Page 98 - Diving Indonesia 21 November 2019

Weda Bay (Halmahera) Weda Bay (Halmahera)

cardinal fish and curtains of glass fish hover below the surface waiting for you at part of the walls. As the name suggests, Snorkeling
aggregate just out from the reef swaying the safety stop. There is action all around look out for passing reef sharks!
in synchronization, damsels dart in and you from start to finish! and Freediving
out of the reef and brightly colored fairy Old Weda Resort is a black sand, muck Highlights of
basslets swarm over coral outcroppings For those who prefer more leisurely dives, diving site which offers a complete
like jewels against the clear blue back Pasir Putih is a shallow sand bar visible contrast to other sites in Halmahera and Weda Bay
drop. Currents are minimal here with from the surface which gives way to a which also plays host to some of the areas
almost still water and excellent visibility. white sand slope decorated with coral more bizarre looking creatures – macro
formations, bommies and small but high photography opportunities here abound. This is about as remote as you can
In the shallow portions of the reef the density patches of reef. This is a great dive get when it comes to “off the grid”
soft corals take precedence – undulating for anyone who loves critter hunting – and The site is home to an impressive range snorkeling and freediving locations
colorful folds of leather corals ripple in there is always plenty to find! Highlights of critters including estuarine stone fish, in Indonesia. The stunning open sea
the sunlight interspersed with a variety of here include an array of intriguing bottom mimic octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, atolls offer a unique snorkeling and
other soft species. dwellers from the field of garden eels frogfish, ghost pipefish, pygmy pipefish freediving experience and the steep
Lo Leo Reef is another Weda Bay site starting at just 2 meters, through to and a range of shrimps. On the shallow atoll walls allow for deeper and longer
which is similar to Elmoos Reef with crocodilefish, scorpionfish, lionfish, a areas of the slope look out for unusually freedives with plenty to look at.
excellent walls of dense and abundant variety of nudibranches, giant clams, large blind gobies and shrimps working
hard corals. leopard soles and schools of glass fish and symbiotically to dig out their burrows. The corals, underwater topographies
sweepers in amongst the reef. The corals and formations are really the highlight
Shark Mountain is an incredible deep here are varied but the impressive barrel Tidore Kecile and Tanjung Putus are two in this region – and are hard to match
sea mount for more experienced divers. corals and sporadic giant gorgonians more wall sites that differ slightly to the elsewhere in Indonesia, however, fish
The summit of the mount sits at around stand out in the clear shallow water. The ones mentioned above as they are not numbers here are slightly lacking in
32 meters and GPS is essential to find main coral section lay at between 5 and as deep – bottoming out at around 20 comparison to other regions so if you
the right spot. Descent is made down 18 meters. A very easy dive site which meters to sand and rubble. Both of these snorkel more to see fish than corals,
a mooring line which, if there is current is highly recommended for beginners or sites have healthy fish numbers and you may not find that Weda Bay has
present, divers should maintain a grasp for experienced divers making a third or interesting bottom dwellers. Sharks are the wow factor you were hoping for –
on until reaching the reef. The line is fourth dive of the day due to its shallow frequent visitors to all of these wall sites although it is hard not to be impressed
anchored just off center of the ridge’s sloping nature. and Tidore Kecile in particular offers good by the scale of the reefs here.
summit which has a rocky, undulating shallow life on the reef top – octopus,
composition with a smattering of small Gorango Reef is often cited as the small sting rays and moray eels are often Freedivers should exercise caution
hard and soft corals. Because of the depth favourite site of many Weda Bay divers. spotted in amongst the soft and hard when making deeper dives due to the
of this site time actually spent on the The Immense walls which tower up out coral formations. Look out for passing remoteness of the region and access
ridge is short, ideally you want to make of the depths of the Halmahera Sea offer predators such as black and white tip reef to medical care.
your way down the line as fast as possible overwhelming topography; the sheer sharks and barracuda.
to give a little longer no stop time on enormity of this site and more abundant If you are a nature lover and plan to
the ridge. From the anchorage it is a few fish life here makes it a must-see. Tanjung Putus also boasts healthy take in some topside scenery during
meters swim to the top of the ridge from biomass with pyramid butterfly fish your stay, then Weda Bay is a must-
where you can peer down the other side Gorango Reef (meaning Shark Reef), brightly punctuating the blue, and large visit location. The sheer scale of the
at a frenzied mass of juvenile, mature, is located off the northern coast line of sea whips and gorgonians harboring forestry in the region is indescribable
small and medium sized plankton feeders Weda Bay and it is a large, off shore atoll schools of cardinal and glassfish. On the and will impress even the most
in the blue which is being patrolled by which is easily big enough to be divided base of the wall at around 20 meters seasoned of travelers. If you have an
black tip, white tip and grey reef sharks into several sites. Marine charts show check for bottom dwellers; crocodile fish, interest in ornithology, the range of
and other large predatory pelagics from that the waters here drop down to almost flat worms, scorpionfish and nudibranch bird species is impressive and includes
giant trevally and Spanish mackerel to 900 meters and although the actual all seem to enjoy the camouflage of the birds of paradise.
schools of jacks. Large schools of jacks depth of Garango’s walls has yet to be rubble and sand composition.
will hover in the blue around divers on the determined it is safe to assume they are
line, rainbow runners have been seen in deeper than diving limits allow. The reef is Night diving is highly recommended in
schools here, giant trevally and barracuda predominantly hard coral with huge plate, Weda Bay to see the nocturnal and rare
boulder and brain corals forming the main epaulette (walking) shark.

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