- Fremantle and Perth, Western Australia
- On the road to Margaret River, Western Australia
- Rottnest Island, Western Australia
- Back to Broome, Western Australia
- Lacepede Island, Western Australia
- Talbot Bay, Western Australia
- Montgomery Reef and Freshwater Cove, Western Australia
- Hunter River and Mitchell Falls, Western Australia
- Ashmore Reef, Australia
- Vansittart Bay, Western Australia
- King George River, Western Australia
- Darwin, Northern Territory
- Agats, West Papua, Indonesia
- Kokas, West Papua, Indonesia
- Misool, Yapap Lagoon, Indonesia
- Yenwaupnor, Gam Island, Indonesia
- Mansinam Island, West Papua, Indonesia
- Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
- Cenderwasih Bay, Indonesia Supplemental
- Vanimo, Papua New Guinea
- Garove Island, Papua New Guinea
- Duke of York Island and Rabaul, Papua New Guinea — and the trip takes a turn for the worse
- Ghizo Island, Solomon Islands and my health situation is still uncertain
- Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands; a 72-hour pause in our trip; and a triumphant return!
- Dravuni Island, Kadavu, Fiji
- Vulaga, Fiji
- Pangai and Nukupule Island, Ha’Apai Group, Tonga
- Vavau, Tonga
- Apia, Upolo, Samoa
- Aitutaki, Cook Islands
- Raiatea, Society Islands, French Polynesia
- Maroe Bay, Huahine Iti, French Polynesia
- Bora Bora, French Polynesia and end of trip
Today was the culmination of our time exploring Cenderawasih Bay and the best was saved for last. That’s because it is one of the few places in the world where you can swim with whale sharks! Of course, whale sharks are neither whales nor sharks. Instead, they are up to 40-foot long filter feeders that eat tiny plankton, small fish, and whatever other nutrients they can gather as they swim through the waters with their mouth open. Generally, you can find them around “Bagans,” big fishing boats/platforms located in the southern part of the Cenderwasih Bay, that anchor and throw out their nets to catch small fish and squid at night. The local fishermen actually believe that whale sharks bring them luck, so they actually feed them a small amount of their catch so they will stay around. Our Zodiacs tied up to one of the Bagans and we hopped in the water near its stern. From there they started to throw some small fish and krill-looking material into the water and four whale sharks moved right in. They are so graceful and not intimidated by our presence in the least. A got a few shots and a little video, but everyone was just giddy with the excitement of seeing them up close. Luckily another passenger got a fabulous video that I am including. Interestingly, whale sharks prefer cool waters; as soon as the top layer starts warming up, they leave. Consequently, we were in the water at 7:00 am, but nobody was complaining. Anyway, it was a great way to end our time here. We are now making our way to Papua New Guinea and will arrive in a few days.
This entry was posted in Cruising, Indonesia, Travel, West Papua
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
