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Mahitala Diving Club |  |
Diving Krakatau and Diving in the waters off Krakatau, the rocky islands forming the crater of an underwater volcano in the Sunda Strait off West Java, or in the waters around the Ujung Kulon peninsula in southwest Java, is not the best to be found in Indonesia. But the seascape of cracked volcanic rock around Krakatau, and the caves and tunnels around Ujung Kulon provide an interesting underwater experience. Reaching either of these sites requires some patience and initiative. There is little chance of making a day of it from Jakarta. One must overland to Anyer or Labuhan, and then take a boat to the dive sites. Recent road repairs make the trip from Jakarta to Anyer quite pleasant. From there, a boat will take you the 50 kilometers to the Krakatau group, a 4-hours crossing (see map). To reach Ujung Kulon, one can go either by train or car to Labuhan, and then by boat to Ujung Kulon. We strongly suggested that you organize your jaunt with a Jakarta dive outfit. You can either go with your own group, or hook up with one of the many weekend dive excursions. It can be a challenge to find a seaworthy boat, and strong and unpredictable winds in the strait could prove quite troublesome to an inexperienced captain. If our warning does not deter you, you can charter a boat through the ranger stations at Labuhan, Carita, or Ujung Kulon Park, or through one of the many small hotels scattered along the way. Alternately, a tour agent in Jakarta could arrange a boat charter for you. In any case, do not expect a purpose-built dive boat with an atached Zodiac. What you will likely find is an older wooden pinisi, a traditional sailing craft that has been converted to diesel power. Krakatau The famous eruption of Krakatau on August 26, 1883 sent up a plume of ash and pumice 26 kilometers high and 6,000 kilometers wide, and the explosion could be heard from Myanmar to Australia. The huge tsunamis created by the blast destroyed some 165 villages in Sumatra and Java, and killed more than 36,000 people. The original caldera collapsed in on itself, leaving three islands remaining of its rim: Sertung, Panjang and Rakata. In 1928, anak Krakatau-"Child of Krakatau"-appeared. This still active daughter cone continues to eject tephra and lava, growing at the rate 4 meters each years, now having reached 240 meters. A rocky, wide skirt of black sand rings the island. Being so new, Anak Krakatau has provided a perfect laboratory for scientists studying early colonization of islands by plant and animal life. So far, 120 species of plants have found their way to the little island. The shoreline is dominated by feathery casuarinas, and few tough succulents have found a niche further up the slope. It takes just 20 minutes to climb the 150 or so meters to the rim of the new crater. Inside, the steaming cone is surrounded by a lunar landscape of fumaroles. Looking outward, one can see the surrounding island remains of the once massive original Krakatau. The descent is easy, and is best finished with a refreshing swim along the black sand beach.
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AT A GLANCE Krakatau and Ujung Kulon Reef type: Volcanic rock slabs
and formations, some reef
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