Triton Bay Divers resort beach on Aiduma Island. (Triton Bay, Kaimana, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
Triton Bay Divers resort beach on Aiduma Island. (Triton Bay, Kaimana, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)

Fabulous dives under Triton Bay coconut trees

#Indonesia

  Indonesia: Triton Bay - March 2016

Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation made from a post originally written in French. My apologies for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have been generated during the process. If you are reading French, click on the French flag below to access the original and correct text: 

"Above all, don't stay under the coconut trees", I was told when I arrived at Triton Bay. Yes, the biggest danger here is to take a coconut on your head!

A long trip (again)

Triton Bay Divers resort beach on Aiduma Island. (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The beach at the Triton Bay Divers resort on Aiduma Island (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)

Here is the island of Aiduma and the resort Triton Bay DiversI landed on March 8, 2016, in the middle of the day, after a forty-hour trip from Rennes, in Brittany... Yes, some people think I'm a bit crazy to accomplish such a trip, just to photograph fish and eventually get coconuts on my head... 😂

Triton Bay (Teluk Triton) is located in the extreme east of the Indonesian archipelago, in the province of West Papua. From Europe, it is the end of the world. It is here (zoom in / out the Google Map to see better) :

The aircraft enquiry took place without any hitch or notable delays: Paris - Istanbul - Jakarta for the first international section to Indonesia (on Turkish Airlines).

Then Jakarta - Ambon - Fak-Fak - Kaimana, on Lion Air and its subsidiaries (Batik Air and Wings Air) for domestic flights. From Jakarta, there is no simpler or more direct for the moment ...

Updated: April 2017. The national company Garuda Airlines now serves Kaimana airport, with flights from Ambon, six days a week.

We're getting close, I can't stand it anymore! (Indonesia, West Papua, March 2016.)
We're getting close, I can't take it anymore! (Indonesia, West Papua, March 2016.)
The little cuckoo from Wings Air pours its passengers on the tarmac of Kaimana airport. (Indonesia, West Papua, March 2016.)
Wings Air's little cuckoo bird spills its passengers onto the tarmac at Kaimana Airport (Indonesia, West Papua, March 2016.)
The "gleaming" Kaimana airport. (Indonesia, West Papua, March 2016.)
The "gleaming" Kaimana airport (Indonesia, West Papua, March 2016.)
Nice welcome committee in Kaimana (West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
Nice welcome committee in Kaimana! (West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)

After landing in Kaimana, the "capital" of the region, I only have an hour and a half of boat ride to reach Aiduma Island and its coconut trees, in the Triton Bay... Phew!

Welcome to Triton Bay

Obviously, I am very happy to finally arrive. And to discover my new "home" for a dozen days... I walk on the sand, soft under my feet, dazzled by the beauty of this small cove nestled under the coconut trees.

The beach at the Triton Bay Divers resort on Aiduma Island (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016).
The beach at the Triton Bay Divers resort on Aiduma Island (West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)

But already I am warned, with a benevolent insistence: you must not hang around in the shade of the fins! It is dangerous. "We regularly remove coconuts from the trees near the beach, explains Jimmy, from the resort Triton Bay Divers. But there's always more. So don't stay just underneath..."

This is not a joke. Throughout my stay, the sound of a coconut landing without warning on the ground will startle me many times. It's big and heavy, a coconut. And when it falls, it can hurt a lot...

But after such a long trip, this Papuan island feels like a well-deserved paradise. A lovely beach of fine white sand. Some wooden bungalows facing the sea. A hill covered with dense jungle at the back. The sea and the coral in front... It's beautiful!

Waala Beach, the lovely beach at Triton Bay Divers, on the island of Aiduma. March 2016.
The shade of coconut trees stretches across Waala Beach, the lovely beach at Triton Bay Divers resort on Aiduma Island (West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
To the right of the bungalows, the small dive center and the boats. (Aiduma, Kaimana, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
To the right of the bungalows, the small dive center and the boats. (Aiduma, Kaimana, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The beach, the turquoise water and the shade of the coconut trees... (Triton Bay Divers, Aiduma Island, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The beach, the turquoise water and the shade of coconut trees... (Aiduma Island, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)

Outstanding Biodiversity

I wanted an immersion in nature, far from everything, I got it! There is no more mobile network here. As for the internet, uh... I might as well not think about it anymore.

