In many ways it was lucky to meet a group travelling
together, especially as their destination coincided with my own. I don’t shun
company while travelling, though sometimes I don’t exactly welcome it. But they
were all nice people, and the group of four made a single traveller easy to
join with and share the costs of chartering various forms of transport, of
which there are many that would prove prohibitively expensive alone. The hope
had been to make the journey from Tawau at least to Berau in a single day,
though it proved we’d bitten off more than we could chew. A small powerboat was
offering to take us from the port at Tarakan, the first port of call in
Kalimantan, direct to Pulau Derawan. In effect the boat was a tiny speedboat
hardly big enough to fit five people in, let alone the luggage. The three hour
journey, in a deteriorating sea seemed madness, so we opted for spending a
night in Tarakan instead. The next morning would be plenty of time to embark on
the next leg of the journey. (Photo: Chewing the cud before sailing - Tarakan dock, Kalimantan)
I guess it went well enough, an early start followed by
steady progress got us to the island of Derawan in the afternoon. It’s the
island that the archipelago takes its name from, though is nowhere near the
largest of the group, it just happens to be the nearest to the mainland. Prices
are high, for everything. There are no public ferries, boats have to be
chartered, which proves expensive. Mind you the cost always feels much higher
than it actually is. With 18,000 Indonesian Rupiahs to the pound, a million is
actually only £55.56. So you do have to put it into perspective. At a cost of
half a million the twenty-minute boat ride is still expensive for Indonesia,
however cut off the islands are. The dollar signs kerching as the tourists step
out the car on arrival at the port. No-one is about to offer a reasonable
price, you’re easy meat, and they know it. It did make me think though, could
it have been easier to slot in with locals had I been alone? Maybe, but once
you commit yourself to one course of action you may as well stick with it.
(Photo: The church never reflects the poverty - Tarakan, Kalimantan)
Puttering the last few metres to the jetty on Derawan the
excitement started, two turtles could easily be seen. I nearly jump overboard
immediately, so keen was I to swim with turtles. Over the years I’ve seen a
fair number, but only individuals on rare occasions. To see two in rapid
succession was delightful, whether or not the locals assured me there was an
abundance of them I needed a little more than offhand claims. Looking off the
jetty one swan lazily within a few metres of the supports, seemingly
unconcerned with life above water. I was tempted to dive straight off the pier,
but knew the splash would have scared them away. When a stray plastic bag
wafted off the pier into the water I couldn’t just stand and watch it drift off
to sea. So in I went, diving into the water five metres or so below. The water
was lovely, and I resisted the urge to swim out to the turtles who’d, true to
form, vacated the immediate vicinity. A valiant effort maybe, but I hate to see
the sea polluted, even by accident.
(Photo: White egret, I think - Tarakan dock, Kalimantan)
The turtles are reputed to come in their droves with the
incoming tide, or so the locals claim. Call me a cynic if you will, but I’ve
heard too many claims to entice the tourists. Still I was determined to check
out the scene for myself, so I took only a little time to grab a room and don
my swimwear. If there were turtles in them there waters I wasn’t going to miss
an opportunity to meet them. I even forebore the offer of a free massage,
though I can’t claim to be enamoured with his desire to play with my nipples,
massage is one thing, sexual foreplay with a weird Native American lookalike is
quite another. It’s not that I object, but it just ain’t my thang baby. Anyway,
armed with snorkel, fins and mask I went on the hunt for the sure sign of
turtles between the numerous jetties. It took a while, there are so many
jetties and many prohibit non-guests. But as the sun sank, I wondered down a
lonely pier and saw the tell tale signs, a turtle surfacing for air.
(Photo: Living platform - Sailing to Tanjung Siloh Kalimantan)
Striking out for the last place I saw it surface I didn’t
really expect to find it so soon. But it wasn’t particularly evasive, not
excessively shy. It sat on the seabed, munching happily on eelgrass, paying
little attention to my close proximity. I didn’t get too close though, they do
tend to be slightly timid. Instead I hung nearby, observing from a distance. As
it grazed ever onwards I tailed it from a distance, not being too impatient
though desperate to get a closer look. Following in its wake, I was surprised
to find it took me to yet another. If I thought the first was a good example
the next was a virtual behemoth. Even more surprised when the first started
sniffing around the rear end of the one we encountered. Strewth, for one minute
I actually thought they were going to get it on together. No such luck, but
they did stay in the same vicinity. The glorious conclusion of that first
session was to encounter four turtles, all fairly close together.
