Just Another Day In Paradise
We'd been on our trip for over two weeks, having hiked through forest, to waterfalls and on the ridge of a volcano. We'd fended off monkeys, chased away cockroaches and braved Balinese traffic. We were tired and due for a vacation during our vacation. We got on a boat and set sail (read: engine) for one of three small islands, all geared up for romantic walks on the beach and drinking cocktails under palm trees. If my girlfriend would've gone there with anyone else, it would probably be exactly what she'd gotten. Unfortunately, she went there with me.
The Gili Islands
The Gili Islands are three small islands. If you have already been there or are planning to go there, you'd know that there is a 'party island', 'a quiet island' and an 'in between islands'. Party island is called Gili Trawangan, Quiet Island is Gili Meno and The Other One is Gili Air.
My girlfriend and I settled for Gili Air, me hating partying and clubbing with her loving it and with me loving near absolute silence with her dreading looming boredom. Gili Air was extremely busy for my taste, praising in retrospect the decision not having set foot on Trawangan. Minutes in you notice that pretty much all of the sandy white beaches are linked to resorts/hotels/guesthouses or are being developed as such. Kind of like Disneyland-fake, hoping people would find it romantic. A walk on the beach gives you sandy white beaches but also very odd looking heaps of coral that have accumulated by coral washing ashore. It's so bad that it's nearly impossible for you to get into the water without any sort of protection for your feet as you are constantly bombarded by the huge amount of coral fragments surfing the waves. I stood there thinking: 'Well, I'm no expert, but that's probably not supposed to happen.'. Coral takes a very long time to generate and seeing all of it just strewn out over the beach like that didn't strike me as a natural phenomenon.
Adding insult to injury, floating bottles were easily spotted, spoons had washed ashore as well as plastic bags, containers and fishing nets. All of this with a turtle sanctuary in spitting distance on Gili Meno. I got angry, frustrated and most of all the worst possible company my girlfriend could have hoped for. The next day, I dreaded, we'd go snorkeling.
The Snorkeling Trip
When people tell you that you're going to see turtles near the Gili's, they actually mean that you and about 7 other people on your boat and about 6 other boats with about 8 people on their boat are going to hunt them down. You're not going to kill them, but you'll swarm towards them, hovering over the turtle like a fleshy armada blocking out the sun, hoping for it to stay but urging for it to leave. It got even better when our 'guide' tried to 'show us' an octopus while prodding the coral with a fishing hook. That particular piece of coral was still pretty much alive, which can't be said for the overwhelming majority present at the three snorkeling sites we visited.
The reason for this blog post is not to rage. Well, maybe a little bit... It is not to nothing but rage, it is mainly to inform. I became heavyhearted when I heard my fellow snorkeler praise the beauty of what they had just seen. They seemed oblivious of the fact that we had seen were sea turtles hiding in a graveyard of dead and damaged coral. This of course, because they were unable to identify healthy from unhealthy, or dead, coral reefs. I realized this because the person I hold very much dear was one of those people. It helped me as a grumpy, angry and sort of sad person to be able to explain to her what was so awful about the current situation. It was maybe my very first experience of realizing the importance of ocean literacy. We should all know the difference between alive and dead coral and not get fooled by these 'snorkeling trips'. What is left in the shallow waters between the Gili's is not something people should pay for to watch. There is very little pristine nature left and that tiny fragment is under so much pressure I honestly don't think it is going to last.
So, for future reference for anyone that is interested in snorkeling: the first picture features dead coral from the Gili Islands and little fish. The second one, taken near the island of Bonaire (I think), features healthy coral, with loads of fish. (I realize the pictures are too big for the current layout, but in this case bigger is better...)
The informed local
Asia in general is a long way from knowing what sustainability looks like. Indonesia is, from what I can tell, no different. Indonesians need to find their way to a sustainable future and everyone should do what they can to get them there.
Supporting local initiatives
Go to Gili Meno and support the Turtle Sanctuary.
