A quizzical gaze at the Indonesian map on the wall on the Wakatobi Dive Resort drew an unsolicited explanation from the staff member:
“We’re not on the map.”
Figures. A speck on a map wouldn’t do justice to scuba diving this far off the charts. Satellite images prove Wakatobi exists, not to mention gigabytes upon gigabytes of underwater digital photo documentation by visitors to the 5-year-old ecologically dedicated resort.
“Wakatobi” is an acronym taken from four surrounding islands (Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomea and Binongki ) in the tiny Tukangbesi chain off the southeast coast of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The only way to reach the resort is by a weekly private charter, giving regular folks the same bragging rights as celebrities whose photos are taken on private islands in the Pacific.
Scuba divers are a determined breed. Divers visit places unheard of by most people, at least until a “Survivor” season lands on Palau. As business travelers, they would accept no less than upscale accommodations. But they pay thousands for a week or two with no TV, radio, cellphones or communication with the outside world save for an overtaxed wi-fi system with speeds similar to 14.4K dialup modems of a decade ago.
Stare out at the unspoiled horizon, and you’ve truly reached the end of the world. When the stars come out on a moonless night, there is evidence all around of the Milky Way. No need for the Hubble telescope.
From the quest for the resort’s signature pygmy seahorse to the uninvited visit by the water-bottle-stealing monkey on the hotel balcony resort on a Bali stopover, this trip was worth the endless journey and multipage credit card bill from a Bali shopping spree.
In my 21 years of at least annual dive trips, including five excursions to the far Pacific, nothing has approached Wakatobi in terms of the health of the reef, diversity of aquatic life and superiority of the actual dive operation. Weaver’s Dive and Travel owner Steve Weaver, who spends more time underwater than in his 23-year-old Boulder store, promised “valet diving” at what has become his favorite dive destination. As evidence of five previous Weaver trips with 200 divers, there were more “Weaver’s Dive Shop” T-shirts on employees than Wakatobi-issued uniforms.
Estimates of the island size range from 3 square miles to just under 6. The 26-mile reef system provides diving nirvana, and the topside is uninterrupted by rain, traffic noise (no cars on the island), boom boxes or ringing cellphones. Emerge from a dive, and the only boat in sight is your own, compared with some popular Caribbean hot spots where the number of boats resembles the parking lot at DIA.
Nearly 20 hours in the air
The trek began on time with a 5:15 p.m. Tuesday departure from DIA to Los Angeles International Airport. The brunt of the trip was the 17-hour flight from LAX to Singapore. Then came a welcome layover and 2 1/2-hour flight southeast to Densapar, Bali.
The following morning began with a 2 ½-hour charter flight northwest to an airstrip near Wakatobi and a 20-min-
ute boat ride. It was noon Friday local time (2 a.m. in Denver) when I stepped on the resort beach. Somehow I thought it took less time to send a manned spacecraft to the moon.
Yet two hours later, we were in the water on a shore dive – and within sight of a crocodile fish lying in the sand.
Wakatobi’s house reef alone can occupy a week of diving. For lack of a better description, most of the Indonesian marine life is named for something else. There’s a leaf fish, lettuce corals resembling a pileup in the produce aisle, a batfish, a frogfish and a hairy frogfish. I asked a dive guide about a perfect sphere of yellow coral. He insisted it was “tennis ball coral.” I’m sure it has a different Latin name.
The next day we settled into the routine of three square meals (enough variety to satisfy my reputation as the world’s pickiest eater) and three boat dives a day. The dive boats are designed to comfortably accommodate 20 divers, but there were rarely more than 14 to a boat.
Anyone averse to spending time on dry land could take another dive or two offshore. This is where the “valet diving” concept comes in. Most resort shore diving entails an awkward entry or exit in full gear. The dive staff either takes shore divers out on small craft or carries the tanks until the diver is in the water.
Every dive for the first few days produced a species I hadn’t seen before. Dive guide Markus Bischofberger tells of a naturalist who counted 426 species on one visit.
Just for fun, there were ample “Nemo” sightings of anemone clownfish. By the third day, however, I thought I had as much chance of finding the inch-long pygmy seahorse as sighting the Loch Ness monster.
