arenui Archives | TRAVELS WITH TAM

A Most Unpleasant Surprise on Dive Day 7 in Raja Ampat

April 23, 2017 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

raja ampat, day 7, sunset — **Beautiful Day 7 in late afternoon with a drone in the sky.**

Ear problems are a most unpleasant surprise! “I can’t dive because of my ears” is something I have heard a million times. Generally, it is not true, most people can clear their ears, and if you don’t believe me, just yawn! They clear. It is a fact that there are divers who have ear trouble, and my husband was among them. He burst his eardrum at least 3 times that we know of. I used to get what they call “swimmers ear”, which is an outside the ear infection that is very painful, but I haven’t had it in years. Until Raja Ampat!

On the 6th day of diving my ears began to hurt. By Day 7 I knew there had to be an infection, so I made the decision to skip the rest of the day’s diving, take antibiotics and ear drops, and rest. The day was spent sorting photos and resting, and by dinner I was feeling much better. Until I put alcohol based ear drops in my ear. I actually screamed the pain was so absolutely unexpected! A nurse on board told me that I had probably burst an eardrum. Well, I was pretty sure of it, and the alcohol drops just confirmed it. However, I could not miss the incredibly beautiful sunset dive! My ear ached a bit for the rest of the trip, but I was very careful and had no major issues. The benefit of having a burst eardrum? You don’t have to clear your ears! A little diver humor!

raja ampat, diving, sunset — **Tips of an anemone.**

It Was A Fantastic Journey to Tomolol Cave

April 9, 2017 By Tam Warner 18 Comments

My trip to Indonesia, like most of my other trips, was solo travel. The great thing about traveling solo on dive trips is you meet all kinds of new friends! After diving the Watch Towers, we went on an expedition to Tomolol Cave, a sacred site. A Muslim shrine is located at the entrance. Tomolol Cave has a river with fantastic limestone and rock formations. Most people use a life jacket or ring to float through the caves, much of it in the dark. Many people had lights, of course, so we could see the inner walls of the cave. From the boat to the caves on small boats, there is a pearl farm on the way. Boats must stop and pick up local guards to go to Tomolol Cave. One cannot take anything out of the cave, and the guards make sure no one dives the pearl farm for pearls!

misool, raja ampat, tomolol cave — The Pearl Farm worker’s residences.

The cave itself is like a cathedral to stone, water, and nature. Carnivorous Pitcher Plants hang on its outer walls. Misool is jungly along the rivers leading to the cave, and there are even cliff burial sites! It is bizarre to see human remains on the side of the cliffs. The presence of the guards guarantees they are not disturbed. Floating through the monoliths was a surreal experience, and one I tried to soak into my very skin. I never want to forget the beauty of Raja Ampat.

Fab Photo Friday: Reef Mantas in Komodo National Park

August 5, 2016 By Tam Warner 6 Comments

It is Fab Photo Friday! On Day 4, the Ray of Hope Expedition caught up with Mantas! ROHE’s main goal is always to identify as many manta rays as possible, and records were broken on this trip! Takat Makkasar is a known Manta hangout, so day 4 was mostly spent on this reef. When we were not diving it, we snorkeled it. There were Reef Mantas everywhere. As a matter of interest, only Reef Mantas, or Manta Alfredi, live in Komodo. These mantas are a little smaller than the Giant Manta, or Manta Biostris, and instead of traveling the oceans, Reef Mantas tend to stay within a certain “home” area. Reef Mantas can grow to be 12 feet in wing span, while the Giants can be over 20 feet in wing span. This was my very first time to see Reef Mantas, and I love them every bit as much as the Giants I have seen all over the world.

Ray of Hope, Manta Rays, Komodo, Arenui — ID shot of a beauty!

It is so interesting to watch mantas being cleaned. Many pelagics require cleaning (as do many fish) in order to clean wounds, and remove parasites. Butterfly fish are avid cleaners, and in some areas, Angel Fish join in. The butterflies nibble parasites, wounds, and other detritus from the ray.

The number of Manta IDs was incredible! Komodo National Park yielded 80 individual identifications on one day, a record breaker! Andrea was thrilled with the productivity of the trip…and we had a wonderful time along the way. What could be better than citizen science and fun?

Diving Komodo: Angel Reef and Satonda

August 1, 2016 By Tam Warner 24 Comments

I have to confess that the first dive in Komodo was unbelievable! It was like turning a sugar lover loose in a candy store. There was so much to see!

