Schooling of Golden sweepers.

Only two hours from the concrete jungle of Jakarta, what remains of Jakarta Bay’s former natural underwater splendor waits for visitors in the waters off Pramuka Island, Thousand Islands.

As a popular place for beginners to complete their diving certifications, Pramuka Island and its dive sites are well known to divers from Jakarta and its environs.

Several dive spots can be explored by divers of nearly any level of experience, including Tanjung Penyu, Soft Coral, Area Perlindungan Laut (APL/Marine Protected Area), Semak Daun and Terumbu Ela. If divers wish to see shipwrecks, they can plunge into the depths of the Tabularasa shipwreck and Poso shipwreck dive sites.

A scuba diver at Tabularasa shipwreckThe dive spots offer the keen observer a chance to glimpse pygmy seahorses — often so small they can use sea fan branches for camouflage — various nudibranchs, stonefish, fusiliers, turtles, crocodile fish, moray eels and a diverse variety of other marine species.

Regrettably, however, most of the coral reefs in the area have been severely damaged. The theft of corals and destructive fishing practices, such as the use of cyanide and explosives, have left deep scars on this rich underwater environment. The Marine Protected Area is home to a number of coral reefs that have been destroyed by unscrupulous people. Dead coral litters the seafloor, and with their habitat destroyed, few marine species beyond a few nudibranchs and rays remain in the area.

Moray eelIt will take a very long time to restore the coral reefs to their original condition. The splendor of Pramuka Island’s coral reefs during the 1980s and 1990s remains threatened by the human desire to reap easy, short-term profits that have ruined the reef jeopardized its long-term health.

Despite the damage of its reefs, Pramuka Island remains a favorite place for divers as a relatively inexpensive and easily accessible island getaway.

Lucky divers will be able to witness a group of dolphins swimming and leaping over the surface of the blue sea. Watching these sociable sea animals has a wonderful way of relieving divers of the fatigue from their daily routines.

Crocodilefish.

Hermit crab.

Stonefish.

Nudibranch, Nembrotha Kubayarna.

 

— Photos by Arief Suhardiman