Daily Expedition Reports
30 Sep 2015

At Sea, 9/30/2015, National Geographic Orion

Aboard the National Geographic Orion
Borneo & Indonesia - OLD

After a busy day in the Banda Islands, a relaxing day at sea was a perfect transition on our voyage towards the Asmat region of New Guinea. A later wake-up was enjoyed by many before we began our series of presentations to prepare us for the following days. Calm sea conditions made for comfortable sailing as a few seabirds passed by. And of course, the delicious food satisfied our hunger and kept us going between presentations.

One of the joys of traveling with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic is the quality of presentations. Today certainly was no exception. A day at sea appears on paper to be a relaxing day to stare off into the ocean; instead, it was a day of learning. We filled our day with presentations about the incredible culture and natural history of New Guinea. As well, we were awed by the undersea world and the World War II history of the area. The wealth of knowledge that was shared today was astounding, and all done in a fun and enthusiastic environment.

We look back at the underwater world of Banda, the volcano, and the friendly people. This tiny speck, in the middle of a lot of bigger specks, is so incredibly important. And we look forward to the Asmat. We go to sleep tonight thinking of our journey tomorrow upriver, to who and what awaits us.

Article by

Mike Greenfelder, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

Mike learned early on that the best way to escape Ohio was to become a marine biologist. During college at Wittenberg University he attended a semester at Duke University's Marine Lab — that time only confirmed his love for all things oceanic and ma...

Dragon Hill and Daphne Islet

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Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday, during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.

Daily Expedition Reports

10/9/2015

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National Geographic Orion

Pegion Island and Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

On our final day of this voyage around the island of New Guinea, we woke up sailing between the eastern islands of New Britain and New Ireland. Heinroth’s shearwaters and flying fish escorted us to a small group of islands, the Duke of York Islands. Two tiny islands, the Pegion Islands, were our destination. A fierce wind at first seemed daunting, but the captain found us a nice lee and we continued on as planned. A few of us went for a bit of history and culture. This tiny island has many stories, including Japanese occupation during World War II. A few of us that went ashore got to enjoy some of the artifacts from that era, including a bunker and some gun emplacements. The reef encircling the island gave us protection from the wind, and was also the main reason for coming here. Plunging straight down at least two hundred meters, this was a perfect place to explore. Some went on SCUBA, others boarded the glass bottom Zodiac named for Tom Ritchie, and the majority decided to snorkel. The shallows were filled with healthy corals and vibrant fish. For me, however, the drop was the place to be. On one side, you have a rainbow of pulsing fish, and on the other – blue, blue, and more blue. Passing by, clouds of fish break up the deep hues and keep it exciting. This is the type of spot that I never tire of. Late in the day, we pulled into Rabaul. A gently smoking volcano greeted us, appearing a bit ominous at the entrance to the harbor. After an early dinner, we boarded local vans for a ride into the island of New Britain. Here, we were treated to one final spectacular cultural experience on a trip with many incredible encounters. Tonight, we marveled at the Baining fire dancers. How they were able to stand in the fire we probably will never know. Possibly it was the hypnotic rhythms, the elaborate costumes, or even some sort of magical potion. None the less, it was a perfect ending to this trip that has seen us experiencing the magnificent cultures of New Guinea. From west to east, the underwater world, volcanic activity, and beautiful people have made for an experience for a lifetime.

Daily Expedition Reports

10/8/2015

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National Geographic Orion

Kuiyawa, Trobriand Islands (Papua New Guinea)

