Blogging in paradise

I started writing today’s blog post while gazing at this view from my cabin.

Even though it is day … seven … I think … our cruise still feels a bit surreal.

We sailed into West Papua’s Triton Bay at dawn, with the Captain using dynamic positioning to hold the ship in place as the anchor might damage the reef.

Triton Bay is located in the ‘Coral Triangle’, which has more biodiversity than anywhere else in the world. It covers 5.7 million square kilometres of tropical marine waters in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. Known as the “Amazon of the seas,” it contains about 75% of the world’s coral species and a third of its reef fish species. 

A cruise is the easiest way to get to Triton Bay. Otherwise, it requires flying from Jakarta or Bali to Sorong, then to Kaimana, followed by a boat transfer that can take up to three hours.

It is so remote that you would expect its reefs and marine life to be in pristine condition.

Sadly nowhere in the world is safe from global warming.

But let’s start with the fun stuff …

The beauty of Triton Bay isn’t restricted to its underwater treasures. One of the area’s unique features are its towering limestone outcrops covered in lush vegetation – called karsts – that rise dramatically from the sea.

They have mushroom-like bases that look like optical illusions, as per the pic above.

The islands create sheltered bays and channels where you can explore shallow coral gardens and swim with everything from tiny pygmy seahorses to massive schools of fish.

There are also whale sharks in residence, but unfortunately we didn’t encounter any during our day in the bay. Hopefully later in our voyage.

Our morning involved a spectacular two-hour zodiac ride in the bay, including a stop at a pop-up espresso martini stand!

In the afternoon we climbed back into the zodiacs and cruised to a spectacular beach for a swim and snorkel around the nearby karsts.

Snorkelling highlights included a family of clown fish darting around an anemone, colourful clams and gorgeous little patches of purple, green and pink coral.

But mainly the colour was gone, even in such a remote part of the world.

I feel so sad, knowing that reefs once looked like this …

But it was still the most stunningly beautiful day, one that made me feel incredibly fortunate.

As we sat on deck at sunset admiring the view, we felt so excited about what the coming days will bring.

Today, for example, we’re swimming at an ocean waterfall … stay tuned.

PS I’m being very sun-safe – check out my sexy attire …

Song of the day: David Lee Roth “Paradise”