Lionfish from the Coral Reef of Manokwari

Coral reef is the richest environment in the world. It is home to thousands of marine animals. One of them is lionfish. Lionfish has unique fins that look like fan. The beauty of lion fish always attracts snorkelers' attention. Their bodies, tail and fins are mostly decorated with bright colors such as red, white and yellow. When I and two Russian tourists were snorkeling in Dorey bay of Manokwari, we saw lionfish. The fish moved closer to urchins when we tried to get closer to it. I think it was the way the fish protected itself from snorkelers whom the lionfish thought as predators. This species of fish is one of the most sought after marine animals by ornamental fish traders and aquarium owners. The unique form and beautiful colors of their bodies make them expensive.

There are some coral reef or marine parks in Dorey bay of Manokwari. I have been promoting them as eco-tourism destinations since last year. Because these coral reef areas are not categorized by the government as MPA (Marine Protected Areas), the preservation efforts for these parks are very little.
I try to inform city dwellers in Manokwari city to stop throwing their domestic and industrial wastes into the sea through a number of articles about marine environment that I wrote in my personal blog. But so far, people in Manokwari city still throw their wastes into the sea. I hope that with the increasing number of tourists snorkeling in Manokwari bay, people will stop destroying their sea and respect the environment. As the capital of West Papua province, Manokwari stretches along the Dorey bay where three small islands are located.

To the south of the Dorey bay is the blue Arfak mountain range. It is still covered with tropical rainforest home to hundreds of species of animals including tree kangaroo, birds of paradise and the bowerbird (amblyornis inornatus). The ecotourism potentials in Manokwari are unlimited. There are a lot of interesting things that we can see and explore in Arfak mountains from trekking along the slopes of the mountains to bird watching under the canopy of the rainforest and from learning traditional medicine to encountering the unique culture of the the indigenous peoples.  

If you are interested in snorkeling in Dorey bay to see various ornamental coral reef fish, or need an interpreter when traveling around Manokwari, please contact me via my email: charlesroring@gmail.com. I will arrange your itinerary or trips in this capital of West Papua province and guide you to the beach, the sea, the rainforest and the mountains. New Guinea is the largest tropical island in the world. The western half of the island is under the administration of Indonesia. The natural beauty of this island is worth visiting and exploring. by Charles Roring
Also read:

• Anemone fish in the coral reef of Raimuti Island of Manokwari
• Coral reef in Manem island

Anemone Fish in the Coral Reef of Raimuti Island of Manokwari city

Anemone fish can still be found in the coral reef region not far from Raimuti island. This is the smallest island in the Dorey bay of Manokwari. When I went snorkeling with two Russian tourists, Alex Sokolov and Vitaliy Golovko, on 16 March 2011, we were able to see the Damselfish around 1 kilometer to the south of the Raimuti island. We went there at 4 p.m. to avoid strong sunlight that could burn our skins. At that time the waters around Arfai region and Raimuti island were calm. We saw hundreds of species of fish that live in the coral reef areas. I took some pictures of them but they were not as good as what Alex Sokolov did. One of them was an anemonefish. I think it was a Clark's Anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii). However, this coral reef fish was similar to Sebae Anemonefish that has a white stripe at the top of rear back that goes toward its tail. Because this fish did not have the white line, so, I concluded that it was a Clark's Anemonefish. Now I can identify the names of the coral reef fish because a biologist from the United States gave me a book entitled Reef Fish Identification - Tropical Pacific (see the book at the end of this article). This book is suitable for snorkelers and scuba divers who want to know more about the species of fish that live in the Tropical Pacific region. Before receiving this book, it's very difficult for me to identify the reef fish which consist of thousands of species.

After the Russian tourists, I went to Arfai again the next day with two Dutch tourists, Victor Dykman and Anne Bijleveld. This time we were able to see another species of anemone fish. Moisture from sea water covered the lens of my watercasing. That's why I could not take the underwater picture of this famous Nemo fish. Anemonefish is small fish that live among the anemone. It is often called clown fish but children like to call it Nemo fish after the famous animated movie Finding Nemo which is distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

As a travel writer, I have been promoting the waters around Arfai region and Raimuti island as an alternative destination for tourists who want to see the beauty of the underwater world of coral reef in affordable price.
Snorkeling in Raimuti island is much cheaper than scuba diving in places that have been commercialized with the construction of numerous diving resorts. If you plan to visit Manokwari city this year and want to do some snorkelings, you can contact me via email: charlesroring@gmail.com. I will be happy to arrange your trip and guide you to this beautiful marine environment of West Papua. Also read: Coral Reef Fish in Mansinam island.

