Coral Bleaching in Dampier Strait?

[hillz3]

Thanks for this honest report! I think I will base around Pam this time, hopefully Kri recovers in the future

Hello! Slow reply but I ended up spending 3 days in Pam and it was gorgeous. Melissa’s Garden, Fam Wall and Batu Rufas are all looking wonderful so id totally recommend basing yourself there. I think the main issues lie around Kri / Yenbuba!

Enjoy your trip. I’m starting the long journey home now!!!

As an aside; I’d like to recommend Yenbuba dive shop for anyone basing themselves off Kri. I was super super impressed with them - and much less so Soul Scuba!

 

[Dan]

Having said this (and you can see this in the pictures shared on this forum) - Triton Bay is green much of the time, the visibility is not nearly as good as what you usually find in Cenderawasih (which had very good vis and blue water both times I've been there).

The water under Kaimana bagan is clear enough to take pictures & videos of the Whalesharks as shown, below:

 

[Indah]

What have been the biggest documented bleaching events in Indonesia so far? (Any year?)

Curious how this compares/contrasts to what is more often reported and described (Great Barrier Reefs, Hawaii, Polynesia, Florida/Caribbean...)

Depths, extents, diversities affected, durations, tipping point parameters (temp threshold/ranges), ...

GBR seems especially sensitive, such vast areas of relatively uniform, broad sub-tropical shallow reef are surely very impacted by bulk climate affects.

Does an equatorial Indonesian system of grotesquely diverse and developed deep tidal channels fare or recover any better against heatwave events?

Perhaps if we try to imagine or rank what are the biggest threats to popular [Indonesian] reefs:

• mass sediment releases due to deforestation and dredging
• bulk eutrophication from large-scale commercial/industrial agriculture/industry/mining/oil&gas operations
• bulk effluents, chems, pollutants, microbial loads etc from human and animal wastes (incl. 200+ liveaboards, nearby towns/cities?)
• invasive species, including microbial and viral
• dynamite fishing
• large-scale commercial fishing
• trawling
• anchoring
• heatwaves
• commercial removal of sensitive and beneficial species by aquarium collectors, wildlife trade, fetish foodies

Is anything missing?

Will it be heatwaves that change Indo/Raja reefs, or one or more of the above that does it first?

Crown of thorns ?

 

[cetacean]

The water under Kaimana bagan is clear enough to take pictures & videos of the Whalesharks as shown, below:

@Dan - nice video, although I'll say it again, the water looks quite green except when you are very near the surface (whalesharks at ~1:20, Dolphins at ~4:40, sailfish at ~6:45). This is clearly a great experience with these types of animals, but the water is fairly green (others have stated this as well).

Very different experience at Cenderawasih Bay (not nearly the diversity of animals), but the water is definitely clearer.

 

[Dan]

@Dan - nice video, although I'll say it again, the water looks quite green except when you are very near the surface (whalesharks at ~1:20, Dolphins at ~4:40, sailfish at ~6:45). This is clearly a great experience with these types of animals, but the water is fairly green (others have stated this as well).

Very different experience at Cenderawasih Bay (not nearly the diversity of animals), but the water is definitely clearer.

Thanks. I’m not arguing with you about Cendrawasih Bay water being clearer. I’ve been there. I’m just saying the visibility in Kaimana water is clear enough to get good video & photo shots.

Seeing the dolphins, tuna and sailfish joining the party is so fascinating to me. I’ve been diving under several bagans in Indonesia (Tali Sayang, Saleh Bay, Kaimana & Cendrawasih Bay), Kaimana bagan is the best one. Some of the whalesharks there actually swam over divers’ head to suck on the bubbles.

Not allowing to dive under the bagan, for snorkeling only is definitely not worth coming half around the world to Cendrawasih Bay, when you can still dive it elsewhere. Those sailfish would stay deep down.

 

[cetacean]

Thanks. I’m not arguing with you about Cendrawasih Bay water being clearer. I’ve been there. I’m just saying the visibility in Kaimana water is clear enough to get good video & photo shots.

Seeing the dolphins, tuna and sailfish joining the party is so fascinating to me. I’ve been diving under several bagans in Indonesia (Tali Sayang, Saleh Bay, Kaimana & Cendrawasih Bay), Kaimana bagan is the best one. Some of the whalesharks there actually swam over divers’ head to suck on the bubbles.

Not allowing to dive under the bagan, for snorkeling only is definitely not worth coming half around the world to Cendrawasih Bay, when you can still dive it elsewhere. Those sailfish would stay deep down.

Having been in the water with sailfish, they tend to stay deeper if there is anything else around... if they are the only predators they will come near the surface (so certainly understand why you would want to dive with them). You can find dolphins on or near the surface in Belize, in the Bahamas, and in the Red Sea daily, if you know where to look. Seeing them in Kaimana is definitely a plus - but not likely the reason I would go there.

Having been to Saleh Bay, not going to argue with that comment. However, as a serious underwater photographer, it's not the whale sharks that make the image - it's the water as well. For that reason, I would say Cenderawasih provides a better photographic environment.

Still planning on going to Triton Bay, still going to enjoy it... going to dive the region, the whale sharks would be a plus, but not the primary motivation to visit.