Roy
Generally, stories like this one do not end well:
HOLDING STATEMENT: Five Missing Divers Found Alive
11.50am, Saturday 7 June 2008
Five divers were found alive today more than 40 hours after they were reported missing in Komodo National Park.
The three British nationals, Charlotte Allin, James Manning and locally-based dive-master Kathleen Mitchinson, and an unidentified Swedish woman and Frenchman, were discovered on the beach on the south of Komodo Island near Tanjung Manta at 11.10 am (Bali time) by Pt. Putri Naga Komodo’s speedboat Cakalang
All divers, who were first reported missing at 5.30pm on Thursday evening (5 June 2008), were reportedly in remarkably good condition after their ordeal and a medical team from Labuan Bajo, the gateway to the park, is heading toward the site to rendezvous with the speedboat
The Park is considered one of the world’s premier dive sites but is also home to some of the swiftest and most unpredictable currents and undertows on the planet. Ironically, these fierce currents, a constant concern for divers here, are at least partly responsible for Komodo's famously rich abundance of marine life.
Three cheers for the search and rescue team!!!
Another update to follow as soon as the divers reach Labuan Bajo.
For more information contact:
Marcus Matthews-Sawyer
Director: Tourism, Marketing & Communications
Bert Vierstra
[quote]Frenchman Laurent Pinel, 31, said the group had to fight off one dragon with rocks and scavenged for shellfish as they waited to be rescued, Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.
"On the beach a Komodo dragon came amongst us yesterday [Friday] afternoon," Pinel said, describing how the group had to pelt the dangerous reptile with rocks to scare it away.[/quote]
I think you can eat Komodo's ?
tintin
Sailing and diving around Komodo – Rinca Islands is some experience not to be missed. If the occasion presents itself, don't pass it up. But both activities can be rough. The Sape Strait, for one, most of the time looks like a mountain torrent, flowing north or south, depending on the tide (on several trips there, our boat would be going backward, because of the opposite current!). Diving is certainly World class, but the currents can be horrible, greater than 8 knots, and more important, quite unpredictable. One certainly needs a dive-master who is a specialist of the area. Wally Siagan, the best dive guide in Bali, was one of them. Does anyone remember him?
About 10 years ago, Balinese friends of mine who run dive boats in the Komodo area, lost one of them in a freak typhoon (which practically never occurs in this region), which came and went in no time, but not before sinking the boat. Three hands, young men from Flores, were lost. Also on board were two English divers. The boat sunk at about 4:30 in the afternoon, and the divers were found against all odds, the next morning, floating in the Sape Strait. :!: One can only imagine the unbelievable nightmare this must have been for these two young guys, floating in the cold water, surrounded by darkness, not knowing if the next minute would be their last. I don't believe in miracles, but for anybody who knows the area, the chances of their surviving the ordeal were practically nil. Once on terra firma, they were asked, given their experience, if they would ever come back and dive in Komodo, and their answer was a resounding "yes." However, as far as we know, they never did, and I wont criticize them for it… :lol:
Roy
[quote]I think you can eat Komodo's ?[/quote]
:lol: :lol: :lol:
I think it generally is the other way around! :P Have you ever smelled one of these? Yeeeeyuk!
This story made CNN World News. Who could resist the drama of being attacked by a Komodo Dragon?
I see a "made for TV" movie next.
tintin
An update from PNK on the missing divers...
Holding Statement:
7pm, Bali time, Saturday, June 7 2008
Successful Search and Rescue Operation Demonstrate Power Of Cooperation as Strong as Ocean Current
The five divers reported missing in Komodo National Park on Thursday evening are recuperating, from the effects of sunburn and dehydration only, in a Labuan Bajo hospital tonight after being rescued just before lunch time today (local time) by PT. Putri Naga Komodo’s speedboat, Cakalang, part of massive search and rescue efforts involving all the major stakeholders in the Park.
Today, the recognition of a job, collectively, well done has sparked a current of emotion as powerful and full of direction, if you will, as any ocean current running through the Park – that gives light to a simple but irrefutable fact: anything is possible when we work together.
As anyone who has ever dived in Komodo National Park knows, the waters there are home to an extraordinary abundance of spectacular and diverse marine life. But it also harbors its dangers: some of the swiftest and most unpredictable currents and undertows on the planet. Ironically, the latter is at least partly responsible for the former.
