3 new guy training to survive in the harsh blue sea at Sekotong island.

Bokan Kepulauan Sea Diving

Bokan Kepulauan, Central Sulawesi, 2023

Immanuel Raynaldo (M 2023 898 ATM)
Gabriel Genigno Pranoto (M 2022 891 ATM)
Tio Patrick Wicaksono (M 2022 897 ATM)
Esyela Fransisca Artarumiris ()

“Bokan Kaleng-Kaleng”

Bokan Kepulauan, a regency in Central Sulawesi, consists of several islands scattered across different villages. Located quite far from Sulawesi Island, our journey began from Bandung by Hiace to Jakarta, then from Jakarta by plane to Luwuk. Upon arriving at Luwuk port, we were greeted by an endemic fish there, the Banggai Cardinalfish. Unfortunately, we missed the ferry because it departed earlier than usual. As a result, we spent the time shopping for food supplies and exploring the land before staying overnight at the PLN service house. The following day, we witnessed a labor protest while trying to buy tickets. The protest was related to the relocation of container loading and unloading activities, which could lead to job losses for hundreds of workers.

Our journey from Luwuk to Banggai Laut was by wooden boat and took seven hours. Along the way, we talked with Pak Rahmat, one of the officers from the Environmental Service, who was willing to lend us diving tanks and a compressor. Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by several PLN officers and met with Pak Erdi, the Head of the Banggai Laut Basarnas Post. We stayed for two nights at the Basarnas Office to arrange permits and borrowing of equipment from the relevant agencies. The trip from Banggai Laut to Bungin Village took eight hours, and when we arrived, we immediately met and requested permission from the District Secretary, who was also the owner of our accommodation, as well as the Village Head.

Geographically, Bokan Kepulauan is located between the Banda Sea and the Maluku Sea, making it a migration route for large marine animals such as sperm whales and dolphins in the eastern region. One of the well-known tourist destinations in Bokan Kepulauan is Mbuang-Mbuang Island, which offers the beauty of a jellyfish lake and the stunning view of Popinsi Hill. Due to the high sea waves caused by eastern winds during July to September, we focused our diving activities around Bungin, which also served as our basecamp. The trip to the farthest dive spot from there took about two hours. Electricity was only available every other day from 17:00 to 01:00, and the signal was unreliable, with the only cell tower located in Bungin Village and even then inconsistent.

During six days of diving activities, we successfully explored 20 dive sites. The underwater visibility was generally good, with many dive spots offering horizontal visibility of more than 20 meters. The only exception occurred when we dived in a blue hole at a depth of 11 meters, which was surrounded by mangroves, causing the water to be murky and green, triggering feelings of anxiety and tension during the dive.

The Coral Triangle indeed offers an extraordinary experience, especially in Bokan Kepulauan with its incredibly dense coral reefs. The majority of the dive sites there have excellent coral conditions, although some areas have been affected by fish bombing. Even though we dived in spots with strong currents — some forcing us to drift as far as one kilometer — encounters with large marine animals were rare. Most of our diving experiences were dominated by schools of fish of various types in large numbers.

After staying a night at the District Secretary’s service house, we had to move to the home of Fajar’s family because the house would be used by the regent, who was coming to inaugurate the ferry port. During our rest day, we spent time with Fajar’s family, did manual freediving at night to catch fish, celebrated Efas’ birthday, cooked papeda together, and visited the plantation owned by Fajar’s mother’s father. The taste of young coconut there was far more special compared to what we usually encountered; it tasted slightly fizzy and sweet, as if it had been mixed with sugar and Sprite. Before starting our final dives, we had the chance to meet the regent, although we were surprised to find out later that we had actually been talking and taking photos with his aide, who pretended to be the regent, without realizing it until someone told us at the end of the session.

On our last day in Bokan Kepulauan, we decided to attend mass in Keak Village. In this village, all of the residents are Catholic and Christian, unlike Bungin Village, where the entire population is Muslim. This difference was noticeable in the pets we saw — shifting from mostly cats to dogs. Even though there was no permanent priest residing at the Church of Divine Mercy, the mass was conducted by a deacon. However, this did not diminish the spirit of the congregation, which was beautifully reflected in their heartfelt hymns and praises.

Without realizing it, 12 days had passed. The bond we built with the people of Banggai Laut will remain a precious and unforgettable memory for us. We are grateful for all the assistance and knowledge that was shared with us, especially to Fajar’s family — Pak Fajar, Bu Fajar, and Fajar himself — for becoming our closest family during our time there.