maio 2014 komodo

Transcrição

maio 2014 komodo

Dragões em terra, Paraíso submerso
Conhecer as Ilhas Komodo e Rinca vai fazê-lo sentir-se como um dos antigos viajantes que
marcou no mapa "Aqui há dragões", tornando as ilhas famosas.
Poucos locais têm a reputação de serem remotos e inspiradores como as Komodo e no
mergulho também não é diferente! Estas pequenas ilhas contornadas por praias e as águas
límpidas do Parque Nacional são por vezes frequentadas por dragões.
Para além da emoção de estar nas Komodo, também estará a navegar por cima de alguns dos
mais fantásticos locais de mergulho na Indonésia. A água nem sempre estará quente, por
vezes poderão haver correntes, mas a abundância de peixes pelágicos, as cores fantásticas
e a diversidade, fazem dos mergulhos uma lenda!
MAIO 2014
KOMODO
MAPAS
M/V Mermaid II é um barco de 32 metros e 2 motores. Um dos mais confortáveis
barcos de mergulho na Ásia. Com capacidade de até 16 hóspedes em 8 cabines
deluxe 2 hóspedes em cabine budget no deck inferior. Todas as cabines deluxe são
no deck principal com vista para o mar. Todas a cabines têm uma cama de casal e
uma individual (max 2 pax por cabine), ar condicionado e casa de banho. A cabine
budget no deck inferior tem um beliche, ar condicionado e casa de banho partilhada
com outra cabine. Existe uma grande paltaforma de mergulho na popa com duas
escadas de saída e chuveiros de água doce. O dive deck é enorme e tem muito
espaço, boxes individuais para o equipamento, uma mesa para maquinas
fotográficas e tanques de lavagem. A sala de refeições está localizada no deck
principal onde é servido o buffet de cozinha tailandesa e internacional. O salão é
grande e espaçoso com grandes janelas, mini bar, chá e café, TV / DVD, música
e biblioteca. Há dois decks exteriores - um coberto e com espreguiçadeiras e o
sundeck com almofadas. EANX NITROX está disponível em todos os liveaboard.
ITINERÁRIO DE VIAGEM
Dia 15/05 – Porto / Denpasar
Comparência no aeroporto 90 minutos antes da partida. Formalidades de embarque e
partida com destino a Denpasar.
Dia 16/05 – Denpasar
Chegada a Denpasar. Acolhimento e transfere para o hotel The Vira.
http://www.thevirabali.com Alojamento em regime de APA.
Dia 17/05 – Mermaid II
Dia
Sábado
Check In a bordo do MV Mermaid II entre as 14:00 e as 16:00 no
Porto de Benoa - Bali. Após o briefing de segurança e procedimentos
para a partida acomodação na cabine. Pelas 19:00 será servido o
jantar, enquanto navegamos durante a noite até à ilha de Moyo, a
Noroeste de Sumbawa.
Mergulhos
0
Domingo Começa a aventura com um fantástico mergulho nas calmas e
límpidas águas de Angel Reef na Ilha Moyo. Muitas esponjas,
cardumes de "banner fish" e "red tooth triggers". Centenas de Peixes
sapo, nudibránquios, enguias, "surgeon fish", "snapper", atum "dog
tooth" à procura do seu almoço! Visita à vila local para almoço. De
tarde mergulho no Recife Panjang - estarão os cavalos marinhos
pigmeus por perto? Depois de 2 horas de navegação até à Ilha de
Satonda, mergulho nocturno. Oportunidade ainda para ver milhares
de morcegos a voar ao pôr do sol. Jantar a bordo e noite de
navegação até à ilha de Sangeang, a Norte de Sumbawa.
