Snorkeling, Island Hopping and Birdwatching Trip in Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat is one of the most favorite destinations in the world for marine tourism. For visitors who love snorkeling and island hopping, perhaps, this tour is interesting. We could start from the Kri island. The coral reef around this island is very beautiful. It is the habitat of a lot of species of marine creatures from batfish that likes to swim around the jetty of the resort or homestay to anemonefish and parrotfish that are common in coral reef of this tropical archipelago. For more unusual species such as the longtail carpet shark or also called epaulette shark, we could see it at night at the shallow water of the beach. 

A beach in Kri island

During the transition period from high tide to low tide in Yenbuba strait, most often, there is current. Tour participants need to wear swim fins. As a guide, I often carry an orange lifejacket with me which I can give to snorkeling participant who may have problems with leaks on his or her snorkeling mask. It is also a clear sign for boat drivers that there are snorkelers in coral reef area where they are passing. 

Homestays and dive resorts in Kri and Mansuar can be used as a base for marine tours around northern Raja Ampat archipelago. There are dive centers that provide equipment for snorkelers and scuba divers who want to see the beauty of coral reef and its marine life. 

Warahnus homestay in Kri island

Dive center in Warahnus homestay of Kri island

For those who are interested in birdwatching, the nearby Merpati island and Mioskon island are very good destinations to watch Lemon-bellied White-eye, Varied Honeyeater, Violet-necked Lory, Papuan Eclectus, Great-billed Parrot, Spice Imperial Pigeon, Beach Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, White-bellied Sea Eagle and etc.

Coral reef in the east of Waigeo island

Underwater picture of marine life in Mioskon

The next trip during the tour is going to Piaynemo. It takes around 1 hour 30 minutes to reach it. The wonderful view of the karst of Piaynemo looks like emerald jewels that are arranged in turquoise blue water. One the way back, we could enjoy snorkeling in Piaynemo and Mansuar island. 

For visitors who are interested in birdwatching, the island of Waigeo is the next stop. It can also become the base for exploring other parts of Raja Ampat such as Kabui bay, Kali biru (Blue River), Gam Island, and a lot of small islands in the west of Waigeo. There are homestays and beach resorts along the south of Waigeo. 

Coconut Lorikeet in Waigeo island

A lot of species of birds could be watched in Waigeo. They include Red Bird of Paradise and Wilson's Bird of Paradise, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Claret-breasted Fruit-dove, Spice Imperial Pigeon, Coconut Lorikeet, Black-capped Lory, Palm Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Hooded Butcherbird, Brown Oriole, Papuan Eclectus, Blyth's Hornbill, and etc. 

Beautiful Fruit Dove

Tour participants need to bring birding binoculars such as the Nikon Monarch 7 or Leica Trinovod 10×42 mm, and photographic device with telephoto lens.

If you are interested in taking a snorkeling, birdwatching, and island hopping tour, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read:

• North Sulawesi Tour Package
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Nature Tour in North Sulawesi
• Lake Tondano

Diving in Manokwari

Scuba divers often contact me whether they can see coral reef when visiting Manokwari. As a tour guide, I can confirm that the Dore bay of Manokwari and coastal areas in the south east and north coast of this regency has numerous dive spots that marine lovers can explore. Because it is located near the equator, the sea water in Manokwari is warm.

Manokwari is surrounded by hills and mountains. They were the place where Alfred Russel Wallace explored in 1858 in search of birds of paradise. He landed in Mansinam island and met three German missionaries. After that he continued his trip to land on the shore of Dorey bay.
During World War II, Japanese made Manokwari as their base. They were defeated by the US forces who bombed their ships that were inside the bay. Now divers visit Manokwari to see these shipwrecks.

I can arrange your diving trip in Manokwari from tranferring you from airport to hotel or resort, contacting dive guide and preparing dive equipment and boats.
Where is Manokwari?

• Manokwari is the capital of West Papua province in the Republic of Indonesia. 

How to get there?

• Fly from your country to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
• Fly from Jakarta to Manokwari by using a domestic airline. The airlines that fly to Manokwari are Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air and Express Air.

