INSIDE GUA KERAMAT: PLUNGING INTO DEEP

It's my fourth times visiting this cave (see: Gua Keramat), but there's always something new about Misool. Tahun ini saya (akhirnya) mengambil kursus freedive, sebelumnya saya hanya "coba-coba" saja jika menyelam bebas turun saat di laut, dan memang meski baru punya skill tipis-tipis saja, it really feels different :) 

It's my fourth time visiting this cave (see: Gua Keramat), but there's always something new about Misool. This year I (finally) take the freedive course, while before I only did "trial" only if free diving down at sea, and indeed despite only have a little skill, it really feels different :)

Kini, saya bisa turun lebih lama, yang tentunya membuat saya dan Ferry juga dapat lebih melihat apa saja yang ada di bawah air di Gua Keramat. Kami juga ditemani MikhaelDominico, our freedive instructor from Apnea Culture.

Now, I could go down for longer time, which of course makes me and Ferry also can see better at what's under the water in the Gua Keramat (in English: Sacred Cave). We are also accompanied by Mikhael Dominico, our freedive instructor from Apnea Culture.

Area "pintu masuk" Gua Keramat berupa celah besar gua, di mana area bawahnya tertutup air laut, sehingga untuk masuk ke dalam gua harus berenang/ body rafting. Area masuk ini dangkal, dengan bagian dasar yang diliputi pasir dan sedimen yang mudah terangkat, sehingga menimbulkan "smoke effect" yang menarik.

The "entrance" are of Gua Keramat is in the form of a huge crack of the cave, where the underneath area covered by the sea, so to get into the cave we must swim / body rafting. The entrance area is shallow, the bottom  is covered with sand and sediment that is easily lifted, giving an interesting "smoke effect".

Mikhael exploring the cave

Kedalaman Gua Keramat maksimal sekitar 5 meter, dengan pasir putih dan lumpur di bagian bawah, namun formasi bebatuan yang muncul di tengah area datar, dan bebatuan di area pinggir gua serta stalagtit dan stalagmit yang sebagian terendam air membuat menyusuri Gua Keramat menjadi sangat menarik saat melihat di kedalaman.

The maximum depth of Gua Keramat is about 5 meters, with white sand and mud at the bottom, but the rock formations that appear in the middle of a flat area, and the rocks in the area of the edge of the cave and stalactites and stalagmites are partially submerged in the water make Gua Keramat becomes very interesting when viewed in depth.

Kami pun menemukan celah kecil yang cukup lebar untuk masuk, meski hanya ada ruangan kecil di dalamnya. Hampir tidak ada binatang di area gua, kami hanya menemukan ikan-ikan kecil saja, di area yang menuju ke pintu keluar Gua Keramat.

We also found a small gap which is wide enough to get in, even though there is only a small room in it. There is almost no creature in the area of the cave, we found only small fish, in the area that led to the exit of the Gua Keramat.

Kali ini saya mendapatkan experience yang berbeda, Gua Keramat tidak terasa spooky, namun lebih menarik. Masih ada area-area di bawah air yang belum kami eksplorasi, hopefully next time we can see more from what's underneath :)

This time I got a different experience, Gua Keramat did not feel spooky, but more interesting. There are still some areas under water that we have not explored, hopefully next time we can see more from what's underneath :)

  

@marischkaprue - having fun in surface and below

Photos by Ferry Rusli 

Also see the video here:

NOTES:

