From the category archives:

Indonesia

Diving Komodo Trip Report November 2009 – MSY Damai

by Chris on January 5, 2010

Komodo National Park offers some of Indonesia's best scuba diving, from the temperate waters of the south to the tropical reefs of the north - in November 2009 I took a 10 day trip on MSY Damai to explore this amazing area for a third time. [click to continue…]

Attack Of The Giant Hoover Walrus Nudibranch

by Chris on December 13, 2009

While diving in Komodo, I encountered this giant Melibe nudibranch for the first time, which has a bizarre circular mouth that acts like a hoover as it crosses the sea floor [click to continue…]

MSY Damai Liveaboard Report

by Chris on December 12, 2009

Possibly the most luxurious liveaboard boat currently in Indonesia, MSY Damai is trying a new approach in providing top notch diving and underwater photography [click to continue…]

Komodo Diving: Dragon’s Domain

by Chris on September 21, 2009

Going on a Komodo liveaboard is like undertaking an epic voyage - over 10 days, a typical Komodo dive route covers hundreds of miles and sweeps through ever changing and always breathtaking landscapes both above and below the water on a round trip through The Komodo National Park. [click to continue…]

S/Y Siren Liveaboard Review

by Chris on September 20, 2009

Thinking about going on a scuba diving liveaboard on the S/Y Siren? Here's a rundown of some of the practicalities about the boat that might help make your decision. [click to continue…]

Gunung Api Sea Snakes in Underwater Photography Magazine

Issue 50 of Underwater Photography is now out, and included within it is my article about the sea snakes of Gunung Api in Indonesia

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Manuk – The Other Island Of The Sea Snakes

Gunung Api might be the island of the sea snakes, but it’s not the only place you can find these amazing creatures in the Banda Sea – Manuk is another remote volcanic island far from human contact where sea snakes thrive

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Banda Islands Land Tour

While scuba diving may be the main attraction for coming to the Banda Islands, the fascinating – and often bloody – history of these famed Spice Islands makes for a fascinating morning land tour – and some excellent food too

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Banda Islands Scuba Diving

Indonesia’s Banda Islands are historically famed for their spices, but they also possess some excellent scuba diving around the coast line of this tiny five island group.

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Nusa Laut Scuba Diving – Banda Islands, Indonesia

Lying to the east of Ambon, the island of Nusa Laut possesses some stunning hard coral seascapes – the sheer size and variety of corals here is absolutely stunning

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Ambon Scuba Diving – The Twilight Zone

Ambon is fast gaining a reputation as an unmissable muck diving destination, with a density of amazing underwater critters to rival Lembeh. The Twilight Zone is the main Ambon dive site that repays repeat visits

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Diving Gunung Api: Volcano Of The Sea Snakes

In a remote part of Indonesia’s Banda Sea lies the still active volcano Gunung Api, or “Fire Mountain” – and below its lava-encrusted shoreline the volcano is home to hundreds of highly venomous sea snakes that hunt in packs and show little fear of human scuba divers

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Diving Komodo Videos

Komodo National Park in Indonesia – home of Komodo island and the famous Komodo Dragons – has an incredible diversity of underwater life. These videos show some of what can be seen while diving there

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Got The Shot: Bali Wrecks And Muck Diving – Julian Cohen

Julian Cohen got some invaluable underwater photography tuition from photo pro Mike Veitch while in Bali. Here he describes how he got the shot for five of his best Bali pictures

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Got The Shot: Lembeh Strait – Julian Cohen

Julian Cohen was the recent winner of FINS Magazine and ScubaCam’s Photo Shootout in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. Here he describes how he got the shot for five of his excellent pictures

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Lembeh Diving Videos

Lembeh Straits in northern Sulawesi in Indonesia are famous for the incredible diversity of weird and wonderful critters within its waters. These videos show some of the strange, rare and sometimes wholly unknown marine species to be seen at Lembeh

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Scuba Diving The Banda Sea, Indonesia

The Banda Sea is one of the most remote areas of Indonesia to go scuba diving, and the location of Ganung Api, the famous Island of the Snakes

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Raja Ampat Videos

Raja Ampat is located in the far east of Indonesia, on the northern end of Papua island. Its remoteness makes it a dream destination for scuba divers thanks to its pristine coral reefs and amazing marine life. These videos capture some of its magic.

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Scuba Diving Bangka, Indonesia

Bad weather stopped a planned exploration of Sulawesi’s Sangihe archipelago, but diving around the astounding sites of Bangka more than made up for it

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5 New Species Of Pgymy Seahorse (Possibly 6!)

National Geographic have just published some stunning images of five new species of Pgymy Seahorse that have been found as far apart as Indonesia and the Red Sea – but they don’t include Muhani’s Seahorse

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A New Species Of Pygmy Seahorse?

