Underwater photos by Charles Lorryman and Alex Whitcher
A pearl lies hidden in Banten, not far from Jakarta, waiting to be enjoyed by snorkelers.
The
morning was still misty as the fishing boats returned from sea to the
estuary of the Serang River, heading toward the fish market at Karangantu
Harbor, two hundred meters upstream. The fish market, already busy
at this early hour, was directly across from the simple two-story wooden
house where we had spent the night. The river seemed quite narrow;
it's only about 20 meters wide, and small boats were lined up along
both shores. It's hard to imagine how larger vessels could get through
this bottleneck and out to sea when it's busy like this. Three larger
boats had set anchor at sea, not far from the river mouth; apparently
they didn't want to risk being stuck on the river.
The harbor, which stretches a kilometer and a half along the river, is very simple and traditional, much like any other river harbor in Java. Yet in the 16th century, this was the chief port of the Kingdom of Banten, and one of the busiest ports in Asia. Many trading ships from Persia, China, India, Arabia, Portugal and England docked here to buy spices. It was here, too, that the Dutch captain and explorer Cornelis de Houtman, landed on 23 June 1596; but since his presence was not desired in Banten, he sailed eastward and stopped at the harbor of Jayakarta. There, his successors established the VOC (Netherlands East India Company), seized Jayakarta and renamed it Batavia, and used it as the base for colonialist expansion. In revenge, the VOC blockaded the harbor of Karangantu for many years; its prestige faded and eventually expired.
"Let's go!" shouted Ridwan, one of our guides, who had just finished arranging our permit at the Navy post near the river mouth. We were heading not to the old Palace (Keraton) of Banten, which is actually quite near the harbor, but to Pulau Tunda in the seas to the north of Banten. Ridwan explained that the permit is required to ensure that nothing untoward occurs, as a security precaution, since the wrecks of two Allied warships – HMAS Perth and USS Houston, both sunk by the Japanese Navy during World War II – both lie near Pulau Tunda, as well as those of several old trading vessels full of antique artifacts. But we didn't know their precise locations, and we weren't going there anyway. In our party of 20 persons, no one had brought any diving equipment – just snorkeling gear.
"For the next two days, we're going to snorkel to our heart's content at great venues around Postponed Island, roast fish on the beach, and go trekking from the south shore to the north shore of the island. If we're lucky, we'll also meet some dolphins," said Aya, the tour leader. Her deep brown skin, shiny with tanning oil, indicates her love for the sea, and she always refers to Pulau Tunda as Postponed Island – "it sounds so much more impressive," she chuckles.
Pak
Suroso and his two assistants piloted the boat in a relaxed way. The
water was as calm as a pond, so our motorboat, the Dwie Putra, sped
along smoothly.
Two hours had quickly passed by when the Pulau Tunda dock, on the south shore, came into view. We noticed that the seawater was not the usual blue, but more purplish, with lavender tones, perhaps because of the plankton that live in the island's waters.
"Dolphins!" Aya shouted, surprising everyone. We all turned our heads in the direction Aya was pointing, and searched for our cameras. Five or six dolphins were leaping and swiftly swimming by the right side of our boat. But they were too fast for us; by the time we got our cameras out, they were gone. Only Aya managed to get a shot. "There, what did I tell you?" Aya said while proudly displaying her photo, making the rest of us jealous.
This was not the only time we saw them; as we approached the shore, we saw the school of dolphins again, this time to the left of the boat, not far from the shore. But they were too far for anyone to get a decent picture.
We did not proceed directly to the dock, but instead headed to our first snorkeling point on the east side of the island, called Tanjungan Timur Laut. Ruth, Antonia, Hans, Neill, James, Ben, and Lee all leapt into the water with their snorkels, but no fins. Ridwan, Darwin, Ocit and Aldo, our four snorkeling guides, also dove in to check the current. Aya, Faiz, Charlie, Amel, Citra and Dian went in next; the only ones left in the boat were Anna and me. Well, I was planning to take photos first anyway. But there was another reason why I (and also Anna) didn't join the snorkeling: I can't swim! A fatal error for someone who lives in an island nation.
"There's nothing to be afraid of; jump in, I'll teach you!" urged Darwin, who was in a sitting position in the water with his two finned feet gently treading the water clear as glass. I could clearly see the coral reefs below us. I felt the challenge; what's the point of going on a trip to a beautiful island and simply watching?
James was helping Anna, and I didn't want to be the only tour participant staying on the boat. So I put on a life vest, snorkel, goggles, and fins, and toddled over to the edge of the boat, where I sat, unsure whether to go in or not. "Just jump in, I'll hold you!" Darwin promised.
