Triton Bay - trip report - December 2016 / January 2017

I was in Triton Bay - West Papua - Indonesia ( Triton Bay Dive Resort ) last December 2016 for a dive vacation and I'd like to share my experience .
( .. I just beg your pardon for my English .. )

Getting There :
the trip begin many months before with a good e-mail comunication with resort owners ( Jimmy and Leeza ) to receive all the info about the location and diving and to set up the flights to get there .
I arrived from Italy in Jakarta in the afternoon and then a night flight Lion + Wings Air to Kaimana via Ambon . I arrived in Kaimana airport h 10:00 AM , Jimmy , the owner , is waiting for me and other guest and than half hour drive to the pier and 2 and half hours to get the resort . Long but not difficult .
Same for the way back : starting in the morning from resort and landing in Jakarta h 4:00 PM .
Actually Wings Air seems do not fly anymore to Kaimana , but there is now Garuda : so for getting there next time ( ... ah , yes I already planned next Christmas again in Triton Bay ... ) I will fly Garuda from Jakarta to Kaimana via Ambon ( arriving in Kaimana H 9:45 AM ) but way back Garuda has orrible connection in Ambon , so better Kaimana to Jakarta via Sorong ( Wings + Batik Air , landing in Jakarta h 7:00 PM )

Location and Resort :
Triton bay is in West Papua , south-est from Raja Ampat , a very remote and still untouched area for diving . Only one resort actually ( Triton Bay Dive resort - Home ) and very few liveaboards .
The resort is in a quiet and amazing bay .

This was the view from the door of my bungalow :

and this the view of the beach from the restaurant :

and this the bungalow and the diving from the beach :

I loved very much this resort : so small , intimate and well organized .
The room was very nice , well ventilated even without aircon , with a big open air bathroom , and just a step from the beach .

The restaurant offered buffet breakfats and family style lunch and dinner . Always delicious .
One per week a wonderful barbeque on the beach .

The electricity run from 6:00AM to 11:00 PM , this was my main concern before to arrive there , but really no problem at all , just a little planning to charge all the battery camera , strobe , laptop, and remember to have a little flash light on my bed during the night just in case .
Maybe the only issue is the slow wifi connection : whatsapp worked but no e-mail , FB .... anyway sometimes is also good in this way to better enjoy the holiday !
Be aware No mobile signal as well .

Again about location : I was really fascinating about the surrounding area , every morning the short boat ride to dive site gave me amazing view and after the first dive we always spent the surface interval in a unspoiled beach .... fantastic .
Just few example :

and I was very impressed to not see anyt plastics in the water and to the beach !


DIVING :
the main reason to get there !

Just few words about the diving operation : there were 3 very skilled Dive Master from Manado , and this was the mailstone to have a very good experience !
The boat leave 8:00 AM for two dives in the morning , diving time 60-80 min , then back for lunch in resort . As I already said : surface interval in a fantastic and desert beach for relax and some snack .
Third dive 3:00 PM and night dive h 6:00 PM if you like ( I made only one time and it was beyond expectation )
Even with only 5 guest the resort always used two boats , so very relaxed and enjoible diving . Someimes I was with private dive master for better opportunity in phothography

As underwater photographer , I can divide the diving in three section : MACRO , WIDE , Whale Shark experience .

Macro :

As macro lover ( btw : I dove the most important macro destination may times : Anilao , Lembeh , Tulamben , Ambon ) I was really impressed about the variety of pigmy sea horse in Triton Bay .

This was the real highlight of Triton Bay as my macro point of view .
Many different kind of Denise , Bargibanti . And Pontoi also . And all these 3 species during the same dive . And not only one dive site ... !
And sometimes Satomi pigmy can be seen also ( ... I missed it for 2 weeks ) .