I can be your dive buddy but he has to be the guide when we have our dive tour under the water of Manokwari. My other friends such as Salomina Rumadas, and Henoch Maryen from Abasi Klub Surfing can also be your dive buddies.

Contact
For more information about diving in Manokwari, please, contact me: Charles Roring/ E-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com

Coral reef preservation websites

I have written many articles about coral reef preservation and scuba diving but there are still many things about this wonderful underwater environment which you can learn about both from this blog and other websites.

Preserving the underwater coral reef is one of the most important tasks that we have to do to revive the thriving of coral reef and nearly extinct marine species. I used to write about how the local communities practice sustainable fishing in Maluku islands, West Papua.

In Maluku, there is a famous tradition called Sasi. During Sasi period, certain kinds of fish are not allowed to be caught by the locals to let them breed and develop. When the Sasi is opened again, coastal villagers can catch mature fish which have already laid their eggs. In West Papua, in an article, I wrote about how local Papuan protect dugong-dugong, dolphins and turtles by retelling old stories and traditional beliefs that these endangered marine species were their ancestors. So, the new Papuan generations in certain coastal villages are afraid to catch them fearing that they will hurt their ancestors spirits.

There are many websites which you can read to enrich your knowledge about the importance of preserving coral reef ecosystem. A comprehensive reading material which I recommend here is Sustainable Tourism for Marine Recreation Providers which you can download from CORAL. Other webistes for studying coral reef are The Ocean Conservancy; NOAA'S Coral Reef Information System; International Coral Reef Initiative; EPA Coral Reef Homepage.

In today's internet technology, nearly all of the subjects that we want to study are now available for free. It is hoped that the abundant availability of readings on such subjects as coral reef preservation and scuba diving can increase public awareness about the importance of how we can protect the underwater environment for better future. by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

The damage of coral reefs caused by anchoring

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

Most moveable floating structures such as boats, yachts and ships have anchors. Crews of diving boats sometimes throw anchor in coral reef areas thus breaking up the reef structures. This kind of practices causes massive damage to coral reefs in many diving sites around the world especially on locations where sustainable tourism principles have not been introduced.

When an anchor falls on corals it will crush the reef structures and kill the coral and other marine organism that live in or depend on the corals. In addition, repeated anchoring practices upon coral reef communities will degrade their economic values. The number of fish population will decrease a long with the spread of destruction of coral reef. In addition, damaged coral reef will not be interesting for scuba diving tourists anymore.

To certain extent the landing of anchor to sandy area between the coral reefs will cause the clouding of water by the disturbed sediment. The particles of the sediment will cover the coral thus blocking the sunlight that is very important for the symbiotic algae to carry out photosynthesis.

As a way out, the scuba diving operators that frequently take advantage the economic value of the coral reef and the marine park administrator must work together in installing mooring systems in areas where coral reefs live or thrive. The mooring system will reduce or minimize the number of damages or break up of corals. The crews of diving boats and yachts will not throw anchors into the sea instead they will tie them to the mooring system. Also read: The impact of marine tourism to local communities and coral reef environment; Traveling and scuba diving in Bunaken of North Sulawesi; Cheap hotel for travelers and scuba divers in Manokwari of West Papua; Traveling and scuba diving in Okinawa Japan

Traveling and scuba diving in Bunaken of North Sulawesi

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

Traveling and scuba diving in Bunaken of Manado city North Sulawesi has been a standard tour package offered by many tour and travel agencies in Indonesia. Bunaken National Marine Park is considered world class coral reef of the South East Asia.

Every dry season, travelers and scuba divers from Asian, Australian, European and American countries come to scuba dive in Bunaken. The increasing number of tourists coming to Bunaken should be accompanied by the seriousness of the city dwellers of Manado to protect the coral reefs in the region.

It seems that the public awareness among the Manadonese is still low. This can be seen from the increasing number of coastal reclamation which continues to cover the coral reef site along the beach of Manado city and the garbage thrown to the sea by the city dwellers.

The municipality of Manado city should enforce strict law to their citizen if they are really serious in developing and maintaining the Bunaken national marine park as world class diving center.

