Sunrise in Western Papua illuminated a labyrinth of spiraling limestone islands for the guests of the National Geographic Orion. Our morning wakeup call was a cry from above, as a curious white bellied sea eagle circled the ship. The clouds overhead raced across the wind swept skies, while the waters remained calm within the physical protection of the cathedral-like walls.
After breakfast we climbed into Zodiacs and sped off through a maze of vertical islands. The soft morning light spilled onto islands highlighting a fantastic array of ferns, orchids, palms, and insect eating pitcher plants. An enticing look into the ocean hinted at an even greater diversity of life as multi-colored sponges, brightly lit corals, and a dizzying number of fish sparkled below.
As we slipped into the water the menagerie become even more astounding. Delicate butterflyfish slipped effortlessly between branching blue staghorn corals. An aptly named Regal Angelfish gently picked minute invertebrates from giant barrel sponges. Purple soft corals waved in the gentle current sporting feathery crinoid stars on their tops. Sporting bright orange antennae (rhinophores), and brilliant green spots on an all-black body, a nembrotha nudibranch (shellless mollusk) munched his way across the reef. Snorkelers gathered around as an alluring octopus flashed a dazzling color show to express his ever changing moods.
Twenty five years of marine studies had not prepared me for this awe inspiring display of reef brilliance. As countless species of wrasse, parrotfish, surgeonfish, and grouper danced below us, my eye was drawn to an even more bizarre spectacle. A bright orange and purple blob, sat flushing water through a set of incoming and outgoing siphon holes. As I dove down for a closer look, it was obvious that the unusual spectacle was an advanced invertebrate known as a sea squirt or ascidian. Despite its simple appearance, the animicule boasts a complete central nervous system with a brain and a beating heart. Their simple lifestyle involves nothing more complex than filtering water in the endless quest for oxygen and nutrients. As I popped back to the surface and looked around the magical bay, a simple thought reached my contented brain... Alyui Bay was indeed a magical heartbeat in the middle of the coral triangle.