Passenger Boat and Ferry Boat in Manokwari Harbor

When I was traveling to Numfor island last November 2010, I saw a small passenger boat at Manokwari harbor. I was standing on board of the ferry boat Kasuari Pasifik IV when I took the picture of the passenger boat. Her name was Gracelia. She has a long superstructure with three decks are allocated for passengers. The deck below the main deck is constructed for economy class. From the general arrangement of the boat, I can easily tell that the capacity of the boat is around 200 people (sometimes more during the high season or holidays such as school holiday in July and Christmas holiday in December). Please, do not be confused with the banana boat that is usually promoted by certain resort in their travel brochure. The passenger boat that I am talking about in this article is big and able to travel across open seas.

Indonesian islands which consist of more than 13,000 islands need around 50 big passenger ships (each with a carrying capacity of 3,000 passengers) and hundreds of passenger boats to transport people and goods. As the largest maritime state in the world, Indonesia constantly needs all kinds of marine vehicles to support its economic development.

In West Papua province, passenger boat and ferry is now seen as an alternative public transport vehicles to bring tourits from Manokwari - the capital city - to Numfor island, a potential tourist destination in the Geelvink baai. Speed boats are also used to bring tourists from Sorong to Waisai, the capital of Raja Ampat regency. West Papua is a famous destination for tourists who want to enjoy bird watching in Arfak mountains, snorkeling or scuba diving over the pristine coral reefs that thrive around the tropical islands in the region. With more tourists are coming from all corners of the world to West Papua, boat owners and ferry operators should pay attention to waste handling and treatment inside their boats.

When people travel by boat or ship they bring food that is usually wrapped in plastic packagings. These plastic wastes are thrown into the sea by passengers and crew of the boats. Such bad attitude has to be stopped because throwing plastic wastes into the sea will bring marine pollution that is harmful to the coral reef and marine environment as a whole. Not only the tourists are effected but also the ecosystem will be destroyed by that. The sewage water treatment systems in most of the boats that operate in Indonesia need to be improved or upgraded.

In the coming years, more tourists will come to Manokwari, Numfor island, Raja Ampat and other places in West Papua. This is the result of our efforts in promoting ecotourism for this region. Therefore, everybody who is involved in the land and sea transportation industry must work together to improve their services so that this increasing number of tourists will continue to occur and bring positive economic benefits to all of us.

Also read:

Ferry boat service between Manokwari city and Numfor island

Passenger ships of PELNI lines

The interior of passenger ship and cruise ship

Coral reef in Manem islet

I went to Manem islet on 28 October 2010. I was with the Schepers (three Dutch tourists from the Netherlands). It took around one hour from Numfor island to Manem by boat. The coral reef that I saw when snorkeling was very beautiful. As I am not a marine biologist, I couldn't identify each coral reef fish species. Some dolphins were playing near me while I was taking pictures of the ornamental fish that live among the corals. When I was talking with the boat driver, I asked him, "Do people still catch fish using explosives?" He answered, "No, not anymore, people are now afraid of the police. Catching fish using bombs will destroy the coral reef."

I hope that people will not destroy the pristine coral reef in Manem islet through destructive fishing practices. The best time to snorkel in Manem islet is during the low tide. According to the local fisherman, the coral fish will gather in corals that are still below the sea surface. They will not move away. Coral reefs are their homes that provide food and protection from being the prey of big fish. 

From my reference book, The Coral Reef written by Pam Walker and Elaine Wood, I know that these "rocks" are actually animals. They play very important role in absorbing CO2 gases during the photosynthesis.
Manem islet and Numfor island are not famous among scuba divers not because there are no coral reefs but mainly because this region is lack of promotion. When I was traveling around the islands I could easily conclude that they are very potential destination for scuba divers. In addition, the tropical rainforest the covers the islands have high density of birds species. 

 

If you are interested in visiting the island, you can contact me, Charles Roring, via my e-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com. I would be happy to be your guide. If your budget is tight, I suggest that you bring bicycle so that you can save a lot of money while traveling around. Recommended beaches in the Numfor island that you should visit are Samido and Asaibori.

