The Wild, Private Island Where Coral Reef Is Center Stage
by Alexandra Malmed
Bawah—a pristine private island accessible to the public as of just two months ago—is carpeted in tangles of reeds; trees with thick, braided trunks; dirt paths that wind through emerald green jungle; discreet luxury bungalows; and lagoons of aquamarine-toned, crystalline clean waters.
The journey to Bawah is by no means easy: Visitors leave Singapore by ferry, strap in to a private plane, and then speed through rocky waters on an island-owned yacht to reach the dock. But it's well worth it. The atoll is fantastical: It has its own time zone (30 minutes ahead of that of Singapore); dusk brings opportunities to watch fruit bats fly through melty, fiery sunsets that are ethereal enough to feel like hallucinations; and it's home to some of the most pristine coral reefs in the world.
A blue Linckia sea star
Photo: Courtesy of Alexandra Malmed and Max Hooper Schneider
Wi-Fi and cellular connection are, quite purposefully, almost nonexistent, which seems to make the days grow longer. There's time to wander the mystical grounds and explore the biodiverse, Technicolor world that exists beneath the water. There are the fish: needlefish, parrot fish, and Picasso triggerfish in their suits of flashy, glowing oranges, canary yellow, crimson, and Yves Klein blue. There are sprawling octopi and rare breeds of starfish—feather stars and blue Linckia sea stars—and blacktip reef sharks. But arguably most majestic of all are the richly saturated, sculpturesque reefs: blankets of strands including Acropora coral, blue Heliopora coral, and Millepora fire coral.
For those drawn to coral, Bawah Island is an unparalleled place in which to encounter it. The formations are almost immaculate—there are some visible scars left by fishing boats and anchors—and because the water is so uncontaminated and light, there's often a view span of 31 to 36 miles. As such, visitors are encouraged to interact with the coral by way of snorkeling, kayaking, boating, and scuba diving. Tom Blachere, the general manager of the Bawah Island resort, who began his career as a scuba diver, sometimes accompanies aquatic explorers. "Underwater is the only place where you can exist in three dimensions of space," Blachere says. "You lose your sense of time."
Pristine coral reefs
Bawah is located off of Indonesia where the Indian Ocean meets the South China Sea, in a region referred to as the "Coral Triangle": a marine area that contains more than 600 species of coral (more than 75 of the known coral reefs in the world), and 53 percent of the coral reefs in existence. Coral, or Corallium rubrum, has been prized in regions ranging from Japan to France since the first millennium for its opaque hues of apricot, titian, and carmine, and complicated, root system–like form. Often mistaken to be a marine-dwelling stone, coral is partially alive. Reefs can take tens of thousands of years to form, 10 to 300 meters below sea level. The living component is an alga, similar in appearance to jellyfish and sea anemones, that forms calcium carbonate skeletons: the branch-like "limbs" that we think of as coral.
Known for its idiosyncratic beauty, coral also serves as a means of crucial financial security for small fishing and tourist-subsidized islands like Bawah, produces chemicals found in numerous pharmaceutical products, and safeguards nearby coastlines. There is a symbiotic relationship between the reefs and humankind: It is crucial that those fortunate enough to live near coral aim to protect it. Reefs worldwide are in extreme danger due to pressures exerted by humankind, namely collecting, overfishing, destructive fishing, inappropriate development, climate change, and chemical contamination. Though each country in the Coral Triangle is a member of the CTI-CFF, an initiative to protect coral, and though there are numerous nongovernment initiatives in place, the reefs continue to suffer.
A Bawah Island fishing town
At Bawah, preservation takes priority over profit: The small team is forming a conservation organization in tandem with the Singapore Botanic Gardens and even building a laboratory for conservation, which guests can visit. When visitors want to dive, Bawah will pay for half of their excursions and the due funds will be donated to the initiative. The hotel's respect for nature is echoed in details: All of the mineral water is bottled on-island, wood and other building materials are sourced locally, and although it's upscale, the resort isn't glitzy or gilded with artificial materials.
It's tempting, perhaps due to the lack of connection to the "real world," to do nothing while on Bawah. But a day spent kayaking to uninhabited islands, snorkeling with the starfish and sharks, hiking through the woodlands, and receiving complimentary facials and massages of Thai and Swedish techniques is unforgettable. In the evening, guests can arrange trips to the fishing boat to select the live fish they'd like to have for dinner, and then venture into the kitchen to prepare citrusy ceviche and banana-leaf steamed dishes with the guidance of the resort's private chefs. At day's end, there's little to do but retire, exhausted from sun and stimuli, to the bungalow, tuck into the mosquito net–robed bed, and enter a most restful sleep.