Bodaluna Island, Laughlin group, Papua New Guinea
The morning found us sailing into our final country, Papua New Guinea, on this journey through Melanesia. Today was a day for exploring the coral reef: both above and below the water. Our destination for the day was one of the most remote parts of Papua New Guinea and possibly the world. The Laughlin group, also known as the Budi Budi islands, is a true coral atoll, quite rare in Melanesia. An ancient volcano has completely subsided, leaving only the coral reef around a shallow lagoon, and in the morning we visited a village on one of the small sandy islands on the fringe of the reef.
The people here live a subsistence lifestyle, with everything dependent on the coral. They grow a variety of crops on land created from old coral reef, glean invertebrates from the reef flat, and fish in the deeper waters. Their homes are thatch, mostly from coconut trees, which thrive on the poor soils of their atoll home. We were greeted by many smiling faces and were invited to have a wander about the village. As we strolled through the thatched houses, we got hints into daily life on this island, and the ties the people have with the reef. Giant clamshells littered the ground. They are a tasty meal and quite easy to catch. Fishing nets were strung near to large ocean going canoes, able to cross the sea to distant islands for trading of supplies. Plastic fishing floats hung from the trees. Probably found while beachcombing, they make for a funny decoration to this very natural village.
To finish our visit, we were treated to a singsing, which is the traditional dance and singing common in Papua New Guinea. While men sang and played some long, skinny drums, the younger women danced in a circle. Their costumes were elaborate and yet simple: gorgeous skirts made out of coconut fibers and garlands of frangipani flowers.
After lunch we repositioned to the outside of the atoll, to explore the coral reef underwater, either by snorkeling or scuba diving. It never ceases to amaze me that the reef is composed of living animals and the whole atoll is continually growing slowly outward and upward. The diversity of corals was astonishing, including many plate corals and massive brain corals. These massive corals are the true reef builders. They live for hundreds of years and provide the solid structure for everything else to build upon. They also provide habitat for the myriad of fishes observed throughout our journey. As we travel west, the diversity of fishes and corals increases daily, and trying to sort through all the species is a difficult task. Most of us explorers simply enjoy the scene and wow at the different shapes, colors, and behaviors.
The morning found us sailing into our final country, Papua New Guinea, on this journey through Melanesia. Today was a day for exploring the coral reef: both above and below the water. Our destination for the day was one of the most remote parts of Papua New Guinea and possibly the world. The Laughlin group, also known as the Budi Budi islands, is a true coral atoll, quite rare in Melanesia. An ancient volcano has completely subsided, leaving only the coral reef around a shallow lagoon, and in the morning we visited a village on one of the small sandy islands on the fringe of the reef.
The people here live a subsistence lifestyle, with everything dependent on the coral. They grow a variety of crops on land created from old coral reef, glean invertebrates from the reef flat, and fish in the deeper waters. Their homes are thatch, mostly from coconut trees, which thrive on the poor soils of their atoll home. We were greeted by many smiling faces and were invited to have a wander about the village. As we strolled through the thatched houses, we got hints into daily life on this island, and the ties the people have with the reef. Giant clamshells littered the ground. They are a tasty meal and quite easy to catch. Fishing nets were strung near to large ocean going canoes, able to cross the sea to distant islands for trading of supplies. Plastic fishing floats hung from the trees. Probably found while beachcombing, they make for a funny decoration to this very natural village.
To finish our visit, we were treated to a singsing, which is the traditional dance and singing common in Papua New Guinea. While men sang and played some long, skinny drums, the younger women danced in a circle. Their costumes were elaborate and yet simple: gorgeous skirts made out of coconut fibers and garlands of frangipani flowers.
After lunch we repositioned to the outside of the atoll, to explore the coral reef underwater, either by snorkeling or scuba diving. It never ceases to amaze me that the reef is composed of living animals and the whole atoll is continually growing slowly outward and upward. The diversity of corals was astonishing, including many plate corals and massive brain corals. These massive corals are the true reef builders. They live for hundreds of years and provide the solid structure for everything else to build upon. They also provide habitat for the myriad of fishes observed throughout our journey. As we travel west, the diversity of fishes and corals increases daily, and trying to sort through all the species is a difficult task. Most of us explorers simply enjoy the scene and wow at the different shapes, colors, and behaviors.
