Snorkeling and Freediving in Drop-off Reef of Mansinam Island

I have just completed a snorkeling tour in Mansinam island for 2 tourists. They were two girls from United Kingdom and New Zealand. We enjoyed snorkeling and recreational freediving in the drop-off reef. We were accompanied by a student who studied Marine Biology. It was a great experience because we could see a lot of fish and hard corals. Reef flat was around 1 to 2 meters deep. The drop off area was from 2 to 25 meters deep. It was a site that was good for freediving.

New Zealander girl was freediving in Mansinam island

To take pictures I had to freedive to a depth of around 5 meters so that I could be closer to the fish. One of girls, Leyla, practiced her freediving skill too. She descended to a depth of 5 meters. When she was going down to deeper waters, I took some pictures of her. This snorkeling and freediving trip were special experience for them.

Marine Life in Mansinam island

Black-backed Butterflyfish

After exploring the coral reef, we did some hiking tour to Jesus statue located at the top of Mansinam island. We met some pilgrims who were walking up the slopes to see it too.
In the previous day, we went hiking to a hill forest in the north of Manokwari ciry. We saw a lot of millipede, spiders, butterflies, lizard and bats. I saw a terrestrial snake New Guinea Ground Boa - also called Viper Boa (Candoia aspera).

Rainforest Tour in Manokwari hill

Flying route to Manokwari city from Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia)

How to fly to Manokwari city
The adventure tour that I describe above is concentrated in Manokwari - the capital of Papua Barat province in the Republic of Indonesia. You could also take the tour here. What you need is flying to Manokwari city.

• First, fly from your state to Jakarta, the capital of the Republic of Indonesia.
• Second, take a domestic flight from Jakarta to Manokwari city. Airlines such as Garuda, Sriwijaya Air, Batik Air provide regular flights to Manokwari. 
• There are hotels such as Aston Niu, Swissbel, Oriestom Hotel that you could choose to stay.
• Tickets for your flights and rooms in the hotel can be ordered through traveloka.com
• I will be happy to meet you at the airport or at the hotel where you stay in Manokwari and then organize your trip both to the forest and to the coral reef areas.

If you are interested in visiting Manokwari to see its coral reef and rainforest, and want me to organise your tour, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Mansinam Island

Mansinam Island

This is Mansinam island in Dorey bay of Manokwari. Every day, it is visited by Christian pilgrims who want to see the sites where German and Dutch missionaries lived between 1800s and early 1900s to preach Gospel for the first time to the indigenous Papuan people.
Approximately half of the island is still covered by green forest that is the habitat of birds, butterflies and reptiles. The coastal areas of Mansinam, especially its southern region, are good for swimming, snorkeling and other water sports activities. I have guided tourists to this tropical island numerous times. We went there to see its villagers, hiked to the top of Mansinam to see Jesus statue, and also went to the beach to see its coral reef.
In the book the Malay Archipelago, Alfred Russel Wallace wrote that he landed on this island and met three German missionaries, Ottow, his wife and Geissler who had been there since 5 February 1855. They were preaching Gospel. Wallace did his research on flora, fauna and natural history of Netherlands New Guinea at that time.

Mansinam island

Mansinam now is still attractive for tourists who love marine sports. I often guide tourists to enjoy snorkeling in the coral reef area for visitors who want to see such fish as grouper, boxfish, damselfish, striped surgeonfish, convict surgeonfish, yellow-tail blue devil, three-spots dascyllus, and butterflyfish.
Tourists are highly recommended to bring their own masks, snorkels and fins.

How to go to Mansinam island

• Fly from your country to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
• After that fly from Jakarta to Manokwari - the capital of Papua Barat province. Domestic airlines such as Garuda, Sriwijaya Air, and Batik Air offer regular flights to this city.
• I can meet you at the airport or hotel where you stay and organize your tour to the island.

Other Snorkeling Spots

As a matter of fact, there are coral reef areas in Manokwari which tourists can visit to enjoy snorkeling. In the northern region, visitors can swim over the coral reef to see Red and Black anemonefish, wrasse, parrotfish and etc. 

Land Tour
In addition to visiting Mansinam island, I also offer hiking, and sightseeing tour to the forest for tourists who like to see birds, butterflies, reptiles, and suburban area of Manokwari. Birdwatching can also be arranged if tourists bring their own binoculars.

Booking
Please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or whatapp: +6281332245180, if you plan to visit Mansinam island or explore other places in West Papua.