3
Segunda Dois mergulhos em Sangeang com raros nudibrancos, cavalos
marinhos pigmeus e nascentes de água quente subaquáticas que
sustentam a vida marinha. Navegação até Gili Banta para mergulhos
fantásticos em Tanduk Rusa com peixes de grande porte e corais ou
em GPS Point famoso pelos tubarões e peixes pelágicos. Entrada no
Parque Nacional de Komodo e mergulho nocturno na Gili South
Passage - tartarugas a dormir, coloridos peixes pedra e bailarinhos
espanhois - mar calmo e um óptimo local para passar a noite!
Terça
Quarta
4
Se a maré estiver boa vamos procurar tubarões cinzentos de recife e
golfinhos em Taka Toko Gili Lawalaut. O segundo mergulho será
numa corrente rápida com peixes pelágicos e mantas no recife
Lighthouse ou Old Passage. Depois Crystal rock e a hipotese de ver
tubarões, tartarugas, "giant Maori wrasse". Um mergulho numa
verdadeira sopa de peixes e uma grande probabilidade de ver raias
águias. Navegação para Sul para um fascinante mergulho nocturno
em Pink Beach junto à entrada do Parque Nacional de Komodo.
4
Iniciamos o dia com uma visita ao Parque Nacional Komodo e
passeio com os dragões! Depois seguimos para 2 horas de
navegação até Horseshoe Bay, na Ilha Rinja. Mergulho no Cannibal
Rock - nudibránquios, peixes sapo, corais, esponjas, coral preto,
tartarugas, “cuttlefish” e muitos peixes de recife. Observe os dragões
na praia, macacos, veados, javalis junto à costa. Com sorte poderá
3
ver baleias e golfinhos enquanto se alimentam na baía. Mergulho
nocturno e noite na baía.
Partida com destino à Ilha de Padar onde mergulhamos nas Three
Sisters e oportunidade de ver tubarões, nudibránquios, peixes
cirugião, “devil rays”. Em Manta Alley ou Takat Makasar haverá a
possibilidade de ver uma grande concentração de mantas. Batu
Bolung, também conhecido por Current City, é o habitat de grandes
Napoleões, Merous e tartarugas. Último mergulho nocturno no
Parque Nacional Komodo em Gili Banta. Navegação até à Ilha de
Satonda.
4
Sexta
Dois fantásticos mergulhos em Satonda e nas Ilhas Moyo e
oportunidade de apreciar “ghost pipe fish”, “ribbon eels”, tartarugas,
antes de partir para Benoa no Sul de Bali.
2
Sábado
Após o Pequeno Almoço transfere para terra pelas 09:00.
0
Quinta
MERGULHOS
20
Dia 24/05 – Denpasar / Porto
Resto do dia livre em Denpasar.
Comparência no aeroporto 90 minutos antes da partida. Formalidades de embarque e
partida com destino a Lisboa.
Dia 25/05 – Porto
Chegada.
VOOS
IB 8721
QR 150
QR 944
QR 945
QR 139
TP 1033
15MAY OPOMAD
15MAY MADDOH
16MAY DOHDPS
24MAY DPSDOH
25MAY DOHBCN
25MAY BCNOPO
0845
1535
0225
2235
0820
1830
1050
2325
1900
#0455
1415
1920
LINKS
http://www.thevirabali.com
http://www.mermaid-liveaboards.com/gallery/mermid-ii/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4M8B9QkLOM
PREÇOS POR PESSOA
PREÇO EM DUPLO, POR PESSOA
Cabine Deluxe (13 lugares disponiveis)
Cabine Budget (2 lugares disponiveis)
TAXAS PORTUARIAS
TAXAS DE AEROPORTO
NITROX 32%
€ 2.853
€ 2.553
€ 90
€ 317
€ 6 fill / € 96 semana
OS PREÇOS INCLUEM
•
•
•
•
•
Passagem aérea em classe económica e em voo regular Porto / Denpasar / Porto,
com direito a 23 kg de bagagem
Estadia de 07noites a bordo do Mermaid II em pensão completa e mergulhos (20)
Estadia de 01 noite no Hotel The Vira em APA
Iva, Taxas Hoteleiras, Taxas de Turismo e Serviço
Todos os transferes
Seguro de viagem
•
•
•
•
•
•
Taxas de aeroporto valor indicativo = 317 euros
Taxas portuárias 90 euros
Visa (a chegada) 25 USD
Extras de carácter pessoal, tais como: chamadas telefónicas, bar, lavandaria, etc.