My doubts assuaged, I plunged in. If Darwin hadn't immediately grabbed my life vest, I would have drowned, or so I felt. Sure, my life vest would keep me afloat, but my entire body had been under water for a second or two; I gulped for air and swallowed water, then started choking. "Don't panic, don't panic!" Darwin said, trying to calm me. Since this was my first snorkeling attempt, I shouldn't have plunged into the water; it would have been wiser to slowly descend the boat's ladder.
Darwin
taught me how to use the snorkel equipment: you put the mouthpiece
in your mouth and grasp it between your teeth, blow into the tube until
all the water is out, put the goggles on properly so no water gets
in your eyes or nose, then start to learn to breathe through the mouth
only, without inhaling through the nose. That's all there is to it!
Holding my shoulder, Darwin took me around. "Put your head under
the water," he said. I did, and wow! Now I understood why Aya
and Charlie are so crazy about snorkeling. Just two or three meters
below me, small brightly colored fish were swarming in and out of the
coral.
One reef was terracotta colored and shaped like a brain, and looked
as big as an elephant.
"If you see something great, give this signal," Darwin said,
indicating three fingers up with thumb and forefinger forming an O.
Oh, so we don't use a thumbs up signal here, I thought. Unfortunately,
I didn't see any of the pink trumpet fish or red spotted puffer fish
that Darwin said this spot is known for.
Several times water got into my snorkel, making me splutter and cough. Darwin patiently helped me, and also taught me how to float on my back when I became tired of actively snorkeling.
We spent around two hours at this spot, though I got out before the others; I was freezing, and had to drink some coffee and warm myself in the sun. When the boat finally headed back toward the dock, we snacked on calamari, sausages and jelly.
Pulau Tunda, with an area of nearly 257 hectares, is roughly elliptical, along an east-west axis. It used to be called Pulau Babi – Pig Island – but since the residents didn't like the name, it was changed to Pulau Tunda. There's only one village on the island, Wardasara, on the south side near the dock, which is divided into two hamlets, Kampung Barat and Kampung Timur. Most of the roughly 1000 residents work as fishermen.
Some residents' homes have brick or concrete walls, but most have walls of woven bamboo, with thatched roofs and dirt floors; many of these are dilapidated. The village suffered a serious food shortage in 2006 when protracted high waves cut off the food supply.
During our two-day visit, we stayed at the home of one of Ocit's relatives. It was lunchtime, and what else were we having but roast fish, served with sambal kecap. The people of the village, both children and adults, swarmed around us, staring as if we were from some other planet, probably because of the eight Westerners in our entourage.
When we had eaten our fill, Lee got out his guitar and sang some songs I didn't understand. On his song sheets, I saw the names of the original artists – Nick Drake, Jack Johnson, Smashing Pumpkins… no wonder.
After a rather short rest, Aya invited us to set sail again. This time we headed to the snorkeling spot at Tanjungan Barat Daya. While our Western friends went far off diving and snorkeling, and Charlie was delighted to capture some lovely fish with his camera in its underwater casing, I was satisfied with snorkeling right near the boat, refining my techniques for breathing and getting the water out of my goggles. No problem – one step at a time!
We
headed back to the island when the sun was dipping toward the western
horizon. I took a late afternoon walk around the village, which really
is quite small. After dinner, I fell into a sound sleep as soon as
it started to rain.
Next morning after breakfast, we set out on a trek through the village, passing into a small forest and heading toward the north shore. The island is not very wide; after passing through the village, then the field (there's only one farmer), and a cluster of trees, only about fifteen minutes later we had reached the north shore, with its white sandy beaches. We then set out along the coast to the east, where our boat was waiting to take us to the next snorkeling point.
The weather was stunningly clear; it was a perfect time to see the beauty of the coral reefs and the fish on the north side of the island. From the shore, as soon as you set foot in the water, the reefs beckon to you; wading out to the boat, just 50 meters from shore, we had to be careful not to tread on and damage the intricate coral reefs.
Where the boat lay at anchor was also the limit of our snorkeling area; north from that point, the sea gets deeper, and all a snorkeler can see is blue water, so we explored to the east and west. James, Neill, and their friends headed to the east; Darwin and Aldo taught Amel and their friends how to dive. After Ocit took me around for a bit, I discovered a reliable new "friend" to help me train – a life ring. Snorkeling with this flotation device was great, because when I got tired I could simply hold on without having to roll over, which I was still nervous about doing.
We then moved to another spot on the northwest of the island, and snorkeled there till midday. Charlie showed us some more of his excellent underwater photos, impressing everyone. I must learn to swim, and buy a waterproof camera, I promised myself.
Finally, we headed back to the island to pack up, and sailed back to Karangantu Harbor before the waves got too high.
For trips to Pulau Tunda and other islands, contact:
Aya Koetje
Starfish Adventure
Tel: +62 21 99361274
E-mail: ayakoe@gmail.com
