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Thursday, September 18, 2014

White Sandy Beach of Mansinam Island

by Charles Roring
Mansinam is called as the island of civilization by Papuan people. This small island is located inside Dore bay of Manokwari. Every day pilgrims like to visit Mansinam to see the cross monument that is located at the beach. The monument was constructed to honor the works of Carl William Ottow, his wife and Geissler who landed on 5 February 1855 to preached Gospel for the first time to the indigenous Papuan people.
In 1858, Alfred Russel Wallace landed on Mansinam and met them. He carried out research works on the mainland of New Guinea for several months where he collected some birds of paradise and insects.
Air Salobar beach in Mansinam island near Manokwari city
I visited Mansinam last week as part of my survey trip to promote it to foreign and domestic tourists. I explored the south and the east parts of the island in the afternoon to see whether its white sandy beaches were still in good condition. Much of its southern region was still covered by forest, very suitable for birdwatching and nature walks in the mornings. Unfortunately, the Manggewa beach "at the back" of the island had been covered with broken corals. Four years ago, it was still in good condition. Now, the fine white sand had been mixed with broken corals. They landed on the shore during wave season between November and March.
The southern coast of Mansinam was better. Air Salobar was still in good condition. I highly recommend it for visitors who want to enjoy swimming and family picnic. I took some pictures of this white sandy beach. Pandanus trees grow along the beach separating the grass and the white sand.
Some parts of Arfak range decorated the scenery with its blue slopes. The range is a recommended destination for conservation scientists who want to do research works on tropical rainforest and its complex ecosystem.
Coral reef could be found along the south-eastern coast of the island making it as a good place for snorkeling and even scuba diving.
During World War II, American planes torpedoed or bombed tens of Japanese ships in Dore bay. Some of them could be found at the sea floor around the island. Manokwari is the best destination in Indonesia for shipwreck diving.
I and my friends returned to the city again by water taxi. It was a nice trip and I would like to visit Mansinam island again in the future.
If you are interested in visiting Manokwari, please, contact me by e-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com.

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