Sangihe-Talaud Archipelago: Dive into “ Ring of Fire “

Sangihe Talaut with its countless islands and bizarre rock formations is also called the "Ring of fire" because of the many volcanos which are still active. Trips to this part of Indonesia can only be described as adventure tours to the end of the world. Divers who are not deterred by the long journey and want to discover the unknown are rewarded with water temperatures of up to 30° and 60 metres visibility. The underwater world is pristine – gigantic sponges are over 100 years old, the corals have never seen divers before. No comparison with the loud and hectic Caribbean or the busy reefs in the Red Sea. "Liburan" is the only dive ship here and offers a unique experience : isolation and adventure.

Stranger in a nameless world Explorer trips are not designed for people who want everything perfectly organised, who need a doctor after a moskito bite and expect to be shown exactly the fish they want to see. The dive sites are new even for the experienced dive guides, so you never know what to expect on each dive. Even virgin reefs can be damaged, either from dynamite fishing or severe storms and currents. Just because a reef is far from the beaten track, it does not necessarily mean that everything is perfect. After a week's diving and searching we wanted to give up; then we tried other places – and were rewarded with magnificent dive sites. Now Liburan knows where to go, so that on this trip you only visit premium dive sites. It took us 3 – 4 dives per day for 3 weeks to find them; now you can enjoy them in 10 – 14 days. But you still have the chance to be first on many reefs – there are plenty more waiting to be discovered. An important factor is your diving experience – not less than 100 logged dives and the confidence to dive into the deep blue away from the coast to visit underwater mountains and plateaus. An explorer trip is a calculated risk. In an emergency the next airport is far away, minor illnesses which prevent
diving can lead to a psychological crisis. And also despite the size of the ship you cannot avoid your fellow passengers.

Natives

With the captain's and the dive guides' permission it is also possible to visit native villages. For many locals we were the first whites they had ever seen, certainly the first Europeans. Many villages have no electricity nor means of communication. They go fishing in their dugout canoes and exchange their catch for rice. Fruit and vegetables are hard to find, mainly coconuts, perhaps a few bananas and papayas and a form of spinach. Conversation is a problem; they only speak a local dialect, which luckily 2 dive guides, who were born here, understand. Communication is generally a problem in Indonesia – there are roughly 800 different dialects, which makes the government of the country difficult. North Sulawesi and Sangihe-Talaut are Christian areas of Indonesia, so there are no muslim terrorists here. Besides what could they find to attack ?

Liburan

Liburan is the only to ship to run these explorer tours. Rudi Ring's old Liburan has been sold and renamed. The new Liburan ist longer and broader, has more stowage room and bigger cabins, each with shower, toilet and air conditioning. A desalination unit garantees permanent fresh water. The Nitrox compressor was not working during our trip, but does now. However this is not really necessary as few dive sites are deeper than 30 metres. The ship is stable even when the sea is rough and is fast enough to reach remote areas. The new cook is a professional and the meals in buffet-form are of a much higher standard than before. Soft drinks and beer are not included in the price. Liburan represents Indonesian standards, which are lower than the liveaboards in the Caribbean and Red Sea. However the daily price including non limit diving is much cheaper. Total capacity is for 16 divers; however there should not be more that 14 on board, 12 divers are ideal, so that photo- and videographers have enough space. That also means 3 groups with 4 divers which makes supervision underwater easier. We would really recommend only taking maximal 12 divers and putting up the price by 5 or 10 Euro per day. The generous-sized crew of 12 including 3 dive guides is extremely helpful, not only with the equipment before the dive but also with small repairs to camera equipment etc. The ship is clean, insects are very rare. The only cockroach which was found on the railing was given
a marine burial.

Cameras are a must to capture the many bizarre things you see on this trip. On the dive deck is a 220 volt charger for lamps and flash lights and the lower cabins have 2 sockets for 110 and 220 volt. The beds in the deck cabins should be raised by about 50 cm, so that you can sit comfortably on them. The northern explorer trip is only possible from the middle of April to the end of June due to high winds and waves and strong currents at other times of the year. The biggest problems in this area are strong
currents, which can sweep you away from the reef or downdrafts, when you have to fully inflate your jacket to counteract the pull. The instructions of the dive guides must be obeyed, solo-diving is forbidden. Decompression dives should be avoided. Don't forget that the nearest doctor is miles away and drink a lot of liquid to counteract dehydration. If the weather forecast is favourable you have the choice of many superb dive sites. A fuller description will follow in the New Year.

Batu Barang Kecil

Several months ago dive-guide Pontoi found an unknown species of pygmy
seahorse, which now bear his name. They are minute, half the size of
the usual red and yellow ones. It is impossible to take a photograph
of them from the front as they are so narrow. Apparently they can be
found in yellow, grey, green, blue, braun and black with red fins.
However without a dive-guide you have absolutely no chance to find
them.

Biaro

is part of the islands belonging to the "Ring of fire". Strong
currents, but superb corals and sponges. The west coast is rocky with
huge gorgonian fans.

Sunggai Lava

Despite a volcano outbreak in the 70's a pristine coral garden with
enormous table corals. Countless fish, wonderful variety

Batu Jendela

Difficult due to downdrafts but thanks to the current plenty of bigger
fish – eagle rays and Napoleons.

Manubai

has a cave that you can swim into from the sea, in which thousands of
sea swallows have built their nests. Storms have destroyed the coral
here, still plenty to see. Difficult due to currents.

Muka Kampung

The mixture of warm and cold currents cause bad visibility which is
compensated for by a variety of creatures. Good for makro.

Mahengetang

A must for at least a day's diving this is an underwater volcano with
a mystic feel to it, one of the best dive sites in Indonesia

Pulau Kalama

Down to 20 metres the reef is damaged from either storms or dynamite
fishing. Below however a perfect scenario.

Dugong Island

An island at the end of the world, visibility 50 metres. An amazing
dive site and there really are dugongs here.

Gunung Ikan Embang

Or "doctor fish mountain", which lives up to its name. Fantastic
visibility and warm water.

Pulau Dane

Beautiful coral, difficult currents but well worth the dive. Good for
makro

Lonely Rock

In the middle of the ocean a group of rocks far from civilisation.
Virgin corals, swarms of various fish – excellent diving, especially
drift diving

Liburan's Secret Place

Lembeh Strait has become a very popular diving mecca in the past few
years, especially for makro freaks, but is now being marketed out of
all proportion. Liburan has found an alternative, which is very
similar to Lembeh and offers the same incredible underwater
experience. For makro photographers this is one of the best sites
outside Lembeh Strait.

Ask this group about trip in Sangihe
herbert-frei@web.de