Diving Halmahera

In mid-November we went to one of the islands of Maluku, Indonesia. It was this kind of trip where the flight was reasonable short, but the rest took ages. We went by boat and then three hours on shaky roads through the jungle to reach this hidden place, where the sea surface was blank and the corals untouched.

The island's name is Halmahera and means motherland. And when the sun was shining it felt hot like a desert, but when day became night the temperature dropped quickly and the early mornings were cool while the sun was raising. During the afternoons the thunderstorms passed by and we could watch their dramatic shows above the ocean.

It felt like a forgotten world under the surface and the prettiest places were the ones where we could swim in the shallow areas on the top of the reefs. The sunlight managed to light up the scenery and even an amateur like me, photographing without strobes, were able to capture a couple of memories.

The waters outside Halmahera are quiet, the currents non-existing and the dolphins are jumping and swimming around the boat while travelling to the dive sites further away. This is a place hidden from the rest of world and it is a true privilege getting to swim here among the sharks, turtles and pretty-patterned boxfish.