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If I was not mistaken, the original plan was on November 2007, but for some reasons that I never knew from the committee the plan was changed to December 2007. This was actually good for me, since the new schedule was more suitable for me. However, frankly speaking, I did not expect that much in this occasion, since I had only 4 Mpx old and discontinued pocket camera. Even so, I felt better compared to my feeling in the previous resemble occasion on Raja Ampat in the beginning year. Around a week or two before the D day, I got confirmation that I could participate in this occasion and I had to send photo and other necessary data; And I got information that all participants would use chartered plane from Makassar to Tomia Island continued with small speed boat instead of using big slow boat to reach the destination, but for that I had to pay more, which was okay too for all participants.

I had prepared most of the gear on Sunday, because on Monday I would not have enough time for preparation. Shortly, on Tuesday 11 Dec 2007 at 2.30 am I was already on the airport Jakarta (I did not want to be in hurry in the airport as I ever had before). I saw two other participants (Mr. HW and Mr. DY) already hanged out in the airport outside lobby; they did not want to wait inside the airport since it was too cold. More participants started to gather around 3.15 am. Seemed that what committee had informed before that participants should limit their baggage to minimize over baggage charge had come into effect.

After participants checked in, they started to have breakfast in the airport. Not that long, they were informed that their Merpati flight to Makassar was delayed for 3 hours. While they were sitting in waiting room, they were again informed that there would be another delay of two hours, so in total there were 5 hours delay. I was lucky since I was in the group so that waiting that long would not be that boring, but what about other people not in the group? Only God knew. Well, the plane finally flew at 9 am.

The plan was participants should arrive in the final destination before dusk, but seemed things were messy. The chartered small propeller plane did not arrive in Makassar on time. More over, the Tomia airport did not have lamps for plane to land in the night. So that even though the plane had arrived in Makassar, it could not fly to Tomia. Participants finally had to stay in Horison Hotel in Makassar, together with Bupati of Wakatobi, while their gears were left in the airport. During dinner, participants were watching several short UW films made by member of committee, who was the part of participants in the previous occasions. Participants had to go bed a little early since they had to wake up and be ready at 4 am to go to the airport.

In the morning, things ran as plan. So participants reached airport at dawn and flew right away to Tomia. Together with the participants in the plane, there were several journalists and for sure Bupati of Wakatobi and several government people. The funny things happened during in the air, several passengers were advised to move forward since the plane nose was tilted.

A short explanation of Wakatobi: Located in the province of South East Celebes, in the Tukang Besi Islands. Had four major islands, Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko. Beside those four major islands, there were lots of small minor islands, such as Hoga Island, in which the participants would then stay on.

Before the plane landed in Tomia, the pilot was so kind to go around above Wakatobi to show the beauty of the islands and it’s sea that I would dive later. Participants arrived at the airport of Tomia with welcoming ceremony from the local people. After short ceremony, participants rushed into small pier using any car available and used small boats to go to Hoga Island.

Hoga Island, the island where participants stayed, was actually not a real island since it was made from coral rocks. Seemed it was sea bottom that had been uplifted hundreds or thousands years ago. Only 50 families lived in this island. There was no permanent electricity and fresh water. Electricity was only available in two main big huts, in the main office and class room, from afternoon till after midnight only. Fresh water must be shipped from other island. These two main huts owned by international organization which was dealing with nature research, called Operation Wallacea. Participants stayed in the small huts built by local people for rent to the tourist or volunteers who worked for the organization. The hut was so simple and I believed that not every body could stay there. Thanks Lord I could stay there.

After the huts were distributed to all participants, participants had to gather to have opening ceremony speech from Bupati; and continued to have opening ceremony underwater. That was the first time for me to dive in Wakatobi and in the same time I used the new customized 3 mm wetsuit made in Bali. And I had difficulty to descent since I used only 3 kg weight with new wetsuit, but with breathing control, I finally managed to descent and participated in the underwater opening ceremony.

I did not remember all the name of dive sites during this occasion; I could only recall several of them, such as Buoy 1, Buoy 5, Karang Gurita, Inner Pinnacle, Karang Belanda, etc. I finally used 4 kg weight to ease my dives. I saw many healthy corals and sea fans down there. A real great place for wide angle photographers; and few rare macro critters. I could not find rare macro critters; Might be it was because my eyes were not that sharp to find it, but most of other participants said the same. I took only several close up shots of ordinary critters. I also pushed myself to take wide angle shots with my limited photo gear. Surely the results were not good.

Some participants were so eager to find Pigmy Seahorse, which was said in the world history it was found firstly in Wakatobi. They did the night dive too. And during the latest night dive they finally got it and had great pictures of it. My group was not so eager for night dive. I saw other group was also eager to dive very early in the morning and slept in the big boat on the shore to avoid low tide during dawn.