• Misool terletak di area Selatan Raja Ampat. Misool adalah salah satu pulau dari 4 pulau utama di Raja Ampat, area di Pulau Misool dan sekitarnya ini juga disebut Misool.
• Misool located in the southern area of Raja Ampat. Misool is one of the 4 main islands in Raja Ampat. The area around Misool Island is also called Misool.
• Untuk menuju ke Misool ambil penerbangan menuju Sorong. (Penerbangan Jakarta - Sorong biasanya via transit di Makassar, budget Rp. 4 juta PP). Dari Sorong dilanjutkan dengan speed boat selama 4-5 jam perjalanan.
• To reach Misool, take a flight to Sorong (Flight from Jakarta to Sorong usually via Makassar. The usual ticket price for return ticket Jakarta - Sorong - Jakarta is around 350 USD). From Sorong you can continue with speed boat, around 4 to 5 hours boat trip.
• Terdapat homestay Harfat Jaya di Pulau Harapan Jaya, Misool dengan budget sekitar Rp. 400.000,- hingga Rp. 500.000,- per orang per hari.
• There is a homestay in Harapan Jaya Island, Misool. Harfat Jaya homestay cost about 34 USD to 43 USD per person per day.
• Sewa kapal ke Misool sangat mahal sehingga untuk mendapatkan budget trip sekitar 6 juta selama 5 hari, anda harus share hingga 20 orang dalam satu kali trip. Lebih baik ikut penyedia trip seperti Tukang Jalan yang menyediakan Misool Trip dengan budget di bawah Rp. 6 juta (exclude tiket pesawat). Contact Tukang Jalan di 081315890191 / 087888002004, atau Whatsapp/ Line di 08180689303/ 085810697553.
• Renting a speedboat to Misool is highly expensive, to get a 509 USD budget for 5 days exploring Misool, you will need to share speedboat cost with around 20 person on one trip. I suggest you to join open trip such as Tukang Jalan who provide Misool Trip with budget under 509 USD (exclude plane ticket). You can contact Tukang Jalan through 081315890191 / 087888002004, or Whatsapp/ Line di 08180689303/ 085810697553.
• Penginapan yang tersedia hanya homestay, pilihan lain adalah Misool Eco Resort dengan rate Rp. 5,8 juta per orang per hari. 
• The only accomodation available is homestay, for more comfortable choices you can stay at Misool Eco Resort with rate around 492 USD per person per day. 

***

Read Full Story...

KOMODO MANTA GALORE: Playful Day With Manta Rays

It was a bright sunny day, kapal kami menyusuri area perairan Taka Makassar di Taman Nasional Komodo, Flores. Laut sangat tenang hari itu, kami melihat bayangan-bayangan hitam di laut, manta ray! Saya langsung mengambil fin dan bersiap turun.

It was a bright sunny day, our boat down the water area of Taka Makassar in Komodo National Park, Flores. The sea was very calm on that day, we saw dark shadows on the ocean, manta ray! I immediately took my fins and plunging down.

Air laut komodo terasa dingin di hari yang cerah ini, baru sebentar berada di air, saya langsung berhadapan dengan satu pari manta yang berenang berputar-putar di area ini. Kami melihat beberapa manta lain di depan dan langsung mengejar "burung laut" yang terlihat sangat elegan ini.

The Komodo ocean water was cold on that sunny day, I have only been in the water for a while, I was immediately faced with one manta ray swimming around in circles in this area. We saw some other mantas in front of us and directly pursue the "seabird" which looks very elegant.

Berbeda dengan ikan pari (stingray), pari manta (manta ray) tidak memiliki "duri" dengan sengatan di buntutnya, kita dapat berenang bersama manta ray dan terkadang pari manta ini membiarkan kita berenang sangat dekat, but always remember not to touch them at all, ok? ;)

Unlike the stingray, manta ray does not have a "thorn" with a sting in its tail, we can swim with manta rays and sometimes manta rays let us swim very close to them, but always remember not to touch them at all, ok? ;)

Di antara kumpulan manta ray ini terdapat satu black manta, pari manta berwarna hitam pekat yang terlihat berbeda dari manta lain yang berwarna hitam dominan, dengan cephalic lobe (bagian di kiri kanan mulutnya) dan bagian bawah badan yang berwarna putih. Seluruh tubuh black manta didominasi warna hitam, hanya ada pattern putih sedikit saja di bagian bawah tubuhnya.

Among the pack of manta rays, there is one black manta, a manta ray with black color that looks different from others for its black dominant color, with cephalic lobe (the part on both sides of the mouth) and the bottom of the body which color is white. The whole body of black manta is dominated by black color, there are only a few white pattern on his lower body.

