Near Bali, Indonesia, Sumbawa Island and its volcanoes offer a fantastic variety of dives. From manta rays to nudibranchs, the underwater world is full of wonders...
Fancy Indonesia? I will take you diving in the waters of Sali Kecil, a remote little island on the west coast of Halmahera. Magnificent!
It was last summer, in July 2018. I was back diving in the waters of the Alor archipelago in Indonesia, to explore its gorgeous coral reefs... often swept by crazy currents!
It is called dugong or "sea cow". I was lucky enough to watch this fascinating animal in its natural environment, in Alor, Indonesia.
In Komodo, you can' t miss the majestic manta rays. They can be seen either by scuba diving or by snorkelling from the surface. A glorious show!
Fancy some exuberant coral and wriggling fish? A little corner of authentic Indonesia? Welcome to Kampanar, Sulawesi!
He's such a great guy. Opo, my dive guide in the waters of Central Sulawesi, became my hero. Because I can be a real burden sometimes...
Ah, Indonesia! My favorite diving destination. But when you travel there, it's better to get used to jam karet, the "elastic time" ...
The drones are the new gadget fashionable travelers ... On the boat that takes me to Komodo, Indonesia, two of my little dive friends have one!
"So, did you go back to diving? "I am asked since my return ... Yes! I even realized a dream, combine in one trip two famous spots: Komodo and Raja Ampat.
A drone over Raja Ampat, it gives stunning images! Small video south of Misool Island, among the cliffs that plunge into the turquoise water ...
These tiny sea horses are a-do-ra-ble !!! But they are shy, who hate to be photographed ...
This is a rare event that I witnessed between two dives during my last trip to Indonesia. The rendezvous of the Sun with the Moon!
"Do not stay under the coconut trees," I am told when I arrive at Triton Bay. Yes, the biggest danger here is to get a coconut on your head!
In Raja Ampat, we do not only find coral under water. There is also scrap of the Second World War. Fallen from the sky!
Here, there are swarms of sparkling fish and a jumble of multicoloured corals... I take you diving in the waters of Misool, in the south of Raja Ampat.
High up! I take you back to Raja Ampat, on the most beautiful cruising-diving boats, all sails out. The Waow, there is no need to say, it is aptly named ...
Another Indonesian island I love: the beautiful and peaceful Bangka. I take you first under the surface, among the fish, on video.
Wake up at the foot of a volcano and live the dream of Magellan ... what's more exhilarating? Welcome to the archipelago of Banda, the mythical spice islands, in Indonesia.
Hammerhead sharks make diving enthusiasts fantasize. These sharks have a pretty awesome head, I must say...
From the Maluku Islands to Raja Ampat, I experienced a fabulous adventure in Indonesia, aboard a beautiful ship like a pirate princess ship: the Waow.
Ah! I like the Liberty wreck in Bali. I go back regularly dive, never tired. She is so beautiful...
The beach, the light, the blue ... I take you back to the southwest of Lombok, Indonesia, filling your eyes with the beautiful bay of Belongas.
There are dives that make the heart beat a little faster. I'm taking you to the south-west of Lombok, Indonesia, discovering The Magnet video and Gili Sarang, in Belongas Bay.
Going to a tropical island far from everything is good. But to immerse yourself in a tropical sea is better ... For me, happiness is under water! This time, it's happening in Lombok, Indonesia, near Bali ...
Go. Breathe. Dream. Away from the hustle and bustle of the world ... Head to Gili Asahan, a small peaceful Indonesian island, in the southwest of Lombok.
At night, the reefs are not gray. A blue light and an orange mask reveal the fluorescence of corals and underwater creatures.
The site is called Blue Magic. This is one of my favorite diving spots in Raja Ampat. This isolated reef in the middle of the sea is conducive to fabulous encounters.
" So ? Tell! "Tell Raja Ampat, not so simple. I feel like coming back from the end of the world. I do not know where to start ...
In December, I returned to Indonesia. Not to dive, this time. I was reporting on the 10th anniversary of the December 26, 2004 tsunami.
This year I discovered freediving. First in Indonesia, then in the Mediterranean Sea. In English, we say "free diving", in other words freedom under water... I love it!
Ten days off. Ten days of freedom. From May 10 to May 20, 2014, I left. In Pulau Weh, Indonesia.