Check out the Gili Eco Trust and their Biorock initiative, who kindly provided the picture of the dead reef shown above. Watch Gili Eco Trust's Delphine Robbe on TEDxUbud
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| Monkey |
We'd been on our trip for over two weeks, having hiked through forest, to waterfalls and on the ridge of a volcano. We'd fended off monkeys, chased away cockroaches and braved Balinese traffic. We were tired and due for a vacation during our vacation. We got on a boat and set sail (read: engine) for one of three small islands, all geared up for romantic walks on the beach and drinking cocktails under palm trees. If my girlfriend would've gone there with anyone else, it would probably be exactly what she'd gotten. Unfortunately, she went there with me.
 |
| Waterfall |
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| Volcano |
The Gili Islands
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| The island in the distance is Lombok |
My girlfriend and I settled for Gili Air, me hating partying and clubbing with her loving it and with me loving near absolute silence with her dreading looming boredom. Gili Air was extremely busy for my taste, praising in retrospect the decision not having set foot on Trawangan. Minutes in you notice that pretty much all of the sandy white beaches are linked to resorts/hotels/guesthouses or are being developed as such. Kind of like Disneyland-fake, hoping people would find it romantic. A walk on the beach gives you sandy white beaches but also very odd looking heaps of coral that have accumulated by coral washing ashore. It's so bad that it's nearly impossible for you to get into the water without any sort of protection for your feet as you are constantly bombarded by the huge amount of coral fragments surfing the waves. I stood there thinking: 'Well, I'm no expert, but that's probably not supposed to happen.'. Coral takes a very long time to generate and seeing all of it just strewn out over the beach like that didn't strike me as a natural phenomenon.
 |
| Broken coral |
 |
| Close up featuring a shell |
Adding insult to injury, floating bottles were easily spotted, spoons had washed ashore as well as plastic bags, containers and fishing nets. All of this with a turtle sanctuary in spitting distance on Gili Meno. I got angry, frustrated and most of all the worst possible company my girlfriend could have hoped for. The next day, I dreaded, we'd go snorkeling.The Snorkeling Trip
When people tell you that you're going to see turtles near the Gili's, they actually mean that you and about 7 other people on your boat and about 6 other boats with about 8 people on their boat are going to hunt them down. You're not going to kill them, but you'll swarm towards them, hovering over the turtle like a fleshy armada blocking out the sun, hoping for it to stay but urging for it to leave. It got even better when our 'guide' tried to 'show us' an octopus while prodding the coral with a fishing hook. That particular piece of coral was still pretty much alive, which can't be said for the overwhelming majority present at the three snorkeling sites we visited.
The reason for this blog post is not to rage. Well, maybe a little bit... It is not to nothing but rage, it is mainly to inform. I became heavyhearted when I heard my fellow snorkeler praise the beauty of what they had just seen. They seemed oblivious of the fact that we had seen were sea turtles hiding in a graveyard of dead and damaged coral. This of course, because they were unable to identify healthy from unhealthy, or dead, coral reefs. I realized this because the person I hold very much dear was one of those people. It helped me as a grumpy, angry and sort of sad person to be able to explain to her what was so awful about the current situation. It was maybe my very first experience of realizing the importance of ocean literacy. We should all know the difference between alive and dead coral and not get fooled by these 'snorkeling trips'. What is left in the shallow waters between the Gili's is not something people should pay for to watch. There is very little pristine nature left and that tiny fragment is under so much pressure I honestly don't think it is going to last.
So, for future reference for anyone that is interested in snorkeling: the first picture features dead coral from the Gili Islands and little fish. The second one, taken near the island of Bonaire (I think), features healthy coral, with loads of fish. (I realize the pictures are too big for the current layout, but in this case bigger is better...)
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| Dead |
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| Alive |
The Cause
What is causing/has caused the destruction of the coral reefs near the Gili's?
A couple of possibilities (click the links for more information):
- Dynamite fishing
- Boat anchors
- Oceanic acidification
- Pollution (plastics, waste etc.)
The Solution
The informed tourist
When you head to the Gili's, or any other place in the world: try and be informed. We made a mistake going on that snorkeling trip and paying for it. People might argue that 'everybody needs to make a living' and that not going on these trips will deal a blow to local businesses. This is not entirely true. The Gili's have plenty of eco conscious and sustainable initiatives, usually offered by diving centers.
Asia in general is a long way from knowing what sustainability looks like. Indonesia is, from what I can tell, no different. Indonesians need to find their way to a sustainable future and everyone should do what they can to get them there.
Supporting local initiatives
Go to Gili Meno and support the Turtle Sanctuary.
Check out the Gili Eco Trust and their Biorock initiative, who kindly provided the picture of the dead reef shown above. Watch Gili Eco Trust's Delphine Robbe on TEDxUbud