Mansinam

Mansinam island

Mansinam is a small island close to Manokwari city of West Papua that is good for snorkeling and free diving. The island has got coral reef sites which tourists can swim over to see butterflyfish, damselfish, grouper, moorish idol, anemonefish, parrotfish, sea star, urchin, and even turtles. To enjoy snorkeling and freediving, visitors need to bring their own snorkeling mask, snorkel and fins. Don't forget to bring an underwater camera if you have such as GoPro action camera or Nikon W300
There are unique vegetation in the coastal area of Mansinam. There are kersen (also called Singapore cherry) trees, cattapa, pandanus and beach hibiscus. In addition to snorkeling and freediving, visitors can explore the island by hiking to its highest point where there is the statue of Jesus. German missionaries Carl Wilhelm Ottow, his wife Wilhelmine Auguste Ottow, and J.G. Geissler for the first time began introducing Christianity to the indigenous Papuan people on 5 February 1855. That's why Mansinam is called the island of civilization. Every year, on that date, thousands of people from all corners of the world gather on the island to celebrate the event. They also conduct cultural street parade on the streets of Manokwari city the next day.

Other Tourist Attractions in Manokwari

King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius)

Besides guiding tourists to Mansinam, I also guide tourists to Susnguakti forest of Arfak mountains for visitors who want to watch Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise and Cuscus Possum. Usually, the duration is 3 days/ 2 nights. Hiking and birding are carried out in the mornings, and in the afternoons whereas night walks to find cuscus possum, Papua Dragon Tree Lizard are conducted between 20:30 and 23:00 local time. There is a base camp that is provided for tourists. Mattrasses, pillows, tents, cooking and eating utensils are available too. So, tourists do not need to carry those heavy things to enjoy hiking and wildlife watching in the Susnguakti forest.
As a tour guide, I organize tours to several different places in West Papua such as eastern region in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat, Klabolo forest of Sorong regency, Tambrauw mountains, and Susnguakti forest of Manokwari. The activities are multi-sports. They involve hiking, riverwalk, birding, swimming, snorkeling and freediving.
Booking
Please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +81332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com to book your adventure tours in Manokwari or other parts of West Papua.

Snorkeling Tour in Mansinam island of Manokwari

Manokwari is a nice recommended destination for tourists who want to enjoy snorkeling in affordable price.

White sand beach in Mansinam island

As a tour guide I frequently organize snorkeling tours for visitors who want to see coral reef and marine fish in Manokwari. There are a lot of snorkeling sites that can be seen by tourists. One of them is Mansinam island. Coral reef extends from reef-flat to drop off in the southern coast of the island. The length of the coral reef is approximately 2 kilometers. It is a nice spot for snorkeling.

Doreri Guesthouse in Mansinam island

Accommodation
There is a guesthouse at the back of the island with 28 bedrooms. The guesthouse is only a stone's throw away from the beach. So, visitors will need less then 1 minute to walk to the beach.
Standard Rate:
Overnight stay 500,000 rupiahs per night for 2 people (with breakfast)
Extra-bed: 250,000 rupiahs/ person.

Marine Bio-diversity
The coral reef reef of Mansinam island is the natural habitat of a lot of species of fish including striped surgeonfish, convict surgeonfish, parrotfish, moorish idol, damselfish, boxfish, butterflyfish, pink anemonefish, pipefish, and grouper. There are also Christmas tree worm, sea-cucumber, blue seastar, sea urchin, and various kinds of sea-shells that can be found at the beach of Mansinam.
At the beach, visitors could see crabs running on the sand and birds such as kingfisher, frigatebird, and starlings flying in the sky or perching on the branch of a tree.
Coconut, baringtonia asiatica, catappa and beach hibiscus cover the island.

Coral reef and tropical fish of Mansinam

Other Ecotourism Activities
In addition to swimming, snorkeling and free diving, visitors who stay in Mansinam island can also enjoy hiking in the jungle of the island, butterfly watching, jogging, and village walk.
As a tourist guide, I can organize snorkeling trips from Mansinam island to other coral reef areas in Manokwari waters. I also offer hiking tour in the jungle for visitors who want to see the ecosystem of tropical rainforest. During the rainforest tour, visitors will be able to see birds, butterflies and swim in a river.