Not to worry. I caught an idea of where they might live when the guide carefully examined a certain kind of reddish, cross-hatched sea fan, only to shake his head. The next time he encountered the same type of sea fan he waved the group toward him. The paparazzi swam in for the Wakatobi’s version of the Brangelina baby.
The pygmy seahorse is white with raised red dots and resembles a whimsical illustration in a children’s book. They can be photographed only with close-up lenses, and you can’t always see at what you are shooting.
The dive staff jokes that, because the poor little creatures lack eyelids and endure frequent routines of camera strobes, they can’t see.
We spare them by moving on to the next attraction. There was one hit after another on this dive of scorpion fish (often mistakenly called rock fish for their perfect camouflage with the coral) and lionfish.
The resort provides air tanks 25 percent larger than the standard because these dives last well over an hour, in contrast with the 45-minute maximum in many locales.
On the last two days, we saw cuttlefish, a mollusk that looks more like an octopus than a fish. Part of the group saw one laying pingpong-shaped eggs.
A preservation vision
The reefs are so healthy for a number of reasons. A decade ago Swiss diver Lorenz Maeder, unhappy with the deterioration of many dive sites around the world, had an ecological vision for the resort. Until 2001, Wakatobi was a rumor in the dive community, requiring a stomach-churning 36 hours of boat rides and puddle-jumper planes. A single lodge housed the brave visitors.
But ever since the resort installed the landing strip at a nearby island in 2001, more accommodations were built, and there’s been a steady stream of visitors. It has been recognized by the diving industry as the top ecological dive operation in the world.
The 40 dive sites are rotated regularly among three boats. While the universal rule of diving is “leave nothing but bubbles, take nothing but pictures,” inevitable collisions between divers’ fins and the delicate reefs occur and are apparent in other places where a hundred divers might visit daily.
Best of all, there is no commercial fishing in the marine park. The dive resort leased the reefs from the local villages. There are no fishing nets, or dynamite to stun fish for food or aquarium collections. The resort doesn’t even reveal the location of the dive sites to keep out any unaffiliated live-aboard boats.
Renowned underwater photographer Stephen Frink, visiting the Boulder-Denver area recently for seminars, said the way he figures it, “The fish have come to accept the bubble-blowing monsters with double-arm strobes. Posing for a few pictures beats getting caught for dinner.”
Villagers still line-fish outside the actual dive sites for their own needs. In addition to providing jobs for up to 90 maintenance and construction workers, housekeepers and tank haulers at any time, the resort has invested in electricity for the village that shares the island and for schools for the surrounding islands.
The island’s other side
The final day was a quick boat trip to the other side of the island to visit Lamanggau village. Native children, accustomed to the weekly tourist invasion, have grown fascinated by images on digital camera playbacks. Even the most rustic housing structures have satellite dishes in the front yard. The higher we climbed the hill, the newer the houses were. We waved to several resort employees showing off their new motor scooters.
The next day it was back to Bali for two nights. Others stayed longer in Bali or went on to a week of live-aboard diving.
The destination on Bali was Ubud, an artist colony about an hour inland. We shopped until we dropped our packages and then shopped some more for batiks, clothes, hand-carved masks and the like. About $400 later, I’d collected enough to redecorate the house and take care of half my Christmas list.
When you stay at a hotel on Monkey Forest Road, some simian visitors are to be expected. I was just sitting down on the balcony with a fresh bottle of water when a monkey appeared on the railing as a squirrel would any place else.
I went inside to grab the camera while he grabbed the water bottle, drinking its contents after flinging the cap.
The pictures were well worth the price of the water.
A few weeks after the trip, Wakatobi managing director Henrik Rosen visited Weaver’s Dive Center as part of a national dive-industry tour. I mentioned to Rosen that Wakatobi would reach perfection if only it had some shark photo action.
He said they are working on a shark feed if they can lure some sharks at 120 feet into more shallow water. I told Weaver to sign me up for his next trip, in 2008.