The beauty of the underwater is also balanced by the beauty of the mountainous region of Minahasa. Minahasa has a number of active volcanoes which make the land very fertile. Along the roads of the mountainous region, we can see how the farmers work on their farms, plowing their lands with cows. A tour to Bunaken National Marine Park is not complete if you don't add it with a tour across the beautiful mountainous region of Minahasa.

Traveling and scuba diving in Okinawa Japan

If you plan to travel during this Spring, I should recommend that you make a trip to Japan. Okinawa islands, located in Southern Japan, have vast area of coral reef. The region is regularly visited scuba divers from around the world. Okinawa islands' climate is sub-tropic. Tourists who don't scuba dive can enjoy the beauty of the underwater world by visiting marine aquarium. It is one of the largest marine aquariums in the world.

Marine biologists work together in Okinawa to revive the coral reef there which mostly had bleached during the El Nino. Baby corals are grown in ponds for two or three years before transplantation. By Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia Related post: 

Snorkeling among coral reef in Manokwari city 

Snorkeling in Dorey bay

Coral bleaching and Global Warming;  

Traveling to Okinawa to see coral farm;

Traveling to Okinawa to participate in coral reef preservation

Coral bleaching and Global Warming

Travelers who travel and scuba dive in island countries will see weird phenomenon which occurs to the under water coral reef in most of the diving sites. Several years ago, scuba divers found that most of the coral reef turned white. This is called coral bleaching. The cause is global warming. The worst coral bleaching event happened during El Nino. Human activities which release a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere has triggered the rise of sea surface temperature, ultraviolet light, increasing acid rain that harmfully affect most of the coral reef.

If exposed to intense heat and ultraviolet light, coral polyps will expel their symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae). Marine biologists and scuba divers have tried to restore the coral reef condition by transplanting new baby corals to dead corals. This only brings small impact compared to the massive bleaching events to destroy most of the corals around the world.

The most effective way that human can do to stop coral bleaching is reducing the release of green house gases. It means that we have to reduce the burning of fossil fuel, creating more efficient machines, investing more in renewable energy technologies, and consuming less plastics. The less fossil fuel we burn, the better will be the coral reef condition. by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia. 

Related posts:  

Snorkeling in Dorey bay

Traveling to Okinawa to see coral farm;  

Traveling to Okinawa to participate in coral reef preservation;

Coraf reef sites in Papua Indonesia

Traveling to Okinawa to see coral farm

Have you ever traveled to Okinawa islands of Japan? This is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan. Travelers go there to enjoy the beautiful nature. One tourist spot that attracts thousands of tourists is marine aquarium and coral farm. Coral reef plays very important role in the marine ecosystem. Yet coral reef community is facing many threats from irresponsible fishing, predators and global warming. Massive coral bleaching that happened several years ago was the result of El Nino.

It takes tens of years to restore the growth of coral reef in the already damaged region. Marine biologists, scuba divers and every concerned individual have worked hard to help corals grow again. In Okinawa Japan, there is a coral farm that is run by Kouji Kinjyou. He grows corals in ponds. It takes up to two to three years until tiny corals can be transplanted into the damaged corals to restore them again. The pictures in this article were taken from NHK Japan

If the transplantation of coral runs well, the next two years, on the full moon of the second spring, coral will spawn and release their eggs. The coral eggs will be carried away to many distant places to grow again to form new communities of coral reefs.

Coral reefs are very important as food supplier for fish and other marine animals. They also have become the main attraction for scuba diving tourists who want to enjoy the natural beauty of the under water world. by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia 

Also read:

Snorkeling among coral reef in Manokwari city

Snorkeling in Dorey bay of Manokwari Papua

Traveling Across Papua

Traveling to Okinawa to participate in coral reef preservation

If you are a scuba diving tourist, you might consider of traveling to Okinawa islands to participate in the beach clean up and the taking of star fish from coral reef. Travelers like to join this kind of activity to create public awareness about the importance of preserving coral reef and protecting the marine environment. Crown of thorn star fish is an animal that eats coral reef. It causes many deaths on coral reef. Crown of thorn star fish breeds fast. They are serious threats to coral reef. This marine animal actually is not coral reef fish

