Antara 7 Nov 17;
London (ANTARA News) - Indonesia was awarded the Best Dive Destination 2017 by British Dive Magazine at the World Travel Market (WTM) London held in ExCel London, England, from Nov 6 to 8.
The award was delivered by Dive Magazine publisher, Graeme Gourlay, to Indonesian Tourism Minister, Arief Yahya, at the Wonderful Indonesia pavilion during the largest tourism exhibition in London on Tuesday (Nov 6).
Yahya expressed his gratitude to the magazine for choosing Indonesias diving sites as the best in the world and to those who voted Indonesia as the best diving location in the world.
The award is expected to encourage Indonesia to continue to maintain the sustainability of marine tourism, especially diving. Indonesia collected 1,076 votes out of 9.399 votes, or 11.45 percent of the total votes.
According to the minister, the award from Dive Magazine is a global recognition for Indonesia.
Gourlay stated that Indonesia has the best diving destination in the world, mainly because of the various corals that grow in the countrys sea.
He added that Indonesia has been conducting the best conservative actions. "You have got the most beautiful coral in the world," he remarked, hoping that the Indonesian people can continue to preserve their maritime wealth.
The awards presented by Dive Magazine are divided into three categories, namely the Dive Travel Award: Best Destination 2017, the Best Dive Center or Resort 2017, and the Best Live Board 2017.
With about 17 thousand islands, Indonesia has thousands of species of animals and attractive natural wealth. Indonesia has recorded the highest repeat visitors.
Dive Magazine published Indonesia as having popular destinations such as Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara and Lembeh Island in Bitung, North Sulawesi.
(T.KR-LWA/INE/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
The Five Top Diving Spots in Indonesia You Need to Know
NetralNews 10 Nov 17;
JAKARTA, NETRALNEWS.COM - Indonesia has been given the title of The Most Popular Diving Destination 2017 from Dive Magazine. That is, Indonesia is believed to be one of the best diving destinations in the world. Moreover, the title was given through digital voting using one IP address for one vote. Indonesia's dive destination earned 22,552 votes.
Then you do not need to find diving tourism destinations far out of the country, as Indonesia has several beautiful and spectacular diving sites. Here are the best diving tour options in Indonesia that you need to know.
1. Karimunjawa, Central Java
Karimunjawa National Park is an archipelago in Java Sea which is included in Jepara regency, Central Java. Since March 15, 2001, Karimunjawa was established by the government of Jepara as a National Park. Karimunjawa is home to coral reefs, mangrove forests, coastal forests, and nearly 400 species of marine fauna, of which 242 species are ornamental fish.
Karimunjawa has now become the charm of the tour of the Marine Park began to favor the local and foreign tourists. The waves in Karimunjawa are low and benign, bounded by beaches, mostly white sand beaches. So no one Karimunjawa become one of the best diving tourism destinations in Indonesia.
2. Derawan Islands, East Kalimantan
In these islands, there are a number of marine tourism objects that are so fantastic, one of them is the Underwater Park which attracted many foreign tourists, especially the world-class divers. Just so you know, Derawan Islands Underwater Park was once nominated to World Heritage Site since 2005.
In Derawan Islands, there are some very important coastal and small island ecosystems, namely the Coral Reef of Seagrass Savannah and Mangrove Forest. As one of the best diving tours in Indonesia, here you can see a variety of protected species such as green turtles, hawksbill, whales, dolphins, clams, coconut shells, mermaids, barracudas, and more.
3. Raja Ampat, Papua
Surely, Raja Ampat is already a well-known diving destination in Indonesia. Moreover, this diving spot is one of the ten best waters for diving sites around the world. Raja Ampat is now the destination of divers who are interested in the underwater beauty.
The Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Oceanographic Institute (LON) team of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) have conducted rapid assessments in 2001 and 2002.
As a result, in these waters there are more than 540 hard coral species (75% of the total species in the world), more than 1,000 species of reef fish, 700 species of mollusks, and gonodactyloid stomatopod crustaceans. This makes up 75% of the world's coral species in Raja Ampat.
4. Bunaken, North Sulawesi
Bunaken National Park was officially established in 1991 and is the first Marine Park in Indonesia. The park is located in the Coral Triangle and is home to 390 species of coral reefs, various species of fish, mollusks, reptiles, and marine mammals.
In addition, Bunaken National Park is representative of Indonesia's marine ecosystem which includes sea grass, coral reefs, and coastal ecosystems. Species of algae that can be found in Bunaken National Park are Caulerpa, Halimeda, and Padina, while many seaweed species are Thalassia hemprichii, Enhallus acoroides, and Thalassaodendron ciliatum.
5. Wakatobi National Park, Southeast Sulawesi
The depth of water in Wakatobi National Park varies, the deepest reaches 1,044 meters below sea level. In this park, there is a panorama of natural beauty under the sea that has 25 coral reefs. Coral reef that can be found about 112 species of 13 families located at 25 points along 600 km of coastline.