(Photo: Seaborne city - Sailing to Tanjung Siloh Kalimantan)
Amazing, that’s more turtles than I’ve seen altogether in
many years, and all in one place, on one snorkel session. Those who had already
experienced the delights of the Derawan Archipeligo were probably somewhat
amused by my early enthusiasm. I didn’t curtail my delight though, the
following morning I had the pleasure of floating in the middle of a group of
six, none of which were perturbed at my presence, until I dove into the middle
of them. At which time they scattered to the four corners. I was still taking
cautiously, not getting too near, trying my damnedest not to spook them. But I
couldn’t resist reaching out a hand, as one surface next to me, and stroking
its shell. Euh, slimy or what! It was covered in algal growth, rather than
feeling hard and shell like it was more like the slimy side of a dirty fish
tank. It didn’t appreciate it either, I swear the look in its eye was of near
panic. So I go back to my normal practice and look but don’t touch.
(Photo: The first view of the island - Pulau Derawan, Kalimantan)
Most the turtles I’ve seen have remoras attached, parasite
eating fish who live a symbiotic life. They sucker onto the turtle’s shell and
life on whatever encrusts itself there. Some are huge, almost the length of the
turtle itself. It’s strange, they generally favour the top shell. Yet whenever
the turtle heads to the surface for a breath of fresh air the remoras scuttle
underneath, so they’re not exposed to the air. It was funny though watching one
turtle, obviously irritated by something it scratched frenziedly at its
underside, first with its front fins then with both. I don’t think it was the
remoras themselves, more likely at a persistent parasite they’d failed to
alleviate the turtle of. It’s a crying shame to see gouges in the shells of
many of them, obviously the local speedboats extract their toll. I watched one
near fly across the water when suddenly a loud grating noise erupted from the
prop, there was no sign of any debris so my guess is another turtle had a close
encounter with modern outboard engines.
(Photo: Happy snapper - Pulau Derawan, Kalimantan)
I got bolder with my interaction with my shell like friends,
started spending more and more time underwater with them. It appeals to me,
surfacing for air at the same time, diving down alongside one of these graceful
beasts. But on my third day they seemed more easily spooked, as I tried
swimming alongside them they increase speed, slightly perturbed at my
proximity. Unable to determine exactly why I could only make assumptions.
Spending lots of time up close and personal didn’t work well, when before it
had been fine. Was it the cloudiness of the water, was I acting too predatory.
It took patience and lots of time to get close and not unsettle them. I’ve seen
literally dozens of them in the last few days, more than I could have imagined
before. It’s true the feeding grounds of the Derawan islands are second to none
for swimming with turtles. I can only recommend you see for yourself, it’s a
most amazing experience. But don’t hassle them, certainly don’t grab hold of
them and try to ride them, if you do a pox on you, I hope life treats you with
the same contempt. They’re beautiful creatures and shouldn’t be meddled with.
(Photo: Gawking at the world above - Pulau Derawan, Kalimantan)
It isn’t only the turtles that make this island a place of
wonder, the local populace are so friendly and laid back as well. Yeah, their
understanding of a clean environment leaves a lot to be desired, but they’re a
developing nation, they need time to learn the intricacies of a bright and
clean future. They are slowly learning, but when you see kids go to the sea
specifically to throw their rubbish away it makes you wonder. Near the jetties
local accommodation is littered with discarded rubbish, but with no rubbish
collection it’s little wonder. A little education will go a long way. Trouble
is the adults need educating as much as the kids, and I think it’s where
tourism comes in. It’s our job to make it clear how much we dislike the
pollution they take for granted, if they think their livelihood might be under
threat I’m sure it will improve their disposal practices. Or maybe they’ll just
be more secretive about them. You know, out of sight out of mind.
