Date 9 June, 2021

Our Promethean Explorers recently participated in a Dive Liveaboard Cruise to South Halmahera. We chose this trip to assess the potential for future exploration expeditions in the Indonesian Archipelago. To assess the overall condition of unprotected areas and to answer some key questions.

1. What is the condition of the flora and fauna?
2. What are the current and future threats?
3. Sustainable Development Potential.

South Halmahera lies in the heart of the Coral Triangle, a Biome that is recognised by Marine Biologists and Marine Conservationists worldwide as one of the most Biodiverse Regions on the Planet, especially below the Surface. 

Halmahera and particularly Ternate was an important power centre for the Moluccas. The region was bitterly fought over by the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and English who came here for the Spices; Cloves, Mace and Nutmeg in the 16th and 17th century. 

Halmahera, part of Molucca Province remains a remote part of Indonesia. Its population is a mere half a million people (2010 Census) yet covers an area of 17,780 KM2.

We sailed on April 29th 2021 from Sahaung Island North Sulawesi to South Halmahera on board the KLM Sunshine a 30 meter traditional Phinisi. The first Liveaboard to sail to Halmahera in search of Dive Locations Ten years ago. The area remains to this day an unknown gem within the diving community, mainly because Indonesia has so many other options for diving with Komodo and Raja Ampat the most famous of all.

We saw pristine rain forests and plenty of healthy mangroves on most of the islands we passed, even those that had small fishing villages. Indonesia’s Pristine Rain Forest, the largest after the Amazon and the Congo, is a National Treasure.

Near these small villages some pristine rain forest had already been converted to coconut and palm oil plantations. The villages we visited, to our surprise, had solar power. A positive sign that non fossil fuel-based energy has reached these remote islands already. 3G and 4G mobile connectivity was largely unavailable except for the larger villages so most still rely on 2G for their mobile communications. These villages depend on Fishing and Ocra (for Coconut Oil) for their needs. The Villages are clean and well managed each with its own Mosque and School and a relatively well managed waste management system. A friendly and happy people living within their means.

Below the surface we were amazed by the beauty of the reefs and pinnacles we dove at, beautiful corals, both hard and soft in healthy condition full of life both macro and micro. On most reefs we found no evidence of plastic pollution, however, those nearer the villages did but the state of plastic pollution was not as severe as what can typically be found in the more popular dive spots in Indonesia. However from what we have been told plastic pollution is increasing thanks to currents transporting the plastics to their reefs and shores.

There was plenty of Fish, a true paradise for Scuba Divers who enjoy “Big Stuff”. Most reefs and pinnacles we visited were occupied by large schools of fusiliers, Snapper, Barracudas (Yellow and Black Tail) Jackfish, Bumpheads, Napoleon Wrasse, Trevallies, including the amazing Giant Trevally. We also found the Halmahera Walking Shark (Hemiscyllium Halmahera). This species of shark was first discovered in 2013 and is unique to only this part of Indonesia and does not occur anywhere else on the planet.

It was exceptional to see large numbers of reef sharks again, their behaviour; curious and cautious but not afraid. They displayed no fear coming into close contact with us divers. We have not experienced this on other well-known dive sites in Indonesia as most sharks flee at the sight of humans.

During our Cruise we dove 33 times and visited 24 Sites within 12 days. The area we visited is unprotected and to our knowledge no NGO’s, dedicated to Marine Biodiversity Conservation in Indonesia have a physical presence there. We do know that the area has been frequented by Marine Biologists from various NGOs in the past. The reefs, walls and pinnacles we visited lie within local fishing grounds . The fishermen use artisanal fishing techniques and since they have been doing this for generations are able to derive sustainable income from the practice to this day. Local traditional fish stock management practices have been in use in the area for centuries and could prove to be a useful blue print for Indonesia’s ongoing sustainable fishing research and programs. 

We did dive in a few locations where the once known pristine reefs were destroyed by bomb fishing, an illegal practice in Indonesia but still used in remote areas. These bombs cost about US$ 3 to make. It’s a one-time only, fast and easy, way to gather dead fish to be sold for a quick buck. A truly criminal hit and run operation.

We heard an explosion on one of our dives, but way too far off to determine where exactly it took place.

In our opinion it’s unlikely that the local fishing communities are responsible. They understand that when a reef is destroyed the fish will never return and hence will result in no more fish to catch and threaten the way of life for the entire community. 

The practice of bomb, otherwise known as blast fishing, is part of the IUU fishing problem in Indonesia. A problem that is hard to control given the size of the archipelago. Local fishing communities try their best to protect their grounds and are the first line of defence. We believe there are solutions available to improve protective measures that can be used by the local fishing communities in these remote areas. This is worth investigating.

For those of us who have experience interacting with wild animals who have never or only seldom seen humans know how curious these animals can be when they see us. I learned this when I was a boy in Kenya and encountered poisonous snakes on my bush adventures.

We were surprised to once again experience this interaction on some of our dives. Fish that generally flee at the sight of a bubbles blowing diver but they went about their business undisturbed as we passed. Others ventured for a closer inspection, especially the reef sharks who seem to see us more as competition than a threat. How is this possible? Especially when you consider that these sites are unprotected, they are fished and even shark fishing is still practiced here.

The answer is simple, their habitats have seldom been frequented by Scuba Divers and hasn’t suffered any major calamity. 

We did observe the opposite on those sites near reefs destroyed by blast fishing. A single disturbance would see every fish flee and disappear into their hiding place. This was also true of the Mantas we saw on their feeding ground. Mantas are intelligent and generally curious when in the vicinity of Scuba Divers, however these did not stay around and were quick to flee the area. We suspect that Mantas are still caught here for food, a practice that was later confirmed despite it being illegal.

It’s easy to see how fragile this area currently is. While we observed plenty of fish it won’t take much for the commercial fishing fleet to cause irreparable damage to this ecosystem. The area is also under threat from illegal fishing and mining operations, especially Nickel mining which is fueling the EV battery demand. 

There is room for Tourism development, especially for liveaboards who can serve divers who wish for an “off the beaten track” experience. However, in our opinion the eco-system is too fragile to cater to a scale of tourism as seen in protected areas such as Raja Ampat and Komodo. Hence we say this with caution so this area is not overrun and creates additional stressors to the environment and local communities.

Our high-level recommendations for the future would be the following.

1. Investigate and implement possible solutions to tackle Illegal Fishing Practices in the Area and adopt sustainable fishing practices such as those that have been managed by these communities for centuries.
2. Plan for careful sustainable development in the Eco-tourism sector combined with sound well-funded and sustainable conservation efforts (e.g. MPA) to minimise negative impact on the marine ecosystem.
3. Implement an inclusive economic management structure that would benefit the local communities who reside there without negatively impacting their way of living in harmony with Nature.

We can’t wait to plan and explore more areas of this amazing biodiverse region that is worth protecting at all cost.