Amazing and atavistic Atauro, avidly appreciated by autonomous aquanauts
Have just finished – and celebrating it – the first sixty pages of East of East, with Johan, the main protagonist currently experiencing Atauro, one of the only two islands that are part of Timor-Leste and blessed with exceptional marine life, being part of the lesser Sunda Islands chain. To get me in the mood and remind me about a thing or two, I browsed through my old photos and felt that I should share some of them with you.
Yes, it’s a hassle to get to, even if you’re already in Southeast Asia. And yes, it’s damn expensive once you get there. Blame it on the numerous NGOs, with all of their staff paid in US dollars to comply with the government’s unilateral decision to use US currency, and the locals seeing it as a gift from heaven. But it’s worth it for the unique experience. A sovereign country within the Indonesian archipelago, its people a mix of Melanesians and Indonesians, fiercely (well, kind of) Catholic yet still very much adhering to old animistic customs, proudly holding on to their original language whenever they can. Called Tetum or Tetun, the actual spelling depending on whom you ask, it belongs linguistically to Malayo-Polynesian languages, yet sounds quite different to Malay with its abundance of vowels. And just like that language, it can deal with basic everyday situations, e.g. markets and sea transport, but lacks much of modern terminology for sophisticated uses. Thus, whenever necessary, it borrows heavily from the language of its former colonial masters, the Portuguese, as well as English. Occasional tourists are recommended to have basic knowledge of Portuguese and/or Malay.
Now, getting back to my original reason to post this. The island landscape may appear barren and featureless during most of the year, but once you get into the water you will be overwhelmed. I’ve come across fish while snorkelling that I’ve not been able to identify despite more than three decades of diving experience in Southeast Asian waters and all the latest illustrated fish guide books in my possession. And that was just off the main, ‘common’ reef off Beloi, on the east coast. Further up, I’ve seen pods of melon headed whales, hundreds of them in a shallow bay within a stone’s throw off the beach.
On the west coast, uninhabited and very much wild, I’ve had the pleasure of diving a pristine, virgin wall (just one of several) on my own, with the resident bull shark patrolling the outer edge of the reef studiously ignoring me as I made my way to the drop-off point. The multiple colours and abundance of the soft corals that I encountered on my way down, covering much more than the first forty meters of the seemingly never-ending vertical wall, challenge any of the Fiji locations touted as the best soft coral walls in the world. Barely a stone’s throw north of there is an extensive and stunningly beautiful reef flat, swept by fierce currents and only accessible for one hour each day, when the tide turns (I know all about it, don’t I? Having insisted on checking it out at the wrong time, being cocky and thinking that I’m experienced enough, and nearly getting swept out to open water.). The locals from the only village close to this part of the island call it Turtle Point. Guess why?
Off the southern tip, and if you’re patient enough, you may come across dugongs calmly grazing sea grass along the gentle reef slopes. And just crossing the twenty-plus kilometres wide channel between Dili and Atauro, it’s almost impossible not to see dolphins playing or, if you’re there in the right season, pilot whales, humpbacks and even blue whales during their annual migration.
I know – I’m a nutcase, having chased the ultimate dive thrill around the world and all its warm oceans for more than forty years, looking for and expecting nothing less than a heart-stopping experience. And so far Atauro is firmly on my top three worldwide list. The other two? If you ask me nicely I may possibly give you a hint….