Indonesia’s Lembeh Strait is famous for its high critter count – and it appears a new species of Pgymy Seahorse might have been discovered there

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Raja Ampat Manta Rays

One of the thrills of diving in Raja Ampat in Indonesia is the close encounters with giant manta rays – and this excellent video shows exactly what you might encounter if you’re lucky

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Diving At Castle Rock – Komodo Scuba Video

My friend and ace videographer Ai Futaki has put together another short video from our Komodo liveaboard trip – this time at the amazing dive site Castle Rock

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Scuba Diving Ambon

Tony Wu put together this great multimedia presentation of his recent trip to Ambon in November 2008 – the famous Spice Islands of Indonesia.

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Pulsing Stripe Cuttlefish – Like CGI Gone Mad

I’ve seen a lot of cuttlefish, and they create incredible colours on their bodies, but I’ve never seen one do this – pulsing a broad stripe the full length of its body, completely changing the look of its body and looking like an expensive computer generated movie effect

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Evil Mermaid, Komodo

Ever wanted to see a mermaid while you’re scuba diving? Well, be careful what you wish for…

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Chomp! Ribbon Eel Catches Catfish

I couldn’t quite believe this happened while I was filming – a black ribbon eel snaked out of its hole and grabbed a catfish several times the size of its own head and dragged it back to its lair

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Nudibranches – Ocean Rover Sulawesi Trip Report August 2008 Part 6

For nudi lovers, Sulawesi has an incredible array of nudibranches all around Lembeh and Bangka, in all shapes, sizes and colours

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Velvet And Ornate Ghost Pipefish – Ocean Rover Sulawesi Trip Report August 2008 Part 5

Ghost Pipefish are some of the most beautiful creatures in the ocean, and there is an abundance of different species around northern Sulawesi

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Flabellina, Frogfish and Demon Stingers – Ocean Rover Sulawesi Trip Report August 2008 Part 4

Hairy frogfish, giant frogfish, mottled frogfish… nearly every species can be found in Sulawesi – rare elsewhere, they are almost common in Lembeh. Flabellina and Demon Stingers are also present for sharp sighted spotters

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Crocodile Fish and Octopi – Ocean Rover: Sulawesi Trip Report August 2008 Part 3

Inquisitive octopi and indifferent crocodile fish are also easy to find around Bangka in Sulawesi – although with an octopus, you’ve got to be quick before it disappears either across the sand or into a hole

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Bangka and Lembeh on the Ocean Rover: Sulawesi Trip Report August 2008 Part 2

Spearing mantis shrimp, pygmy seahorses, pipefish and leaf fish are just some of the amazing critters you can see scuba diving in Sulawesi

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Ocean Rover Liveaboard: Sulawesi Trip Report, August 2008 – Part 1

Ocean Rover is one of Asia’s most famous diving liveboards, which has just relocated from Thailand to Indonesia under new management. I joined a 10 day trip around Sulawesi’s Sangihe archipelago to see how the Ocean Rover is taking to its new home

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Freediving In Komodo

Scuba diving is not the only way to explore the underwater wonders of Komodo National Park in Indonesia – some of Komodo’s sites are perfect for freediving too, as this video by Ai Futaki demonstrates

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NAD Lembeh Trip Report – Lembeh Strait, Indonesia – August 2008

Indonesia’s Lembeh Strait is renown for its amazing marine life, with a welter of rare and unusual underwater creatures on its black sand dive sites. It’s also remarkably scenic above land and easily affordable – there’s no reason not to go!

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Diving Sulawesi and Komodo

I won’t be posting much for the next month as I’m heading to Sulawesi and Komodo on two back to back dive trips

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Dive Report: Palau Weh, Banda Aceh

Palau Weh is a tiny island at the tip of Acer in Indonesia. It’s not easy to get there but it’s renown as a spectacular dive spot that survived the tsunami and continued to flourish. Ayesha Cantrell describes her experience of this hidden gem

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Raja Ampat to Triton Bay Liveaboard – Trip Report

Indonesia’s Raja Ampat islands have become one of the most famous places to go diving in all of Asia thanks to the area’s pristine coral reefs and incredible diversity of marine life. In February 2008 I went on the MSY Seahorse’s 11 day diving liveaboard from Raja Ampat to Triton Bay, exploring the amazing underwater [...]

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Komodo Scuba Diving: Enter The Dragon

Indonesia’s Komodo island is home not only to the famous Komodo Dragon but also some of Asia’s most spectacular diving. Experience the smorgasbord of different dive conditions and incredible underwater life within this still largely unexplored marine park.

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Cuttlefish Face Stretching, Bali

Do you know what this cuttlefish is doing in this short video clip? Please leave a comment and let me know!

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