throughout Indonesia and in the world of diving, Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock are known as people which put Raja Ampat dive sites on top of the bucket lists of most divers traveling with the publication of two dive guides.
The revolutionary Diving Raja Ampat in Indonesia by Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock, published in 2009 under the auspices of Conservation International, is a compilation of over 130 descriptions diving sites, as well as travel information, background tests on biodiversity, conservation and the people who inhabit this unique area.
Bird Head Seascape Diving in Indonesia , published in 2011, describes more than 200 sites for diving and explore in most tropical biodiversity world system reefs . This guide is a must for divers and other adventurers are planning a trip to Bird Head Seascape West Papua, the "Holy Grail" of marine diversity.
Why did you develop your original work to include Cenderawasih Bay and Triton Bay?
It had been nearly a decade since Conservation International conducted its initial investigation of marine Raja Ampat. Our first guide, Diving Raja Ampat in Indonesia has been exhausted, and we wanted to introduce divers and anyone interested in the marine environment to the wealth of sites that exist in neighboring areas of Raja Ampat Cenderawasih Bays and Triton.
Your guide is titled Diving Indonesia Head Seascape bird. What is a landscape?
The marine area of West Papua that we surveyed is very large, more than 183,000 square kilometers. NGOs working in the region defined as a sailor since 2004 because of its extremely high biodiversity, ecological and economic connectivity and the aesthetic and cultural value. Scientists have recorded an unprecedented number of fish species. We are 1,757 species of fish in the separate BHS - a new world record
We know that Raja Ampat is one of the top diving destinations in the world. Give me a quick summary of what divers can see in Cenderawasih?
Cenderawasih Bay is the largest marine area of Indonesia with more than 1.5 million hectares officially protected since 2002. Because of its unique geological development, many species fish have evolved in isolation and have different features of similar species that grow outside the bay. But what attracts most tourists in Cenderawasih is the opportunity to swim with whale sharks, the largest fish in the sea. There is an area southwest Cenderawasih where whale sharks feed on baitfish attracted by fishing vessels of local-net lifting known bagan . Unlike most other places where luck has everything to do with the observations of whale sharks in Cenderawasih see whale sharks is almost a guaranteed experience.
Why Triton Bay was also included in the book? What is so special?
Triton Bay is ly different. Abundant rainfall and several large rivers flowing into the sea in this region means plenty of fresh water made its way onto the reefs. Hard Coral does not grow as well, but soft corals like the mix! Triton Bay soft coral gardens are just stunning! But we also found many interesting little animals, "creatures" if you will, that are diving around Triton Bay fascinating and extremely varied.
What attracts tourists to this region?
The list is endless! Besides diving and snorkeling, there is the fabulous kayaking and birding opportunities. People can watch rock art millennium, tube through the giant limestone caves and village life experience while staying in a myriad of homestays.
The important thing is for people from Indonesia and elsewhere out the head of the bird and dive in an area that is still wild
tourism based on nature supports sustainable local economy and defends this unique place against extractive industries such as mining and commercial fishing.
What is the best time to visit?
The best time is from October to April when the winds from the southeast monsoon is not blowing, but it is difficult to predict the weather these days. But in southern Raja eg Misool Eco farm resort opened in June and in October. North Raja is OK year, maybe a little windy and rainy at times, but still very good. Cenderawasih Bay is also a good year once you are down at the bottom of the bay. Get Sorong to Manokwari is problematic in the monsoon from the northwest. Most boats are plying Cenderawasih in the off-season, from June to September. Triton Bay (Kaimana) is the same as Raja; it is best to avoid the area during the monsoon season of the southeast.
How you word internationally? This was done in addition to your dive guide to publicize tourism opportunities in head of the bird?
After Conservation International published the dive guide in 2011, we all realized that we needed an internet presence. In collaboration with Dr. Mark Erdmann, who led Head of CI bird program since its inception and is now VP for Asia Pacific Marine Programs CI, we have developed a website (www.birdsheadseascape.com) to build local and international coverage of the BHS benefit conservation, scientific research, regional events and the sustainable development of tourism.
How are these efforts do?
In a year of launch, we have reached more than 15,000 unique users, triple the draw for the dive guide! The site also houses a large library of scientific work on the region and most of the media coverage. We have archived wonderful "Guardians of Raja Ampat" Shawn Heinrichs film, and displayed internationally renowned photographers portfolios including Dr. Alex Mustard and Roger Steene. Our BHS has over 1,000 'likes'. We encourage everyone to visit the site and work with BHS on .
Give us an idea of some recent, relevant messages.
We try to follow the evolution of tourism as the new structure of entrance fees and new infrastructure developments. for example, a new station opened recently in Triton Bay to allow snorkelers and divers who love boats can enjoy this region (www.tritonbaydivers.com). We have a video of whale sharks that now goes with the blog of Dr. Mark Erdmann on new methods of marking and tracking whale sharks. in section new Bahasa indonesia, we have a post about the new Napoleon tale species Cirrhilabrus marinda , the name of the Bupati and Vice Bupati of Raja Ampat. In addition, the website has all the cards to the dive site with images of each site and information for travelers, including when to go and where to stay.
bird Diving Head Seascape in Indonesia can be purchased at bookstores Periplus and Ganesha.