Cenderawasih Bay

Teluk Cenderawasih is the largest marine national park in Indonesia, covering some fourteen thousand square kilometres of the great bay on the northern side of the Papuan neck, and its particular phenomenon is at Kwatisore: whale sharks associate year-round with bagan, the lift-net fishing platforms, having learned to feed on small fish spilling from the nets, and the fishermen tolerate and to some extent feed them - so a species that elsewhere is seen seasonally and by chance is here more or less resident and approachable. Beyond that the bay has been isolated long enough by currents to develop reef fauna with a distinct character, plus wartime wrecks. Access is by liveaboard for most visitors, or homestays near Kwatisore, and both need real planning.

History

The Indonesian name means Bird of Paradise Bay; the bay is also called Sarera Bay. On old maps it is Geelvink Bay, after the Dutch frigate De Geelvink, in which Jacob Weyland sailed through it in 1705 - the ship itself was named after the Geelvinck family (Wikipedia, Cenderawasih Bay).

What's there

• Resident whale sharks - year-round at the Kwatisore lift-net platforms.
• Bagan fishing platforms - the structures the sharks have learned to feed around.
• Indonesia's largest marine park - fourteen thousand square kilometres of bay.
• Wartime wrecks - Second World War remains on the bay floor.

When to go

All year for the sharks; calmest May to October. Five days.

Things to know

Getting here is expensive and slow - flights to Papua then liveaboard or long boat. The feeding relationship is not natural and is debated. Papua travel requires attention to current entry requirements.

Nearby

Nabire and Manokwari are the access towns; Biak is further north.

Key facts