Don’t really know what to do of this piece of news. Embarrassingly although Unspun’s been diving in many parts of Indonesia and Papua, he hasn’t been to the fabled Raja Ampat area where the world’s best diving is said to be.Wakatobi is a base from which many divers in the Raja Ampat area depart from. Other operators have to sail in from other ports because the operators apparently jealously guard their turf.
So this news about opening up Wakatobi to progress, facilities and tourism is ostensibly good news. But you can’t help wondering if the authorities will muddle it up like the many, many tourism projects in Indonesia.
Opening up Wakatobi as a world coral wonder Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Wakatobi
Wakatobi regency in Southeast Sulawesi is hoping to transform the area into an international tourist destination for diving enthusiasts.
An island chain spanning 18,000 square kilometers, 3,070 of which have been designated a national park, Wakatobi is home to 65 diving spots and at least 942 fish species and around 750 coral species — or more than 90 percent of the 850 coral species in the world.
Wakatobi Regent Hugua said the biggest stumbling block was the lack of supporting infrastructure such as hotels, restaurants and an airport, as Wakatobi can only be reached by sea from Bau-Bau or the province capital of Kendari.
There is an airstrip in Tomia district, but it is privately owned by one of the two dive operators in Wakatobi and only serves chartered flights.
Unspun 