Gratificações a bagageiros, motoristas/guias e pessoal dos hotéis
Qualquer outro serviço não especificado no presente orçamento
•
OS PREÇOS NÃO INCLUEM
INFORMAÇÕES DE MERGULHO
Batu Bolong
Batu Bolong (Hollow Rock) in northern Komodo is a rock pinnacle that lies in 75 metres
of water between Tatawa Island to the east and Komodo main island to the west. It is
one of North Komodo's signature dive sites as the fish life here is always a full-on
festival.
Due to the rock's topography and exposure to
strong currents the reef has not been targeted by
fishermen and is in superb condition. Hard corals
and sponges cover the walls and slopes, but the
main beneficiary here must be the fish life. The
volume of fish here is awesome, right from the
deeper water areas where Napoleon wrasse and
whitetip reef sharks cruise, to the shallow where
thousands of smaller reef fish battle it out for territorial and feeding rights.
Hawksbill turtles are frequent feeders on the sponges and tunicates, giant sweetlips
lurk in the gullies and overhangs, palette surgeonfish dance across the current swept
upper reaches of the rock. Stay a while here if you can as this Komodo dive site is
really a great place to educate yourself and witness the full gamut of what being a reef
fish is all about. Fish mating, fish laying and guarding eggs, fish hunting, fish hiding,
fish fighting, fish feeding - it's all here on display from dawn 'til dusk.
Perhaps the most spectacular side of the pinnacle is the north side, which is much
steeper than the other gentler sloping sides. It has a small submerged pinnacle in the
north east, and a huge deep gully from the surface down to about 27 metres. You can
choose to drop down to depth here and either zigzag up the northern face, or spiral
around the whole rock if the currents allow.
Batu Bolong should not be dived if the currents in north Komodo are very strong since
the site is small and there is no opportunity to drift. Slack tide is really the only
occasion that you should dive here.
Batu Bolong Reef Basics: Rock pinnacle
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 15 - 25m
Currents: Can be strong
Surface conditions: Can be rough
Water temperature: 21 - 27°C
Experience level: Advanced
Number of dive sites: 2
Distance: ~500 km east of Bali (25 hours)
End Of The World
Tala is a tiny, angular island in Langkoi Bay, just
south of the southernmost part of Komodo Island,
offering some excellent dive sites.
It is one of the most southern Komodo liveaboard
diving sites. The inner passage between Tala and
Komodo proper is shallow and has ripping currents,
but the southern point of the island has The End Of
The World to the west in very deep water.
Here is a sheer wall of rock, broken up by some nice cuts, overhangs, and sandy
shelves down to about 40 metres, and from there on a flat, black plane. There are
white-tip sharks, rays, morays and rich coral growth in the cuts and shelves.
The flat areas of the wall are covered with extensive fields of marigold cup corals, a
beautiful and vivid effect against the dark rock.
End Of The World Reef Basics: Rock pinnacle
Depth: 5 - >40m
GPS Point
Located off the north east point of Gili Banta Island, 10km north east of Komodo, the
famous GPS Point is a must on any liveaboard cruise here and is often considered the
best northern site in Komodo scuba diving. It attracts lots and lots of fish and is often
swarming with dogtooth tuna, and big schools of
barracudas and surgeonfish.
The top of this small sea mount rises to just 5
metres of the surface and hosts snowflake morays,
cowries, spider and hermit crabs, nudibranchs,
scorpionfish and cuttlefish.
The soft coral growth at GPS Point in particular is
excellent, and the entire surface of the sea mound is
richly overgrown with invertebrates. In some areas
there are dense fields of staghorn corals overflowing with gold and orange anthias.
