As days dive by at Nusa Lembongan

Selfi in front of some mantas on Manta Point, Nusa Penida.

I went to Nusa Lembongan for the diving, and that it pretty much what I have been doing. I have been out for 2 dives every day expect the day I got here and the the day I left. I learned about this island last year when I was in Labuan Bajo from Helen and Peter at Aquatic Alliance, who have set up their office here, for researching on Manta Rays, and since they have their office at Big Fish, I went out diving with Big Fish. The diving here have been exelent, most of the dives are drift dives, which make it challenging to take photos, since it often is to hard to stop in the current for photos. I went here as well to see manta rays, I must say that I got to see plenty. On all dives we have done to look for mantas, we have seen some. From 3-4 to around 15 at the most,  the 15 we had at manta point. I counted 8 at once.

Manta rays saying hi :-)

Manta Point, Nusa Penida

so that is the minimum, but feel pretty sure that there was some more of them around, and the estimate is about 15. It is the best manta dive I ever have done, or maybe my first experience 2 years ago was better because it was the first time. But here the mantas was around  us for 60 minutes, and we all was starting to do other stuff rather than looking at the fishes.  What allways is good on diveboats here in Indonesia, or the places I have been, is that you get food between the dives, and so we did here as well, nasu campur - rice with some spicy stuff wrapped in paper instead of bananaleaf, and eating it with ours fingers, sanytary? Mabe not, but I must say pretty santitary since we had been "washing" our hands in salt water for an hour before every meal. Tasty and spicy for sure:)

Reef life.

I had the 2 last dives on Nusa Lembongan on my birthday, my 50th in fact, I tought that would be old but I have changed my mind on it. :) The very last of the dives was in a VERY strong current, and some of the dive was a bit out of controll there for a while. No change at all to fight the current, just had to follow the water where it was taking me, and so did the others. I was worry that the current would take me out and down, since I did not had any change to go up close to the reef. Found a corral "head" that I could hide behind, was then in front of the others and was waiting for them, and as it turned out, they tought I was behind them and was waiting for me. I was thinking about going up by myself, but popped my head carefully over the corral"head" and then I saw the bubles of the others coming, and 2 seconds later they passed me as well and I could let go of my grip and follow. I think it this was the first 15 minutes of the dive, and I used up half of my tank in this current, was breathing hard for a while, because of the fight of the current, but also a bit because I was a bit worry. I all calmed down, and got back to the shallow and managed to have a full dive of 50-55 minutes, but then I was back in the boat with 20 bar left on the tank. Even if the last dive was a bit hairy, the rest of them have been great.  

For those of you that follow the news on diving, might read or heard on the news about 6-7 divers that went missing for 3 days outside Bali. 1 turned up dead, 1 have never been found and the last was found on a reef after 3 days. They started their dive on the divesite Mangrove outside Nusa Lembongan, and was found close to the divesite Manta Point at Nusa Penida. I had some dives at Mangrove too, but under good condition, still on a good current. But after I have dived there I understand that it is possible, I do not know what happend when the divers went missing, but I heard it was a sudden rainstorm that took the boat captain, and the divers, with surprise and the visibility was just gone.

Beeing alone on vacation can make one feel lonley, but I can not say I feel it that way, and I have not felt it like that here either. I most likely see more people and talk to more people here than I do at home, and since I have done this solo traveling a lot, I know very well what I letting myself into when I take of by myself. I have meet some nice people on the dive boat, most of them just on the boat and then it is goodbye, but also some folks that I have gone out for a beer with.  

On the Big fish dive boat.

Since I have been diving, I have not been around on ther island, or I have been around it, but that is on a boat. Nusa Lembongan is a small island, I will think the people here live of fishing, seegrassfarming and tourists. It is not many cars on the island, just some small pickup for transporting turists around and most liklely some goods, I have not seen any personal cars here, but a lot of scooters. Not much space for any cars on the roads here anyway, and not any car ferrys goes out here either, so that might also be an explenation for the lack of cars. It is quite a lot of tourist here, but the island do not seem overrun with it, and it is very very different from Bali, and I really like it and would recomend it for anyone that want a quite island with good diving, and also some good surfing as far as I can see. You get here on a fast boat from Sanur, a return ticket is around us$ 50, that also include pick up from some hotels as far away as Kuta.

The place I have been staying at, Lembongan Made Inn is nice and cheap accomodation. They only have 4 rooms, a resturant that is for everyone that want to come, not only the guest sleeping here. I got myself a room on the second floor, and got a terrace and looking out on the ocean and got one of the best sunsets in the world from it. It was the most expencive room they had, I do not remember the price, but it was not much.

Nusa Lembongan sun set.

Good food for a reasonable price, and after what I have seen there is quite a lot of people stopping by for a drink or some food. The owners of the place, amazing. 

Beach outside Lembongan Made Inn.

On March 12th will I return to Bali, will only stay there for one night on a hotel in Kuta, a place I hate even if I only have been there for 24 hours last year unvulentary, and hated before that. This year I have choosed to go there, because it is close to the airport and I got an early plane for Labuan Bajo on Flores on the 13th. I think I have a nice hotel there, and it might be that I do not even leave the hotel from I arrive till I go. Will see.

Labuan Bajo, it is my 3rd visit to that town, and that is also for diving, which is very good in the Komod national park. Looking forward to it, and I will off course go out with Dive Komodo again.