Diving in Wakatobi Tukang Besi Archipelago Rising from the depths of the Banda Sea, the main islands of Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomea, Binongki - WaKaToBi - dish up large portions of all the worlds reef types - fringing, atoll and barrier - and are served with lashings of healthy corals and dense schools of fish. Jacques Cousteau was sufficiently moved to claim this area the finest diving site in the world and the area is now regularly visited by Indonesian liveaboards. Underwater scenes like these are why most tourists visit the Tukang Besi Archipelago The reefs for Wakatobi diving are unlike others in the region because of the dry climate and uplifted limestone or, in other words, fossilised reefs. This means there is an exceptionally clean environment due to the lack of soil erosion. How could a simple house reef be one of the highlights of a diving holiday? Well this isnt your average house reef. In fact, the Wakatobi House Reef is considered by many dive professionals to be the finest in the world and is a site that guests often visit over and over again, such is its allure. Stroll in to a dive site that seems impossibly entertaining with every reef character you could imagine including seahorses, trevallies, turtles, eagle rays and hard and soft corals galore. Being a national park, fishing is strictly limited and the reefs are protected, meaning plenty of action for you the diver. Local fishing communities obtain a fair share of the income generated by Wakatobi dive tourism in exchange for adopting more sustainable practices, such as leaving large stretches of reef completely untouched. Other contributions go towards education and strengthening local support for the marine park. Word is beginning to spread about Wakatobi but it is still relatively new. Indeed there are even new sites out there waiting to be discovered, particularly in the outer atolls which are virtually untouched. Dive in and discover the animal attractions here in the Banda Sea.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 06:57:22 +0000
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