|
There are two main dive spots at
Padang Bai: Pura Jepun and Tanjung Bungsil. We rate these sites as slightly better than
those off Nusa Dua or Sanur, but a damn sight colder. Bring a wet suit if you're going to
dive this area. A good, deep chill can take the pleasure out of any dive.The
ride to Padang Bai from the Kuta-Nusa Dua-Sanur triangle is a long, traffic-clogged 60
kms.
 Padang Bai
is the port for the five-times-a-day Lombok ferry run, and things can always get a
bit congested near the dock area. It's far more convenient to dive
this spot from Candi Dasa, just 15 minutes away. Before diving, you will suit up on the
beach, at the restaurant favored by your dive operator. Most small dive groups are
taken to the site in little local outriggered fishing canoes powered by small outboard
motors. It's usually just two divers per craft, so if you have a large
group, the little armada plays follow-the-leader to the site. There will probably be some
spray just as you leave the harbor, and it may follow you further on if the wind is
up. Both dive sites are a short 10-15 minutes away.
Pura Jepun
We started our first dive about 50 meters from shore, just
opposite a small temple shrine (pura) called Pura Jepun, after the Balinese word for
frangipani, although no flowers were in evidence along the stretch of coast leading to our
entry point. (The shrine sits on a little cape, also called Jepun, so the site is
sometimes called Tanjung Jepun.) After leaving the harbor, we headed northeast along the
coast, passing Blue Lagoon Bay with an idyllic white sand beach at its back. A rocky
point, against which some pretty large waves crashed, marked the end of Blue Lagoon, and
from there to the Pura Jepun site the steep hills ended in small cliffs. These
look like they drop straight down to the depths, but unfortunately continue
only 2-3 meters under water. At this point the bottom levels off quickly to a wide
terrace at 6-10 meters.
We jumped overboard and began our drift dive, pushed back the way we came by a
slight, less than one-knot current. Further out from the initial, 6-10 meter terrace, a
slight slope eases down to 15-20 meters, followed by flat sand at 40 meters. After a very
quick look in the deeper areas, we restricted our- selves to 6-12 meters,
where we had determined most of the animal life was to be found. Coral
formations were scattered, although there were quite a number of giant anemones, crinoids
of varying colors, odd clumps of tunicates and a few sponges. The bottom remained quite
flat across our "flight path" until we reached the rocky point that marks the
entrance to Blue Lagoon Bay, where a sheer wall drops close to 40 meters. Visibility
throughout the dive was a decent enough 10-12 meters. Since we remained in quite shallow
water during most of the dive, we were treated to several schools of elongated surface
feeders: silvery, pencil-thin keeled needlefish (Platybelone Plat Yura) and
halfbeaks (Hemiramphus sp.), and only slightly more substantial arrow barracuda
(SPhyraena novaehollandiae). I disturbed a peacock flounder (Bothus manchus), delicately
patterned to blend in with the sand, quite unlike its namesake.
It is only when the fish swims slowly that one can appreciate its colorful back pattern
and strangely positioned eyes. The dive's other highlights included a playful
few minutes with a cuttlefish, and two small lionfish cowering in a vase sponge. Two
blue spotted stingrays also made a brief appearance but disappeared
quickly.
Otherwise, the dive was basically average for Indonesia which is
to say not bad saw lizardfish, hawkfish, yellow trumpetfish, the odd small grouper,
a few oriental sweetlips goatfish, parrotfish, wrasses, butterflies, emperor and
blue-faced angelfish, damselfish-especially plucky sargeant-majors-foxface and lined
rabbitfish a cubefish, a dog-faced puffer, Moorish idols, surgeonfish-including clown
surgeonfish and several electric-blue hepatus tang-and several species of riggerfish.
Although the hard coral was not plentiful, we saw a fair number of anemones, crinoids and
Even though I was not carrying a macro set-up, and was looking for overview shots, I
noticed a very beautiful nudibranch.
Blue Lagoon
 When we
arrived off the wall below the rocky point at the end of Blue Lagoon, we dipped down just
far enough (25 meters) to see a few larger predatory jacks: rainbow runners, a couple of
black jacks, and blue-lined sea breams. There are said to be
occasional strong down-currents towards the base of this wall, but we felt no pull
whatever.
When we were almost out of air, we surfaced and, not seeing our boat around, snorkeled to
the beach at Blue Lagoon, stopping along the way to check out a few coral outcrops in the
sandy bottom. When we clambered out of the surf in our gear, we were the sunbathers'
center of attention. These included four very pretty Italian girls, but unfortunately our
boatman showed up immediately, apologizing profusely for the delay. Arivaderci.
Tanjung Bungsil
After a quick lunch, we headed for Tanjung Bungsil, on the
south side of Padang Bai harbor.
This dive was to be even shallower than the morning's-at the end my computer showed a
maximum depth of 10.2 meters. The very slightly sloping bottom was a bit rockier here than
at Tanjung jepun, with corals growing to within a few meters of the surface. Some large
carpet anemones grew here in the shallows. In places the visibility dropped to a very poor
5-6 meters.
The good variety of fish life here was similar to the morning's dive, We also saw several
six banded angelfish, and a little group of the curious, headstanding shrimpfish. As I
tried (unsuccessfully) to sneak up on a clown triggerfish, a very attractively marked
ringtail wrasse (Cheilinius unifasciatus) swam up and insisted on posing for a portrait.
The dive's highlight was a Titan triggerfish, doing a headstand while furiously snapping
away with its strong teeth at a patch of coral rubble, apparent trying to dislodge an
irresistible hors d'oeuvre.
This big boy's energetic activities attracted a host of camp followers looking for a free
snack: angelfish, butterflyfish, wrasses, goatfish and even a pair of Moorish idols.
Unfortunately, the triggerfish did not allow human beings into his circle of friends, and
abandoned his activities as soon as we approached to within 3 meters. |