Soon after the divers were reported missing, PNK staff Pipin consulted Greg Heighes and Jos Pet, well known members of the local dive and live-aboard community that were so instrumental in the SAR efforts, for their considered advice on the currents. After consulting local tide tables and using their knowledge of the dive conditions, the two were able to accurately pinpoint where the currents might have swept the divers to: South Komodo island.
This information was quickly transmitted to Salim, the captain of the PNK speedboat Cakalang – also aboard Suhar-ABK, Saleh, Zaenudin and Hasbin (The Komodo National Park Authority), BTNK- Vinsensius Latief, Ramanag Ishaka, Yoseph Nong SH. Urbanus Sius (Park Authority) and Abu Bakar Pasha (PNK) - which began its search yesterday in the area where today it plucked the five lucky divers off a south Komodo beach.
Says Rili Djohani, President Director of PNK: “Komodo National Park’s size, climate and fierce currents mean that cooperation and collaboration are really essential to the success of any search and rescue effort. Today’s very happy ending illustrates that.
“It also serves as a powerful reminder to those of us working to protect and preserve this very special place, that, truly, you can achieve anything if you stand united. By drawing on the resources and capabilities of the government, the park authority, the private sector and volunteers, we, collectively, achieved something great and the current of good will flowing through all stakeholders today bodes well for achieving our vision of a park that can finance its protection and sustainable development.”
Today, truly, was one of the good days.
Cheers,
Earlier holding statements with additional detail below contact details
Marcus Matthews-Sawyer
Director: Tourism, Marketing & Communications
Jimbo
The saliva in a Komodo dragons mouth is so toxic it is almost like poison in a snake. horrible creatures. Yuk
Roy
Yes Jimbo, you are correct. The Komodo dragons are not carnivores in the classic sense of eating live prey. Rather, they feed on dead flesh, and the death of their prey is brought about by the highly toxic, although not venomous, saliva in their mouths. The deadly bacteria they contain within their saliva, (Pasteurella multocida) will most certainly cause the death of anything they bite, including man, within a week.
The “dinner bell” rings when the decaying corpse calls, by its own stench, the Komodo dragons to dine. For the Komodo, dinner is most often a “social event” as many other dragons, beyond that one which inflicted the lethal bite, will “hear the bell.”
FreoGirl
Very good news.
Had to have a laugh, or groan, at some Australian media who reported the divers were diving at "Bali's Komodo National Park". Gee, some new part of Bali we haven't discovered?
tintin
Freogirl,
They probably meant to write "Bali Bird Park?" :lol:
tintin
Roy, (Sorry, I couldn't help it :lol: :lol: )
Yes, Roy, Google is certainly a good source of knowledge, but it cannot substitute for one's own experience (You've told us that so many times in the past). So, I'll ask: when was the last time you were on Komodo or Rinca to see Komodo dragons and other fauna? As far as I know, there are no Komodos in Bunutan, and from your own admission, you have not much travel in Indonesia, if at all…
[quote] Yes Jimbo, you are correct. The Komodo dragons are not carnivores in the classic sense of eating live prey. Rather, they feed on dead flesh, and the death of their prey…[/quote]
Komodos eat everything available, [u]fresh or rotten[/u]. I personally witnessed, on several occasions, Komodos feasting on freshly slaughtered goats or chickens that had been sacrificed by one of the rangers, for "demonstrations." (this practice by the rangers is no longer permitted, for ecological reasons). If a Komodo can bring down a deer, a pig, a bird, or another smaller Komodo (and also humans), it will eat it on the spot. This latest remark was not made based on my own observations, but from my many conversations of this subject with my friend, Prof, Dr. Pura Sastrawan, Udayana U., who spent one year on Komodo Island, many years ago, gathering material for his Doctor's thesis, and is one of the world's leading expert on Komodo, including the dragons (I can also throw around, as you do, the names of experts, can't I?).
The reason they don't seem to mind eating carrions is that they do not always succeed in bringing down their prays with a first blow, but only manage to wound them. The bite is a death sentence to the pray, which will die a few days later, and promptly rot under the Komodo sun.
Regarding the smell, you probably smelled the Komodos in their somewhat not-so-clean environment at the Bali Bird Park. As far as I can tell, at least from couple of feet away, they don't have a particular smell, even after they had been laying in the sun for hours.
