Chilling & Diving Heina Atoll

Heina is a small reef atoll on the eastern edge of Ninigo. The entrance is narrow but we made it through with a few centimetres up our sleeve at low tide - definitely one for good light. The water here was crystal clear and we wasted no time in getting our feet wet.

A bit quieter here, our lazy days were spent diving, swimming, eating crayfish and collecting coconuts.

We had varying techniques and degrees of success on the coconut tree climbing, including one tree being felled under the weight...

 Not content with eating turtle - we decided to move onto another precious species - the coconut crab. They might look bad, but wow, they taste incredible. Besides if they make us as cut as Rellen and his brother, bring me more!!! After a final BBQ we were waved out of the atoll and sailed south east to the Hermits.

Whale Sharks in Cenderawasih Bay

We continued sailing south, pausing at the friendly Napenyaur Village where we were welcomed by the elders, loaded up with bananas and introduced to the production of the popular sago dish.
At first light the following morning we were tied up to a nearby bagan  enquiring about whale sharks in between being welcomed aboard, shown around and loaded down with cumi cumi (squid) by the very friendly crew of the bagan ‘Putra Merdeka 03’.
Bagan - a large fishing platform constructed with a central long boat and timber beams floated with bamboo. They are fitted with drop nets, rigging and lighting and crew can stay on these for up to 3 months at a time with a fish buyer coming and collecting the catch daily. They fish at night using the lights to attract their catch. We have seen this style of fishing mostly in Borneo and Indonesia. The Hui Bintang (Whale Shark) is thought to bring good luck to the fisherman, who throw out bait fish to keep them close by.

While there was no whale sharks at our first bagan we enjoyed the visit and departed with big smiles and waves as our new friends took turns at sipping from our gift of arak (rice wine).  It took 4 more bagans using my little Bahasa Indonesia and sign language before we hit pay dirt. No sooner had the fisherman said, “yes, besar ikan” (big fish) and pointed below, before we were jumping in the water.
It was amazing! Not waiting for the ladder, I dived off the side only to have one whale shark gently come right up to my face. At first we were nervous as maybe we could be on the menu, but after a while we realized how gentle these giant fish were.

At one point Simon almost collided with one coming around the side of the bagan net, but it slowly stopped and waited for Simon to move before it continued on it’s path.

Jean was still a little nervous and hung back for a while before we could finally snap a photo of her. She was even more nervous when the Jayapura constabulary pulled up fully armed with machine guns and knives. Turned out they only wanted to swim with the sharks too!

The whale sharks were like babies, coming up to bagan waiting to be fed. They were covered in remoras and had a school of small fish that swum permanently in front of their mouths. It was an amazing experience to be able to spend so much time swimming with these gentle giants. Unforgettable!

With increased popularity and awareness of the Birds Head Seascape more people are visiting the bagans due to the good chance of swimming with whale sharks. While there are no strict regulations in the area that we could see, we respected both the whale sharks and the bagan fisherman. It will not be long before more and more tourists come… With time to reflect in the peace of our surroundings we hope that it can remain an unspoiled paradise in the remotest corner of the world.

The following morning we say one last farewell to whale sharks and fisherman and set sail with the first rays, headed for the east coast of Cenderwasih Bay on our way to Jayapura.

Into the wild, Cendarawasih Bay

Our brief stop in Manokwari was extended as we made the most of the friendly town facilities restocking at the local market, sourcing fuel and getting some locally made Batik fabrics. In between awaiting the delivery of fuel we were accompanied by a steady stream of children who swam out to the boat on various flotation devices to visit. 

Worth mentioning, fuel can’t be purchased from the service station in jerry’s. Locals have devised an ingenious method of getting government subsidized fuel and making a buck by fitting their large 4x4swith an easy access tank taps so you can fill up at the servo for 4,500rp, cross the street and empty it into jerry’s which you can sell to the fisherman and us for anywhere up to 7,000rp depending on your bargaining skills and demand This often means a long wait for fuel as each vehicle is only allowed to fill up once per day.

