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Mahitala Diving Club |  |
| PULAU-PULAU SERIBU Diving on Java's 'Thousand Islands' While not noted for Indonesia’s best diving, Pulau-Pulau Seribu -the "Thousand Islands"-can be a good choice because of its proximity to Jakarta, and because of the great number of available sites. The islands, which actually number about 110, are scattered in a vertical group north from Jakarta in the shallow Java Sea. Some 12,000 people live on Pulau-Pulau Seribu, more than half of them on the island of Pulau Kelapa. With some advance planning, it is quite easy to get to the islands from Jakarta. Boats, ranging from inter-island shuttles to large cabin cruisers, ferry passengers to and from the various islands for $3.50 to $50, depending on the comfort of the craft and the distance to the island. The nearest islands are just 10 minutes from shore; the furthest can take nearly two hours by speedboat. Accommodations on the, islands also vary dramatically. International standards accomodations that cater to divers can be found on the islands of Putri, Pelangi, Sepa, Kotok, Pantara (Barat and Timur) and Matahari. Each of these also has a shop offering dive equipment rentals and compressors. Transportation, and bookings for accommodations and dive trips, may be made at the departure pier in Ancol Marina, or through Jakarta travel agents or certified dive centers, such as the Jakarta Hilton’s Dive Masters. Also check the English language daily newspaper, the Jakarta Post, for trips and special offers. Mid-week diving and accomodations are usually easy to arrange, but be aware that Pulau Seribu is very popular among Jakartans for weekend jaunts. Popular Resorts Some of the islands have resort type accommodations, and they may provide some music or a bar at night. On the less "Civilized" islands, nighttime entertainment might be limited to the buzzing of mosquitoes. Upmarket resorts, built in cooperation with Japan Airlines, have gone up on Pantara Timur and Pantara Barat islands. These are very posh, with all the comforts one might expect from a fine hotel in Singapore or Hawai. Pelangi and Putri islands offer somewhat less toney accommodations. Putri has small bungalows, a restaurant and bar, and sailboats and sailboards can be rented. Pelangi is a larger resort, and boasts fancy cottages, tennis courts, and a popular restaurant out over the water. Shops here and at the other resorts offer basic items like toothpaste and suntan lotion. Resorts on some of the nearest islands have been in use since Dutch colonial times, and some of the islands have historical interest. Pulau Onrust, just off Tanjung Pasir and 1/2 hour from Ancol by ferry, is where Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the head of the Dutch East India company, planned his final, successful attack on the town of Jayakarta in 1619. Afterward, he named the town Batavia, which it was to be called until 1942, when the invading Japanese renamed it "Jakarta," a name the Indonesians kept. Diving Pulau Seribu The dive possibilities are almost countless here. The reefs around many of the 110 islands are excellent in terms of coral growth and fish life. What makes the diving here just fair by Indonesian standards is the visibility, which usually hovers around 10-15 meters. It sometimes improves, but even then only reaches 20 meters. Daily rainfall here determines how good the visibility will be, but it is generally best in the middle of the dry season, typically May through September. With few exceptions, the marine life at most Pulau Seribu locations will include an abundant variety of hard and soft corals, a good variety of reef fish and some pelagics, turtles and an occasional shark. Unfortunately, at some sites the deterioration of marine life is increasingly noticeable. Like the dwindling reef in the Florida Keys, Pulau-Pulau Seribu has suffered for its proximity to large population center. Pollution, and in some cases, mismanagement, is killing off the coral.
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AT A GLANCE Pulau-Pulau Seribu Reef type: Coral slopes |
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