This morning the National Geographic Orion meandered cheerfully amidst the Trobriand Islands, made famous worldwide by the anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski when he dubbed them “The Islands of Love.” His work illuminated the intriguing courtships of the islanders in this matrilineal society in which women at times aggressively pursued their male interests and the act of lovemaking was seen as unconnected to childbearing. Yet while the villagers of Kuiyawa’s notions of love may have changed somewhat through time, their greeting to visitors remains as lovely as ever with cheerful men, women, and children bearing colorful frangipani leis welcoming us warmly. Gathering in front of the school, the village presented us with a series of dances that were not only marvelous sights to behold but a fascinating demonstration of their mixed Melanesian and Polynesian heritage. One of the first dances, which they explained was inspired by a local cricket, performed by men and boys brandishing branches like spears had the fierce feeling of some of the other Melanesian performances we had seen previously, though somewhat softened by the cheery streamers and the presence of a few toddlers in the troupe lending their enthusiastic participation. Later dances had more the flavor of what most associate with Hawaii, with soothing music and subtle hip motions characteristic of the oceanic wanderers who link these two distant cultures. Coming as rather a surprise in the middle of the performance, a troupe of young men, marched forward to perform a dance that was created in mimicry of the movements of the soldiers seen in WWII. In contrast to the broad smiles of the previous dance, the lads moved in precise formation wielding the base of palm fronds like rifles and wearing stern faces with the exceptions of the occasional sheepish grin breaking free. After the dance, some guests fanned out across the village and perused the stunning hardwood carvings made by the islanders while others explored the shallow reef lying immediately on its doorstep. Snorkelers were delighted to find a beautiful reef packed with blue staghorn corals complete with damsel and butterfly fish darting about in their midst. Some even encountered local spearfishers who demonstrated their skill with massive spears catching small fish and uprooting giant clams to provide much needed protein for the village. Talking with the villagers, it became clear to crew, captain, and guests alike that the four-month drought they had suffered was taking a toll on the village. Vegetable gardens were straining and the village water supply had become brackish. Though hard to leave such a lovely place, we did so feeling we had shared with one another as we left what food, fuel, and water supplies we could spare including the ice water we had brought ashore (much to the delight and confusion of the local children who had never before tasted this frosty elixir). The afternoon raced by as we sped northward with fabulous talks on the wild, romantic antics of sea slugs and the hard truth of climate change from divemaster Caitlyn Webster and expedition leader Adam Cropp, respectively. We then retired to a special gourmet dinner prepared by the kitchen staff followed by an enthralling sneak peek at the voyage chronicle prepared by resident videographer Eric Wehrmeister. Looking back on our adventures as they will soon draw to a close, one can’t help but get the paradoxical feeling that so much time has passed yet it has felt like no time at all. I suppose as the old adage suggests, this would be the consequence of having just too much fun along the way.

Daily Expedition Reports

10/7/2015

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National Geographic Orion

Fergusson Island and Dei Dei Hot Spring

As the National Geographic Orion sailed towards the D'Entrecasteaux Islands Group, we were surrounded by remarkable green mountainous islands. Located at the southeastern end of Papua New Guinea, some of these islands are remnants of magnificent but now extinct volcanoes. An interesting reminder that our expedition is travelling through geological features situated at the enthralling ring of fire or circum-Pacific belt, a direct result of plate tectonics and the movement and collisions of lithospheric plates. Another noteworthy element of this once-dynamic magmatic area is the active thermal springs and mud pools found at Fergusson Island. Boarding our Zodiacs, we navigated through a myriad of healthy coral reef systems and set to explore the remote Dei Dei village and surrounds. We were greeted by fierce warriors and friendly locals, had the opportunity to meet the local landowners, and after a brief introduction enjoyed a short walk took us to the spiritual but eerie hot springs and geysers landscape. Here we discovered more about this mysterious island, famous for its sorcery, magic and cannibalism. Locals believe that after a lovers argument, ‘Seuseulina,’ a beautiful woman threw herself into the boiling spring, and now, if you call her name, the geyser spirit will erupt in anger. The hot spring is also a giant open cooking pot where you can boil your food wrapped in Pandanus and coconut palm leaves. Dei Dei is also a great place for birdwatchers, with eclectus roratus or commonly known as eclectus parrot, nectarinia jugularis , the yellow belly sunbird, and the Papuan endemic species manucodia comrii, curl-crested manucode, frequently observed in the area. Also, many native orchid species were sighted, a delight for the eyes and cameras. In the afternoon we had a chance to snorkel and dive at Twin Towers despite the strong, but nonetheless refreshing breeze. Armed with fins, masks and skinsuits, we plunged into the Papuan tropical warm seas. Dazzling corals and colourful fish were observed, while our faithful Tom Ritchie entertained and informed guests with his glass bottom Zodiac tours. At night our talented National Geographic Orion crew impressed us with their singing and dancing skills, a great fun way to end another amazing expedition day at New Guinea.

At Sea, 9/30/2015, National Geographic Orion

Mike Greenfelder, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

Islas Perlas, Panama

Dragon Hill and Daphne Islet

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Pegion Island and Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

Kuiyawa, Trobriand Islands (Papua New Guinea)

Fergusson Island and Dei Dei Hot Spring