(Photo: Typical tourist accommodation - Pulau Derawan, Kalimantan)
The biggest surprise for me, and the most shocking is bad
news from the Philippines. My friend has apparently been admitted into
hospital, suffering from internal haemorrhaging. The details are sketchy as
contact has been severely restricted due the international dictates of local
cell phones. All I can ascertain is that she has lost a lot of blood, is in
hospital and needs an operation. I know neither her nor her family have the
funds for such treatment, so I’ve decided to beat a hasty retreat and do what I
can to help. Part of the pressing problem for this woman, as well as the
bereavement and drug use, was to find herself pregnant. As she’d already had
her existing child taken out her care, another unwanted offspring wasn’t
exactly her best step forward in life. She was looking for a way out, as I’ve
already mentioned. I took it upon myself to provide that, part and parcel of
trying to help her. It now seems the abortion she sought didn’t go as planned,
the complications sound severe. I can only try and make amends for something I
involved myself in initially, whether right or wrong I can’t turn my back on
this. Though I do wonder whether it would be easier to walk away, it isn't really in my heart to do so. (Photo: Everyone loves a sailor - Pulau Derawan, Kalimantan)
In many ways it was lucky to meet a group travelling
together, especially as their destination coincided with my own. I don’t shun
company while travelling, though sometimes I don’t exactly welcome it. But they
were all nice people, and the group of four made a single traveller easy to
join with and share the costs of chartering various forms of transport, of
which there are many that would prove prohibitively expensive alone. The hope
had been to make the journey from Tawau at least to Berau in a single day,
though it proved we’d bitten off more than we could chew. A small powerboat was
offering to take us from the port at Tarakan, the first port of call in
Kalimantan, direct to Pulau Derawan. In effect the boat was a tiny speedboat
hardly big enough to fit five people in, let alone the luggage. The three hour
journey, in a deteriorating sea seemed madness, so we opted for spending a
night in Tarakan instead. The next morning would be plenty of time to embark on
the next leg of the journey. (Photo: Chewing the cud before sailing - Tarakan dock, Kalimantan)
I guess it went well enough, an early start followed by
steady progress got us to the island of Derawan in the afternoon. It’s the
island that the archipelago takes its name from, though is nowhere near the
largest of the group, it just happens to be the nearest to the mainland. Prices
are high, for everything. There are no public ferries, boats have to be
chartered, which proves expensive. Mind you the cost always feels much higher
than it actually is. With 18,000 Indonesian Rupiahs to the pound, a million is
actually only £55.56. So you do have to put it into perspective. At a cost of
half a million the twenty-minute boat ride is still expensive for Indonesia,
however cut off the islands are. The dollar signs kerching as the tourists step
out the car on arrival at the port. No-one is about to offer a reasonable
price, you’re easy meat, and they know it. It did make me think though, could
it have been easier to slot in with locals had I been alone? Maybe, but once
you commit yourself to one course of action you may as well stick with it. 
Puttering the last few metres to the jetty on Derawan the
excitement started, two turtles could easily be seen. I nearly jump overboard
immediately, so keen was I to swim with turtles. Over the years I’ve seen a
fair number, but only individuals on rare occasions. To see two in rapid
succession was delightful, whether or not the locals assured me there was an
abundance of them I needed a little more than offhand claims. Looking off the
jetty one swan lazily within a few metres of the supports, seemingly
unconcerned with life above water. I was tempted to dive straight off the pier,
but knew the splash would have scared them away. When a stray plastic bag
wafted off the pier into the water I couldn’t just stand and watch it drift off
to sea. So in I went, diving into the water five metres or so below. The water
was lovely, and I resisted the urge to swim out to the turtles who’d, true to
form, vacated the immediate vicinity. A valiant effort maybe, but I hate to see
the sea polluted, even by accident. 
The turtles are reputed to come in their droves with the
incoming tide, or so the locals claim. Call me a cynic if you will, but I’ve
heard too many claims to entice the tourists. Still I was determined to check
out the scene for myself, so I took only a little time to grab a room and don
my swimwear. If there were turtles in them there waters I wasn’t going to miss
an opportunity to meet them. I even forebore the offer of a free massage,
though I can’t claim to be enamoured with his desire to play with my nipples,
massage is one thing, sexual foreplay with a weird Native American lookalike is
quite another. It’s not that I object, but it just ain’t my thang baby. Anyway,
armed with snorkel, fins and mask I went on the hunt for the sure sign of
turtles between the numerous jetties. It took a while, there are so many
jetties and many prohibit non-guests. But as the sun sank, I wondered down a
lonely pier and saw the tell tale signs, a turtle surfacing for air. 
Striking out for the last place I saw it surface I didn’t
really expect to find it so soon. But it wasn’t particularly evasive, not
excessively shy. It sat on the seabed, munching happily on eelgrass, paying
little attention to my close proximity. I didn’t get too close though, they do
tend to be slightly timid. Instead I hung nearby, observing from a distance. As
it grazed ever onwards I tailed it from a distance, not being too impatient
though desperate to get a closer look. Following in its wake, I was surprised
to find it took me to yet another. If I thought the first was a good example
the next was a virtual behemoth. Even more surprised when the first started
sniffing around the rear end of the one we encountered. Strewth, for one minute
I actually thought they were going to get it on together. No such luck, but
they did stay in the same vicinity. The glorious conclusion of that first
session was to encounter four turtles, all fairly close together. 