In the Indonesian archipelago of Derawan in Borneo, the islands of Sangalaki and Maratua are no longer the fabulous diving spots they were in 2013.
I love the bright colors of coral on a subaquatic blue background. Small immersion, in images, on the splendid reef of the Kakaban island, near Borneo (Indonesia).
Borneo is adventure! I saw again the Indonesian island of Kakaban and its mysterious jellyfish lake. I even went back to swim there. Video evidence.
Off Borneo, Indonesia, the island of Derawan and its archipelago are an incredible place to observe turtles.
Derawan is a tiny Indonesian girl on the east coast of Borneo. I had already been there in 2009. But for this 2013 trip, I have revised my itinerary.
I'm coming back from Borneo! Highlight of the trip: the dives in Sipadan, Malaysia ... Yes, for me, Borneo has more the color of the sea than the jungle.
March 2013. Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. My new home, for a few days, is called Coral Eye. What a beautiful name!
Nature, calm and pleasure ... In North Sulawesi, Indonesia, I headed for a dream island. His name: Bangka.
The Indonesian company Lion Air has a unique trick. With the safety instructions, there is a special prayer booklet for the plane.
I like being under water. But I also like being on the water. Between two dives, in Weda Bay, I enjoy the pleasure of sailing, from one reef to another, from one creek to another, under the Indonesian sun.
It is a tiny Indonesian village, between sea and mangrove, in Weda Bay. My visit is the evening attraction for the hilarious kids.
Nothing is more annoying to photograph than a seahorse-pygmy. Too small. Too much camouflaged. Too shy. But his delicate plastic is worth a few efforts.
Shrek's cat tenderizes you? Do you fall for wet eye pups? This cute little couscous from Indonesia should melt you.
Return to diving in Indonesia ... A haunting desire, which tormented me all winter! So, in mid-March, I flew to Halmahera and Weda Bay.
I was (still) gone. A short trip of 15 days in Indonesia. On the program: rest and dives at Halmahera (North Maluku) and Bangka in North Sulawesi.
Diving at Raja Ampat... A dream. But beware, a trip to Raja Ampat requires that you behave as a responsible visitor. Tourism, which is booming in this archipelago, is threatening one of the most magnificent reservoirs of biodiversity on the planet.
This shell is a monster. It is not for nothing that it is called "giant holy water". I have never seen one as big as Raja Ampat.
The Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat sometimes has an air of Jurassic Park. The pretty little island of Mioskon is home to thousands of bats.
Otdima is a beautiful dive site, teeming with life, swept by a current of madness. One of my favorites in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.
Raja Ampat! I fell in love with these lost islands in the depths of Indonesia. I was there in March. I went back in July. Even dazzling.
The picture under water, it's funny. I love it when the fish take suggestive poses. The coolest are not the ones we believe!
Sea slugs, called "nudibranchs", abound in Indonesia, and especially in Alor. Small gallery-photos.
Take photos under water, I love it. But palmer, much less. I realized this well by diving in Alor, Indonesia.
During my stay in the archipelago of Alor, in Indonesia, my place of walk, between two dives, is the splendid beach of the island of Pantar.
Underwater, we do not look only in the blue. In the archipelago of Alor, Indonesia, it is by scrutinizing the bottom that we find treasures.
Alor Archipelago, Indonesia. It is completely to the east, near East Timor. It is far. It's quiet. It's beautiful. And we dive there.
Alor and Raja Ampat: two distant archipelagos in Indonesia. I am back from it. I reconstructed in video my itinerary ... Total: 13 planes!
Here, cliffs covered with jungle strangling the sea. This is one of the mythical sites of Raja Ampat: The Passage.
In Indonesia, in the Papuan archipelago of Raja Ampat, coral grows at the foot of mangroves. Unpublished mixture of terrestrial and underwater life.
I'm not done with Raja Ampat! Let me introduce you to a bizarre monster, very common in these waters: bearded carpet shark or "wobbegong".
The Dutchman Max Ammer is the "pioneer" of diving in Raja Ampat. A sacred character. He is an eco-adventurer, an enthusiastic explorer and a fabulous storyteller.
Manta Sandy is the most famous dive site of Raja Ampat. Normal, it's a real "spa" with manta rays! The proof in photos and video.
