THE PASSAGE

DAYTRIP  100  per person (minimum 4 persons)

Let us take you to the breathtaking landscape of the narrow passage between the island of Gam and the island of Waigeo. Enjoy  it’s beautiful beaches, mushroom-shaped islands where the hornbills and sea eagles roam, mangrove forests and secluded bays where the diving, snorkeling and swimming are amazing.

 

The trip starts with a boat ride to the passage, when we often spot dolphins and sometimes whales or orca’s. After about 45 minutes, we reach the passage and enter a stunning landscape: high limestone mountains that rise straight from the sea form the background and the bay is spotted with small mushroom shaped islands covered with dense jungle. The water is colored in every shade of blue and green you can imagine, dependent on the light which comes in from different angles in every turn you make.

Our first stop is either at the dive site Nudibranch Rock or The Passage, dependent on the current at the time. Both spots are suitable for snorkeling and diving, the reefs are right below the surface. Even when diving, you spend most time between 6 and 10 meters, since at that depth the light fall and the reef is at it’s most beautiful.  At Nudibranch Rock we can spot the unique electrical clam, which is of a bright orange and you can clearly see the electrical currents spark through it! As the name would suggest, this site is almost literally covered in all kinds of different nudibranchs.

 

 

You can find all colors and shapes and sizes of nudibranchs you can imagine! The site is dominated by soft corals of the most amazing colors, which are especially breathtaking near the surface where the light falls in the water in a unique way which gives the corals a very special glow. Small crabs, shrimps and other critters are present in great variety as well: this dive site is a true paradise for macro enthusiasts! After diving or snorkeling you can swim around in the calm, cool waters of the bay and watch the colorful birds fly over. Snacks are served for the hungry bellies!

 

 

 

 

 

Our second stop will be The Passage dive (or snorkel) site. This is a different type of site, with several underwater caves and passages and some extraordinary soft coral reefs which rise all the way to the surface and are illuminated by the afternoon sun that has just turned up from behind the limestone formations in the bay. Here too the light fall is amazing and nudibranchs and other macro life are abundant. You can either dive the caves or snorkel the reef in the bay. The bay is also perfect for a nice cool swim.>When diving, gently let the current guide you through the channel with beautiful reefs, to a nearby underwater cave. You can easily enter the cave and go up, where you can surface and take a look at the cave which opens up to the rainforest. You can see the trees and flowers from the water. Then you can re-enter the water and swim through a narrow opening to the next cave (which also opens up on the surface to the rainforest). If you are not comfortable in passing the opening, you can also swim around it and you will end up in the same cave.

 

After enjoying this special environment, you can visit another cave or take a shortcut to the open waters of the bay. Here the current will gently take you to the boat where you are awaited by the crew who will help you with your gear. You can take you time to relax and swim or have  a snack on the boat and soak up the sun. On the way, we will stop in one of the islands and find a nice cool shadowy spot to have our lunch. During the lunch break, you can swim, enjoy the sounds of the jungle or take a short nap. After this, we will visit the ancient traditional Papuan burial site. Here, you can see how the Papuans bury their relatives in rock walls over the water or in small caves. The bodies are sometimes placed in a wooden boat which is believed to guide them to heaven. Plates and bowls with food are placed next to the boat, so the deceased will have enough supplies to last until they reach the heavens. You can still find remainders of these boats and plates and bowls in the burial sites. >Another way of burying was placing the bodies right in the open in a rock wall. The spirits are then free to fly out to the heavens when they are ready. You can still find the remainders of these ancients burials in some walls in the passage.

 

 

When you are ready, we go ahead to continue our boat trip to the bat-cave. The cave was dug out of the limestone island by an underwater river. We enter the cave by boat and drop you inside. We will guide you up the rocks inside (wear shoes since these are covered in guano) where you can see hundreds of smaller and larger bats flying around and peeking at you with green eyes illuminated by our torches. When you turn around and look back, you have a spectacular view of the sea through the cave entrance. Bats are flying in and out continuously. There is no need to be afraid of them, they are completely harmless.  

 

 

After this, there can still be time for a swim or snorkel and then we will head back to the resort, where we can relax after this exciting day!