Just some pigmy shots :

very interesting behavior as well , ie mating nudibranch :




or pigmy denise releasing ( ? ) eggs :




this is also the place for nudi lovers .

another highlight is the dive to see the flasher wrasse : a challange for macro shooter :







For macrophotography the condition was really good with subject no deeper than 24 m and really no current . Warm water ( 29 °C ) so possible to stay longer ....!

If you like , other macro shots here : https://www.flickr.com/photos/paolobl65/albums/72157677301099011

Wide angle :
I think the best reason to get there is for reefscape and underwater panorama .
It really seems the jungle and the reef mix each other .

Wide angle photography was my real goal but so many pigmy take me out to left my wide angle lens so often .
I was impressed by biodiversity and density of coral and fish ( btw : the fish approach you very close without fear ... )
The blak coral forest was unbelievable ! And the soft corals were like in Fiji : so beautiful .

Be aware this is not a big fish destination : I didn't see any shark or manta , just two wobbegong . But I was in a fish soup every time in the water .

Better stop to chat and show you some shot ( ... even if I'm not a wide angle specialist ) :

and really amazing black coral forest :

Sometime the current was very strong , anyway the dive master know how to manage the dive for divers safety .

The only issue was visibility sometime poor and the water with a little green color cast .
And when the visibility is good .... it is a dream !

If you like , other wide angle shots here : https://www.flickr.com/photos/paolobl65/albums/72157679783634576

Whale Shark experience :

Just a 1 hour boat ride to arrive to fisherman platform and we jumped in the water with whale shark .
This was the best experience of this holiday , maybe becuase my first time with whale shark .

We spent 2 hours there , again the water was not so clear , anyway was fantastic to be so close with so a gently giant .


Here some shots :

Definitely I really had a gret time in Triton Bay !!

The best memory was the feeling to be a pioneer in the last dive frontier , and I can't wait to get there again .

Hope this help . Do not esitate to contact me for any question .
best regards

Paolo Isgro

Very nice report and excellent photos, thanks for sharing!

Wow, looks like a wonderful trip, and a great place to dive. Thanks for the report.

We agree, Triton Bay Divers is an excellent place to go diving. We spent a month there in Nov 16 and two weeks there in January 17 and are going back in January again for two weeks. The first month was with Graham Abbott (diving 4 images) and Lisa was there, the second trip Jimmy was there. On the second trip, Conservation International was there tagging whale sharks which were able to observe. Neat. Here is a movie of the two trips kind of combined (the first part is on the Triton Bay website)

http://www.blueviews.net/assets/videos/triton1617_highlights_854x480.mp4

The only thing I would add was that the food when we were there was not terribly exciting (nor very good for the first trip) and they ran out of things like eggs and milk while we were there. That being said, the place itself is terrific and all of the staff were really amazing. I hope that the new dive masters (Andi is gone, married and off to Manado I think) are as good as last years.

Cheers

Bill

I spent time in Triton Bay Pre Triton Bay Resort. It is AN AMAZING PLACE! Prior experience was a bit dicey with the local tribes, but it seems to be better, now.

Amazing photographic opportunities and I really hope to go back.

very nice trip report and excellent pictures taken! Thanks a lot. Your report definitley makes me wanna go there

Absolutely gorgeous images of the pygmies and the rest. Thanks for sharing

Diggy

Great report. We‘ll be there in 2 weeks time. Can,t wait.....

Excellent report. What a beautiful location! I am adding Triton Bay to my bucket list. Thanks!

@bubffm: looking forward your video!

For a macro oriented video of Triton Bay (2016 and 2017) check out

http://www.blueviews.net/assets/videos/triton1617_highlights_854x480.mp4

Enjoy

Bill

Thanks. Magnificent pics. I was pointing to something on the screen and cut my finger on the sharpness.

For a macro oriented video of Triton Bay (2016 and 2017) check out

http://www.blueviews.net/assets/videos/triton1617_highlights_854x480.mp4

 

Enjoy

 

Bill

Thats a beautiful video. Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed watching it.

Diggy