Lobo, the nearest village, is on the coast of Papua, three quarters of an hour by boat from the island of Aiduma. The coast is wild, formed by spectacular karst cliffs. Here and there, some fishermen's "camps". I was "forced" to disconnect.

The karst cliffs, typical of the Triton Bay landscape. (West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The karst cliffs, typical of the Triton Bay landscape. (West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)

At dawn and dusk, I learn to tame the thousand strange noises - cries, whistles and crackles - coming from the surrounding vegetation. It is a paradise for insects and birds (toucans and white cockatoos for the most visible). One morning, very early, I will even see the tail of a couscous on top of a potentially killer coconut tree.

But it's for the nature underwater that I came all the way here. Like Raja AmpatFurther north, Triton Bay is considered a "hot spot" of biodiversity in the world.

Far from the tourist itineraries, still little known, this bay has been explored by marine biologists of the organization Conservation International in 2006. They observed here the amazing walking shark, endemic to the region, and counted many rare or new species of fish, crustaceans and corals. A real "cash factory".they say about these waters that give rise to so many new life forms.

In 2014, the scientists of the Lengguru expedition returned to explore the region. Arte is broadcasting a documentary about their adventure in these months of June and July 2016:

→ Papua, in the heart of a lost world

In 2008, the Kaimana region established a 6,000 square kilometer marine protected area in the waters of Triton Bay. To dive there, you have to pay an entry fee of 500 000 Rp (about 40€). As in Raja Ampat, you will be given a badge to hang on the stab (the stabilizing vest).

Soft corals proliferate in the waters of Triton Bay. (West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
Soft corals proliferate in the waters of Triton Bay. (West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The huge coral tables of Batu Jatuh. (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The huge coral tables of Batu Jatuh. (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
Profusion at Stumpy Rock ... (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
Profusion at Stumpy Rock ... (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The surface interval between the two morning dives is on one of the small sandy coves of Triton Bay. (West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The surface interval between the two morning dives is on one of the small sandy coves of Triton Bay (West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)

Diving in Triton Bay

Triton Bay has lived up to my expectations: on the diving side, exceptional, incredibly rich and unspoilt seabed; on the atmosphere side, a very peaceful, restful holiday, far from the tourist crowds and the fury of the world...

But honestly, I don't think it's a destination that suits all divers. In Triton Bay, the waters are loaded with nutrients, which results in a spectacular profusion of underwater biodiversity. The downside is the extremely variable visibility, in water that is often more green than blue: from mediocre (5m) to good (15m) for the inland sites, from good (20m) to excellent (25m and more) for the more distant sites out to the open sea. And it changes all the time depending on the weather, which is also very variable, even on the same day...

Here, rain is coming! (Aiduma Island, Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
Here, rain is coming! (Aiduma Island, Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)

As a result, every day we have to adapt the choice of the sites and the type of dives, according to the conditions of the sea, the sky, the tide... And my daily dilemma as a photographer, at breakfast time, is to decide which lens to fix on my device Fisheye or macro?

Today'I put on the macro lens to shoot "small". (Triton Bay, March 2016)
Today, I put on the macro lens to photograph "small". (Triton Bay, March 2016)

(Yes, it's hard to have such serious decisions to make on vacation).

You should also be aware that, apart from diving, swimming and a trip to the neighboring villages, there is not much to do in the area. It is therefore better to be in a contemplative mood, preferably a fan of underwater photography and capable of a childlike wonder at the treasures of nature, to appreciate Triton Bay as it deserves.

For me, I enjoyed: fluffy forests of black coral, explosion of bright colours of soft corals, huge tables of hard coral, jacks on the hunt, giant whirlpools of fusiliers and surgeons, gaterins, carpet sharks (wobbegongs), swarms of glass fish, seahorses-pygmies galore, mini cuttlefish and mini octopus photogenic (wonderpus), harlequin shrimps, nudibranchs ... Not to mention the often seen dolphins of the boat and even (once) whales ...