Also read:
Coral reef preservation and eco-tourism in Kaki island
Coral reef preservation in Dorey bay of Manokwari
Underwater photographs of coral reef in Mansinam island
Snorkeling trip to Manem islet

Underwater photographs of Coral Reef in Mansinam island

I have been snorkeling around the coral reefs in the tropical islands around Manokwari regency of Indonesia since early this 2010. I have seen beautiful underwater world including high biodiversity of marine species that live among the corals. But I had not been able to present the beauty of the marine ecosystem in the waters of Dorey bay of Papua until 4 days ago. Last month I bought a waterproof case to protect my digital camera Sony Cybershot while I am in the water taking pictures of the beautiful marine environment. I was not sure whether the case was good enough to keep my camera dry when I moved in the water.

 

When I tested the water housing a few days ago while snorkeling in Mansinam island, I was happy to see that it worked really well. The light from the sun was bright enough to show the ornamental fish such as the zebra fish and the yellow tailed blue fish that were moving among the healthy corals.

They were not afraid of me when I was taking the underwater photographs of them. I was really excited to see the first photos taken from the Mansinam island that morning. Actually my camera is an ordinary camera which does not have waterproof capability. I only changed it into an underwater camera by inserting it into a digital camera waterproof case manufactured by Dicapac - a Korean company specializing in producing underwater equipment.

Beatiful coral reef and marine fish can be seen easily if we travel to the southern part of Mansinam island - around 2 kilometers from the village that is facing the Manokwari city.
The cheapest way to enjoy snorkeling in the tropical island is going by boat or water taxi. The rate is Rp. 3,000 per passenger. Every boat can carry passengers up to 16 or 20 passengers. If you travel in group of ten then leasing a boat is a wise choice. You can ask him to bring you to any part of the island. The normal rate for boat rent is Rp. 350,000. The boatman will standby you if the water current is strong. He will drive his outboard engine boat to you and ask you to hold the outrigger of the boat which is made of bamboo. Once you hold the bamboo, he will drag you back to the beach.
I am really concerned about the marine pollution in the Dorey bay of Manokwari city. Every day, people throw plastic bottles to the streets of the city. When rain comes, they will be swept away and end up at sea.
I decide to put pictures of the beautiful coral fish and coral reef hoping that the city dwellers will be amazed by them and stop throwing wastes into the sea anymore. Although I am not an underwater photographer, I believe that the quality of the pictures is good enough to present how beautiful the underwater world of Mansinam island is.
If you are interested in traveling to Mansinam island, you can contact me - Charles Roring - via email peace4wp@gmail.com, I will be happy to guide you around the islands and forest in this regency.
Also read:
Coral reef preservation and Ecotourism in Kaki island
Coral reef preservation in Dorey bay of Manokwari

Dorey bay my favorite snorkeling place

I just returned from snorkeling around the Dorey bay of Manokwari. Today, I snorkeled with Grietje (a Dutch tourist from the Netherlands), Ani, Paul and another Papuan girl that I forgot her name. Well, we went to the sea at 13.00 this afternoon. The tide was low and it was the perfect time for snorkeling. Unfortunately, it was not in full moon week of the month so, the low tide was not maximum. But we managed to enjoy snorkeling around the beautiful corals and saw various kinds of ornamental fish. I didn't use underwater camera to shoot the following photographs. Instead, I just stood in shallow water and shot these corals using my Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W30. The size of the photo files is quite large. I have re-sized them all using Adobe Photoshop CS3.

I brought my own locally made snorkeling snorkeling glasses which does not have air pipe. I had to come up to the surface again after less than one minute under water. Luckily one of the Papuan girls lend me the snorkeling mask that is equipped with an air pipe and I was able to enjoy the beauty of the coral reef for longer time.

Dorey bay of Manokwari city has several beautiful places for snorkeling. As a tourist guide, I usually bring tourists to a place where there are not many people around so that they can enjoy snorkeling without being disturbed. If you are interested in snorkeling in Dorey bay of Manokwari city and need me as your tour guide to show you around my favorite snorkeling sites, please contact me Charles Roring via email lroring@yahoo.com and peace4wp@gmail.com or through my mobile phone +6281332245180

Also read: 

• David Scott enjoyed snorkeling in the Dorey bay of Manokwari city of West Papua-the Republic of Indonesia
• Snorkeling in Manokwari
• Manokwari Travel Guide

A favorite snorkeling place in Manokwari of Papua

Snorkeling is an easiest way to admire the underwater beauty of coral reef and ornamental fish. Tourists do not need expensive diving gear if they only want to see colorful corals in shallow waters. What they need are mask with an embedded pipe for breathing through mouth, and fins. Sometimes a small underwater digital camera is useful for taking underwater pictures of the corals in Manokwari of West Papua.