Coral reef as the food supplier for fish and other marine species have to be protected. The taking of crown of thorn starfish that cover the top surface of coral reefs is important to protect them from dying. In shallow water, volunteers like to take the crown of thorn and dump them far from the coral reef. This kind of activity has to be done regularly in order to protect and restore the coral reef community which was once destroyed by crown of thorn star fish and other harmful activities. It is expected that scuba divers can participate in the taking of crown of fish in deeper water. by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia
Also read: Diving site and Coral Reef in Timor Leste

The right time to scuba dive in Indonesia

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

Scuba divers, when traveling to Indonesia, often feel sad because the visibility in the waters around the coral reef site is not good. They have spent a lot of money to come to Indonesia but the under water beauty which they expect from the many of the coral reefs cannot be enjoyed.

The visibility of the under water depends on many factors. The most important one is weather. If you come to scuba dive in Indonesia during rainy season you will not fully satisfied with the dives they you experience. During the rainy season, run off of organic and inorganic debris from the land make the water dirty. It takes time for the marine organism to consume and decompose this debris. Traveling during a rainy season is not recommended.

The sea water will clean again after two or three months dry season. This is the right time for scuba divers to come to Indonesia. When is that? It is around June to September. If you are not sure about the best time to dive in Indonesia, I suggest that you contact the diving operators or resorts and ask them about this. Scuba diving is breathing under water with man made equipment. So, make sure that the diving equipment you will bring is in good condition. Also read: Coraf reef sites in Papua Indonesia; The Change of Gender in Yellow Tailed Anemone Fish; Preserving the coral reefs in Indonesia

Coraf reef sites in Papua Indonesia

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

Scuba divers around the world always want to explore new coral reef sites. After visiting marine parks in Bunaken, Great Barrier Reef or the Carribean islands, scuba divers want to find new diving sites.

Most of the coral reefs that are still in pristine condition are located in the Pacific region. My recommendation for you will be the coral reefs in Papua. If you are really an adventurous scuba diver, you should try Mapia island, Numfoor island, Raja Ampat islands, and the Cendrawasih National Marine Park which is the largest marine park in Indonesia. Or You might be interested in diving through the shipwrecks in Dore bay of Manokwari.

Papua is the eastern-most province in Indonesia. Indonesia itself is the largest archipelago in the world. It has more than 17,000 islands.

Besides having beautiful coral reef, Papua has snow capped mountain and vast tropical rainforest waiting for you to explore. Do you want to visit Papua? Just buy a travel book from Lonlelyplanet, it will be your efficient tour guide to Papua and other islands in Indonesia. Read more: The Change of Gender in Yellow Tailed Anemone Fish and Preserving the coral reefs in Indonesia

Preserving the coral reefs in Indonesia

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

Indonesia is one of the few countries in the world to have many coral reefs that are still in pristine condition. Coral reef is important not only for the fish and fishermen but for everybody who lives on this earth. Scuba divers of course are the ones who enjoy the most the underwater beauty of various marine species living among the coral reef.

Yet these pristine coral reefs of Indonesia are now facing rapid destruction due to irresponsible fishing and many reclamation activities as well as water pollution. For instance, the rapid expansion of Jakarta city has destroyed most of the coral reefs in Kepulauan Seribu thus depleting the fish population in the area. In addition, industrial and domestic wastes released by the city keep on flowing to the sea every day. This condition also occurs in Bunaken National Marine Park that is located near the Manado, read: Manado a well known city for scuba divers, another rapidly expanding city in the Province of North Sulawesi.

In general, diving operators in Bunaken, Raja Ampat as well as other marine park in Indonesian have known the aspects of how to run a sustainable and environmentally friendly scuba diving industry. They are now actively promoting the importance of preserving coral reef environment to future generation.

The main problem that the Indonesian people face in preserving their coral reefs is how to create public awareness. Most city dwellers in big cities of Indonesia do not realize that the garbage or plastic bags that they throw to the streets and roads will later end up at sea covering the coral reefs. Massive beach clean up activities cannot fully solve this problem. Garbage continues to flow to the sea especially during the rainy season.