It is also important to note that you should not consider diving at Triton Bay during what corresponds to our summer. At that time, it is the eastern monsoon season (which runs roughly from mid-June to mid-September). The area is then very exposed to winds and the sea conditions do not allow diving. The Triton Bay Divers Resort closed during the summer months.

My friend the carpet shark, aka "wobbegong". (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, maes 2016.)
My friend the carpet shark, aka "wobbegong". (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The vision is bad? No problem, there's plenty to do with the "small"... (Pygmy seahorses, Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, maes 2016.)
The vision is bad ? No problem, there's plenty to do with the "little one"... (Pygmy seahorses, Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
Nudibranchs abound in Triton Bay. (West Papua, Indonesia, maes 2016.)
Nudibranchs abound in Triton Bay. (West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)

My only regret is that there was no bagans in the vicinity during my stay. These mobile fishing platforms, which bring up nets overflowing with anchovies or other small fishes to be used as bait, attract whale sharks, which come to feed around the catch (as in Cenderawasih Bay, another well-known destination for divers in West Papua).

We can then immerse ourselves alongside these gentle giants of the sea (as I had done in Mexico) and admire them very closely. I won't have the opportunity to do it this time... Too bad.

Away from it all

The small resort Triton Bay Divers where I spent a dozen days is quite recent, it opened in February 2015. It is the first and (for now) the only diving structure in the Kaimana area, where tourism is still almost non-existent.

The Triton Bay Divers resort has only four bungalows. Two more must be built soon. (Aiduma Island, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The Triton Bay Divers resort has only four bungalows for guests. Two more must be built soon. (Aiduma Island, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The Triton Bay Divers beach, a windy day and great sun. (Aiduma Island, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The Triton Bay Divers beach, a windy day. (Aiduma Island, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The small diving center of Triton Bay Divers, at the very end of the row of bungalows. (Aiduma Island, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
The small dive center of Triton Bay Divers. (Aiduma Island, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)

Since I discovered Raja Ampatin 2012, I am particularly interested in diving in West Papua, located in the heart of the mythical Coral Triangle. The remote Triton Bay was a dream of mine and for a long time seemed inaccessible. Until 2014, there was only the option of dive cruises (few in number and very high-end category for the most part). So when I heard about this resort project, I jumped on it. their Facebook pagelaunched even before the opening. Over the months, I followed their construction and land development work, the purchase of boats, the arrival of the first customers... keeping in the back of my mind the project of visiting them one day soon!

Behind this crazy project of opening a diving resort in such a remote place, there is Lisa, an Englishwoman who grew up in Hong Kong, and Jimmy, a Canadian of Chinese origin who lived in Taiwan. Both diving professionals, they dreamed of one day opening their own center and joined forces.

Addition. I put you below a video shot in 2017 by the videographer and underwater photographer Karsten Heinrichwhere Lisa explains what makes Triton Bay different from Raja Ampat, for example:

The motto of the resort Triton Bay Diversis "remote but worth it". In short: it's super far from everything, but it's worth it! I confirm. I came back delighted.

Especially since I enjoyed (again) conditions worthy of a princess, under those dreaded coconut trees at the end of the world... Yes, during my stay, I was the only diving guest. Who blissfully enjoyed the boat and TWO dive guides (eagle-eyed Indonesians from North Sulawesi, who worked in Lembeh among other places) all to herself, eh, who??? 😊

Andi and Edi, my two super dive guides. (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
Andi and Edi, my two super dive guides. (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
Sometimes my guides accept to play underwater models. (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)
Sometimes my guides agree to play underwater models. Admire the elegance of the pose. (Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016.)

I'm really lucky, as I often am when I travel solo. Not only did I escape the killer coconut trees (phew!), but I was able to indulge in an orgy of underwater photography without having to worry about a cumbersome boat... Happiness.

