In April 2024, I took a memorable cruise, with the itinerary covering from Halmahera to Sorong, crossing some of the most iconic dive sites in Indonesia.
In this article I will cover the first part of the journey, the one from Ternate to Pisang. I will add a second article focusing on the Raja Ampat and Misool area.
I was onboard the beautiful GAIA LOVE vessel, a beautiful modern motor yacht, purpose built to explore the far-reach regions of Indonesia.
This was the itinerary:
The embarkation point was in Ternate, a city steeped in history. Once a major spice trading center, Ternate still exudes a colonial charm. Ternate Island is known for its historical sites and stunning beaches.
Ternate, Al-Munawaroh Mosque, also called it “Masjid Terapung”, or "the floating mosque" because the structure was built by the sea, looking like floating on it.
The first dives of the trip were in the Halmahera/Jailolo surroundings, and since the first jump I was delighted by the wonderful and pristine reefs of the region.
The highlight of this sites are the big sponges, often covered with white sea cucumbers that give the sponges the effect of a decoration.
After Jailolo, we headed to the Goraichi islands, where we stay for 2 days and six dives. The small archipelago of Goraichi lies around 50-kilometres southwest.
Another small cay of Goraichi's archipelago
The locals here have a reputation as environmentalists, and the healthy coral reefs abound with macro marine life, offering fantastic opportunities for photography and night diving. In addition, there are also beautiful coral-covered walls to explore.
Left the Goraichi's, we headed to South Halmahera, where we had another day packed with wonderful reefs and the highlight of a night muck dive in Penambuan.
A small village in South Halmahera
Then, we left Halmahera, crossing to Pisang.
Pulau Pisang is located around 70-kilometres southwest of Damar Island, where the Halmahera and Ceram seas meet, making it a common stop for liveaboards as they cross to and from Raja Ampat.
The diving here focuses on a series of underwater ridges that connect the main island to several smaller surrounding islands and feature large pinnacles covered with branching corals.
I still found wonderful and healty reefs, teeming with life and, apparently, not yet polluted with plastic.
During all the trip, we had calm seas and good visibility, that granted me the opportunity to get many good shots.
The equipment:
For this trip, I used the SONY A7RV, in a Nauticam housing, teamed with the Nikonos RS 13mm, adapted for SONY mirrorless by Isaac Szabo. I am using this fantastic lens since 2014, but with the adaption for Sony, Isaac made a fantastic job, making the lens yet more performing!
Lighting was granted by SUPE D-pro strobes, with an even and powerul beam that well couples with the great field of view of the RS 13mm.
The Boat:
I was onboard the GAIA LOVE, a 40mt. steel motor yacht.
The GAIA LOVE in front of Pulau Pisang
The Gaia Love offers the guest contemporary settings, plenty of space and comfort, and a wonderful experience. I have tried many liveaboards before, but since when I boarded on Gaia I felt like it is a different level from the other boats! As a photographer, I was amazed by the great spaces that are available for the equipment, starting from the gorgeous and climatised camera room, and ending to the personal rinse tank that you havd on the diving deck, just in front of your personal place.
The experience on board was then completed by delicious gourmet food , and a fantastic crew always ready to pamper the guests.
The spacious camera room
Conclusions:
The first leg of the trip, covering the Halmahera region, was a great experience for me. It was the first time I dove these waters and I was really amazed for the richness of the reefs and the absolute sense of wilderness, we found maybe a couple of other liveaboards during the journey, and we always were the sole boat diving in any place!
I will cover the second leg of the trip in a next article, please stay tuned..
Cheers!
Pietro Cremone
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