Resort

March 2015

Building Triton Bay Divers

By |2015-05-17T06:01:54+00:00March 29th, 2015|Resort|

Come my friends, tis not too late to seek a newer world” – Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Perhaps we do not need, like Tennyson’s Ulysses and his mariners, to look for a new world but rather renew the one we live in now. We are a global community, connected like never before, and with an inter-continental flight we can go from our ultra-modern cities to the most remote lands. The mistakes made by first world countries in our rush to economic development are being made everywhere around the planet, and sadly there are few places like Triton Bay now. Such places need to be accessible to all but they also need to be preserved, and it was in this spirit that this project was conceived.

Building this resort was an act of faith, a daily test of patience, a compromise between different visions. Speaking strictly for myself, there were many times I thought it was not supposed to be this hard. Before construction even began I had almost given up a dozen times. But I believe the Universe doesn’t give us more than we can handle, and somehow this project that has taken the last two and a half years is finally almost complete.

To nature lovers everywhere, we humbly present Triton Bay Divers. If all who come here can escape from their busy lives and find peace and tranquility, our purpose will be achieved.

Jimmy

December 2014

Update on Construction

By |2024-01-22T02:34:03+00:00December 11th, 2014|Resort|

Having been at the construction site for most of the past few months, we have not had much of an opportunity to properly update the website.  However, it is time for a little update on the progress of the resort. The good news is that the workers are on schedule to complete the resort by mid-to-late Feb and we should be ready to accept our very first guests at that time! Apologies to those of you who wanted to come for Christmas – we tried but unfortunately we can’t get it done by then.

Each building is at a different stage of completion, with the kitchen and staff rooms mostly done, but only the foundations have been built for the restaurant. Below are a few pictures taken in the past few weeks.

Meanwhile, as the holidays approach, Triton Bay Divers would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2015!

Jimmy

October 2014

Breaking Ground

By |2024-01-22T02:34:04+00:00October 5th, 2014|Resort|

After a quiet summer finishing up much of the required paperwork & permits and negotiating with contractors, we finally began construction of the resort in early September. Construction is scheduled to be completed some time in February if everything goes smoothly. This is later than what we had hoped for, but this is Papua and there are no strict timetables for anything so you take what you can get.

At the moment, workers are focused on completing the concrete buildings (kitchen, dive center, storage area) and the staff quarters as we wait for the wood that will be used for the restaurant and guest bungalows to dry. The pond, which will be essential in draining the land, is only partially complete as we await building materials to be delivered.

Rain has hampered construction somewhat, but the strong winds that were constant throughout August and September have died down and the weather warms. Water temperature, which drops down to as low as 24 degrees in the summer, is also slowly increasing and will soon top out to a very comfortable 28~29 degrees.

One of the things that we wanted for the resort was that it faced the west (there is an Indonesian song about Kaimana’s sunset), however that just wasn’t to be. However, as the winter months approach (for those in the northern hemisphere), the sun moves south and we are pleasantly surprised to find that we actually have a very nice sunrise every morning around 6:00 am!

June 2014

Camping with the Papuans

By |2024-01-22T02:34:05+00:00June 26th, 2014|Resort|

In four days last week, myself and eight Papuans prepped most of the land on Waala Beach, the site of our resort, for the builders who hopefully will be arriving in July.  I was amazed by the Papuans’ ability to live off the land and fashion what they need from what they have on hand.  Camping out with them over those few days was like a wilderness survival course.  They cut up a large log that had washed up the on the beach to make picnic tables, and built tents using tarp and some driftwood. They can build a fire in the middle of the jungle in minutes using old coconut shells for kindling, and can keep it going for hours.  Using a strip of bamboo to divert the natural flow of water over the rocks, they made a shower for washing.  I brought enough food for me from Kaimana, however they brought only rice, relying on local fishermen to come by with their daily catch.  And if the fishermen didn’t come on a particular day, they ate plain rice cooked in a kettle over a fire.

For us divers, the focus is on the coral and fish in these reefs, but I would like to say that the diversity of life underwater here is matched or surpassed by the diversity in the jungle.  It is estimated that there are thousands of species yet to be discovered by scientists in the interior of New Guinea, and during those few days I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of that on our little piece of land.

Jimmy

May 2014

Slow Process… But worth it!

By |2024-01-22T02:34:06+00:00May 31st, 2014|Resort|

I can’t believe its been a year now since my first trip over to Kaimana Regency and Triton Bay, to check out what there was on offer above and below the waves and to meet with the local land owners to discuss the opportunity for us to work together in building the first ever dive resort in the region…..

Having lived and worked in Indonesia for some years I know things take time, but I think it takes even longer in West Papua!

That said I am excited to be heading back to Triton Bay next week to finalize all the paperwork and start to prepare the land.  And of course to do some amazing diving and find some new dive sites which we will be more than happy to share with you once Triton Bay Divers is up and running next year!

Whale Shark Triton Bay

Looking forward to blowing bubbles again…

Leeza 

 

 

January 2014

The Road Less Traveled

By |2024-02-14T07:59:38+00:00January 14th, 2014|Resort|

It is now going on three years this path that I have taken, and though ahead lies a lot of hard work, the destination is finally in sight .  I don’t presume that, like Robert  Frost, this road will make “all the difference” but in many ways it already has.  I guess I could call this first blog entry “The Road Never Traveled” as it is a more apt description of what we are attempting to build here in Triton Bay, but then I wouldn’t be able to quote Robert Frost…

At the moment, I can’t help but recall all the possibilities I explored: partners, locations, liveaboard vs. resort, and I think I can say I’m happy with my choices. There was never any doubt of Triton Bay as a suitable location for diving, the issue was (and still is) whether I could marshal enough resources to overcome the cultural, language, regulatory, and numerous other obstacles. But along the way I managed to find a business partner who was willing to invest and help build the resort. And I have to credit Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock, whose work I relied heavily upon in my initial survey of the area. Finally, a word must be said for Conservation International – if they were not committed to the area, I would not have looked to come.

So here we are, half done and hopeful that you will visit us in Kaimana Regency to see for yourself what the earth and oceans were like before the arrival of modern civilization. See you soon!

Jimmy

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