Halmahera, located in the North Maluku province of Indonesia, is home to stunningly beautiful reefs and a high level of biodiversity. Claudia Weber-Gebert takes us on a liveaboard cruise through this paradise for divers.
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I had not previously considered the Halmahera region and had to look it up to find out exactly where it was. For those who do not know, it lies northwest of Raja Ampat. Our liveaboard tour on the MS Gaia Love started in Ternate and Halmahera and then took us via Misool and Raja Ampat back to Sorong.
Halmahera is not very touristy, and there are hardly any dive centres there, so a liveaboard makes a lot of sense. Since few tourists come to this area, not many locals speak English. This remote region, which is part of the North Moluccas, has beautiful diving areas around the small volcanic islands. And since only the local population fishes in this remote region for their own needs in small fishing boats, the abundance of fish is breathtaking, and the reefs are completely intact. Wherever commercial fishing has not yet penetrated, you will find beautiful reefs that show what our oceans once looked like—before fishing trawlers destroyed everything.
Just too many fish!
The reefs are unique and astonishingly beautiful, with a wide variety of fish species, and the area has a high level of biodiversity that should serve as a good example. When our guides asked us after the dives how we liked it, our running joke was, “Great... just too many fish!”
The Gaia Love was also the only dive boat for miles around. This meant that we had all the dive sites exclusively to ourselves. No group diving, no mass tourism—just peace and quiet and indescribably beautiful landscapes above and below the water. Three to four dives a day were planned, and the crew took care of the equipment so you could relax between dives, enjoy delicious meals, book a massage or explore the surroundings by kayak.
Reef life
What can you see underwater in Halmahera? Basically, everything a diver’s heart desires. The dive sites in this part of the Coral Triangle are very diverse. There are lovely coral gardens with sandy areas, steep walls covered in beautiful marine growth, huge coral fans, barrel sponges and blue sponges, brightly coloured soft corals, hard corals of all shapes and sizes and a variety of fish everywhere.
Shark encounters are almost a daily occurrence. Blacktip reef sharks cautiously eye the divers but tend to keep their distance. Seasonally, manta rays can be encountered at various locations, including both reef manta rays and giant oceanic manta rays. Sea turtles also swim by from time to time.
The dive sites close to the shore of the islets are particularly special. Here, tree trunks that have fallen from the rocks into the water have integrated naturally into the saltwater world, creating graceful scenes—a magical, enchanted world.
Wide-angle photographers like to capture large scenes, which are particularly in demand here. There are plenty of them in Halmahera. At the end of every dive, there is a beautiful, sun-drenched reef top where you can enjoy your safety stop until the pressure gauge tells you it is time to end the dive.
Macro critters
In addition to the many big critters and large schools of fish, there are also plenty of small critters for macro photographers among all the colourful corals, including the highly sought-after pygmy seahorses, many colourful nudibranchs and all kinds of crabs and shrimps. The dive guides’ trained eyes can find even the smallest creatures. On night dives, in particular, you can rely completely on the guides. Some critter species are perfectly adapted to their environment and barely stand out. But the dive guides expertly reveal their camouflage.
Amphipods—an endemic species
A special feature around Pulau Pisang, located in the south of Halmahera, is the amphipods, a species that can only be found there. However, they are plentiful and actually easy to find if you know where to look. As always, though, there is a catch when something is easy to find. In this case, it is the current and swell that make it difficult for the macro photographer. The algae and corals sway back and forth, so taking photos is possible, but videos are almost impossible. The sea turtles, however, are not bothered by the current or swell. They seek out a quiet spot and do not mind the amphipods or the macro photographers.
The green island world of Halmahera
On the journey from one dive site to the next, we passed the lonely island of Halmahera. Sometimes, you can see a small beach with a few houses and some local fishing boats. The underwater world there is perfectly intact. The volcanic black rocks of the islands are covered in lush greenery, and birdsong can be heard all the way to the ship. High volcanic cones can be seen from a distance. Every now and then, you hear about volcanic eruptions in Indonesia, but the local population usually takes them in their stride—they are part of everyday life.
Muck diving
There are only a few “larger” cities in Halmahera that have an airport. Unfortunately, this is also where you find the usual traces of civilisation, such as plastic waste on land and in the water.
The liveaboard’s water supply needed to be replenished, which for us divers meant a muck dive near the shore—a highlight for every macro photographer. We saw seahorses, frogfish, crabs and veritable miniature worlds, such as a small anemone with a tiny baby clownfish and a dwarf shrimp on it. What you see on the reef is simply minuscule, about the size of an EU€2 coin—amazing! The diversity of the different critters was astonishing, both during the day and on the night dives.
During the last three days of our trip through the Halmahera archipelago, we travelled via Misool and Raja Ampat towards Sorong, which was a wonderful conclusion to our journey through this world of islands. Naturally, we took in all the diving highlights: Magic Mountain, Four Kings, Nudi Rock and Boo Window. The crowning glory came on the last dive when a giant oceanic manta ray circled majestically above us, bidding us a dignified farewell from the underwater realm.
The crew of the Gaia Love had already grown on me from my previous trips. But this time, we also had some very nice guests from all over the world on board. Halmahera is definitely recommended for anyone who wants to experience intact reefs and good visibility. As for me, it certainly won’t be my last trip there! ■
Thanks go to Gaia Love liveaboard (divegaia.com).