Marine environmentalist, scuba diving operators and individuals, as well as the government and other concerned parties, should join hands to restore the already damaged coral reefs and protect the ones that are still in pristine condition.

In this place, mass media plays an important role in creating the awareness of the public society about the importance of coral reefs in our life. Simple public ads can make a big difference. People will not throw plastic garbage to the streets anymore if they know that these durable materials will end up at sea thus killing the coral reefs and other marine organism that live on them.

If we don't act now, the beauty of coral reefs in Indonesia will one day in the future can only be enjoyed from scuba diving magazines or videos left by the current scuba divers. Also read: Diving site and Coral Reef in Timor Leste

Manado a well known city for scuba divers

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua Indonesia

Scuba divers around the world should know Manado. It is a city that is located near Bunaken National Marine Park. Manado is also the capital city of the province of North Sulawesi. Its location that is closer to Bunaken has been a dilemma to marine conservationist. Every day plastic trash and domestic garbage flows from the city to the coral reef around the Bunaken national marine park. This is a serious problem that needs attention from all the city dwellers.

In addition, the rapid growing of population in Manado city creates problems related to traffic jams and air pollution. The layout of the city needs more improvement in the future. The decision on coastal reclamation actually is not an ideal one because it will destroy the coral reefs that exist along the beach of Manado city.

Also read:

• Raja Ampat Snorkeling and Birding Tour
• Raja Ampat Archipelago Region
• Raja Ampat Snorkeling
• Dive Resort in Raja Ampat

Scuba diving industry and the value of coral reef

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

Scuba diving and coral reef are two terms that always have close relation. Most of the dive centers are located near coral reef. We can see them in Sinai of Egypt, Great Barrier Reef of Australia, Bunaken, Raja Ampat and Cendrawasih Bay of Indonesia and many marine tourist destinations around the world.

Although coral reef is important for marine tourism, its value is more. It plays a very important role in marine ecosystem. Coral reefs are home to millions of fish. They provide food for both the marine animal and human being. They do the photosynthesis thus absorbing carbon dioxide.

Therefore, the development of marine tourism must not jeopardize the existence of coral reef along the coastal region and its supported environment such as mangrove forest. Beach hotels must treat their wastes before discharging them. Fishermen, most importantly the modern ones, must be trained to practice sustainable fishing techniques. The use of poison, explosive and bottom net has to be banned by the government.

Every year, the number of scuba divers grows well. This is seen as market opportunities by owners of beach hotels and dive centers. Running a dive center needs expensive investment. Dive operators tend to invite as many divers as possible to reach their selling target. It is important for the marine park management board to limit the number of dives in certain coral reef that has been saturated. This is needed to minimize unnecessary pressures on marine ecosystem so that it can thrive and develop well.

As the source of food for human being, coral reef is important not only for the divers but also for the fishermen. When more diving centers are opened in certain location of coral reef region, they will have to respect the traditional fishing communities living in the region. Efforts on marine conservation should provide rooms for fishermen to continue fishing sustainably. It means that not all the area of the coral reef will be categorized as "No Take Zone" area.

If properly and professionally managed, scuba diving industry can get maximum benefit from the existence of coral reef without jeopardizing the interest of local fishing communities.

Also read: scuba diving and fishing communities

Diving In Milne Bay of Papua New Guinea

Diving in the Pacific islands has been a dream of every professional diver around the world. The tropical waters of Pacific islands have a lot of beautiful and pristine coral reefs. In Eastern Indonesia, there are dive sites in Raja Ampat islands, Bunaken, Cendrawasih bay. At the north of West Papua, divers can enjoy the clear water and colorful coral reef of Palau, together with numerous shipwrecks from US Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy.

Marine Life in Manem island of Cendrawasih Bay of West Papua

In Papua New Guinea, Milne bay is my recommendation. This is one of the best kept secrets dive sites which recreational scuba divers should visit. If you haven't visited this dive site, I suggest that you to put it on your list. The coral reef there is unspoiled and full of various marine animals.

