Playing with Dolphin at Teluk Kiluan - Lampung, Indonesia

Lampung Province area has 35.376,5 Km land which conceives 69 island, and located at 103′40′ BT tilll 105′50′ BT and 03′45′ LS till 06′45′ LS with coastline length ± 1.105 Km ( include some islands) divided become 4 territorial waters region, for example territorial waters Pantai Barat (± 210 Km), Teluk Semaka (± 200 Km), Teluk Lampung and Selat Sunda (± 160 Km), and Pantai Timur (± 270 Km).

Teluk Kiluan, which is located in Semangka Bay and most of the area is part of Tanggamus District, has a long coastal seaboard and hills. For several people, the bay has been such a well-known destination for the dolphins, which are so abundant in this area, and the fishing area (Fishing Week I 2006 and Fishing Week II 2007), which potentially to be developed as fishing tourism. More over, there is a marine turtle sanctuary (DKP Lampung 2007) where as the spawning ground of some rare turtle such as, “penyu sisik”……

Besides its natural diversity, Teluk Kiluan also has cultural diversity which consists of some ethnics such as, Sundanesse, Balinesse, Bugist and the native Lampungnesse,so that it makes a various languages, cultures and religions. Most of the population are immigrants, and only a small number indigenous people who has been living there with their offspring from long time ago. Anyway, they live together side by side with peace and harmony

Teluk Kiluan has a capital residency (Pekon Kiluan Negri) which has areas of lining coastal seaboard and hills. One of them is Dusun Bandung Jaya. This residence is stretching along the shore bay over an island (Pulau Kelapa/Pulau Kiluan) up to Kiluan Negri,
Kelumbayan District, Tanggamus, Lampung. This area can be visited through the sea within 3 hours journey from the center of fish trading (PPI) Lempasing. We can also reach this area on ground by car ( but can only reach Pekon Kiluan Negri) within 1,5-2 hours journey from Bandar Lampung. Through the ground trip we can have beautiful scenery of hills and curves as well as the challenging off road way which requires a well-conditioned stamina and driving skill. Even though it has steeply roads (Along Padang Cermin Border), we will be spoiled with beautiful surroundings of the coastal scenery as well as the green hills.

The population of Dusun Bandung Jaya are heterogonous, it is strikingly clear when we arrive to this place. The people who live in this village of dusun Bandung Jaya are Javanesse, Banten, Balinesse, Sundanesse, Bugist, and the indigenous Lampungnesse. Their main living is fishing that they totally depend on the abundant marine resources in the sea. The fishermen of the village only use small canoes and traditional fishing equipments and fishing nets “Rawai”. Their marine captures are usually fish like grey fish (cob), tuna, tengiri, lemadang/sangrenai, and marlin/setuhuk (seasonal capture), with those captures they can afford their daily needs.

Beside as fishermen, they also cultivate their surrounding soil. They usually grow cacao and peppercorn plants, paddy (wet and dry land), vegetables (beans). On the other area they also grow yearly produces such as, coconut, petai, and mangoes. In general, they still don’t handle it intensively because of natural factors (rain-dependent paddy field).

Unlike cacao and peppercorn, they already have skill on planting techniques. But the way they handle the harvest produces is still “reckless” for the limited handling technique skill .

Bio-geographic Conditions

Besides as an ecotourism destination, the existence of dolphins and potential fishing spot, geographically, Teluk Kiluan also has shoreline and natural scenery of beautiful hills. The land is a hilly ground and so challenging for out door and tracking activities. Meanwhile, biologically, the land of Dusun Bandung Jaya, which has a lot of produces plants, is a habitat for insects, such as ants, butterfly and various fungus.

The coastal region, which has stone and sand composition, mangrove forest (bakau), and coastal forest (Littoral Forest), provides beauty on its own. There are more than 4 kinds vegetation that build the mangrove forest around Dusun Bandung Jaya, such as mangrove (Rhizophora Sp), api-api (Avicenia Sp), Nipah (Nypa Fruticans), Drujon/deruju (Acanthus Ilicifolious). In average, the mangrove forest around Dusun Bandung Jaya is well-preserved and coexisting with local people. Besides mangrove forest, Dusun Bandung Jaya also has the composition of coastal forest which grow on stony and sandy substract. There are more than three kinds of plants that grow around the coastline of Dusun Bandung Jaya, they are Waru Laut (Hibiscus Sp), Ketapang (Terminalia Sp), Beringin Laut (Ficus sp).

There are many kind of potency, no wonder if Kiluan Bay became the object tourism base on the ecology (ecotourism). And if it is well managed, it would be possible for kiluan to be the potential location of domestic and foreign countries, later the economics of local society will increase. The existence of this area will influence the education matter. The awarness of education and skill could life beautifully. It needs a good cooperation between the society and stakeholder to work together in supporting Visit Indonesia year 2010, hopefully……..

learn to the Kiluan Bay’s Dolphins

It can be a few of people knew if The Kiluan Bay had the great of marine lifes. Especially, the Dolphins life. If you get a tour through to the Kiluan Bay marine, close with Hindia Ocean and Sunda Strait, you can get a fascinating experient. Meet some acrobatics dolphin surrounding it. There are the Dolphin community.

We can find them if we use a traditional boat whose Kiluan Bay community had. It call as “jukung”. This boat have a unique shape that had a purpose, for adaptation with its marines characters whose had big waves and deep water. Beside that, only use a jukung to get the Dolphins life because they got to be frightened when some hunter killed them with a big boat. Why did it happen?…according to some communities interviews, a meat of Dolphins was a great “meal” to catch some sharks what can be found surrounding in Kiluan Bay area (the Shark Island area).

Known two main species of Dolphins what can be identified. There were Bottle-nose dolphin (Turciops truncatus), the bigger than the others. They had dark-grey to black color of morphology, with grey strip color on pectoral to abdominal body. Then, they had some unique habits such as calm, gently style when they had to swim, and friendly.

Another species was knows as Long-nose dolphin (Stenella longirostris), whose had dark-brown to brown color and smaller than the other species. But, it had an opposite habits with Bottle-nose dolphin too. This species love an acrobatic moving, lively, and skillful to swim. Sometimes, when we found this species, they always show their fascinating acrobatic. So, we always called them as “the great acrobaters”.

The Dolphin life lived as well as the Kiluan Bay’s communities. They help each others. When Kiluan’s fisherman want to get some pelagics fishes, the Dolphins be a guide. So, they lived together in a harmony till now…

see more photos here or see here

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