The deep waters provide the opportunity for encounters with hammerhead sharks and
Napoleon wrasse as well as the more common snappers, batfish, white-tips, grey reef
sharks and nurse sharks.
Strong currents often to 3 knots can sweep the top of the mount making safety stops a
little problematic. Things settle down at around 25 metres deep or so, but this is not
really a beginners dive. Visibility here is variable, and can drop below 10 metres due to
plankton, but it is usually clearer at depth.
GPS Point Reef Basics: Very healthy sea mount with excellent pelagic action
Depth: 5 - >40m
Experience level: Intermediate - advanced
Pillarsteen
Pillar Rock lies a couple of kilometres to the south east of Padar Island, between
Komodo and Rinca islands. The best plan at this top notch Komodo dive site is to drop
at a pinnacle at the southern-most point and let the strong current and surge take you
west. To the south lies deeper water and a series of caves, chimneys and rocky
outcrops. Here you'll find large mid night snappers, huge boxfish, and 6-banded
angelfish.
To the west Pillarsteen's walls are painted yellow, green and orange by the dense
colonies of soft corals. Yellow and white sea squirts are found here in their thousands.
With funnel-shaped bodies and spout-shaped open mouths, these colourful creatures
can
easily
be
mistaken
for
aqautic
versions
of
pitcher
plants.
In the shallow waters the wall ends and becomes a sloping reef. Here are masses of
gigantic soft brown leather corals (Scleronephthya, Sinulana and Sarchphyton). You'll
see tiny bright yellow sea cucumbers attached to most of the corals. They look
surprisingly like members of the sea slug family, but Pentacta Lutea are indeed
Holothurians. Strong surge can make this area hazardous amongst the rocks and
corals, especially with the presence of highly toxic but brightly coloured red and purple
fire urchins.
Pillarsteen Reef Basics: Wall diving with superb colours
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 5 - 20m
Surface conditions: Choppy
Tatawa Island
The prevailing current, north or south, will dictate where you enter at the main dive
site of Tatawa Besar ("Big Tatawa"), some 30km east of Komodo's northern-most
point. When the current runs south, chances are you'll drop into a 2 or 3+ knot whitewater current, probably on the north west corner of
the island. The first stage of your dive can happen
rather quickly and will require all of your attention
as you are hit with an up-current just before you
reach the split in the current. Then you'll descend
down the endless sloping reef of orange soft corals
that runs along the western coast of this island, to
around 20 metres.
Turtles seem to be everywhere and you can expect
to see many as you navigate the site. Before you
leave the currents behind watch out for the blacktip reef sharks, giant trevallies, great
and black-tail barracudas. Manta rays also make occasional guest appearances.
Once you round the southern corner, the rollercoaster is over for this dive and you'll
have time to appreciate the remainder of your stay at this beautiful Komodo scuba
diving site. Bumphead parrotfish are resident here and you're likely to meet quite few
of them in loose groups.
Further south and slightly west of Tatawa Besar is a rocky islet called Batu Besar,
meaning big stone, and this is the location of a dive site called 'Current City'. Diving in
Komodo often takes the form of drift dives. East of the Batu Besar, as the name
suggests, currents can regularly exceed 3 knots, making for some serious drift diving.
If the current is this strong along the east face however, it is usually fairly calm along
the west.
The west face of Batu Besar offers a series of steep drops to about 30 metres, and
several interesting coral caves. The soft coral cover is very good, and there are lots of
fish, including large schools of sweetlips. Sharks are again common here, as are turtles
and very large fantail stingrays. Also to the south of Tatawa Besar is Tatawa Kecil
("Little Tatawa"). It's best to dive the west coast of this island to explore its vibrant
shallow coral gardens full of anthias. Its caves and boulders are perfect harbours for
larger groupers. There are also large schools of humpback snapper, titan triggerfish
and the occassional orange-spotted trevally.