How to get there?
It is relatively easy to come here.
Fly from your country to Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia)
Fly from Jakarta to Manokwari city (the capital of Papua Barat province)
I will be happy to meet you at the airport and organoze your transfer to Mansinam island

Booking
Please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send text message to my cell phone +6281332245180

Water Taxi in Manokwari

City dwellers and foreign tourists who want to go Mansinam and Lemon islands will usually go by water taxi. This is the only public transportation that is available in the Dorey bay. If you have just arrived in this city and want to travel around the islands that I just mentioned above, you can ask ojek (motorcycle taxi) to take you to Ketapang Boat Station. It is located in Kwawi area next to the residence of a prominent Papuan artist Mr. Tonci Krey. 

Usually some outrigger motorized wooden boats wait for passengers in the morning at 8 a.m. The rate for going to Mansinam or Lemon is 3,000 rupiahs/ person. Actually, the boats are not worthy to be called taxi because they are not the same as sedan which you see in big cities. But here we like to call such boats as Taksi Air or Water Taxi. Because Manokwari city is located in  Papua which is a tropical island, the temperature during the day is high and hot. Make sure that you have applied sun screen lotion and wear a hat before embarking on the water taxi whose hull is not covered with any superstructure on it. The water taxi is a very basic boat that is also used by the local Papuan to catch fish.

When the passengers are full, the freeboard of the boat is very small. A large ripple from the sea can bring significant amount of sea water which will splash and wet your body. If you bring digital video or photo camera, put it inside its casing and then inside your travel bag so that it won't get wet and damaged in case sea waves splash into the boat and on your body.

Sometimes you need to ask the boat driver to reduce the speed or change the angle of the stem when you see big waves can make you wet and damage your electronic equipment or even make the boat capsized But don't worry, the water taxi drivers in this bay are experienced enough in handling their boats during such dangerous condition.

Sometimes special tent can be installed in the boat for tourists who want to travel around the islands in the Dorey bay but the travel guide has to contact the boat owner and arrange for such trip. by Charles Roring

A favorite snorkeling place in Manokwari of Papua

Snorkeling is an easiest way to admire the underwater beauty of coral reef and ornamental fish. Tourists do not need expensive diving gear if they only want to see colorful corals in shallow waters. What they need are mask with an embedded pipe for breathing through mouth, and fins. Sometimes a small underwater digital camera is useful for taking underwater pictures of the corals in Manokwari of West Papua.

 Often tourists who meet me ask where they can snorkle in Manokwari. There are a number of interesting places inside the Dorey bay of Manokwari. Most tourists will snorkel between Mansinam island and Lemon island. There is also a snorkeling site at the western tip of Pasir Putih beach where fresh water comes out of the rock that ends at the beach. 

As a tourist guide, I know many other places which I can show around to tourists who come to Manokwari to enjoy the natural beauty of the coral reef. Manokwari is also famous for its shipwrecks that are scattered around the Dorey bay. Bring your own scuba diving gear if you want to explore them. There are not any diving centers yet. If you are interested in opening a diving center in Manokwari, I will be happy to help you, contacting you with local businessmen or hotel owners so that you will only concentrate in running your diving center whereas the accommodation will be handled by the hotel owners.

Personally, I have been writing a lot of articles in this blog (my personal blog) and my other Manokwari Papua blog aiming at promoting ecotourism as an alternative to commercial water sport tourism which you often see being promoted by big players in tourism industries around the world. 

I provide a-3-day hiking and snorkeling guided tour to anybody who is interested in having a holiday in Manokwari, the capital of West Papua province that is located in the tropical region of Indonesia. I can also arrange a special trip for you into the interior mountainous region of  Papua island where you can see birds of paradise, watch deer grazing in the Kebar valley and various other activities that interest you. For more information about tourism in Manokwari, you can contact me at lroring@yahoo.com.

Also read:

Snorkeling in Manokwari Papua

Traveling to Islands in the Dorey Bay of Manokwari 

Beautiful Beaches in Manokwari

Snorkeling and bird watching in Dorey bay of Manokwari

Yesterday I and Paul accompanied David Scott (a tourist from England) to islands in the Dorey bay of Manokwari Papua. We left my bookstore for the Ketapang water taxi station at 9 a.m. The weather was cloudy when the water taxi took us to Mansinam island. I asked the boat driver to land on an empty beach around 1 kilometer away from the village of Mansinam. There were some birds singing in trees neaby the beach. Some mangrove trees grow offshore making them look similar to a small island.