DIDI LOTZE WAKATOBI / INDONESIA

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "DIDI LOTZE WAKATOBI / INDONESIA"

Shana Boone
5 years ago
Views:

1 DIDI LOTZE D R E A M R E A L I T Y 62 63

2 WALT STEARNS 64 COLEMAN S SHRIMP (Periclimenes colemani) ON RED URCHIN (Astropyga radiata) 65

3 WALT STEARNS 66 MAGNIFICENT GORGONIAN (Octocorallia) AT THE SOUTHERN HOUSE REEF OF»TURKEY BEACH«67

DIDI LOTZE MARCO FIERLI THE WAKATOBI RESORT AND ITS SELECTED BY THE MEDIA AWARD WINNING HOUSE REEF PERFECT ROOMSERVICE: ROMANTIC DINNER AT SUNSET 68 WHAT IS WAKATOBI?

RESORT FROM MAGAZINES, OTHERS RECOGNISE IT AS A REGION WITH THE HIGHEST BIO- in the Indo-Pacific to build his dream resort. When he came to a small fishing.

.. island, he knew that he had found Ocean were the victims of destructive fishing Text & Photos: Walt Stearns Guest Photographer: Marco Fierli, Didi Lotze, Steve Miller, Richard Smith, Mathis

4 DIDI LOTZE MARCO FIERLI THE WAKATOBI RESORT AND ITS SELECTED BY THE MEDIA AWARD WINNING HOUSE REEF PERFECT ROOMSERVICE: ROMANTIC DINNER AT SUNSET 68 WHAT IS WAKATOBI? MOST PEOPLE KNOW IT AS A For many years, the Swiss, Lorenz Mäder was looking for a suitable place under way, Lorenz was already tinkering on With the construction phase of the resort LUXURIOUS DIVE RESORT FROM MAGAZINES, OTHERS RECOGNISE IT AS A REGION WITH THE HIGHEST BIO- in the Indo-Pacific to build his dream resort. When he came to a small fishing. At that time, large areas of the Indian a plan to protect the offshore reefs from over- DIVERSITY OF THE CORAL REEFS. IN FACT, IT S BOTH, BUT IT WASN T ALWAYS LIKE THAT... island, he knew that he had found Ocean were the victims of destructive fishing Text & Photos: Walt Stearns Guest Photographer: Marco Fierli, Didi Lotze, Steve Miller, Richard Smith, Mathis Weatherall KRÖTENHOCHZEIT (Bufo bufo) IM SALZKAMMERGUT the place - southeast of Sulawesi in the Tukang Besi Archipelago of Indonesia s Banda sea. The surrounding reefs were among the most beautiful and spectacular he had ever seen. And along the coast, there was a white sandy beach surrounded by palm groves. Here Lorenz built his diving lodge in 1995 in the style of an Indonesian longhouse. He named his diving outpost Wakatobi, a word derived from the first two letters of the four largest islands in the archipelago: Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko. practices. Lorenz negotiated with the locals to stop fishing on these reefs. For a six-kilometre-long reef strip, he paid a protection lease to seventeen villages in the region. And this was only the beginning of the»collaborative Reef Conservation Programme«, which by now has been extended to a 20-kilometre reef area, and has also received numerous awards. As the news of this very extraordinary resort spread like Wildfire through the diving and underwater photography scene, a run to the remote Wakatobi Dive Resort began. c 69

5 WALT STEARNS 70 GOBLET CORALS (Turbinaria Mesenterina) AT THE»ROMA-REEF«71

6 MARCO FIERLI 72 BLENNIES (Blenniiformes) INHABIT THE REEFS IN ALL SHAPES AND COLORS 73

7 MARCO FIERLI 74 EVEN NEMO (Amphiprion ocellaris) LIVES AT WAKATOBI IN A COLOURED LONG TENTACLE ANEMONE (Heteractis magnifica) 75

DIDI LOTZE MARCO FIERLI BREAKFAST WITH A VIEW AT THE WAKATOBI RESTAURANT BLUE HOUR TIME TO ENJOY THE COMFORTS OF WAKATOBI 76 WAKATOBI MARANGGO RUNWAY DIVE BOATS AT WAKATOBI-JETTY Initially, the

However, faster connections were soon to be established.

