Dive Tourism in Open Sea-waters of Padang Beach

Padang Beach not far from the center of the city of Padang in West Sumatra, the province well-known with a wealth unique culture and culinary to many places, even one of their cuisine that comes from this region, rendang, known as one of the 50 world’s delicious culinary by the CNNGo websites.

The city of Padang has 84 km coastline and 19 small islands, including the famous islands of Sikuai for its tradition "hoyak tabuik", then Cubadak Island and Pisang Gadang Island.

The beaches also has a famous legend, Malin Kundang, a rebellious child who was condemned by his mother into the rocks, after he became rich. The locals really enjoy the atmosphere in the afternoon watching the beauty of sunset, the sun's rays bounced off the beach, dancing around the waters

Not many people know when the beauty of the beaches were not enough, it turns out areas and marine waters in front of the eye has a potential as an arena for dive tourism in the open sea, as said by Indrawadi from Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Diving Bung Hatta University.

At least in the waters there are 39 dive spots for world-class dive sites, scattered on the waters of the sea in seven counties and cities, especially in the city of Padang, Pesisir Selatan District and Padang Pariaman region.

From that 39 dive spots, there are five dive spots that were located about 10 nautical miles off the coast of West Sumatra, or with the distance of about two hours and 30 minutes by 40 hp boat engine.

Exciting news for dive fans who want to try new scuba diving areas with the character of the Indian Ocean that looks quietly calm on the surface, but very passionate in its depths.

The five-dive spots, among others, Gosong Sea in waters within 11 miles of the city of Padang Beach which has a beautiful panoramic expanse of coral reefs, turtles movement towards a remote island to lay eggs.

Then the sea waters of Pulau Air, where on the seabed there is the sunken wreck of the Dutch during the colonial era and is now overgrown with coral and beautiful colorful sponges. At that location also often seen hordes of divers spotted a large shark that has been there that attact the divers.

Pieh Island marine waters, in Pariaman district that has a steep wall of the underwater coral reef layered with panoramic almost the same as in Bunaken National Park, South Sulawesi. And the fourth dive spot, located on the ocean waters Marak Island, Pesisir Selatan District which also has a steep underwater walls with a natural beauty coral reef.

The fifth dive spot found in marine waters of Pandan Island, which in addition has a beautiful panoramic underwater there also a Dutch forts on the island.

As said by some divers there, "There is a different sensation, the ocean current character under the waters are very different."

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(Source Kompas, ANT /Images D Taylor)