Tatawa Island Reef Basics: Fringing reef and steep banks with turtles
Depth: 5 - >40m
Yellow Wall of Texas
Yellow Wall of Texas is the wall running down the east coast of Nusa Kode, to the
south of Rinca Island, east of Komodo.
The shallows are very rich in fish life, particularly
plankton feeders. Fork-tailed fairy basslets swarm
around the drop-offs in great orange and purple
schools. Pairs of colourful butterflyfish forage in the
reef crannies for small crustaceans or coral polyps.
Clown triggerfish, perhaps the most distinctively
marked of all the reef fishes with its black body,
round orange mouth, yellow face band, whitespotted underbelly and yellow tail, stake out their territory along the face of the reef.
In the deeper waters a couple of white-tip reef sharks may swing around to give you a
close look. Red snappers with bright yellow eyes will keep a wary distance, and green
turtles often row by.
Yellow Wall of Texas is best dived in the afternoon, when the sun provides more
natural lighting.
Yellow Wall of Texas Reef Basics: Wall dive with overhangs
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 5 - 20m
Experience level: Intermediate
Cannibal Rock
Cannibal Rock lies in the channel just to the south of Rinca Island, east of Komodo,
and 1 km off the northern coast of nearby Nusa Kode. You can just make out the top
of the pinnacle, marked by breaking waves as you approach, but this belies the
phenomenal marine life diversity once you enter the water. It is a truly world-class dive
site and one of the top sites in Komodo scuba
diving.
Descend to the south to find the deepest diving
section and where you'll find enormous green and
blue magnificent anemones swaying back and forth.
Sea apples (Pseudocolchirus Violaceus) are
abundant, their bodies decorated in amazing
maroon, studded with golden beads with bright
yellow or cream tentacles that they use to filter feed on plankton.
Out of the depths, you may be visited on your dive by curious black-blotched stingrays,
out on a hunting foray. Black snappers are also prevalent here with many juveniles,
conspicuous in their black and white striped colours.
Making your way east and north you'll be astounded by the sizes of the purple
gorgonian fans, some over 2 metres tall. These fans are home to the pygmy seahorse,
always a thrill to spot. Dense thickets of lime green whip coral ferns and yellow and
white spiral corals mark your trail. Be on the look-out for yellow-ribbon sweetlips endemic to Komodo - and sweeps of gold-striped fusiliers. Green turtles are also
frequent visitors to this dive site to feed on the soft corals.
The shallows are loaded with featherstars of all colours, and blue tunicates add
ultraviolet shades to the already colourful diving Komodo kaleidoscope.
Cannibal Rock Reef Basics: Submerged pinnacle with fantastic life
Depth: 5 - 35m
Visibility: 5 - 20m
Surface conditions: Can be choppy
Gili Lawa
Crystal Bommie is a pinnacle that just breaks the surface off the northern side of the
2 small islets to the north of Komodo main island. It is another excellent dive site and
very similar topographically to the famous GPS Point.
The reef is packed with bronze and rust coloured sponges and soft tree corals. The
shallows host thousands of anthias and damselfish, large cuttlefish, pyramid
butterflyfish, hawksbill turtles and several red octopus.
On the north west side of the pinnacle is a submerged mound that rises to 14 metres
or so, with a 20 metre deep saddle between the 2. Due to the strong easterly currents
you'll need to make a quick descent to reach this area in anything other than slack tide
conditions but the reward can be worth the effort since there is always great schooling
action here. There are schools of yellow-ribbon sweetlips, black snappers, bluefin and
bigeye trevally, and whitetip reef sharks.
1 kilometre further north from Crystal Bommie is Castle Rock, another submerged
mound. This site is even more exposed to the prevailing Komodo currents but for the
experienced diver this is a exceptional treat. Whitetips, blacktips, grey reef sharks and
giant trevally all frequent this site. The fish life is simply stunning with groupers,
midnight snappers and frequent schools of fusiliers passing through.
