Triton Bay – Liveaboard Diving with Whale Sharks
Dive with whale sharks in Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia aboard All Star Velocean Liveaboard
Triton, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, lived in a golden palace at the bottom of the sea with his parents. Triton Bay certainly honors its namesake with vibrant corals, the ever-popular whale sharks and an abundance of fish life, when looking up, will nearly block out the sun.
Triton Bay is in the Kaimana MPA (Marine Protected Area) on the south of the Bird’s Head Peninsula in the West Papua province. Kaimana is the nearest city and still a 2-hour boat ride away from Triton Bay. Kaimana has a population of 13,000 people, only one dive resort and a limited number of dive liveaboards offering itineraries to Triton Bay. It is largely untouched with new dive sites frequently being discovered. The marine topography includes sloping walls, pinnacles, muck diving and giant volcanic boulders.
The Kaimana MPA offers the same marine diversity as Raja Ampat in a more remote setting, which is hard to imagine. It wasn’t until 2006 that Kaimana Bay and Triton Bay were first surveyed by Dr. Gerald Allen. By 2008, it was established as an MPA.
The biggest draw to Triton Bay is diving the bagans, which are fishing platforms anchored in the bay. These bagans draw in whale sharks on a regular basis much like they do in Cenderawasih Bay on the north side of West Papua or in Oslob in the Philippines. Fishermen consider whale sharks to bring good fortune and in turn throw scraps to these gentle giants. Upon rolling in, divers can be graced by 3-4 whale sharks all nudging in for their turn at the bagan. The photo opportunities are unique in that both divers and snorkelers are welcome, and the whale sharks are much more accustomed to human interaction. The whale sharks aren’t the only ones who have caught on to the “bagan buffet”. If you’re lucky enough, you might have a pod of dolphins come whizzing by to join the feast.
As if whale sharks weren’t enough, when descending on the reefs you’ll be wowed by the kaleidoscope of colors. It’s as if Triton Bay has taken the best of Indonesia; giant schools of chevron barracuda, pygmy seahorses, bobtail squid, candy crabs and endemic species like the Triton epaulette shark (aka walking shark) & flasher wrasse can all be seen here.
A benefit to traveling this area by dive liveaboard is the option to include multiple dive areas in a single itinerary as well as stunning topside excursions like a visit to the Kiti-Kiti Waterfall, which is at the base of the Kumawa Mountains flowing directly into the sea, or a visit to the ancient cliff paintings at Namatota.
Join this itinerary aboard All Star Velocean and experience the joys of Triton Bay coupled with an exploration through the Banda Sea, Misool and Raja Ampat. November 9-21, 2021 from Ambon-Sorong, this 12-night itinerary will visit some of the best areas Indonesia has to offer. Diving off Banda Neira for schooling hammerheads, muck diving in Ambon, whale sharks at Triton Bay and the magnificence of Misool/Raja Ampat. This itinerary will have all your scuba diving friends jealous!
Triton Bay Highlights
Marine Life: Whale sharks, Triton epaulette shark, flasher wrasse
Water temperatures: 80-84F (27-29C)
Experience level: Advanced Certification Recommended (or 50+ dives)
Visibility: 40-100 ft.
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