 The afternoon whiteouts and cloudy skies did not stop us exploring once we reached Rumberpon where our Google Earth images came in handy for finding our way thru reef in the rain squalls. Cendarawasih Bay did not disappoint, with steep jungle clad mountains to our right and countless islets fringed with reef on our left, we found mangroves and deserted white beaches with the odd dugout parked in the trees. Finding water shallow enough to anchor in was the only challenge.

As always there are plans and then plans when sailing and as we stumbled upon a small islet group south of Rumberpon we couldn’t resist exploring. A recon reef snorkel was so surprisingly beautiful we were encouraged to dive the drop off. We also took time meeting the local farmer and exploring the surrounding beaches for climbable coconut trees.

We managed to squeeze in a small hike to the top of a nearby hill, giving great views of the surrounding area. Jean survived the first of our walks, but needless to say returned hot, sweaty and covered in dirt. We thought we had better break out Thyme’s fine Kentucky Bourbon to aid recovery.

Jean must be a magician, as along with the copious amount of boat goodies she carried from the Kentucky in the US for us in her super small bag, she also managed to squeeze in this personalized fifth of Kentucky Fine Bourbon Whiskey.

Continuing south deeper into the remote, Jean and myself explored beneath the water, finding all sorts of interesting fish, sharks and critters while Simon rested, recovering from yet another infected cut, this time with fevers! What are we going to do with him? The locals were so friendly but being this remote we were keen to remain cautious and created a fictitious male, swarmee (husband) of Jean called “George”. Unfortunately when locals visited, big strong George was resting so they couldn’t come aboard. Many ignored this and at times we had over 10 people on the boat at once, all very curious as they never have kapal layer (yachts) visit.

In Nusaneer we met a lovely man who climbed the coconut trees and returned with no less than 14 fresh green coconuts in exchange for a packet of Malboro 20s. He ended up spending the afternoon onboard before showing us the local waterfall and washing area… Jean and I were in hair washing heaven! I’ve included a photo of Simon trying to light a beach fire. As most of you are aware Simon is not renowned for his fire lighting skills. Needless to say he’s pretty handy with accelerants.

Sailing onto Palau Roon we dived a Zero Japanese aircraft wreck one afternoon. We got some great photos with Jean’s new toy – the GoPro underwater camera. She quite cleverly catches Simon giving the wreck a thorough once over, luckily there was nothing he could pry off by hand. I was more interested in the Crocodile Fish sitting in the wing crevice.

It was here we came across the lovely Cedrick and the Black Manta tour boat. Given we had jumped straight in and dived the wreck first with our hookah unit we were quite surprised when Cedrick approached, inviting us to visit, supplies and assistance if we needed anything. He was free with sharing info on the Whale Sharks and I as I write we are headed south ready to look below in pursuit of the big fish – fingers crossed!

The Chilians in Raja Ampat

Before Scotty continued West on his travels, Simon had one more treat up his sickness sleeve for us. One morning, while eating breakfast outside I saw some bright blue gelly type liquid on the deck. Curious as to what it was, I asked Scotty if he had any ideas. Also curious by nature, he got down on all fours, dipped his index finger in it and took a sniff. It’s of quite an oily consistency he says, yes I agree bending down to get a better look. We put it down to one of lifes mysteries and carry on until shortly after Simon arises from his death bed with a blue stain on his foot. Further enquiries were made and it turns out that the medicine he is taking has turned his urine bright blue.  During the night while shivering and shaking and delirious with fever he must have missed and got the rail. Gross !!!

This is Simons humour in case you can't tell and being sick I've let him have his way - he's re-created it for your viewing pleasure!

Simon’s health was up and down like a yo-yo – dying one minute and feeling ok the next. After talking to our doc in Aus, we headed to the hospital for some tests, fearing the worst. It sounds terrible, but we were almost relieved to hear he had malaria – we could put a name to it, and this is something they treat everyday, being an endemic malaria region. We were anchored right next to the ferry terminal, only a short bus ride to the hospital.

Too late to let our friends Mane and Cristian from Chile know about Simon's health, they arrived and decided to stay aboard and see what happens. With drugs in hand, we headed a short way to an island where Si could take some R&R and we could explore. Sorry Scotty, after you jumped off we seemed to hit the mackerel sweet spot and Cristian was hauling them in – his first pelagic catch!

Cristian and Mane tried Scuba for the first time in the shallows of Palau Yum, before we headed back to Sorong for some more tests.

