Page 104 - Diving Indonesia 21 November 2019

West Papua

est Papua lies in the Asia Australian transition zone and
actually shares the same tectonic plate as Australia which AIRPORT
Wexplains the Australian characterized fauna here including How to Get There
marsupials such as tree kangaroos and wallabies. It was the collision of the
Australasian plate with the Pacific Pate which resulted in the mountainous The two main airports in West Papua are in Sorong and Manokwari and are
islands of Raja Ampat being thrown upwards out of the sea forming the relatively easy to access from other major cities in Indonesia with either direct
flights or flights via Makassar in Sulawesi.
craggy rock pinnacles and islands which provide homes to an abundance
of species of both underwater and terrestrial flora and fauna. Sorong Airport (SOQ), officially named Domine Eduard Osok Airport is the most
common access point for those heading to Raja Ampat, and most liveaboards and
dive resorts offer airport pickups and transfers to and from Sorong.
The naturalist Alfred Wallace was both In the coastal rainforest there are still
shocked and overwhelmed when he many traditional tribes, today they are
stepped foot in West Papua to hunt for faced with issues of deforestation and
the mystical ‘Birds of Paradise’ and found many tribes have already become extinct
species that were so different to those and many continue to die out.
found in the west of Indonesia – it was
these discoveries that contributed to his Outside of the two main cities of Sorong
theory of the evolution of species and and Manokwari the majority of people in
more famously to the ‘Wallace Line’. the West of the province are spread out
Given that historically New Guinea was across villages around the coast of the
joined to Australia by a land ridge it is Raja Ampat islands where they live on
unsurprising that the plants and animals fish, limited fruits and vegetables and the
here bear Australian traits - since sea main carbohydrate here is taro which is
levels have risen and divided the land made from roots.
masses, numerous endemic species have
evolved specifically suited for survival in
this area. West Papua showcases natural
biodiversity like nowhere else on earth
and is fast becoming a place of pilgrimage
for naturalists and marine enthusiasts the
world over. 1. Nampele 7. Fiabacet I 13. No Name I Gampi Island
2. Sepele Rock Inside 8. Fiabacet I 14. No Name II Gampi Island
3. Sepele Rock Outside 9. Three Sisters Rock 15. Jeliet 1 And 2
4. Sepele 10. Blue Hole and Killer Cave 16. Boo Angel Window
5. Khaliq Channel 11. Jeliet Corner 17. Warokaraket
6. Farondy Beach 12. Lonely Rock

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