Black manta ini juga berukuran lebih besar dibanding manta lainnya, berhadapan dengan black manta dan memperhatikan gerakan tubuhnya yang gemulai sangat menakjubkan. It's a really perfect day, cuaca cerah, laut yang clean and clear, manta ray yang "menyambut" kami. All we want is just time to stop so we can play with them whole day :)

Black manta is also larger than the other manta, dealing with black manta and paying attention to its graceful body movements is so amazing. It's a really perfect day, sunny weather, the sea is clean and clear, and manta ray who "welcomed" us. All we want is just to stop time so we can play with them a whole day :)

This visit to Manta Spot is my best manta ray experience, universe has been so kind to us.. until we meet again, manta rays!

@marischkaprue - still learning to dance with manta ray

Photos by Ferry Rusli & Ruby Perkasa (11 & 12)

NOTES

MANTA SPOT

Komodo National Park

Flores - Indonesia

This manta experience is a part of Clean & Clear #SiapTerus Trip to Komodo for Traveler winner on challenge 8 jam Siap Terus. See more about #SiapTerus on Instagram

MORE MANTA SPOT IN INDONESIA:

• Dancing with the manta ray (BALI)
• Manta Show at Manta Sandy (RAJA AMPAT)
• In the Middle of Manta Party (BALI)

***

Read Full Story...

POSTCARD From MENJANGAN, BALI: a Freedive Day

One of my favorite places to dip in the water in Bali is Menjangan. Kenapa? Karena laut yang bening, air yang tenang dan gugusan karang yang indah. Menjangan seringkali mengingatkan saya akan Wakatobi, dengan karakter bawah laut yang berupa wall, serta gugusan karang yang memenuhi wall tersebut.

One of my favorite places to dip in the water in Bali is Menjangan. Why? Because of the clear sea, calm waters and beautiful coral clusters. Menjangan often reminds me of the Wakatobi, with underwater characters that consists of the wall, as well as the group of corals that fills the wall.

Blue day at Menjangan, Bali

Jika biasanya saya selalu datang ke menjangan untuk scuba diving, kali ini cukup berbeda. Tanpa tabung dan bcd, kami menikmati menjangan dari sisi lain: freedive. Saya memang baru belajar freedive di Apnea Culture, masih terus latihan dan belum lulus (hehe). But anyway, karena ada Ferry yang jadi buddy saya, kami freedive "tipis-tipis" saja di menjangan, sambil melatih kemampuan kami.

If I normally came to Menjangan for scuba diving, this time is quite different. Without the cylinder and bcd, we enjoyed Menjangan from the other side: freedive. I was just learning to freedive in Apnea Culture, continued training and has not yet passed (hehe). But anyway, since there is Ferry to become my buddy, we freedive "slightly" only in Menjangan, while practicing our ability.

Ada beberapa spot freedive yang menyenangkan di Menjangan, keterbatasan waktu (hanya one day saja dan tidak menginap di Menjangan) membuat kami hanya dapat mengunjungi tiga spot, ini dia:

There are some fun spots in Menjangan freedive, time constraints (only one day and not staying at Menjangan) made us can only visit three spots, this is it:

CORAL GARDEN

Saya terkejut melihat kondisi Coral Garden yang sangat berbeda. Perubahan suhu secara ekstrim sejak Februari 2016 lalu membuat karang-karang cantik di Menjangan (dan banyak area lain di Indonesia) perlahan kehilangan warna (bleaching), menjadi putih dan kemudian mati. Sebagian besar karang sudah rusak karena bleaching, area ini tidak terasa seperti spot yang sama yang selama ini jadi salah satu favorit spot saya untuk scuba dive.

I was surprised to see the condition of Coral Garden which is very different. Extreme temperature changes since February 2016 made a gorgeous coral reefs in Menjangan (and many other areas in Indonesia) slowly losing color (bleaching), to white and then die. Most of the coral has been damaged by bleaching, this area does not feel like the same spot that had become one of my favorite spots to scuba dive.