With Si still positive for P.Vivax malaria, we stocked up on a new course of drugs – supposedly to clear the parasite from blood and the liver stages and we headed back to Waigeo to explore the narrow channel between Palau Waigeo and Gam. We thought we might snorkel the channel so did a bit of a dinghy recon one afternoon – the current was so swift we struggled to get back to the boat.

The next day we braved the current and jumped in for a snorkeling joy ride past bommies and rocks covered with soft corals and sponges, critters, turtle and fish swimming in the depths and caves to explore.

This bay was a karst island fantasy with pinnacles, islets and narrow channels to weave in and out of. Secret bays could be accessed thru small holes in rocks and caves filled with bats abound. You could explore this area for months and still not see it all!

With Si’s health heading downhill despite the new drugs we decided to return to Sorong. Cristian and Mane jumped off and returned to Bali before heading for Chile. It was such a shame their visit co-incided with Simon being unwell – but we still managed to show them some of the beauty of Raja Ampat and even squeezed in some sailing, Cristian taking on role of skipper and Mane first mate. Unsure what to do next we returned to the hospital with Si where we decided to admit him for 3-4 days of treatment.

Just in case you have no idea where we are - that's us on the right hand side of the screen.

Wonderful Waigeo - Raja Ampat

Our stop at the equator involved more diving. This time some high adrenaline dives with swift currents and some big fish – we even managed to spot the Raja Ampat walking shark. Out of the marine park the boys couldn’t wait to get out the spear gun and catch some crays for dinner.

Instead of fireworks, our equator party included a call from Daryl on Metana advising that he had to administer CPR to Toni after she had suffered some kind of fit and could we get some assistance on the radio. Thru the trusty HF, we put out a PAN PAN and got NZ radio, who called Australia, who called Indonesia who sent out their Sea Air Rescue boat to assist. Nice to know someone is out there in emergencies.

Setting sail for Aus, we farewelled Metana and Gadfly for the last time and headed for a leisurely tour of Alyui Bay, sailing between a narrow karst cliff lined channel, diving with hundreds of solar powered nidibranchs at the White Arrow dive, visiting the local pearl farm, navigating through the mangroves to fresh water streams, collecting fresh oysters and checking out ancient rock art. We even squeezed in listening to the Sydney Swans win the grand final on the HF radio.

After a hot tip from the Pearl Farm and keen for some land adventures, we headed further into the bay for a walk up a mountain. We were surprised to find pitcher plants.

Unexpectedly, we've not seen a store now for about 2 weeks. Fresh veges were becoming a memory, lucky we like coleslaw and baking was becoming our favourite past time, homemade crumpets were a hit one morning. We were even resorting to desperate measure with the coconuts – taking from fallen trees!

With Simon suffering from the mystery illness again we made a push for Sorong.  At one point his fever reached 39.8 and he was delirious and shaking. Thank goodness Scotty was aboard, his calming influence was greatly appreciated – Simon spent 3 days in bed, arising only for entering or exiting anchorages or winching the tricky dinghy up before returning to his death bed. Simon awoke on day 4 with no idea as to where the boat was or how we got there! While you were sleeping, we saw no reason not to mix travel and nursing with exploring – Scotty and I dived in mangrove lined reefs, drift dived narrow channels with names like Citrus Ridge & Palau Yum where I spotted a huge sleeping Wobbygong, enjoyed bird watching and forest walking and visited a small island which resembled the south pacific more than Indonesia. Wish we could share the amazing diving but with no underwater camera – you’ll just have to come and see it yourself to believe it!

Amazing Wayag - Raja Ampat

After an awesome night sail of stars, dolphins and steady breeze, we fought the current into the picture postcard inlet on the western side of Wayag - in northern Raja Ampat (or West Papua if your still lost). Not far into the first bay we spied a small hole in the rocks which Thyme would fit through and entered a maze of clear turquoise water and small karst islets. You could get lost in here! 

The scenery in Wagieo is spectacular – an afternoon walk (read scramble and climb) up Mt Pindito says it all.