Today, Garuda Indonesia Airlines flies twice a week to Wakatobi. Seventy seats and a generous baggage allowance limit leave nothing to be desired.

Five-star service, a gourmet cuisine, personal diving guides, a private boat charter, spa services and much more... make a stay at the Wakatobi Dive Resort an exceptional experience.

8 DIDI LOTZE MARCO FIERLI BREAKFAST WITH A VIEW AT THE WAKATOBI RESTAURANT BLUE HOUR TIME TO ENJOY THE COMFORTS OF WAKATOBI 76 WAKATOBI MARANGGO RUNWAY DIVE BOATS AT WAKATOBI-JETTY Initially, the journey from Bali took more than thirty-six hours. It was stressful, incredibly exhausting and consisted of local flights, car transfers and boat trips. However, faster connections were soon to be established. It was during 2001 that a private runway, the Wakatobi Maranggo Runway, was built, and direct charter flights were created to bring guests from Bali to Wakatobi in just two and a half hours. Today, Garuda Indonesia Airlines flies twice a week to Wakatobi. Seventy seats and a generous baggage allowance limit leave nothing to be desired. Over the years, the resort started to expand, and it was improved. The original longhouse has evolved into a stately estate with twenty-four bungalows and four luxurious villas. Five-star service, a gourmet cuisine, personal diving guides, a private boat charter, spa services and much more... make a stay at the Wakatobi Dive Resort an exceptional experience. A fleet of 20-metre dive boats drives to more than forty dive sites within the reserve every day. There are a variety of different reef landscapes, from shallow coral gardens to imposing cliffs covered with lush sponges, hard and soft corals. The coral reefs are home to countless species of fish and invertebrates. Not for nothing is this region known as one of the most species-rich reef areas. Divers and snorkelers can also experience the diversity of species directly on the resort s beach. The Wakatobi House Reef has been chosen by the international diving media as the world s best house reef and is easily and comfortably reached via the beach and is therefore, accessible day and night. It stretches for one kilometre to the east and west and, from a seagrass bed to ta coral wall, is situated only 80 metres from the beach. Many guests dedicate their dives to the house reef alone and encounter ghost pipefish, scorpion fish, squids, six kinds of anemone fish and a variety of other critters, who have their territory only a few meters from the jetty of the resort. Lorenz s vision for Wakatobi not only created a private nature conservation initiative but also initiated other nature conservation projects and changed the map. In 2002, the Indonesian government expanded the area formed by the resort s conservation program to create the Wakatobi National Park. The park covers an area of 1,390,000 hectares of the Tukang Besi archipelago. In the meantime, these c 77

9 78 PRIVATE TUB IDYLL UNDER STARRY SKY 79

10 DIDI LOTZE 80 TWO-BEDROOM VILLA WITH POOL AT WAKATOBI RESORT 81

11 RICHARD SMITH 82 PYGMY SEAHORSE FAMILY (Hippocampus bargibanti) DESIRED MOTIVE FOR MACRO PHOTOGRAPHERS 83

12 WALT STEARNS 84»BLADE«THE LEGENDARY DIVE SITE 85

MARCO FIERLI GUEST VILLA WITH POOL AND TERRACE MODERN INTERIOR WITH INDONESIAN FLAIR

In 2005, the Wakatobi National Park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and in

Many see Lorenz as a visionary and pioneer who initiated one of the largest privately

But his motives are also due to a more pragmatic fact, which he describes as

So, it s better to do everything possible to protect the reefs and enjoy the underwater

13 MARCO FIERLI GUEST VILLA WITH POOL AND TERRACE MODERN INTERIOR WITH INDONESIAN FLAIR islands have become an autonomous region with a new name: Wakatobi. In 2005, the Wakatobi National Park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and in 2012 was included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Many see Lorenz as a visionary and pioneer who initiated one of the largest privately financed and managed marine protected areas. But his motives are also due to a more pragmatic fact, which he describes as follows:»you can t pack up and relocate a resort when diving is no longer good. So, it s better to do everything possible to protect the reefs and enjoy the underwater world in the future.«p Further Informationen: THE BOATS WAITING FOR DIVERS TO DO A NIGHT DIVE 86 Left: Wakatobi Founder Lorenz Mäder Right: Author of the Story: Walt Stearns WAYNE OSBORN 87