Namun kami dihibur schooling fish yang mampir ke area ini, rombongan ikan ini membentuk "formasi" yang beragam, mulai dari donat (yes, seperti donat) di dekat dasar laut, hingga jam pasir saat berada di dekat permukaan, kamipun dengan senang "bermain" bersama schooling fish ini.

But we are comforted by schooling fish making their way into this area, the groups of these fish form a "formation" is diverse, ranging from donuts (yes, like a donut) near the bottom of the sea, until the hourglass when near the surface, we also are happy to "play" together with these schooling fish.

SANDY SLOPE

Disebut Sandy Slope karena memang areal ini dipenuhi pasir putih di dasar, dan kemudian menurun membentuk lembah di bawah air. Karena kami di sini untuk freedive, area yang dipilih adalah area dangkal berpasir putih. Saat matahari cerah, Sandy Slope sangat cantik dengan warna turquoise yang terlihat dari permukaan.

It is called Sandy Slope because the area is filled with white sand at the bottom, and then declining to form the valley under water. Because we are here to freedive, the selected area is an area of shallow white sand. When it's sunny, Sandy Slope is very pretty with a turquoise color that is visible from the surface.

Kami bermain-main dengan pasir putih yang halus, di area ini tidak banyak koral, namun kita dapat menemukan gugusan koral dengan berenang ke area luar. 

We play around with fine white sand, in this area there is not a lot of corals, but we can find the coral reef by swimming to the outside area.

POS 2

Going down!

Saat perubahan suhu membuat Menjangan "sakit," karang-karang memutih dan perlahan mati, salah satu area yang masih tetap sehat adalah Pos 2. Area dengan karakter wall ini dipenuhi karang-karang sehat di sepanjang wall. Di sini kami dapat latihan turun dan naik perlahan sambil bermain bubbles :)

When the temperature changes make Menjangan "sick," the corals turn white and die slowly, one area that still remain healthy is Pos 2. The area with the character of wall filled with healthy corals along the wall. Here we can exercise descend and ascend slowly while playing bubbles :)

Playing with bubbles

It's nice to have a different experience in Menjangan. Tanpa tabung, kami menikmati laut Menjangan. Is it better? Well, I should say different, I'll always love scuba dive, but this freedive thing also grab my heart and attention.

It's nice to have a different experience in Menjangan. Without the tube, we enjoy Menjangan sea. Is it better? Well, I should say different, I'll always love scuba diving, but this freedive thing also grab my heart and attention.

Remember one thing: Never Freedive Alone

Have a fun splashy days folks!

@marischkaprue - #DugongInTheMaking

Photos by Ferry Rusli

NOTES:

MENJANGAN

Taman Nasional Bali Barat, Bali

West Bali National Park, Bali

GETTING THERE

Dari Denpasar sekitar 4 - 5 jam perjalanan dengan mobil, jika berangkat pagi-pagi sekali (jam 5-6 pagi) maka bisa ditempuh dalam waktu 3 jam
From Denpasar about 4-5 hours away by car, if leaving early (at 5-6 am) will be taken within 3 hours

BOAT RENT

Biaya boat rent untuk snorkeling sekitar Rp. 500.000,- dengan durasi 4 jam (additional Rp. 100.000,-/ jam tambahan), kapasitas kapal up to 10 person.

The cost of boat rent for snorkeling is around Rp. 500.000, - with a duration of 4 hours (additional Rp. 100,000, - / additional hours), the capacity of the boat is up to 10 persons.

FREEDIVE COURSE

You can take a freedive course at Apnea Culture, Jakarta based, kelas dan latihan kolam di Jakarta (ada jadwal rutin latihan juga), contact via their Instagram to know more
You can take a freedive course at Apnea Culture, Jakarta-based, classroom and pool training in Jakarta (there is a regular schedule of exercise as well), contact via their Instagram to know more

***

Read Full Story...