Kri is my new paradise. It is a small island located in Raja Ampat, Papua, Indonesia. I lived there like a princess, a short week.
Papua, Papua in Indonesian. Jungles and beaches, exuberant coral and giant fish. Another world ... which amazed me. Welcome to Raja Ampat!
Me in jet-lag, back from Raja Ampat in West Papua (Indonesia), on the phone with a friend: "You know, this is perhaps the most extraordinary trip I've done ..."
Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. I'm there !!! A real end of the world, still virgin, wild and beautiful, on land and under water.
"Where are you going this time? To put it simply, I say, "In Indonesia. In fact, I'm leaving the end of Indonesia: in West Papua! I am going to dive in the archipelago bearing the beautiful name of Raja Ampat, "the four kings".
I often go back to Bali while traveling in Indonesia. The island always brings me back to her. The more I go back, the more I love it.
The more I dive, the better! I have never seen so many manta rays as last year. The proof, with this new video, brought back from Komodo National Park (Indonesia), where I was in July 2011.
Did you like fish pedicure? You will love the manicure shrimp! A cleanser shrimp care for underwater travelers.
If, like me, you cross the island of Flores (Indonesia), you will meet many people wearing traditional fabrics called ikats, very beautiful, whose patterns and colors differ from one region to another.
In Komodo, Indonesia, the dive site with the beautiful name of Castle Rock is infested with sharks. I just love it. I even made a video.
The dragons exist, I met them! Scales, claws, forked tongue, everything is there ... Listening only to my courage, I went to photograph these big prehistoric lizards or "varans" that live in the archipelago of Komodo, Indonesia.
Indonesia and Komodo are far away. I rediscover my underwater photos with a new, astonished eye. I saw all that, me? It's crazy.
Diving in Komodo, I dreamed! The reality was beyond the dream ... First video preview, at the fabulous Batu Bolong site.
That's the Pascha. Well named boat, on which I lived like a princess, during the six days of my dive cruise in Komodo, in July 2011. Six fantastic days out of time.
On the island of Flores, Indonesia, some rice fields take unusual forms. In the region of Ruteng, in the west of the island, rice is cultivated in spiderweb!
I had to show you this video, of a manta ray and his girlfriends, met while diving in the archipelago of Komodo, ultimate goal of my crossing of Flores ...
Here, the volcanic black sand of the beaches disappears under colored pebbles. Blue, green, sometimes drawing on turquoise or mauve ... New geological curiosity of the Indonesian island of Flores.
The Kelimutu volcano in Flores (Indonesia) is spectacular. Three craters form giant basins for three lakes with strange colors.
I take you underwater, in the east of Flores, Indonesia, for a special nudibranch sequence, in Maumere Bay.
The bay of Maumere, in the east of the Indonesian island of Flores, is full of beautiful underwater sites. My favorite dive site is Fish Soup. Here, the fish soup is at sea, to be savored under water!
Since the time I speak (Air Asia here, Air Asia by that), this time, that's it! I finally tested the brand new Air Asia X line from Paris to Kuala Lumpur. The link was launched by the Malaysian lowcost company in February 2011.
I like hanging out in Asian markets. During my stay in Sulawesi (Indonesia), last summer, I went for a ride in that of Rantepao, in the heart of Toraja country. Here are some pictures of atmosphere ...
It's just a fish, I know. No misery moved. Still, it's sad to see, a mola-mola in agony ...
The flamboyant little mandarin-fish does not dare to come out of his coral den until dusk. I found it in Bangka (Sulawesi, Indonesia).
Indonesia, sea of Celebes. Under the surface, life abounds! The proof in pictures, with this small underwater video, made around the island of Bangka, in the north of Sulawesi.
I bring you back to Toraja Country, Sulawesi (Indonesia). After the photos of the traditional funeral ceremony I attended, in the village of Bori, here is a small video that gives a good idea of the atmosphere.
It is one of the treasures of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, to discover underwater. The delicate beauty of nudibranchs, these small sea slugs with shimmering colors, is a delight!
Batutumonga. This strange and beautiful name is synonymous for me, a fantastic scooter ride in the heart of Toraja Country, in central Sulawesi. Rice fields sublime ... but rotten roads! I almost stayed in the mountains sleeping because of a flat tire.
Open your eyes: in the Lembeh Strait in Sulawesi (Indonesia), strange creatures populate the seabed. A treasure of biodiversity, which attracts divers from all over the world.