In recent times a pod of bottlenose dolphins have made this spot one of their favourite
hunting grounds, and you can often see them on a dive. These creatures are
amazingly agile at work and to watch them in their natural environment is an
experience not to be missed.
The Passage between Komodo's Gili Lawa Laut and Gili Lawa Darat islands is a good
option for a late afternoon or sunset dive as the bottom is only 20 metres or so deep.
Currents can be very strong but the narrow strait often hosts several manta rays, and
mobula rays that hunt the silversides in the shallows.
Strong currents can prevent dives on Gili Lawa and the correct conditions must exist
before undertaking any dive here. One of the delights of diving in Indonesia is that the
area is so large and the dive sites so numerous that it is possible to come across
fantastic sites which are still relatively unchartered.
Gili Lawa Reef Basics: Healthy pinnacles with dolphins and sharks
Depth: 5 - >40m
Manta Alley
A bit of a giveaway from the name of the site, but this signature Komodo dive is the
main location in Komodo to find manta rays - often as many as 10 or 20. It's a rock
islet that just punctures the sea's surface in a small
craggy chain, inside the bay along the south coast
of Komodo Island.
You'll start your dive to the east of the rocks where
another submerged mound rises to just a few
metres below the surface. In the lee area between
this mound and the rocky islet, where the maximum
depth is 15 metres, there are almost always a
couple of juvenile mantas playing around.
Another option however, is to drop down the steep eastern slope of the mound to the
site's deepest section. Follow the slope of orange soft corals and encrusting
invertebrates down to depth where giant trevally, white tip and black tip reef sharks
roam in search of food. Make your way round to the north and in the direction of the
islet chain, keeping alert for some huge black fantail rays resting on the bottom of the
reef's substrate.
Eventually you arrive at a series of 3 underwater channels that run between the islet
and its most northerly rocky protrusion. The channels are 18 metres or so deep and
quite wide. Often schools of large bumphead parrotfish hang out here and mantas
circle this area too.
Once you're through the channels onto the west side of the islet, you'll be out of
bottom time and making your way up to 5 metres. Again the shallows here seem to be
a favourite jaunt with manta rays. If the rays are not present then watch the surge
areas close to the rocks. These are home to some formidably sized fish such as
mangrove red snapper, emporers and giant sweetlips. Great barracuda often patrol
here too.
Manta Alley is always one of the most frequently requested dives on any Komodo
liveaboard, provided that you can handle the chill of these southern waters.
Manta Alley Reef Basics: Pinnacles and plateaus
Depth: 5 - 30m
Currents: Gentle
Surface conditions: Can be choppy
Experience level: Beginner - intermediate
Red Beach
Red Beach (Pantai Merah) is located just in front of
the old dragon feeding station in the eastern part of
Komodo Island, directly across the bay from
Komodo Village.
Snorkelling here is excellent over a healthy shallow
reef. Diving is at the sloping reef edge where the
bottom drops down to 25 metres. Half way along
the beach front is the best spot, where the reef
slope gives way to a more abrupt wall with lots of
green branching cup corals and stinging hydroids.
Thousands of fish of every colour and shape are here including yellow damsels, regal
angelfish, checkerboard wrasse, masked unicornfish and schooling reef fish such as
striped fusiliers, against a beautiful backdrop of acripora corals, gorgonian fans and
sponges. Frogfish also hang around the wall, blending in colourfully with their host
sponge and surrounds.
Mantis shrimps are always in attendance with their housekeeping as they remove rock
from their burrows. Their darting bulbous eyes are thought to be the most complex in
nature, and they can strike prey with a crustacean karate chop from its claw, hard
enough to crack a pane of glass. Other common residents in the Komodo rubble and
sand substrate are crocodilefish, shrimp gobies and burrowing jawfish, protecting their
broods of eggs in their agape mouths.
