Apologies for the terrible pun … but it seems the Banda Sea is getting more popular. Joanna Lumley recently went there on her Spice Trails documentary. On the way out of the Bay, who would you think appeared on screen but the original ‘Banda Wagon’ … SV Pindito! I was trying to work out whether this was during one of our trips. It must have been a couple of years or more ago, as we’ve since extended the top deck (better whale and sunset-watching). Next year could be your chance to jump on the Banda Wagon!
A history worth more than gold
But I am returning to the Banda Sea next October and we’ll be taking up that same anchor position. I have three cabins left if you’d like to come.
We’ll be visiting the island group that recently celebrated the 350 year anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Breda in 1667. This ended the second Anglo-Dutch war as the island of Rhun was exchanged for Manhattan (then New Amsterdam) giving the Dutch a complete monopoly over the nutmeg trade. Much of today’s European wealth was built on that resource, worth more than gold.
As big as the Himalayas
But the story of the Banda Sea is even more intriguing as it’s influence extends beyond international trade. Its wildlife also changes global weather patterns and ocean temperatures. It’s one of the deepest seas in the world (on average deeper than the Pacific, reaching 7,700m). It’s ringed by active volcanoes and it’s home to the largest animal that ever lived on Earth … the Blue Whale.
It’s one of the few places on Earth where you can feel truly insignificant. The Himalayan mountains drive weather patterns globally and rise 8,800m above sea level. The mountain of Gunung Binaiya which we can see almost throughout our voyage is 3,027m high but the base of this mountain, the Weber Deep, is 7,440m making it almost as high as Everest (even if you take into account the Indian Ocean seafloor at similar distance). The result is phenomenal.
How Blue Whales power a planet
During our journey we will look for Blue Whales and learn about the sheer significance of these creatures on our daily lives. We have seen up to 9 feeding around the ship at any one time. They are usually abundant at this time of year.
Blue Whales help regulate climate by stirring and fertilising the ocean. In the Banda Sea they contribute to cold layer mixing and significantly contribute to cooling the planet. Acting like the pump on a fridge, this process moderates global weather. Australia happens to be on the hot-side of the process, so when the intensity of the feeding event in 2019 increased, due to a longer-than-normal monsoon season, it increased the effect of Australia’s bushfires.
Bobbing silently aboard a Zodiac in the middle of the Banda Sea, we watched blue whales emerge with an audible explosive blast from twin blowholes, clearing moisture from nostrils before taking the first of a dozen deep breaths. Each time they appear, the breaths get smaller until on the penultimate surfacing they clear their lungs with a final blast and lift their almighty tail flukes into the air. The trailing edges sport stalked barnacles that hang in the whale’s slipstream. These harmless filter-feeding parasites benefit like the passengers on an aircraft, being served in-flight food each time the whales transport them into the densest patches of planktonA soup of micro-organisms. Usually refers to all the zooplankton and algae in the ocean but can also be used to describe tiny insects in the atmosphere (see aerial plankton). More deep below. As the muscular tail arches over, water cascades off the oily blubber like a waterfall and ends with a graceful finale, as the tail is displayed in perfect profile slipping quietly beneath the waves. Even in a choppy sea, the final muscular driving upbeat of this six-metre-wide tail flattens the surface, leaving a flat calm imprint that lasts for minutes afterwards.
Extract from Wildlife in the Balance by Simon Mustoe.
The Lucipara Islands
Given the whole world can be seen from satellite these days, it’s exciting to visit a place that isn’t on Google Earth! It doesn’t appear on searches and yet it’s among the most important islands in this region. Dubbed ‘the mini-Maldives’ it’s a stunning collection of remote islands in the middle of the Banda Sea. The wildlife here is extraordinary. It’s also a major turtle breeding ground.
Jump on the Banda Wagon – Pindito – in Oct 2024
If you’re looking for an extraordinary trip, why not come with us? This will be the last time for a while we visit the Luciparas. And travelling in the comfort and style of a luxurious Pinisi Schooner like Pindito is the only real way to see these places. Head to this link and read about the kind of person who comes on these trips.