14 WALT STEARNS 88 COURTING MANDARINFISH (Synchiropus splendidus) AT WAKATOBI 89

15 WALT STEARNS 90 STRIKING ORIENTATION POINT AT THE REEF: BARREL SPONGE (Xestospongia testudinaria) 91

16 WALT STEARNS 92 PAJAMA CARDINALFISH (Sphaeramia nematoptera) ON»DUNIA BARU REEF«93

17 WALT STEARNS 94 SHOOL OF BIGEYE TREVALLY (Caranx sexfasciatus) 95

18 WALT STEARNS 96 PINKEYE GOBY (Bryaninops natans) 97

19 WALT STEARNS 98 GORGONIAN (Melithaea sp.) WITH FEATHER STARS (Comatulida) AT WAKATOBI HOUSE REEF 99

20 MARCO FIERLI 100 CLOWN FROGFISCH (Antennarius maculatus) 101

21 WALT STEARNS 102 COMMON CLOWNFISH (Amphiprion ocellaris) IN A COLOURED LONG TENTACLE ANEMONE (Heteractis magnifica) 103

22 WALT STEARNS 104 SHOAL OF GOLDEN SWEEPERS (Parapriacanthus ransonneti) UNDER A TABLE CORAL (Acropora hyacinthus) 105

23 MARCO FIERLI 106 PIPEFISH (Syngnathidae) UNDER THE STEPS OF THE WAKATOBI JETTY 107

24 STEVE MILLER 108 BROADCLUB CUTTLEFISH (Sepia latimanus) BETWEEN LEATHER CORAL (Sinularia sp.) 109

25 MATHIES WEATHERALL 110 DIVERSE STONE CORAL (Scleractinia) AT DIVE SITE»ZOO«111

26 WALT STEARNS 112 KUNEI NUDIBRANCH (Goniobranchus kuniei) 113

27 WALT STEARNS 114 JUVENILE GREEN SEA TURTLE (Chelonia mydas) 115

28 WALT STEARNS 116 WIRE CORAL CRAB (Xenocarcinus tuberculatus) 117

29 GLEN COWANS 118 FRAGILE GOBLET CORAL BIOTOPE (Turbinaria Mesenterina) 119

30 MARCO FIERLI 120 CORAL HERMIT CRAB (Paguritta sp.) 121

COVER PHOTO WALTER STEARNS WALT STEARNS ATLANTIC SPOTTED DOLPHINS, (Stenella frontalis), WHITE SAND RIDGE, LITTLE BAHAMAS BANK, GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND 10 PAIR OF DORID NUDIBRANCH (Hypselodoris

His imagery and writing have graced hundreds of marine publications, and his film experience includes working with the BBC and the Discovery Channel.

Conservation Commission and Florida State University. He is a scuba diving instructor, certified cave and rebreather diver and he received the Platinum Pro5000 distinction from SSI.

31 COVER PHOTO WALTER STEARNS WALT STEARNS ATLANTIC SPOTTED DOLPHINS, (Stenella frontalis), WHITE SAND RIDGE, LITTLE BAHAMAS BANK, GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND 10 PAIR OF DORID NUDIBRANCH (Hypselodoris bullockii) Walt Stearn is the Publisher of the Underwater Journal. His imagery and writing have graced hundreds of marine publications, and his film experience includes working with the BBC and the Discovery Channel. A dedicated environmentalist with a background in zoology and oceanographic science, Walt consults and works with conservation groups like Pew Research, the Ocean Conservancy, the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission and Florida State University. He is a scuba diving instructor, certified cave and rebreather diver and he received the Platinum Pro5000 distinction from SSI.»The ocean is where I am most comfortable, strengthened by an ongoing desire to convey a story through imagery and the voices of others. My dedication to preserving our ocean planet has fortunately led me down multiple paths, which have taken me across the globe to unforgettable locations leaving memories that will last a lifetime. The ocean is my playground with the greatest challenge, bringing to light the still unanswered mysteries of our water planet.«walt Stearns p 11

Why Wakatobi? Here s a dozen reasons. By Walt Stearns

Why Wakatobi? Here s a dozen reasons By Walt Stearns Ocean bungalows on the north end of the resort. Photo by Didi Lotze Wakatobi Resort consistently ranks as one of the world s top-rated diving and snorkelling