Indonesia: Lombok + Bali + Bangka - July 2015
Leave on a tropical island far from everything, it's good. But to immerse yourself in a tropical sea is better ... For me, happiness is under water! This time, it's happening in Lombok, Indonesia, near Bali ...
New underwater adventures
July 6, 2015. Today is a great day: I'm back under the surface! ! ! My new bubble pool: Sekotong Bay, in the southwest of Lombok (the island that faces the eastern coast of Bali).
I do not care anymore. I have been on a small island for two days, Gili Asahan, and I finally recovered my bag of travel, "Forgotten" by Emirates Company in Dubai... Inside, there are some essential things for my underwater and photographic excursions: my diving equipment and elements for the waterproof case of my device.
Fish and nudibranchs just have to stand ... I'm coming! ! !
Photographing the coral
Sekotong Bay and the "gilis" (islands) of southwest Lombok are still little known, little visited, few dives. Here, I have been told, the funds are less damaged by fishing with dynamite, tourism and the warming of water (which makes the coral bleach) than in the northern gilis (Air, Nemo , Trawangan).
My verdict, after several days of diving: yes, there are beautiful sites in Sekotong Bay, with coral in good shape!
Crown of crinoids.
Gorgon and diver.
But at first, the photographer that I am is a little disappointed by underwater visibility, very bad - and it does not improve much over the days. There is a lot of plankton and particles in suspension, which make the water "foggy" and do not make my task any easier.
But by perseverance - I spend my time adjusting the angle of my single flash and cunning with the sunlight - I end up getting pictures of drinking. It must be said that photogenic subjects are not lacking: large tables of coral, giant barrique sponges, delicate gorgonians, swarms of glass fish ...
A boat passes over a bush of sea fans.
Play of light above the coral.
Small animals
Question fauna, we meet few "big", except some turtles, napoleons and imposing stellate balloon fish. But "small" side, there is enough to have fun.
So, I got a little loose with the macro lens ...
nudibranch
A pipefish takes the pose ...
Diving, diving, diving
Five days fly like a string of bubbles to the surface ... I dive every day, too happy to find the underwater weightlessness and the fascinating little world of the coral ecosystem ... 😁
The sites accessible from Gili Asahan and the nearby Lombok Coast are usually gently sloping reefs, down to sandy bottoms or littered with coral debris. The islands of Sekotong Bay offer quite a bit of different spots, which always allows a B plan when there is too much current at one place ...
Overall, these are sites accessible to divers of all levels. Nothing amazing underwater (we are not at Komodo nor to Sipadan nor to Raja Ampat), but I would still describe the dives in Sekotong as "nice" (especially when we go on visits to sea fans filled with seahorses-Pygmies), that is to say at the height of what we can generally hope in Indonesia. It's worth a dive while visiting Lombok, but I will not make it a diving destination in itself. (Maybe I'm starting to get tough, too?)
Anyway, Sekotong is an interesting area to explore. The "gilis" of the area are really beautiful, quiet and authentic on the "land" plan.
Some practical information
In this summer of 2015, there is (to my knowledge) only two dive structures located in Sekotong Bay itself : Dive Zone and the center Odyssea Divers from the hotel Cocotinos.
I opted for Dive Zone (which recently joined a well-known Indonesian organization, Two Fish Divers, which also has centers in Bali and Manado) and I stayed at Pearl Beach Resort on Gili Asahan. This accommodation is a partner of the diving center, which has its annex on site. (There are other possible accommodations on Lombok itself or the surrounding islands, but it is less convenient for diving every day.)
The "resort" in question consists of a handful of comfortable bungalows (hard) and more simple (bamboo) arranged in a beautiful garden facing the sea. The place is beautiful and very quiet. (What regret that management and food are not the same level, for what I experienced during my stay ... but it can improve.)
Finally, Dive Zone is also the only dive operator to bring people to the site The Magnet. It is a spectacular pebble, battered by waves and currents, off another bay, Belongas Bay, about an hour's drive from Sekotong.
Only divers considered experienced (with more than 100 dives) are accepted because the conditions can be sporty or difficult. I can not recommend too much caution, more than elsewhere, on this very particular site. The reward is that we cross big beasts ... I'll talk about it again, since I went there.
Update: That's it, the article on my dives in Belongas Bay is online! To read here:
→ The Magnet: adrenaline rush
😉