Amazing, that’s more turtles than I’ve seen altogether in
many years, and all in one place, on one snorkel session. Those who had already
experienced the delights of the Derawan Archipeligo were probably somewhat
amused by my early enthusiasm. I didn’t curtail my delight though, the
following morning I had the pleasure of floating in the middle of a group of
six, none of which were perturbed at my presence, until I dove into the middle
of them. At which time they scattered to the four corners. I was still taking
cautiously, not getting too near, trying my damnedest not to spook them. But I
couldn’t resist reaching out a hand, as one surface next to me, and stroking
its shell. Euh, slimy or what! It was covered in algal growth, rather than
feeling hard and shell like it was more like the slimy side of a dirty fish
tank. It didn’t appreciate it either, I swear the look in its eye was of near
panic. So I go back to my normal practice and look but don’t touch. 
Most the turtles I’ve seen have remoras attached, parasite
eating fish who live a symbiotic life. They sucker onto the turtle’s shell and
life on whatever encrusts itself there. Some are huge, almost the length of the
turtle itself. It’s strange, they generally favour the top shell. Yet whenever
the turtle heads to the surface for a breath of fresh air the remoras scuttle
underneath, so they’re not exposed to the air. It was funny though watching one
turtle, obviously irritated by something it scratched frenziedly at its
underside, first with its front fins then with both. I don’t think it was the
remoras themselves, more likely at a persistent parasite they’d failed to
alleviate the turtle of. It’s a crying shame to see gouges in the shells of
many of them, obviously the local speedboats extract their toll. I watched one
near fly across the water when suddenly a loud grating noise erupted from the
prop, there was no sign of any debris so my guess is another turtle had a close
encounter with modern outboard engines. 
I got bolder with my interaction with my shell like friends,
started spending more and more time underwater with them. It appeals to me,
surfacing for air at the same time, diving down alongside one of these graceful
beasts. But on my third day they seemed more easily spooked, as I tried
swimming alongside them they increase speed, slightly perturbed at my
proximity. Unable to determine exactly why I could only make assumptions.
Spending lots of time up close and personal didn’t work well, when before it
had been fine. Was it the cloudiness of the water, was I acting too predatory.
It took patience and lots of time to get close and not unsettle them. I’ve seen
literally dozens of them in the last few days, more than I could have imagined
before. It’s true the feeding grounds of the Derawan islands are second to none
for swimming with turtles. I can only recommend you see for yourself, it’s a
most amazing experience. But don’t hassle them, certainly don’t grab hold of
them and try to ride them, if you do a pox on you, I hope life treats you with
the same contempt. They’re beautiful creatures and shouldn’t be meddled with. 
It isn’t only the turtles that make this island a place of
wonder, the local populace are so friendly and laid back as well. Yeah, their
understanding of a clean environment leaves a lot to be desired, but they’re a
developing nation, they need time to learn the intricacies of a bright and
clean future. They are slowly learning, but when you see kids go to the sea
specifically to throw their rubbish away it makes you wonder. Near the jetties
local accommodation is littered with discarded rubbish, but with no rubbish
collection it’s little wonder. A little education will go a long way. Trouble
is the adults need educating as much as the kids, and I think it’s where
tourism comes in. It’s our job to make it clear how much we dislike the
pollution they take for granted, if they think their livelihood might be under
threat I’m sure it will improve their disposal practices. Or maybe they’ll just
be more secretive about them. You know, out of sight out of mind. 
The biggest surprise for me, and the most shocking is bad
news from the Philippines. My friend has apparently been admitted into
hospital, suffering from internal haemorrhaging. The details are sketchy as
contact has been severely restricted due the international dictates of local
cell phones. All I can ascertain is that she has lost a lot of blood, is in
hospital and needs an operation. I know neither her nor her family have the
funds for such treatment, so I’ve decided to beat a hasty retreat and do what I
can to help. Part of the pressing problem for this woman, as well as the
bereavement and drug use, was to find herself pregnant. As she’d already had
her existing child taken out her care, another unwanted offspring wasn’t
exactly her best step forward in life. She was looking for a way out, as I’ve
already mentioned. I took it upon myself to provide that, part and parcel of
trying to help her. It now seems the abortion she sought didn’t go as planned,
the complications sound severe. I can only try and make amends for something I
involved myself in initially, whether right or wrong I can’t turn my back on
this. Though I do wonder whether it would be easier to walk away, it isn't really in my heart to do so. (Photo: Everyone loves a sailor - Pulau Derawan, Kalimantan)
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