 Often tourists who meet me ask where they can snorkle in Manokwari. There are a number of interesting places inside the Dorey bay of Manokwari. Most tourists will snorkel between Mansinam island and Lemon island. There is also a snorkeling site at the western tip of Pasir Putih beach where fresh water comes out of the rock that ends at the beach. 

As a tourist guide, I know many other places which I can show around to tourists who come to Manokwari to enjoy the natural beauty of the coral reef. Manokwari is also famous for its shipwrecks that are scattered around the Dorey bay. Bring your own scuba diving gear if you want to explore them. There are not any diving centers yet. If you are interested in opening a diving center in Manokwari, I will be happy to help you, contacting you with local businessmen or hotel owners so that you will only concentrate in running your diving center whereas the accommodation will be handled by the hotel owners.

Personally, I have been writing a lot of articles in this blog (my personal blog) and my other Manokwari Papua blog aiming at promoting ecotourism as an alternative to commercial water sport tourism which you often see being promoted by big players in tourism industries around the world. 

I provide a-3-day hiking and snorkeling guided tour to anybody who is interested in having a holiday in Manokwari, the capital of West Papua province that is located in the tropical region of Indonesia. I can also arrange a special trip for you into the interior mountainous region of  Papua island where you can see birds of paradise, watch deer grazing in the Kebar valley and various other activities that interest you. For more information about tourism in Manokwari, you can contact me at lroring@yahoo.com or via my cell phone: +6281332245180.

Also read:

Snorkeling in Manokwari Papua

Traveling to Islands in the Dorey Bay of Manokwari 

Beautiful Beaches in Manokwari

Snorkeling and bird watching in Dorey bay of Manokwari

Yesterday I and Paul accompanied David Scott (a tourist from England) to islands in the Dorey bay of Manokwari Papua. We left my bookstore for the Ketapang water taxi station at 9 a.m. The weather was cloudy when the water taxi took us to Mansinam island. I asked the boat driver to land on an empty beach around 1 kilometer away from the village of Mansinam. There were some birds singing in trees neaby the beach. Some mangrove trees grow offshore making them look similar to a small island.

I took off my clothes and began snorkeling. I brought an underwater camera with me . The corals scattered around did not look bright due to the lack of sun light. It was not a digital camera. It was only a film camera that is protected by watertight container. I used around half of the film roll and decided to use the other half on another island.

Swimming and snorkeling in Mansinam island was fun. I was able to locate some corals that I found beautiful. Unfortunately I could not shot them well because small waves pushed my body. Trying to avoid trampling on the corals, I practiced neutral buoyancy. But this made me even more difficult to take pictures of the corals. I could only hope that the photographs would be good enough when printed.
After swimming and snorkeling in southern beach of the Mansinam island, we walked to the village where we visited an old lady who raised Kasuari bird (Casuarius casuarius). She got it when it was still an egg. Now it is a one-year-old Kasuari which is several times bigger than rabbits, other animals that the lady had. In the wild, Casuarius is one of the deadliest animals in the Papua New Guinea island. She feeds the bird with coconut, rice, sweet potatoes and anything that bird can eat.

It was 3 p.m. when we arrived at another island that was smaller than Mansinam. The corals here still looked good. I took some pictures of them using my digital still photo camera. I enjoyed snorkeling here very much although the weather was so hot. As a travel writer I provide a  guide service to tourists who want to see the beautiful scenery and interesting places in Manokwari of Papua. If you are interested in traveling around the islands in Manokwari of Papua, you can contact me via email peace4wp@gmail.com or cell phone: +6281332245180. I can arrange a tour and show you around the beautiful scenery of the islands, the colorful corals and the ornamental fish of the Dorey bay. David Scott looked satisfied with two days tour around Manokwari that I provided. He returned to the hotel when it was nearly dark. by Charles Roring
Also read: Snorkeling at the beach of Mansinam island