Every participant was in the class room every night to edit the pictures taken; surely only few kinds of editing were allowed. They had lots of chit chat and laughs. The great thing was participants were not look as rival to each other. They even helped each other when some of them had trouble. I also borrowed the strobe arm from my fellow diver (Thanks to Mr. A). I felt sorry to see my old friend, Mr. SW, had trouble twice, once he accidentally deleted all the pictures and once again he set his camera incorrectly. I believe he got lots of great pictures. Other participant got problem with his UW strobe which was flooded, but lucky him that he got spare strobe to replace. I saw many new pocket cameras used in this occasion for the first time, and some of them were heavily fogged, even one of them was flooded. However, they already got great pictures.

Near my seat, sit the professional photographer who had won many competitions, while not so far from me sit the winner of Asian Diver underwater photo competition just couple weeks before. While many other participants were great photographers and had won photo competitions too.

In the first night, my hut (and also other huts) was provided with traditional sailor kerosene lamp. It helped indeed even though it was not bright enough. This lamp was only available for the first two nights, and the following nights there was not kerosene lamp anymore and I needed to use my UW torch to light up. And since there was very limited electricity for lamp, then I could see lots of star in the sky in total darkness.

Lucky me that I took anti malaria pill before, since there were lots of mosquitoes in that island, even though there was no surety that they were ordinary mosquitoes or malaria ones. But according to the doctor who came there periodically, there was malaria around Wakatobi.

Since the fresh water must be shipped from other island to Hoga, then participants had very limited fresh water to use. Fresh water used for cooking and drinking only. However, the local people could cook good food, considering that limited condition, so I assumed in that condition their food were great. To take a bath participants used water that was pumped out from the land; that water was not fresh water neither salt water, some where in between. One thing that made me astonished was how giant lizard could live in that island without freshwater, they must have adapted with the condition since long time ago.

Perhaps I was too tired, since I had limited time to sleep and had to dive three times a day to take picture (while several other participants had four dives a day including night dive), my anti body seemed drop and I started to have problem with my throat on Friday. I took light medicine that I had brought from Jakarta; I also visited local (young) female doctor who was coincidentally available there, but I did not want to consume anti biotic for some reasons; just light medicine and vitamin.

Even though I had problem with my throat, I pushed myself to dive to take picture of Pigmy Seahorse on extra fun dive on Saturday morning. I never had picture of Pigmy Seahorse before and that was my major motivation that Saturday after several days before I could not find it; but I heard that other group had found it near the island during night dive and the guide had made mark on the location. However, the guide himself, who put mark in the night before, could not easily find it again in the morning with my group. My group spent half tank with no result. The guide seemed very curious to find it again in the morning, so he dived again and again spending two tanks till finally he got it. And surely my group followed him to take picture with half tank only in the depth of 12 meters. My worse soar throat paid off when I got the picture.

But my expectation to dive in the Wakatobi Resort house reef could not be realized for several reasons such as distance location and unsurely allowance and guide availability from the resort. My group was not that lucky like other group who got chance to dive there. That lucky group said that the house reef had very healthy and well maintained corals and fishes; the fishes over there were not afraid of human attendance. The group said that the resort imposed very straight no coral touching policy to all divers with no exception. No wonder that the corals (and fishes) were very healthy and diverse.

Finally all participants had to pack their dive and photo gears on Saturday noon. Those gears were planned to be shipped before dusk to Tomia. Later I found that those gears were shipped in the night using bigger slow boat, so that they would arrive in Tomia in the morning.

During dusk I borrowed the newest ‘O’ camera from my fellow diver (thanks to Mr. AS) and tried to take pictures of sunset and beach; but since I was not familiar with that camera then I used auto mode with some my own creative metering to get better results than just ordinary auto mode ones. In the latest night my fellow photographers went to the beach to take picture of the stars in the total darkness in the sky. But I could not stand that long in the beach, since I needed to take rest, especially for my soar throat.

In the morning when participants started to leave the island, I started to loose my voice due to the worse condition of my throat. While all participants arrived in Tomia, there were lots of ceremonies prepared. This occasion was gathered with other different occasions, such as the campaign of eating the fishes, planting the trees, etc, which were led by minister from Jakarta. That was why lots of great traditional costumes worn by local youngsters. But since the participants needed to leave Tomia very soon, then all of them could not hear the announcement from the committee.

In Makassar, participants had the same problem just like they had just arrived there before from Jakarta, e.g. the delayed flight. This time was even worse, they had 8 hours delay. So they were tired and bored of waiting the flight, even though they were in the executive lounge using their credit card. Merpati provided only free simple dinner for passengers. I could not imagine how the future of our local airline is in the future by performing that such lousy service. However I tried to forget that and be happy by buying some Markissa syrup to bring back home. And I did grateful to the committee, participants and friends, and all other parties, who made this trip so amazing. I was so tired (but happy due to the great divingi) when I reached home after midnight… phew.

More photoes can be viewed at http://richardkurni.multiply.com/photos/album/28