Red Beach Reef Basics: Fringing reef
Depth: 5 - 25m
Visibility: 5 - 15m
Surface conditions: Calm
Experience level: Beginner - intermediate
White Angels
Off the north west point of Gili Banta, north east of
Komodo, the White Angels steep reef and wall are
at their best early morning when pelagic fish are out
to feed on the bounty provided by the swift
currents.
From a shallow sheltered bay the reef quickly drops
to 35m and then beyond. You'll need to swim
against a current over a short distance to gain the
corner of the bay, but once around it's all plain
sailing as you drift along assisted by the currents
with queen mackerel, yellowtail tuna and grey reef
sharks.
A quarter of an hour or so into your dive and you'll come into a shallower reef section
in still water. Here you'll find a fantastic array of sponges and corals.
Lionfish, batfish and oval-spot butterflyfish are here, along with countless and colourful
nudibranches.
White Angels Reef Basics: Reef and wall with pelagic action
Depth: 5 - >40m
Currents: Strong and can run vertically up and down
Surface conditions: Calm
Bali Dive Sites
Lembongan Island and Nusa Penida
Lying across the Badung Strait from Sanur is Bali's premiere scuba diving destination the clear waters of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida islands. With its adjacent deep
water trenches, the main attraction of diving at Lembongan Island is the common
encounters with the curious and otherwise very rare oceanic sunfish, or mola mola.
Sunfish are pelagic fish growing 2 metres long. They are found in tropical and
temperate waters, feeding off large plankton and jellyfish. They have large, blunt
heads, heavy bodies and stubbed tails, with elongated dorsal and ventral fins that can
span 4 metres. You will never misidentify a sunfish! They can often be seen at cleaning
stations with attendant cleaner wrasse. They are most often seen in this area from July
to September.
Blue Corner at Lembongan Island can be one of the most exciting dives of your life
but you will need to make sure that you listen very carefully to the advice you receive
from your divemaster. When you descend to about 18 - 20 meters the current grabs
you and you begin the natural rollercoaster ride of a lifetime. There is plenty to see as
you race by, as the currents bring with them lots of food for the residents of the reef.
The Nusa Lembongan currents also attract pelagic fish so keep an eye out in the deep
blue for them and sunfish.
Ped is the most popular dive site on the nearby Nusa Penida north coast, as it tends to
offer currents milder than some of the other sites at Lembongan. Healthy low lying
hard coral reef banks slope gently to 20 metres, then down to 40 metres. Occasional
manta rays and schools of chevron barracuda add to the rich variety of smaller fish
which seem to prefer the calmer waters of Ped.
Wonderful barrel sponges and gorgonians can be seen in the deeper waters, and sea
snakes can be seen on almost every dive. With the reef extending up to within 5
metres of the surface your safety stop will allow time to spot moray eels, titan
triggerfish and the brilliantly coloured emporer angelfish. Be careful not to touch the
reef as the local scorpionfish are notoriously difficult to spot.
Crystal Bay is perhaps Nusa Penida's best dive site. It is located in the south west of
the island and features a shallow bay, carpeted in corals. The bay provides shelter
from current and is a good place to start your dive. Apart from the superb corals in the
bay, the big attraction here is that this area is a favourite spot for mola mola, which
gather to be cleaned on the slopes of the reef just outside of the bay.
Along the remote cliff edges that form the southern coastline of Nusa Penida is a dive
site called Manta Point. Here the sea is quite shallow, cool and can have strong
surge. The water is often quite murky too due to the plankton which attracts mantas,
often in small groups. The manta rays come here to feed and often stay for quite a
while, seemingly oblivious to the attentions of observant divers. If you give them space
then you can watch them circling about for most of the dive in depths ranging from 18
metres up to the surface.
Blue Point, or Jack Point, offers an excellent snorkelling destination on Nusa Penida
and interesting shallow dives which can be enjoyed by divers of all levels of
experience. If you descend below 12 metres however, the currents become strong and
more experienced divers can enjoy a great ride over unusual corals.