Besides enjoying the beauty of the underwater world, you can also see the unique life and culture of Papuan coastal villagers who catch fish using traditional fishing gear. They also practice certain fishing method that is interesting to see. Why don't you escape for a while from your daily routine and fly to Tawali resort? You will not regret diving and enjoying the nature of Papua New Guinea. Once you have visited the region, you will feel that you have to comeback again next time. by Charles Roring

What if I could not afford to scuba dive this year?

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

Well this is a question every scuba diver may ask during today's economic downturn. Beach hotels in tropical region such as Bali, Manado, or Palau islands or Phuket Thailand try hard to promote their tour and diving packages to tourists from around the world. The competition is tougher this year as the number of scuba divers is decreasing due to the economic slow down in many parts of the world.

This trend, if I have to see it from positive point of view, is good for the coral reef condition. Fewer dives mean fewer pressures to the coral reef and the marine animals. I don't mean that I reject diving. But I have to say that not many diving enthusiasts will embark on a plan for a trip to the Pacific islands this year.

This will be a hard time for diving resorts. They need to lower their overhead spending, reduce the number of employees and even had to close temporarily - I don't know for sure.

Diving is seen as the backbone of many island countries in the Pacific region besides fishery. If they receive fewer divers this year, they will face economic hardships.

Actually, divers who cannot afford summer diving in the Pacific islands of Palau, Papua New Guinea or West Papua this year can support the local diving communities through many other ways. For instance, they can pay or buy entrance ticket through the internet which is only around 20 dollars. The money will be used by the marine park management board to do some conservation projects that involve the local villagers. Diving resorts can use this quiet time by making underwater film depicting the beauty of the coral reef in their region and sell it in the form of DVD at major bookstores or video stores in big cities around the world. I see that this might be a silly idea but producing film or movie for educational purposes about underwater world of coral reef will give bigger income to the diving resorts.

Many governments support the protection of coral reef since they know that every kilometer of coral reef can provide up to 15 ton of sustainable harvestable fish. Indonesia as the largest archipelago in the world is lack of educational materials that are needed to teach school students and public society about the conservation of coral reef.

I strongly believe that although the economic downturn has also affected the scuba diving industry in many countries, there are still many possibilities for the resort owners and professional divers to make money from the underwater world without having to destroy any single coral at all.

Scuba divers need to support the sustainable fishing practices

by Charles Roring, Manokwari, West Papua

Scuba diving has always been considered as an environmentally friendly tourism industry. Tourist divers who experience underwater world for the first time will be amazed with the beauty of the coral reef and various types of fish moving around them.

The fish that are abundant in coral reef are often caught by local traditional fishermen. They then sell the fish at the nearby market. If well managed, both the diving and traditional fishing can exist side by side without any conflicts of interest.

To realize this condition, owners of diving resorts and marine park management board must find a solution that the local fishermen can accept.

All the area of coral reef in certain region cannot be put in what is called as "NO TAKE ZONE." For conservation purposes, there has to be that kind of zone. BUT an area of limited fishing or sustainable fishing should be delineated in a coral reef region for the fishermen to the their fishing activities.

Traditional fishermen have applied a number of sustainable fishing methods. One of them is the use of fish-trap. In the pacific region, fish traps are placed among the coral reef to catch fish. These fish traps are safer than the modern method of bottom trawling.

The above photograph shows typical fish traps which fishermen in Mansinam island of Manokwari, West Papua use to catch coral fish. I support the use of this traditional fishing equipment. It is mainly made of bamboo or rattan.

If necessary, resort owners and marine park management board can allocate certain budget, collected from the entrance fee charged to the tourists, for the production of fish traps. This will discourage the application of blast fishing and help the fishmen keep the coral reef environment in safe condition.

I strongly believe that the traditional fishing communities can live side by side with the scuba diving operators in mutual cooperation.

Scuba diving in times of financial crisis

During the economic down turn, scuba diving is still possible to be done if we know how to do it efficiently, i.e. without having to spend a lot of money. Diving enthusiasts can try to explore new dive sites in their country if they think that the air fare to dive sites with pristine coral reef in the Pacific region is unaffordable. There are still a lot of unexplored diving sites in the world. Sometimes, we do not realize that some of them are located not far from our home.

