Island Dreams' Ken Knezick has just returned from a dive cruise to Irian Jaya, also known as West Papua. Sailing with Kararu Dive Voyages, this report focuses on the diving to be found in an intriguing region of West Papua known as the Raja Ampat Islands. Astride the equator, this remote group sits just west of the Indonesia-claimed portion of the immense island of New Guinea, our planet's second largest island. In a nod to the history of the region, and the separatist ambitions of some of the local inhabitants, the Indonesian government recently allowed Irian Jaya to be renamed West Papua. This area, and the neighboring country of Papua New Guinea, harbor some of the most remote and untamed territory left on earth. Equally in their natural habitat are the indigenous people here, many of whom still pursue an aboriginal existence in the primeval forest as practiced for many generations. As a result, much of the jungle, and the extensive fringing reef system, are still to be found in a relatively pure and unspoiled condition.
No comments:
Post a Comment