Keep an eye to the deep water as sunfish and white-tip and black-tip reef sharks are
regular visitors to this dive site. Given the possibility of strong currents it is a good idea
to have your own safety sausage and a signalling device for attracting attention at the
surface. Expect to encounter chilly thermoclines in the deeper water.
Diving conditions around Nusa Lembongan Island and in the Nusa Penida MPA can
vary. While there are plenty of dive sites which, at the right time, can be perfectly
suitable for the less experienced divers, those who actively seek strong current will not
be disappointed. The currents can usually be predicted from the tide tables but at
certain sites they can increase (sometimes reaching 5 knots), decrease or shift
direction with no advance notice, and may also vary dramatically with depth.
All divers should be aware that the upwellings from the deep water south of Bali, which
keep visibility here clear, can also make the water rather cold so you may wish to pack
your scuba gear accordingly.
Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Penida Reef Basics: Sunfish and pelagic encounters
Depth: 8 - 40m
Currents: Can be very strong
Diving season: All year round, but can be difficult June to September
Tulamben and the USS Liberty Wreck
There are many exciting attractions to diving in
Tulamben, northeast Bali:
Just 30 metres from shore lies the broken 120 metre
long wreckage of the the USS Liberty Wreck, a
World War II cargo ship. The Liberty was torpedoed
by a Japanese submarine out in the Lombok Strait,
11 January 1942, but was able to limp back to
shore. Unable to quite make port, its captain steered
the ship onto the beach at Tulamben.
Here the boat remained until 1963, when laval flow from Bali's last great volcanic
eruption from nearby Mount Gunung Agung pushed the vessel back into the water.
The wreck now lies parallel to shore on its side, with its deck facing furthest from
shore.
The most famous of Bali scuba diving spots and the most popular of the Tulamben
dive sites, the wreck is now completely covered in healthy coral growth, and the
numerous structural holes provide endless opportunities for exploration. Soft corals
dominate here, with crinoids, featherstars and hydroids.
Large fish species that frequent the wreck include sunfish, great barracuda, Napoleon
fish and scribbled filefish. Reef fish here common to Bali diving are peacock grouper
and coral trout, regal angelfish and surgeonfish. Heading back towards shore on your
dive you'll see a colony of spotted garden eels, heads swaying as if in a breeze, and
goatfish nuzzling through the sandy rubble.
Night diving on the Liberty Wreck is particularly memorable and popular, being so close
to shore. There are spectacular colourful beams of marigold cup corals, and hundreds
of shrimp greet you at every corner. Common lionfish stalk their prey as well as the
rare and nocturnal oscellate dwarf lionfish. Cocooned and sleeping parrotfish are quite
common, and you may even see the rather strange sight of free-swimming crinoids, in
search of a new hold.
At the east end of the beach is the famous Bali dive site of Tulamben Wall. The wall
drops off to 60 metres, has large barrel sponges, and is characterised by 3 main spurs
and an overhang at 18 metres. There is 1 magical, purple gorgonian fan at 27 metres.
This gargantuan is over 3½ metres tall and in perfect health.
Here you can see small families of bumphead parrotfish, growing close to 2 metres!
More commonly you'll see fairy basslets, pufferfish, hawkfish and damselfish. The
shallow black ash sand here plays host to ornate ghost pipefish and even cometfish.
Tulamben House Reef, located in front of the scuba resorts, is an ideal student
learning ground. With shallow areas at 5 metres and a maximum depth of 25 metres,
this reef hosts many of the common fish such as wrasses, snappers, parrotfish,
butterflyfish, as well as more unusual frogfish, scorpionfish and nudibranchs.
Overall, Tulamben remains the most popular destination for scuba diving in Bali.
Tulamben Reef Basics: Wall diving and reef
Depth: 5 - >40m
Currents: Easy
Experience level: Beginner - advanced
Diving season: All year round, but can be difficult December to March

maio 2014 komodo

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