Here is a pretty "hairy frogfish" photographed in Lembeh to wait for the next ticket.
Rantepao, finally! Ideal base for shining in the villages and rice paddies of the country Toraja, called here Tana Toraja. We are almost in the center of the island of Sulawesi.
The country Toraja, it deserves! From Manado (North Sulawesi), you must first reach Makassar to the south, an hour and a half by plane. Then it's 8 to 10 hours bus ride to Rantepao.
In Indonesia, the word "biodiversity" makes sense. Here in the Sea of Celebes, the underwater world teems with bizarre and fascinating creatures, often tiny.
At Bangka Island (Sulawesi, Indonesia), on the cute beach of Murex Resort, it's total relaxation: diving, eating, sleeping. Happiness !
Small stopover in Singapore, between two planes, at Changi Airport. I'm leaving for Manado just now ... See you in Sulawesi!
A new start, very soon ... Three years after my first trip to Sulawesi, I return. On the program: Bangka Island, Lembeh and the Toraja country.
I'll take you back to Pulau Weh, under the surface, again. More than a month after my return from Indonesia, I continue to sort my photos: huge coral platters, delicate fans of gorgonians, multicolored clouds of fish in the blue ...
Dive without getting wet in Batee Tokong (Pulau Weh, Sumatra, Indonesia), thanks to this little underwater film shot with my Canon Eos 7D.
The place is called "Kilometer Nol". Zero Kilometer. This is where Indonesia begins. It is the most westerly and northernmost point in the archipelago, just north of Pulau Weh, near Sumatra.
If you have ever been to Southeast Asia, you will recognize it. The little music of the ice cream shop is the most famous melody and the best peddle in this region of the world ... From Indonesia to Vietnam, from Thailand to Malaysia, we hear it everywhere!
At Pulau Weh, most divers come for the "big", the deep, the current. And I, who never do anything like the others, I'm having fun in a few meters of water on the beach, tracking down the little animals.
Surprise, last Sunday, returning from diving ... There is a crowd on the beach of Gapang, usually almost deserted.
I take you diving among the underwater volcanic bubbles of Pulau Weh (Sumatra, Indonesia). These hot springs are a real underwater jacuzzi!
I finally passed under the surface, with delight, in the waters of Pulau Weh. The underwater fauna is dense, varied. The two short weeks of my stay here will not be enough to explore everything!
I dreamed, I'm there! Pulau Weh is a small Indonesian island located on the northern tip of Sumatra. The region is known: it is that of Banda Aceh, devastated during the tsunami of December 2004. Pulau Weh is little tourist and famous for its underwater world.
Am I still a backpacker? Serious question. I just put away my good old backpack and invest in a wheeled luggage.
My short stay on the small Indonesian island of Derawan last July allowed me to attend no less than two weddings! Two almost identical weddings, with kitschy decor and pop-marshmallow orchestra.
A new little film, for lovers of mantas rays ... I finally got down to editing my videos, brought back from Sangalaki! This small Indonesian island, located off Borneo, is part of the archipelago of Derawan, where I stayed for ten days last July.
Guilhem, my dive buddy in Derawan (Borneo), was kind enough to send me two underwater videos he made this summer in the sea of Celebes.
Derawan's kids are mischievous kids. They love to take the pose and then look into the screen of digital devices. "Photo, photo! "
Back to Derawan ... under the surface. The reef of the island, even if it is not the most spectacular of the sites of the corner, deserves some dives. The little creatures that I adore abound. But watch out for diving safety ...
Pantai Songean is the perfect beach. A beautiful cove of black sand, discovered a year ago, in Bali.
It's glory. I am recognized at the end of the world thanks to this blog. I even have fans. If, if ... I swear to you.
During the day, turtles from Derawan Island (Borneo, Indonesia) swim under the jetties. At night, they lay their eggs in the still-warm sand.
It is a desert island in Indonesia near Borneo. In his mangrove necklace, Kakaban holds the water jade of a huge lake, filled with jellyfish ... which do not sting! The proof in video and in photos.
Do you dream of tropical beaches? Do not go to Tawau! People are nice, but this Malaysian city in northeastern Borneo is a mochissime. Its only attraction is to be the entry point to Indonesia ...
