Indo-Pacific: The world of the Sulu Sea
The heart of the Indo-Pacific region, the Sulu sea, separates the north-ern coast of Borneo and the west coast of the Philippines. The coasts of the relatively small ocean, are home to inhabitants with a colourful culture and abundant animal life invites nature lovers for a visit. The island of Omadal is home of the Bajau. This nomadic tribe lives on wooden vessels or ashore in pile-dwellings. Harvesting seaweed generates them the money that is needed to buy all other goods on the market.
The underwater world of the Sulu sea is dominated by intact colourful reefs. Beautiful coloured mantis shrimps hunt with spears or their legs. Harlequin prawns always hold a starfish in standby to eat of. The Mimic Oktopus, a squid, camouflages himself as a flounder or as a starfish. Only rarely will he be seen in his real shape, as an octopus.
The National territory of the Philippines covers 7000 islands, build from volcanic activities. The Mt. Pinatobo was considered to be extinct. But it just was dormant. When he woke up in 1991, the most powerful eruption of the 20th Century buried whole areas underneath his volcanic ashes. At the last location of this journey the camera crew got goose-flesh thanks to a very special tradition of the Ibanoi people on the island of Luzon. The team was allowed to film how these natives mummify those who passed away and bury them in tiny wood coffins.