If you insist that you want to dive in the Pacific islands such as the Raja Ampat islands and Cendrawasih Marine National Park in West Papua, you can still do that with minimum cost. Before flying to West Papua, contact other divers in your mailing list whether they want to join you in your trip. Going diving together in a group of ten to twenty people will help you save a lot of money both in transportation and accommodation costs.

When you travel alone, it is better to bring fewer diving equipment. You can rent diving bottles, BCD (buoyancy control device), wet suit, and mask in the diving resort that you stay. But you need to ask the resort owner if they have dive gear that is suitable to your body size and whether it is still in good condition.

Renting diving gear is cheaper than bringing your own during a long trip. The cost for extra luggage is increasing right now.

Many dive resorts now have websites which display underwater pictures of the coral reef which you might want to dive on. Visit the website and contact the resort owner the best time to dive in the area. The weather in your country might be different from the weather in your diving destination country. It is definitely clear that diving during dry season in countries such as Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji will give you the best diving experience. These countries are located near the equator, diving during rainy season is not recommended. The visibility is very low due to the run of natural debris from the rivers closer to the coral reef.

When you have got all the necessary information for your next dive trip, you can begin your journey anytime you want. by Charles Roring in Manokwari West Papua - Indonesia

Coral Bleaching and Global Warming

Scuba divers and marine biologists observed that the global coral bleaching event had taken place between 1997 and 1998. During this time sixteen percent of the coral population died. Coral bleaching is caused global warming.

Human activities that burn fossil fuels produce large amount of CO₂ emissions and other green house gases that increase the temperature of the earth.

Coral bleaching does not only affect the scuba diving and marine tourism activities but also the whole world population. Coral is the source of food for fish. When corals die, many marine species will also die. So, the loss of healthy coral reef will also affect the fishing community around the world.

To stop the corals from bleaching, we must stop the global warming. It is not an easy task to be done. Reducing or stopping the global warming is the responsibility of everyone. Actions have to be taken in all such levels as governmental, industrial, domestic and even individual. The success of these actions lies on the changing of lifestyle.

Every concerned citizen can play his or her part in saving the coral reef environment. When going to the supermarket, shoppers can choose not to take plastic bag given by shop assistant. Instead, they can bring their own bags from home. They can also go to work by public transportation or riding bicycles. In addition, every concerned citizen can participate in beach clean up activities.

Large industries that produce huge amount of green house gas emissions must not only solve this problem by buying carbon credit from carbon reduction projects. They must seriously take actions that are aimed at reducing CO₂ and its equivalent emissions.

Diving resorts as the major player in marine tourism industry can play a leading role in cleaning up the beach and underwater environment. Resort and hotel owners need to organize regular beach clean up in their area as part of their corporate social responsibility programs.

The reduction of green house gas emissions will help restore the coral reef condition that is important to the marine environment and to mankind. by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia.

Coral Reef and Beach Clean Up Activity

Coral reef that is located near coastal town and cities always face destructions due to the marine pollution. On shore human activities that produce domestic and industrial wastes often end-up at sea and damage the coral reef ecology.

To minimize the destruction of coral reef, scuba diving communities frequently voluntarily conduct under water clean up. As a matter of fact the cleaning up of coral reef is not only the responsibility of divers. Everybody who is concern about the environment can participate in this campaign.

It is understandable that the cleaning up of coral reef that is located more than three meters underwater has to be handled by diving professionals who have the skills and expertise to do works underwater. However, there is still a lot of garbage scattered along the beach. City or town dwellers can organize the cleaning up events every two or three months. When doing the clean up, volunteers should not step on or touch coral. They should also not harass marine fish that live among the corals.

After collecting the wastes, they need to sort them into containers according to the categories of the wastes. These wastes can then be recycled, incinerated, or buried in locations that will not harm the marine environment anymore.

Those who are involved in marine tourism activities can play a leading role in the cleaning up of the beach. Marine tourism operators are the ones who will be directly affected if the beach is polluted.

Coral reef is important to the marine environment. So far there are 93,000 coral reef species which have already been identified. Some experts have even predicted that there are more than 3 million reef species.

Regular beach clean up will not only bring positive impacts to the coral reef ecology but also to the whole environment. by Charles Roring in West Papua Indonesia