Indonesia is made up of over 17,000 islands and is considered to be the world's largest archipelago, stretching from Sabang in northern Sumatra to Merauke in West Papua (formerly known as Irian Jaya.)

These islands, nestled between mainland Asia and Australia include hundreds of ethnic groups and a diverse range of fascinating cultures but there is a common and rich maritime tradition stretching back centuries.

Indonesia's common and rich maritime tradition stretches back centuries. Image by Kanenori on Pixabay.

Amazing experiences

The majority of Indonesia's islands remain relatively untouched, however. Even though ferry's and flights connect the larger and more popular ones, exploring them by boat has never been fully exploited, but for those that do one of the most extraordinary experiences, both above and below the water, awaits.

Raja Ampat in West Papua, for example, is where the Pacific meets the Indian Ocean and it offers some of the best diving in the world. According to Dive The World "simply put, Raja Ampat is the bees knees in the world of scuba diving. If you don't enjoy your dives here, you may as well sell your equipment!"

The Raja Ampat islands in West Papua are home to some of the world's best dive spots. Image by Ady Arif Fauzan on Pixabay.

Cutting through regulations

There are a number of debatable reasons why marine tourism has been a late developer in Indonesia, but red-tape and restrictions have certainly played their part. Now however, the winds of change are blowing across the country and developing marinas and cruise ship ports is expected to stimulate marine tourism, which in turn will encourage real estate investment and help boost local economies.

According to The Triton, Arief Yahya, Indonesia's Tourism Minister, announced plans to improve infrastructure and provide regulatory support to develop tourism and yachting.

“Indonesia has so far simplified rules on yacht arrivals by waiving clearance approval for Indonesia territory (CAIT), which cuts the time for issuing entrance permits from three weeks to just three hours. It has also conditionally scrapped the cabotage principle by allowing passengers of foreign cruise ships to embark and disembark at five major Indonesian ports,” said Richard Lofthouse of Asia Pacific Superyachts.

An estimated 200 plus yachts are expected to take part in the Freemantle to Bali event in 2020. Image by Orsi Oletics on Pixabay.

Freemantle Sailing Club

Australia has a long-term maritime relationship with Indonesia, which appears to be getting stronger. Freemantle Sailing Club recently invited the Australasian Sailing Community to help commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Western Australia’s leading ocean-racing club, by taking part in the Freemantle to Bali yacht race in 2020.

This is part of a much larger maritime event focusing on promoting Indonesia's maritime potential. The Sail to Indonesia programme as it's being called, will see yachts departing from Darwin, Brisbane and Freemantle to sail to Kupang, Maluku and Bali.

An estimated 200 plus yachts are expected to take part in The Freemantle to Bali event according to Bali Tribun, and will then sail from Bali to Lombok, Labuan Bajo, Selayar, Pare-Pare, Toli-Toli and Nunukan.

Sources: Bali Tribun, Freemantle Sailing Club, The Triton, Asia Pacific Superyachts, Dive The World

This article waws previoulsy published on Gapura Bali

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