Cenderawasih Bay, Marine protected bay in Papua, Indonesia.
Cenderawasih Bay is a protected marine bay on the northern coast of the Indonesian part of New Guinea, enclosed by mountains that drop steeply into the sea. The water shifts between deep open channels, shallow coral reefs, and sandy coves tucked along the forested shoreline.
The bay was first charted by the Dutch in 1705 when the ship De Geelvink sailed through under Jacob Weyland, and it was known for a long time as Geelvink Bay. After Indonesian independence, it received its current name, which refers to the birds-of-paradise native to the region.
Local fishermen use floating platforms called bagan to catch fish at night, and these structures naturally draw whale sharks close to the surface. Visitors who go out on the water can often spot these large animals circling beneath the platforms in the early morning.
The drier months generally bring calmer seas and better visibility underwater, making them a good time to get on the water. Local guides are essential because many access points are hard to find and some areas of the bay are only reachable by boat.
Several World War II shipwrecks rest on the seafloor of the bay, including the cargo ship Shinwa Maru, which has been slowly covered by coral over the decades. Divers can swim through and around these metal structures, now home to fish and other marine animals that have settled into the wreckage.
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