The Arenui is LUX. At 6:30 a.m. we were awakened, and everyone met in the dining room for “first breakfast”. First breakfast is continental…coffee, fruit, yogurt. Then, first dive of the day, followed by Second Breakfast which was anything you wanted: pancakes, french toast, eggs, baked beans on toast (for the Brits and Aussies), noodles…as I said, anything you want! And of course, by the time we came up from the first dive, our cabin was clean and sparkling.

Our first stop was Moyo Island and Angel Reef. I have to say that Angel Reef was heavenly, indeed! My first Komodo dive…and how gorgeous it was!

Angel Reef, Satonda, scuba, Arenui — A Red Spinecheek Anenome fish with its baby

After Angel Reef and Second Breakfast (I felt like a Hobbit!) our second dive site was Satonda. I saw Pygmy Sea Horses for the first time! I was too excited to focus on them with my camera, but still! Pygmy sea horses!

Of course, there was much more to see!

Komodo, scuba, diving, Arenui — A Giant Clam!

After finishing dive two, lunch is served! After lunch, dive 3. After dive 3, snacks! If a night dive is on the schedule, you do the night dive and then have dinner. The crew of the Arenui anticipate every thing you want. They really are amazing. If you want to dive Indonesia, do go on the Arenui! It is an incredible experience.

I will be back with scenes from Day 2!

Diving Komodo, Indonesia with Arenui, The Boutique Liveaboard

July 29, 2016 By Tam Warner 19 Comments

At the end of my stay on Bali, I embarked upon a journey through Indonesia to Komodo Island, diving, and much more, along the way. I chose the Arenui because it was sponsoring a Ray of Hope Expedition (Marine Megafauna Foundation) and Dr Andrea Marshall, aka Queen of Mantas, was on board as the resident expert. As many of my readers know, I have been on several trips with Ray of Hope, doing Citizen Science Volunteer work, and I love the Foundation’s mission to save marine megafauna from extinction. Andrea and I shared a room, and what a room! The Arenui is absolutely luxurious! The stateroom was large and roomy and so Indonesian! We stayed in Garuda, the stateroom named for the Hindu deity Garuda, a large humanlike bird who carried Vishnu on its back. The carvings in the room were beautiful, as you can see! The Arenui is definitely the most luxurious boat I have been on, and I am now absolutely spoiled.

Komodo, Arenui, scuba — Garuda…hand carving in our stateroom

The mission of the trip was to identify as many Reef Mantas as possible. Of course, along the way we would dive several other dive sites as well. The diving was incredible. The trip map below shows our journey from Bali, past Lombok and Sumbawa to Moyo Island and the Sangeang Volcano, to Komodo and Rinca Islands in the Flores Sea. It was an incredibly beautiful journey, both above and below the surface.

komodo, scuba, manta rays — Our Trip Map

komodo, diving, arenui — A Manta ID shot I took. Mantas are identified by the spots on their bellies…they are unique to each individual.

Andrea Marshall was the first person to do a PhD on Manta Rays. Until her research, very little was known about them. She discovered two species, and a large population off the coast of Mozambique, where she makes her home. She has advocated for protection everywhere in the world. Indonesia, once the main fishery for Manta Rays for Chinese medicine, is now protecting Manta Rays as they have realized they are worth more for their economy alive than dead. Sadly, the once flourishing colony of Reef Mantas off Mozambique has declined by 95% due to Mozambique’s refusal to protect the animals. Manta encounters drew many to Mozambique’s dive centers, and the disappearance of the mantas will have a negative effect on Mozambique’s economy. Andrea has witnessed the decline of mantas in Mozambique over the last 12 years, and it has been heartbreaking. The species is very vulnerable to extinction because of the slow reproduction of the animals. Females give birth every 2 or 3 years to only one pup, rarely there are twins. Fishing Mantas can destroy entire populations because they are taken faster than they can reproduce. These gentle, intelligent ocean giants must be protected in order to save the species from extinction. Andrea devotes her life to advocating for Manta Rays and other pelagics such as Whale Sharks, Mola Mola, and turtles.

Diving Indonesia was an unbelievable experience for me. The sheer amount of life in the seas is almost mind blowing. Stay tuned to Travels with Tam for photos and reports on this fabulous journey. I will be posting frequently to show you the wonders of Komodo (yes, there will be dragons!).