Trip report about Triton Bay Divers

[Andreni]

A few weeks ago I came back from Indonesia. First I spent some time in Ambon to look out for critters. I really liked to dive Ambon bay even if we didn’t see as many of those rare creatures as we expected. Could this be due to El-Nino? In addition there were some dives with quite strong current which is not ideal to take pictures. But still, I enjoyed the stay and will go back as soon as I can. Pictures on my Flickr-account: Ambon, Indonesia April 2016

After a few days I flew from Ambon to Kaimana (with a short stop for a picture in Fakfak ;-)) to spend some with Triton Bay Divers. To be honest I had really high expectations regarding the resort and the dive sites and I wasn’t disappointed.

The resort is small and has a familiar atmosphere with only 4 bungalows. The food was very good and I liked to have the meals together with the other guest and Jimmy and Leeza, the co-owners. The bungalows are nice and i didn’t miss an AC or electricity during the night. I loved the beach and also the other ones, where we spent the surface intervalls. Like paradise...

The diving was awesome. Nice places for wide-angle pictures but also a lot of critters with colourful and healthy corals. The time of my visit was near the end of the season so the visibility did change during the day from pretty good in the morning to a reduced visibility in the afternoon. The biomass in Triton Bay is stunning and the fish are huge (even compared with Raja Ampat). There is only this one resort and some liveaboards on their transit tours so absolutely not packed with tourists. I would like to keep it like that but still wanted to let you know about my experiences as I often look for information in Scubaboard.

You find my pictures on Flickr: Triton Bay April 2016 . Unfortunately more critters than wide-angle. Still have to practise a lot to get good WA-pictures...

 

[AlMitch]

Thanks for the trip report and pics!
Who did you dive with in Ambon??
As for Triton you did not mention any mantas or whale sharks.... I thought that was one of their draw cards, did you not see any?

 

[Andreni]

I stayed with Maluku Divers. Have been there already in 2014 but liked the recent stay much better. Was really happy because my camera was broken and Fred repaired it within minutes... Everything else: also perfect.

Yes there are whalesharks in Triton Bay. Unfortunately I'm always unlucky so I missed them also this time. But they told me that they see them regularly. I hope i will get my compensation in Fiji. Keep my fingers crossed for Tigers, Bulls and maybe Hammerhead...

I'm not sure about the Mantas. We didn't see any during my stay. But in my opinion conditions would be given for Mantas.. But with all those other sightings I didn't miss them.

 

[Mike Veitch]

Thanks for the trip report and pics!
Who did you dive with in Ambon??
As for Triton you did not mention any mantas or whale sharks.... I thought that was one of their draw cards, did you not see any?

Whalesharks in Triton yes, not sure about mantas though, I have not seen or heard of any there. Does not mean they aren't though, where did you hear about mantas there? You have peaked my interest!

 

[AlMitch]

I read that they had spotted mantas on their website. But you are right it is the whalesharks that are the draw card, you supposedly need to be lucky to spot a manta.

 

[jt17]

I read that they had spotted mantas on their website. But you are right it is the whalesharks that are the draw card, you supposedly need to be lucky to spot a manta.

Hi AlMitch,

I just want to say that visitors should not come to Triton Bay if the only reason is to see whale sharks. There are probably other places in the world where whale shark sightings are more reliable. The bagans (floating fishing platforms that attract the whale sharks) move around and the sharks are wild animals that come and go as they please; its not a zoo...For us, the reasons to come to Triton Bay are for the beautiful soft corals, large schools of fish, and now increasingly for the macro photography as we are finding where the critters are hiding out. If our guests see whale sharks, its just icing on the cake. As for the mantas, they are one of Triton Bay's mysteries. We have not yet found a reliable cleaning station and our discussions with the locals suggest they may be coming and going with the seasons. We have some theories but it will take more time and a lot more exploratory diving...


Jimmy
Triton Bay Divers

 

[AlMitch]

Originally all I said was that it was "one of their draw cards" not your only one!
Andreni clearly stated all the other great things Triton has going for it, and said she would return with or without the whale shark.
Is just asked a simple question.

 

[jt17]

Originally all I said was that it was "one of their draw cards" not your only one!
Andreni clearly stated all the other great things Triton has going for it, and said she would return with or without the whale shark.
Is just asked a simple question.

Hi AlMitch. Its all good. No offense taken and I hope I didn't offend. I just wanted to give out more info to anyone who might be interested