Marine Protected Areas (MPA)

12 – 19 September 2009 S8 16.585 E115 35.585 First I have to pay tribute to the women porters of Tulamben. They literally risk their necks for us, and it’s quite embarrassing to see them carry one or two or even three tanks for our diving ease and pleasure! Here is some of the amazing […]

10 September 2009 S8 40.175 E115 27.960 After five months of straight shooting, we had to slow down and work on the thousands of images. The WWF Global Photo Network had been patiently waiting for their hi-resolution images but we could feel their itchy fingers wanting to get hold of the files! 🙂 So in […]

6 – 18 August 2009 We spent 12 wonderful days diving with the entire Pet family and their friends onboard The Seven Seas, a super luxurious dive live aboard operating all over the best sites of Indonesia. It was Lida Pet-Soede’s much awaited vacation and it was perfect to share this time with her. Lida […]

6 – 24 August 2009 It is very interesting that mangroves and seagrass beds do not hold as much tourist attraction as flamboyant coral reefs. Fair enough as coral reefs are magical and full of variety of shapes and animals. But there is beauty in each ecosystem – so much so that we have this […]

6 – 22 August 2009 S8 27.213 E119 33.654 – achorage for Crystal & Castle Rock, North Komodo S8 47.133 E119 40.207 Horseshoe Bay Cannibal Rock, South Rinca S8 44.499 E119 25.217 Manta Alley, South Komodo S8 41.020 E119 33.978 Padar Island S8 26.339 E119 27.009 Batu Moncho, Beru Peninsula S8 08.647 E119 01.660 Pulau […]

By Alya B. Honsasan IT was serendipitous that an important meeting of Coral Triangle partners was going on in Bali at the same time we visited, as scientists, conservation experts, and government representatives from all over the world gathered to work out plans of action. That meant that a whole battery of experts was ready […]

24 – 29 July 2009 S0 21.590 E132 32.088 – Batu Rumah S0 21.556 E132 33.540 – Warmamedi For the next four nights, we consistently saw two leatherback turtles laying eggs. We didn’t have as many companions now as the first night, and we developed some sort of nightly ritual.  A long boat (dugout canoe […]

23 July 2009 S0 21.590 E132 32.088 – Batu Rumah S0 21.556 E132 33.540 – Warmamedi We arrived in Batu Rumah sometime 3 pm of July 23.  Immediately our WWF leaders Mr. Bas and Franki called for a meeting with all the site monitoring staff and some local Papuan patrol volunteers. Our presence and intentions […]

23 – 29 July 2009 S0 44.182 E131 34.905 – Um Island S0 21.590 E132 32.088 – Batu Rumah We have been planning this part of our expedition since before we left Australia for Asia four months ago. When we found out that WWF Indonesia had a project site for leatherback turtles, we zeroed in […]

By Alya B. Honsasan In the Kudat-Banggi Priority Conservation Area (PCA) in Sabah, Malaysia, fish is a big deal. You see it everywhere, from the fish cages outside settlements like Tampakan and Sibogo, to the dozens of trawlers and purse seiners docked at the harbor, equipped with large fishing nets and bringing in large quantities […]