the Jim Jim and other falls in full flight. The gorge at the bottom of the falls where we swam last time in idyllic peaceful conditions was a raging torrent obscured by mist from the falls.

 

We also did the same cruise at Yellow Water that we did last time but how different. The water was about two metres deeper. The walkways we used last time were under water. There were water lillies everywhere and no muddy banks for crocs to lie on.

The whole area was under water and there was very little wildlife to be seen because it was able to spread out and not be concentrated in the relatively narrow channels as it was last time. The poor old tourists didn't see one croc. We were very fortunate to be able to experience the difference between the wet and dry seasons.

 

We board the Coral Discoverer at four this afternoon. If our voyage is anywhere near as pleasant as the Kimberley trip we did on the same ship several years ago, it will be fantastic.