Finally, the Komodos being social animals? You couldn't be more wrong: they are loners (except at mating season). The reason they sometime congregate to eat is because, although there are plenty of deer or pigs to eat on the islands, they still have to be caught, which can be hard work…
Roy
Daniel, (sorry, I just couldn’t help it :lol: :lol: :lol: )
You know Daniel, for a guy who professes to have a doctorate in nuclear physics, it seems that remedial reading is a challenge for you!
You wrote,
[quote]“Finally, the Komodos being social animals? You couldn't be more wrong: they are loners (except at mating season).”[/quote]
That was in response to what I wrote, which was,
[quote]“For the Komodo, dinner is most often a “social event” as many other dragons, beyond that one which inflicted the lethal bite, will “hear the bell.”[/quote]
If you can’t understand that what I wrote does not state that Komodos are social animals, then perhaps you should spend some time watching the game show, “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader” and do some catching up! :lol: :lol: :lol:
tintin
My poor Roy,
It's you who should learn how to express yourself in English, "Mr. know-it-all."
First, as I explained, there is nothing "social" about the "event" of Komodos eating a pray together, as you wrote.
Second, what about your other misinformations contained in your same post? I guess you can't help yourself: you resist expressing an opinion on any topic, even if you do not know what in hell you are talking about. You know nothing about Indonesia, having never stepped out of your "perfect village," Bunutan, Bali, for the last 9 years. Like I wrote, Google (and Allah) is great.
By the way, I don't "[u]profess[/u] to have a doctorate in nuclear physics," I HAVE one. Pl. check the meanings of the word "profess." :roll:
Roy
[quote]You know nothing about Indonesia, having never stepped out of your "perfect village," Bunutan, Bali, for the last 9 years.[/quote]
Yes, of course Daniel, I am a complete hermit. I’m like a prisoner in my own home. :lol: :lol:
Hey look Pal, it is YOU who writes most of his information on Bali from books.
[color=#008040][b]No questioning of identities[/b][/color]
Cheers professor nuke! :lol:
mimpimanis
[quote]I see a "made for TV" movie next.[/quote]
There is already a movie called Komodo. I saw it on DVD years ago, I dont know if it ever made it to the cinemas, to be honest I doubt it.
Thorsten
Gee guys,
what's all the fuss about ?
The divers are allive, the Komodo Waran is allive, so what else?
[attachment=0:hly4x4at]A_Ubud_1_B_053.jpg[/attachment:hly4x4at]
Roy
I’m thinking now of another movie. This one I could title, “Dr. Komodo and Dr. Strangelove.” It could tie in elements of the classic movie, “Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde” with the old Japanese version of “Godzilla.”
Drunken friends in Ubud? You mean like the highly esteemed naturalist, Victor Mason, or the highly esteemed artist, Jason Monet?
Yes, I agree, "it's now all under control." :D Cheers!
tintin
I did not mention any names, but you did. These two gentlemen will be happy to know the high opinion you have of them, considering them to be drunks. I surely wont miss the opportunity to let them know your opinion of them, next time I am in Ubud. :lol: :lol:
Roy
By all means, [b]PLEASE[/b] do so! They will both tell you that I’ve called each of them far worse than that...and they me as well! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Please don’t flatter yourself into thinking that you have a snow ball’s chance in hell of getting in between my strong friendships forged over many long years. But, it would be rather comical to see you try! :P :P
tintin
Roy,
You're like a f*****g broken record. Now, for the nth time, you're back with the canard that since none of your drunken friends in Ubud knows me, therefore I have never been in Bali. It never fails, when you run out of arguments.
On the other hand, it would be simpler for me to come clean once and for all, as the lie I have perpetrated for many years is weighing rather heavily on my conscience. So, let's stop the charade, and I will confess to all present (and to come), that, yes, [b]YEEESSSSS[/b] :!: :!: , I have never been to Bali, or any other part of Indonesia for that matter. Instead, I have accumulated a rather impressive collections of books, photographs, etc, about Indonesia, and Bali in particular (and even Ubud), so that I can appear to be an expert to all the naïve members of the Forum, and acquire the prestige :?: I had been craving all my life. I will add that I am also rather good on the computer, and there has never been a Google search that I could not handle, no matter how obscure the topic. Now you have it, Roy, and the BIG question now is: will you and the other members of this Forum ever forgive me for this imposture? :lol: :lol:
PS. Thorsten, don't worry, as you can see it's now all under control.