👌 😎

  Indonesia: Triton Bay - March 2016

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  1. On such a sad day, what a joy it is to see your photos and dream. with open eyes. I dream of a trip like that, maybe one day! Bravo again for these photos. I've just come back from the Maldives to Ari Atol, but what a difference in the color of the coral! Keep on making us dream

    1. @Of the garden : yes, that's what fascinates me so much about Indonesia and the surrounding countries that form the "coral triangle": the profusion and richness of coral. I've been to the Maldives and Polynesia too, and while both destinations are fantastic for the "big guy", you can't find the same colors or the same abundance of coral life...

    1. @Feulvarch: Thank you! Yes, it's a fantastic destination for sub photographers. I'll devote future posts to my underwater encounters. Not to mention that I was lucky enough to enjoy dream conditions (alone with two guides)... 🙄

  2. More magnificent photos and dreamy landscapes. Thank you Corinne for making us dream! It's always a great time spent in front of my computer, contemplating your extraordinary photos and experiences. Thank you
    My dream is just the Ile de Beauté? but who knows, maybe one day! 🙄

    1. @Sophie: I'm delighted to be able to make you dream through the screen. As for the Isle of Beauty, I don't even know it... Another dream to turn into reality one day soon. The advantage is that it's not so far away... 8)

  3. hello Corrine,
    as usual, your photos and comments make you dream. Having already dived (cruise on the Shakti) in R4, I'm very interested in Triton Bay, and I'd like to know what type of stay is most appropriate, resort or cruise? Do you know when the bagans are there?
    Thanks again for this blog.
    Gerard

    1. @ Gerard: I generally prefer to be in a resort whenever possible, for the usual reasons:
      - comfort (I prefer to be ashore, however comfortable the boat) and often more flexibility for "à la carte" diving
      - guides who know the sites inside out (and know where to look for pygmy seahorses, or what time to dive at a particular spot, or where to dive depending on the current...).
      - possibility to repeat several times the same site

      For Triton Bay, I think it would be a bit frustrating for me, as a photographer, to do only a few dives here and there in the bay, when conditions are so changeable from one day to the next. Bo's Rainbow, for example, which I first photographed in macro mode on a bad day, I photographed again later, in more favorable conditions, in wide-angle, and it was extraordinary... One of my favorite sites (which wouldn't have become so if I hadn't gone back).

      After that, cruises to Triton Bay are often combined with other things, so you can discover more things, and that's great too... But overall, I'm still a bit "frustrated" with cruises.

      The Aranui passed through Triton Bay at the end of my stay. The cruise leader came to see us, to say hello and catch up on the sites. I doubt the divers on board saw as much as I did, and enjoyed their dives as much, in the only two-three days they spent in the bay...

      Finally, for the bagans (and whale sharks) at Triton Bay, it's very variable and very random it seems. Lisa, from the resort, told me she couldn't quite understand why they weren't around at the moment. There don't seem to be any "rules". It depends on the abundance of fish, the tide, the season, the age of the captain, etc. etc.

  4. Hello Corinne and thank you for this mouth-watering article... And the color of the water... Just the dream in this late winter.
    I see we have diving, photography and Indonesia in common. However, I don't like diving in currents (bad experience in Komodo that left me with a few after-effects...). Hence the following question: would you say that Triton Bay's dive sites are subject to strong currents?
    It looks like a really nice place, both on land and underwater. Thanks again for making us dream,
    cordially, Nathalie.

    1. @Natalie: Yes, there can be a lot of current at certain sites, at certain times of the tide, at Triton Bay. But of all the dives I did over a ten-day period, at a rate of three a day, there was only one where we were confronted with a bit of current that forced us to change our plans during the dive. Two or three times, too, we switched to another site with less juice, given the conditions, when we got there...

      But most of the time, knowing that I was carrying a bulky camera case, my guide Andi chose the most favorable sites to avoid the current. I didn't make a single dive where I had to get out the hook, as can be the case in Komodo or Raja Ampat... With a guide who knows the area, these are generally quiet dives. (Unless you insist on doing drift dives and diving in the current, in which case that can be done too...).