Staff writer Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
Insider’s Guide
GET THERE
There are no direct flights to Denpasar, the main airport and city in Bali. Flights run between $1,500 and $2,000.
Singapore Airlines goes through Singapore with a four-hour layover before the Denpasar connection. Singapore’s transit area lives up to its billing as the world’s best airport. There’s nothing special in the restaurants, and the duty free shopping is pricey, but it’s a great stopover for showers, massages, free Internet, and low-cost (8 cents a minute) phone calls.
However, be aware of the time back home. For example, noon in Singapore on the return leg was 2 a.m. in Denver. Singapore Airlines partners with United for frequent flier mileage. The entire trip deposited about 20,000 miles to the account. Of course, the best way is to use those frequent flier miles. Also with a 2-3-2 seating configuration in economy class, Singapore Airlines seats are roomier; there is more leg room than most international flights. Other perks include on-demand videos (place your Netflix account on hold), video games and make-
your-own-playlist music while saving on your MP3 player batteries.
Continental goes through Hawaii and Guam for those who would rather break up the flight.
DIVE
Weaver’s Dive & Travel Center (637-V S. Broadway, Boulder, 303-499-8500, weaversdive.com) offers all-inclusive dive packages to Wakatobi that include everything except drinks.
Packages range from $1,940 for a seven-day stay to $4,340 for 11 days at the premium “cliff villa” (a.k.a. honeymoon suite). A week on the Pelagian live-
aboard dive boat to Komodo starts at $2,180. Other charges include $290 for the air transfer from Bali to the resort. Also figure $40 for visa and departure tax and 10 percent for the basic packages rate for tips to the dive guides and hotel staff. You can also book directly through wakatobi.com.
WHAT TO BRING
There is no concession stand to speak of at the resort. Divers typically have their own “medicine chest” of decongestants, allergy pills, ear medications, anti-itch lotions and ibuprofen, as well as the usual stomach remedies. Be sure to pack all prescription medications, spare contact lenses, etc., in carry-on luggage.
Although each room has a stocked mini-bar, take along a few boxes of energy bars and juices.
Dress is typical resort casual (shorts and T-shirts). Shoes, even flip-flops, are discouraged in the dining room to prevent sand from ruining the new hardwood floors.
Photographers need to take everything, as there is no rental equipment. Rechargeable batteries are recommended because the resort requests that guests pack out used disposable batteries.
Trip insurance is a must because the resort makes absolutely no refunds. Additional dive insurance through Divers Alert Network is also encouraged.
BALI
Figure on one night in Denpasar on the way to the resort. The city is crowded, and there aren’t any shopping bargains, but it’s convenient to the airport.
For the freshest seafood dinner you have ever had, try New Melasti Café and sit at a picnic table right on the beach.
Unless pressed for time or money on the return, stay a few nights. Don’t even think of renting a car. The roads are clogged with motor scooters, often with two or three people aboard. There are numerous tour agencies for hire at the airport that provide air-conditioned mini vans and multilingual guides to take you out of the city.
If you want to go shopping, they will take you, but specify your interest. If you don’t want to go to a jewelry store or wood-carving outlet, just say so. For those going to Ubud, the batik center in Kartika Chandra is not to be missed. Quality is a cut above the street vendors.
For a one-of-a kind-mask, ask your guide to visit I. Wayan Muka, where the masks are carved and painted on-
site. The tour guides will also take you to Hindu temples, explain the Hindu culture and suggest restaurants for lunch and dinner. Drivers are more than willing to stop along roadsides for photo ops.
For pure bargain hunting in Ubud, the merchant stalls along Monkey Forest Street offer sarongs, shirts, dresses, crafts and jewelry. Bring plenty of cash because credit cards are not accepted by the smaller sellers.
Indonesian clothing sizes run very small, so buy at least a size larger than usual for most items, especially shirts and blouses.
STAY
The Champlung Sari Hotel on Monkey Forest Street in Ubud is conveniently located for shopping, has a nice on-site restaurant and guaranteed monkeys in the courtyard area. Upscale goes all the way to the Four Seasons. Balivillas.com has an extensive list of staffed private villas starting from $240 a night.