Dying to get in the water, we couldn’t wait for the weather to clear and headed out to some outer rocks where Scotty and I were lucky enough to dive with mantas while Simon manned the dingy in the swell and rain. A morning was spent weaving Thyme in and out of the small bays and lagoons while Scotty played spotter from the spreader with Gadfly in pursuit.

The weather soon cleared and our blissful days were filled with exploring – diving, kayaking, hiking, eating coconuts, waving about heavy artillery… The local policy paid a visit – Simon doubtful as to their true identity asked where their gun was. When they brought out a nice big machine gun, Simon asked if he could hold it – “Sure!” was the reply as they happily handed it up.

Stern problems seem to be catching and with some recent experience a boys afternoon was spent making some repairs on Metana. With so much more still to see we dragged ourselves away and headed for the equator.

Exploring Halmahera's North & West Coast

With some scratchy google earth images we sailed for Halmahera hoping to find some shallow sand to anchor. Our first stop fit the bill and we even managed to squeeze in a cave snorkel and a village visit where some of Max and Nadine’s baby clothes were well received as well as procuring some Kalapa Muda (coconuts) in exchange for ciggies.

The next day Simon was struck down by what we suspected was a bad infection on his hand from a barnacle scratch while repairing the stern tube. His temperature soared and he was unable to get out of bed sleeping for over 24hours. Scotty and I were left to run the ship and amuse ourselves, Scotty finding a small beach break to occupy himself once anchored.

With Simons fever and illness abating we headed further south into the breeze along the rugged east coast of Halmahera. We reveled in the cool fresh water stream running onto the beach at a small island in Teluk Buli. Diving the reef drop off we spotted nudibranchs, morays, octopus, anemone shrimps and an aquarium of fish right off the back of the boat.

A brief stop over in Buli allowed us to re-provision. The town was incredibly friendly, helping us with fuel (all 200ltrs measured by hand) and groceries – all our urgent jobs were ticked off – banking, internet, gas, fuel and groceries, even some nice beef. Two lovely local girls took us under their wings cooking us lunch at their home before crying while waving us off from the dock.

We were only a mere night sail away from our dream destination Raja Ampat so with a good forecast we set out for Wagieo on Scotty’s first overnighter. Under a full moon and stiff breeze we sailed the passage to Wagieo – what a dream first overnighter, only to be completed with the most amazing destination – the maze of small karst islets and crystal clear lagoons that make up Wayag in north western Raja Ampat. Can’t wait to explore…

Farewell Malaysia, hello Indo

With Przemslaw and Basia from Poland aboard we completed our outward paper work and headed off, first stop the mouth of the Kinabatangan where Sloop caught up with his the Probiscus Monkey friends.

Tun Sakaran gave us a chance to give some of the kids clothes left with us by Max and Nadine to the local sea Gipsys much to their surprise and excitement.

 We took the opportunity to scrub below the water line in preparation for the crossing as well as snorkeling the outside of the reef.

 We picked the dive resort island of Mabal as our departure point and in between snorkeling trips pre-prepared our passage meals. With a windy forecast Friday evening worked out to be the best time to go even though as most sailors will know, its bad luck to set out on a Friday. We soon discovered that perhaps there is some truth in it with the autopilot on strike2 hours out and a sea water leak at the stern gland. After some discussion the decision was made that we could hand steer the 420 miles and as the water leak was only a problem while sailing and could be managed by the pumps.

 The wind was as expected and the first few days we were kept busy with pumping and steering,  thankful for the meals that we made before departing.

 As the wind began to ease Przemslaw (now called Chamois) made the mistake of whistling. This is also bad luck onboard, fabled to bring strong winds. The wind picked up again and he paid for his mistake by losing the contents of his stomach on a few occasions. The morning of day 3 brought the sun, swimming in water 4km’s deep and cleaning vomit off the side of the boat.

 Pleased to be back on land Chamois found himself with his first ever drinking coconut, instead of kissing the ground as promised. I think he was sold on the first sip - just wait till we show him what it’s like with a little rum. Everyone but me also got to snorkel with a Dugong. I thought Amanda was yelling Turtle and swam the other way. Shit.

 Bear Gryls I mean Chomois / Przemslaw attempted to light the beach BBQ with a flint before I had to show him the marvels of dingy fuel.  Finally a hooker dive and off we go for our inwards clearance in Talaud.