      🙂

  5. Bravo again for this magnificent article and its sublime images, both above and below the water! It's worth coming all this way for a little piece of paradise... We're leaving next Saturday for 15 days in Panama, on the other side of the world. Planned dives in Bocas del Toro, where our 2nd son, who has just turned 10, will take his OWD and join his eldest son and my wife, who were certified last summer in Koh Tao. Then a few more dives at Isla Coïba. Let's hope we see some good stuff too... 8)

  6. Hello Corrine,
    I'm delighted to discover both your blog and this article. Congratulations, it's very well told and your photos are splendid. It inevitably makes you want to dive again! In fact, this summer I'm off to Bali to dive with the mantas and mola-molas. I'm going to explore your blog, it'll keep me waiting!

  7. Hello Corinne,

    Can you tell me the differences with Raja Ampat? By the way, on the way to the R4, in 2016 there was no longer a badge to hang on your stab. I had to make do with 2015.
    Is it worth taking a trip to Triton Bay even if you know R4? In any case, the owner of the resort where I stayed seemed to be saying that Triton would be the next R4.

    Great photos in passing!

    1. @ Remi: The differences between Raja Ampat and Triton Bay are numerous:

      1 - In Raja Ampat (northern archipelago, not Misool), you can dive all year round, but not in Triton Bay, which, being further south, is too exposed to the winds during the period that corresponds roughly to our summer (June-September).

      2 - At Triton Bay, we're... in a bay. With all that this implies in terms of visibility: heavier, often green water, with variations depending on the weather, currents and tides. This less-than-ideal visibility will disappoint divers looking for consistently transparent water and easy, "pretty" dives.

      3 - Triton Bay is a bay. Not an archipelago like Raja Ampat. So it doesn't have the same scenery of islets scattered all over the place as Raja Ampat, although it may resemble it in places in terms of karst cliffs crowned with jungle.

      4 - Triton Bay is not at all easy to get to and not at all developed in terms of tourism, unlike Raja Ampat, which has seen exponential popularity and development in recent years. So to date (May 2016) there isn't much choice in terms of flights, accommodation and diving opportunities in and around Kaimana. But this should change rapidly, as it did with Raja Ampat, and that's why Triton Bay is considered the next R4...

      5 - At Triton Bay, there's a chance of seeing whale sharks that come close to the mobile fishing platforms called "bagans" (as at Cenderawasih Bay). In Raja Ampat, however, they are more likely to be seen.

      6 - In terms of underwater fauna, Triton Bay seemed just as rich as Raja Ampat, with coral in very good health too. The difference lies in the conditions in which we can observe things. Despite not always top visibility, I saw jacks, big humphead parrotfish, wobbegongs, barracudas, gaterins and all the tropical fauna usual in these parts... I didn't see any manta rays. But I have read the account of a diver who saw one on a diving cruise in the area. For the little one, visi is not a problem, so for macro fans, all the sites in Triton Bay are fabulous... With a special mention for the pygmy seahorses, I'm talking about them here:
      https://petitesbullesdailleurs.fr/pygmy-seahorse-triton-bay-20160508/
      Finally, on the sites accessible from Triton Bay a little further offshore, visibility is much better, with impressive shoals of surgeonfish and trevally. The spectacle is often grandiose, but the sites are less "easy" due to waves and currents. You need the right conditions to go there.
      8)

  8. I discovered your site while looking for sites, especially for my 2 sons (aged 19 & 16), who dive mostly in Asia during our travels.
    Sublime photos, but above all - and this is much rarer in the French-speaking blogosphere - fluid, high-quality text, without the slightest spelling or grammatical error! A real treat.

    1. @Olivier : thank you very much, I'm delighted that my site can be a source of inspiration for your two sons!
      As for the rest, it's basically what I do for a living... I started out as a proofreader and copy preparer for publishing houses, I've also been an English-French literary translator and entered journalism as an editorial secretary... 😉 Nowadays, some colleagues call me "mistress" when they need advice on past participle agreement and others call me a "syntax Nazi"... But like everyone else, I still sometimes let typos slip. I'm sure if you look hard enough you can find them... 😀

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