Bali Echo - Regular Section

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December/January, 1998
No. 032/VI/97

cover story

Christians in
Paradise
How Christianity came
to Bali

Once Upon a
New Years Eve
MC-ing a New Year's
Eve party during a
blackout

bali focus:
nusa dua and
jimbaran

The Origin of
Nusa Dua
A fable

People of a
Fertile Sea
The fishers of
Jimbaran beach

Center Stage
Steve Charles revamps
the Candraloka
Amphitheatre

Nusa Dua Nights
How to survive them

The Sacred
Wilderness
Colonial encounters with
Bali's southern peninsula

arts and
culture

Latter Day
Laksamana
A.A.M. Djelantik's
recently launched
autobiography

Kulkul
new Fiction by Gde
Aryantha Soethama

The Rat Pack
Who are Bali's literati?

beyond
bali

An Eddy in The
Counter of Time
Kayaking off the west
coast of Lombok

Slick and Cool in
Sengigi
Round midnight at the
famed Lombok resort

regular

Fashion

Adventure
Into the blue

Food
Jewel of the southren rim

Jungle Drums

Bali Update

On the Road

Home Grown
Made Adi Putra

advertising index for
Bali Echo web site

From Tulamben's pebbled shore the ocean looks unruffled and normal. The water stretches unbroken to meet the sky at the blurred horizon. There are no distinct clues hinting at what lies below the surface, except perhaps the small groups of divers that regularly emerge from the depths. The wreck is incredibly accessible, lying on the ocean bottom only about 40 meters from the beach. The ocean waves are calm, the current is minimal and you don't have to be an Olympian swimmer to make your way to the site, which is at most 15 seconds from shore. Right off shore the waters are rife with fish and coral. As I made my way towards the wreck the ocean bottom dropped away drastically, which was a little overwhelming since I am used to snorkeling in shallower areas. The water became a wall of blue and I was quickly engulfed by a school of foot-long, neon-blue fish. The divers are in the habit of feeding bananas and rice leftovers to the fish, who are unafraid and often quite brazen when they see someone coming. I was swimming in about 40 meter deep, navy blue water when I spied the shadowy brown shape of the Liberty II's bow. My first sighting of the ship, which was my first wreck, was like discovering a lost Atlantis, stumbling across a world lying dormant and benign beneath the sea. It was so breathtaking I actually gasped into my snorkel. I hovered for what seemed hours above the ship, above a gaping black hole in the bow that seemed to sink into infinity. The clarity was quite surprising considering the water's depth. The line of the ship, which runs parallel to the shore, can be followed, but the clearest point was at the bow, where a metal winch anchored to the deck reaches just a few feet below the water’s surface.

I was quite content to bob on the surface to examine the ship, however I must add that some of the more startling creatures I watched were the colorful, geared out divers crawling along the ocean floor towards the ship and disappearing from view. Next time, I may explore the Liberty II from their vantage, but until then I will continue to appreciate the simple and accessible pleasure of floating on the waves to peer into the depths below.

Bali and Lombok's shores offer world renown underwater paradises. A snorkeling tour of the area shouldn’t miss Lombok’s Gilis Air, Menu and Trawangan. There are also some less known sea world havens off Lombok's south shore, such as Gili Nanggu, which is just a short fishing boat ride from Lembar where the ferry from Bali and the Mabua Express dock. In Bali, there are enticing reefs and waters off the Bali Barat National Park, including Menjangan island. Lovina's reef is easily accessible off shore or by boat, the water is clear and lucky snorkelers might get the thrill of sighting the dolphins for which the area is famous. In the East, Amed, near Tulamben, is another quiet corner where the snorkeling is excellent with an accessible coral reef just off shore. Nusa Penida and Lembongan islands, which are about a 30 minute boat ride from the Sanur coast, are two popular dive and snorkel sites where sea turtles and manta rays are just some of the exotic marine life one can encounter. In south Bali, snorkels can be rented at just about every hotel in Nusa Dua and you can walk off the beach to explore at your leisure. The Tanjung Benoa peninsula is the water sports centre for Nusa Dua and boat outings can easily be organized to visit the reef. On the south west side, Padang Padang beach near Uluwatu is said to offer good snorkeling and equipment can be rented at one of the few sleepy beach-side warungs in the area. There are surely countless other bays and beaches that line Bali's shore where a peek below the water will reveal an abundant and vibrant reef life. The rest of Indonesia is there to explore as well. With more than 13,000 islands in the archipelago, its just a matter of putting on a mask and venturing into the water to take a look.

By Jaye Wood