The harbor is owned by PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II. From here, tons of coals are exported and boxes of daily necessities are imported.
That day, several friends and I were on our way to Rat Island. According to the fisherman at the harbor, the island is called so because of its tiny size. The island which is located 12 kilometers from the city center could be seen from any corners along the western coast of the city. From the land, the island looked like a fisherman’s boat swayed by the wave.
The Rat Island is well-known as a popular tourism destination and fishing spot. This time, in addition to visit the island as tourists, we planned on reforesting the island as it continues to shrink due to abrasion.
"It is predicted that in the next 20 years, the island will be disappeared because of the severe damages resulted from the waves' abrasion," said Gunggung Senoaji, a lecturer of the Forestry Faculty of Bengkulu University, in a seminar. "The lighthouse in the island has even relocated for three times to avoid the wave."
Even though I was born in this city, the journey became my first visit to Rat Island. My group consisted of reporters and environment activists. We brought along 200 seeds of ketapang (Terminalia catappa) from the Bengkulu Forestry Agency to be planted on the island. We also plan on fishsing and enjoying the grilled fish on the island. I was the one who was tasked to bring the seasoning and griller.
We crossed to the Rat Island with two rented motor boats for Rp500,000,- each on one way. Each boat could accommodate 10 passengers. The journey has then begun. The waves were calm and the weather was friendly along the trip. About 45 minutes later, we reached the island.
The Rat Island was not as small as how we saw it from afar. The island was 2-hectare wide nd now it has been shrinking to 0.8 hectares after massive abrasion. The beach was bright white with fine corals fragments. The front part of the island, facing toward Bengkulu, is full of reefs, while the part facing toward the Indian Ocean has less reefs where people often swim and snorkel.
There were only two permanent buildings on the island: the lighthouse and the house of the lighthouse guard, just at the center of the island. Coconut and ketapang trees were surrounding the lighthouse making the island shady and comfortable. On the other side, there was a fishermen’s hut where they could have a rest on the island.
Albert Gultom, the lighthouse officer welcomed us together with his 5-year-old daughter, Angel. Gultom and his family are originated from Betawi (Jakarta). According to Gultom, one-meter abrasion has been occurring in the past three months. The lighthouse on the island has been a huge help for ships passing by the island.
"You can imagine, it won't be long until this 8,000-meter-square island has only its name left," said Gultom.
That day, little Angel became our tour guide. She took us around the island while explaining some of what’s what of the island. After a few-minute break, we started to plant the ketapang seed. Although our effort was not much, we hope that the trees could help delaying the abrasion on the island.
After lunch, some of us decided to swim and some others fishing.
"We were once swimming during the night," said Rini, adding that swimming in the night is more pleasant because the water is warmer and there is no risk of skin blisters due to sunshine.
Some people and I chose to just capture the moment with our cameras on the rocks near the beach. The ruin of the lighthouse turned out to be an exotic photo spot. We explored the whole island in less than an hour. The island has no forest; the bushes were not so dense, so we can observe the whole island by just standing on the center of the island.
The Rat Island has exotic corals around its beach. Some of us who swam near by the island could enjoy the under-water wonder without having to swim too far into the ocean. When we were relaxing on the beach, few fishermen landed on the beach with their fresh fish.
We did not miss the opportunity to have the fresh fish and we bought all they brought. Around 10-kilograms of fish at a price of Rp200,000 is very cheap compared to the market price.
While waiting for our friends coming back from fishing, we set up the fire to grill the fish. The island seemed to be great place for fishing since our friends returned with bucket-full of fish.
"The fish catch our bait in less than five minutes," said Long.
At around 5 p.m., we left the island heavy-heartedly. We wanted to stay longer on the island but we had to avoid the rising tide that happens during the night. Little Angel waved us goodbye with a sad face. Her hands did not stop waving until she slowly disappeared by the distance.
Source : Tempo
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