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Walea is situated in the middle of
Indonesia which also means it is located in the heart of species
biodiversity for coral reefs. As you travel away from this part of the world, (including Indonesia, Philippines & New Guinea) in any direction, the number of species you will find on the reef decreases.
Fish, crustaceans, echinoderms and corals all reach their highest diversity in this part of Asia known as the 'Coral Triangle'. Walea's house reef and surrounding dive sites are therefore packed with a huge diversity of organisms. Walea even boast a unique species of pygmy seahorse, which is only known from the reefs surrounding the resort.
The reefs of Walea are typified by clear waters and stunning hard coral gardens. The clear waters are excellent for hard coral growth as they allow plenty of light to reach the symbiotic algae, which are found within the coral's tissues. Hundreds of hard coral species grow on Walea's reefs from the shallows to 30-40 metres. The polyps of the corals open at night when there are fewer predators and it is at this time when they feed on planktonic life. During the day the corals bask in the sunlight since the vast majority of their energy comes from the symbiotic algae, which live within the coral's cells, these algae are known as zooxanthellae.
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The Togian Gulf, where Walea is situated, is a large body of water enclosed on three sides by the meandering northern and southern peninsulas of Sulawesi. Since the water in the gulf is quite isolated in a small sea surrounded by mountains there is very little wind, which means the surface of the water is very calm and almost mirror like through much of the year. The hot equatorial sun warms the water in the surface 30-40 metres and a divergence occurs between the warm shallow and cooler waters below. Warm water is less dense than cooler water so floats on top as a clear blue layer on the green waters below. This shallow, warm, clear water creates optimal conditions for hard coral growth but is lacking in the nutrients that allow plankton blooms, it is for this reason the waters of Walea are so clear.
At some of our dive sites currents hit the reef and push the cool waters from the deep into shallower water, plankton can bloom and the water is less clear. At these places the nutrient rich water allows soft corals, gorgonians and sponges to proliferate creating quite different looking reefs. These animals require their food to be suspended in the water since they do not have the symbiotic algae of the hard corals to nourish them. |
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At these places there is also a great deal of
pelagic fish life with large tunas and schooling fish in abundance. Sharks
can also be seem patrolling the reef for food. I saw white tip, black tip
and grey reef sharks on one dive. The increased amount of food suspended in
the water creates food chains which begin with small fish feeding on the
tiniest plankton followed by schooling trevally all the way up to the apex
predators of the system such as sharks and huge tunas.
The marine protected area surrounding the resort ensures that destructive fishing techniques are not used which can irreparably damage the reef. The delicate hard corals of Walea would quickly be lost if this had not been created by the resorts founders. Such pristine reefs are rarely found in Indonesia without this protection.
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NEWS AND CURIOSITY
UFO IN WALEA??????
During a quiet evening, just after the sunset, Flavia was taking photos from the pier…..
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