04 Sep - 05 Sep 2011 Lebo

Southeast Asia
Republic of Indonesia
Central Sulawesi
Parigi
Desa Lebo
Grand Mitra Beach Hotel +62452703500
Where the living is easy and the world is wifi-free: clean and spacious double room, with breakfast, for INR 250,000.- or US$ 29.35 per night. Friendly staff, no English.

Click below for an interactive road map of the Grand Mitra Beach Hotel in Parigi, which we would recommend, and for directions:








Joining forces with experienced German u/w photographer Dieter Möbus, arranging an excursion to the mostly unexplored and uncharted u/w world off the western shore of the Gulf of Tomini and driving with two cars the 120 km via Palu and over the steep volcanic mountain range north of the 1,764 m high Gunung Tanggungguno to the pristine Nalera Beach north of Toboli; many thanks to PADI IDC Staff Instructor Alex and his excellent team of local dive guides, skippers and drivers from the Prince John Dive Resort +6245771710 for all the professional logistic support.



DM Konni: Accompanying veteran diver Dieter Möbus and his international dive team (many thanks to Petra, Alex and Basir for being great dive buddies and for sharing the fun) on their photographic u/w exploration to the uncharted coral and sponge dive sites off Marantale’s Nalera Beach, colourful u/w gardens with an incredible biodiversity in a still intact ecosystem, exploring and taking photos of (i) the fantastic Maymel Sea Mount with its unique variety of bizarre funnel sponges and (ii) the dramatic u/w canyon of Sponge City with its huge clusters of tube and barrel sponges.





DM Konni: Taking part in Dieter Möbus’ dedicated search for the legendary Lady in Red, a mythical gorgonia (sea fan) of the most gigantic dimensions, at least according to a centuries-old saga amongst the local fishermen in the Gulf of Tomini, eventually, with an incredible amount of luck and with Dieter’s proven instincts, finding this 5 x 3 m large beauty, charting exactly her position at the bottom of an u/w wall in a depth of 51 metres, about three miles north-northeast off Parigi, and having the privilege of posing as an u/w model for Dieter Möbus in-front of the biggest and most beautiful gorgonia which I have seen during my many years as dive master and dive guide.



DM Konni: Cataloguing the stunning dive sites east of Marantale and north-northeast of Parigi, respectively, and pinning them down amongst the top five coral-and-sponge wonderlands which I have ever visited in my diver’s life, so far (my criteria: diversity, size, colour, beauty and preservation; all this in crystal-clear water with a visibility of 40 plus metres).

 “A lot of people attack the sea, I make love to it.”



Visit the Konni & Matt Online Albums and order high-res travel photos
Konni & Matt Travel Photos


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