On the south end of the site, the slab scenery is interrupted by growths of staghorn and table Acropora, some with blue-tinted tips. Around the rocks to the east grow an astonishing number of orange fan coral gorgonians. The smallest covered three square meters, and the largest, five square meters. The visibility drops here, because of the sandy bottom. Reef blacktip sharks patrol this area.
Rakata
This site, off the southeast end of Rakata, offers a nice drift dive. The steep sides of the island prevent access. The depths here are modest, to just 25 meters, and the gentle current carries you east. The underwater scenery is, again, slabs of volcanic rock.
A decent variety of small reef fish populates the shallower depths, and some of the crevices have been claimed by moray eels. Green turtles are numerous at this site. In the 19th century, before it exploded, Krakatau island was a common stop for sailors, who loaded up on turtles.
An unusual feature of this dive are the many underwater trees, which have been cast from the island cliffs by landslides. These attract large schools of fusiliers and jacks.
Ujung Kulon
This park, covering the peninsula at the southwest tip of Java and Penietan Island (the Krakatau group is also part of the park), is a rich area of lowland tropical rainforest. On these 420 square kilometers are hornbills and mynahs, wild boar and rusa deer, macaques and monitor lizards. The most famous inhabitants, however, are the last wild Javan rhinos. These animals, of which only 57 are still believed to exist, are so elusive that even some park rangers have not seen one.
The common lionfish, Pterois volitans. Although the dorsal and pectoral spines of this fish carry a potent venom, it is not an aggressive creature. The lionfish's lavish finnage and lazy disposition make it a favorite with photographers. Maumere Bay, Flores.
Accommodations at the Pulau Peucang ranger station, Taman Jaya, and Pulau Handeuleum run $10-$80 a night. There is even a new restaurant at the ranger station on Peucang. The station's 16 units attract surfers, who frequent the peninsula's south side, known for its great waves. Peucang Island also has some beautiful beaches, but beware of the nosey macaques. They will rummage through unattended bags and take to the trees with whatever strikes their fancy.
The Lighthouse
Tanjung Layar lighthouse on the tip of Ujung Kulon is the landmark for triangulating a rocky dive location off the west point of the peninsula. Expect swells to rock your dive boat, heavy surface current, and unusually cool water temperatures.
The Thousand Islands archipelago is very close to Jakarta, Indonesia's largest city, and many of the islands, such as this one, have been developed into fancy resorts providing weekend getaways for rich city dwellers.
Beneath the surface, however, the sea is surprisingly calm. The visibility is quite good, around 20 meters. The rocks that jut just above the water plunge underneath the surface to 30 meters, looking just like submerged mountains. Coral is scarce, but in the underwater valleys there were large barracuda, schools of fusiliers and other medium-sized fish, and platoons of bumphead parrotfish. We also saw turtles circling the submerged rocks and a fat, nosey reef whitetip shark.
Karang Copong
This is a small island within sight of the northwest tip of Peucang island. The highlight of this shallow (to 12 meters) dive are tunnels in the rock that lead to caves in the island. Seeing schools of fish swimming in and out of these tunnels is a surprisingly breathtaking experience. Visibility is 20 meters.
The surge here is quite strong, and you are rocked back and forth as the prevailing current carries you from the tunnels across some sandy mounds, where the sea life is abundant— including some nice soft corals— but visibility is quite reduced, to less than 10 meters. This site makes a fine night dive.
Karang Jajar
This site is on the rocks off large Penietan Island's Karang Jajar cape. It is an hour by boat from the ranger station at Peucang. If conditions are right, a drift dive off the south stretch offers a good, and very colorful growth of coral. You drop to 15 meters, and then drift east with a gentle current to a maximum of 20 meters. Below you, the wall plunges to past 40 meters. Turtles frequent the area, and we saw too many stingrays to count.
Badul Island
Tunggal Jaya is a sleepy community on the northern side of the isthmus of the Ujung Kulon peninsula. Just offshore here is a tiny, sandy island, Badul, which is surrounded by a good reef. You enter the water from about 15 meters off Badul's west shore, and an easy drift dive takes you about 3/4 of a kilometer before your air runs out.
Coral growth around the island is not spectacular, but the variety of both hard and soft corals was good. Visibility during our dive was less than 8 meters. Schools of bannerfish and fusiliers inhabit the reef, and we saw some bright nudibranchs.
—Janet Boileau and
Debe Campbell
PULAU-PULAU SERIBU
Diving on Java's 'Thousand Islands'
While not noted for Indonesia's best diving, Pulau-Pulau Seribu—the "Thousand Islands"—can be a good choice because of its proximity to Jakarta, and because of the great number of available sites. The islands, which actually number about 110, are scattered in a vertical group north from Jakarta in the shallow Java Sea.
Some 12,000 people live on Pulau-Pulau Seribu, more than half of them on the island of Pulau Kelapa.
With some advance planning, it is quite easy to get to the islands from Jakarta. Boats, ranging from inter-island shuttles to large cabin cruisers, ferry passengers to and from the various islands for $3.50 to $50, depending on the comfort of the craft and the distance to the island. The nearest islands are just 10 minutes from shore; the furthest can take nearly two hours by speedboat.
Accommodations on the islands also vary dramatically. International standards accommodations that cater to divers can be found on the islands of Putri, Pelangi, Sepa, Kotok, Pantara (Barat and Timur) and Matahari. Each of these also has a shop offering dive equipment rentals and compressors.
Transportation, and bookings for accommodations and dive trips, may be made at the departure pier in Ancol Marina, or through Jakarta travel agents or certified dive centers, such as the Jakarta Hilton's Dive Masters. Also check the English language daily newspaper, the Jakarta Post, for trips and special offers. Mid-week diving and accommodations are usually easy to arrange, but be aware that Pulau Seribu is very popular among Jakartans for weekend jaunts.
Popular Resorts
Some of the islands have resort type accommodations, and they may provide some music or a bar at night. On the less "civilized" islands, nighttime entertainment might be limited to the buzzing of mosquitoes.
Upmarket resorts, built in cooperation with Japan Airlines, have gone up on Pantara Timur and Pantara Barat islands. These are very posh, with all the comforts one might expect from a fine hotel in Singapore or Hawaii.
Pelangi and Putri islands offer somewhat less toney accommodations. Putri has small bungalows, a restaurant and bar, and sailboats and sailboards can be rented. Pelangi is a larger resort, and boasts fancy cottages, tennis courts, and a popular restaurant out over the water. Shops here and at the other resorts offer basic items like toothpaste and suntan lotion.
| AT A GLANCE | |
| Pulau-Pulau Seribu | |
| Reef type: | Coral slopes |