less than 5 meters deep. A reef north of the bay’s mouth makes the opening even narrower than it appears on a land map, and creates a channel that sweeps in and hooks around two islands in the bay’s center. This strong flow, with reported speeds of up to 7 knots, through the strait is what makes the diving in Gilimanuk so interesting. The bay becomes a kind of refugium, a catch tank for larval fish and plankton.
This bay harbors a number of rare jewels for the macro photographer, including odd gobies and dragonets, and such rarities as the juvenile Batavia batfish, a beauty with zebra stripes and ragged fins that seems to want to make itself look like a crinoid.
MACRO HEAVEN IS MIGHTY MUCK
Gilimanuk is not a dive for everyone. Nowhere will you find a sounding of 15 meters or rich stands of coral and abundant reef fish. Secret Bay is a specialty site for photographers and for divers who are looking for something a little different. Secret Bay is best dived during a stay in Pemuteran as most Pemuteran-based dive centers offer day trips here. This caters to divers in both Gilimanuk and around Pemuteran and Menjangan. Trips are also available through the major operators in Sanur and the south of Bali but they usually require a minimum number of divers and an overnight stopover.
Secret Bay is home to many critters, including the hispid frogfish. This one is showing its pompom lure.
When diving north Bali, check every anemone for anemone shrimps and porcelain crabs.
Bali is home to numerous species of lionfish, including Pterois kodipungi, pictured here at Secret Bay.
“I [David Espinosa] wasn’t quite sure what to expect of my first dive at Secret Bay. The wall of fame in the dive center was eye opening, with pictures of multi-colored frogfish, juvenile batfish, seahorses and the bizarre Bobbitt worm, but reports I’d heard from diving friends were mixed.
The first thing that struck me was the water’s temperature. I had been warned by friends that the waters in Secret Bay could be as cold as 22° C. Though the divemaster mentioned that the temperatures are in a constant state of flux, I was overdressed in a 5mm wetsuit.
I also wasn’t prepared for the nondescript landscape. The sand in Tulamben or Amed is broken by strands of coral here and there, but in Secret Bay it is colorless and featureless, and no deeper than 9 meters. The mud-colored sand wasn’t broken by so much as a coral head, though there were various bits and pieces of trash—empty cans and bottles, chip wrappers, strands of rope, entire trees, old anchors and chains and barrels.
It was on one of these rusted barrels that we uncovered our first significant find, for hiding on the inner lip of this rusted hulk the divemaster Made found a family of six red ornate ghost pipefish! After the obligatory cries of surprise, we shot our pictures and moved on.
A few feet away, hiding in a tin can, was a curious little goby being cleaned by a small orange shrimp. Inches to the left a dwarf lionfish took refuge in an empty pipe. When I looked up, Made was missing, off somewhere in the murk—visibility rarely tops 5 meters—hooting up a storm to indicate that he’d found yet another critter.
The rest of the dive was a blur of frantic activity as my buddy and I bounced from place to place as if in some large pinball machine, taking turns shooting the exotic fish Made turned up. After nearly two hours at an average depth of 7 meters I emerged, having seen Jan’s pipefish, banded pipefish, mating cuttlefish, more ornate ghosties, bearded frog-fish hiding amongst the branches of a dead tree and a spiny seahorse.”
5-METER WORMS AND MOSSY SNAKES
“If the day dive was special, I was in for a real treat that night. For when light turns to dark, the really bizarre critters come out. With video in hand, I followed as Made swam furiously towards a predetermined site off in the distance. He halted and pointed with a knowing look in his eye at a yellow disposable Gillette razor stuck head up in the sand.
Just as rumors of a secret site in Bali had spread like wildfire, so too did the tall tales of one of its residents. According to some reports, the Bobbitt worm grew up to 3.7 meters long and lived in crevices deep in the ocean. Armed with vicious fangs, with lightning speed it lashes out from its lair to devour unwary passersby…. If that isn’t the recipe for a great dive! For the entire day we pestered Made, begging him to show us this creature.
The Bobbitt worm wasn’t a disappointment, though if he does grow up to 3.7 meters long the individual we saw had a long way to go. The razor was put in the sand not only to mark his burrow but also to provide a means of comparison. This little guy sported jaws a half inch wide, and he could have only been a foot long. He was playful, though, making quick feints as I switched the strobes on and off, exposing a shiny, spiny underbelly that glowed in brilliant colors of yellow, green, blue and red.
The remainder of the dive was icing on the cake. We saw different frogfish, a mossy sea snake, two more Bobbitt worms and a finger dragonet. Two hours later we emerged from the water spent, but entirely satisfied. We never once ventured deeper than 6 meters, but expended all the air in our tanks and a 60-minute videotape.”
—David Espinosa/David Pickell
The finger dragonet (Dactylopus dactylopus) is a great find. Look out for them when diving Secret Bay.
Nusa Tenggara
Island Hopping in Style
Access 5–15 minutes by speedboat from liveaboard
Current 15–50+ meters
Reef type Light, but swifter further east
Highlights Excellent variety and numbers
Visibility Walls, black sand slopes, pinnacles, submerged reefs
Coral Excellent. Large variety of reef fish and muck critters
Fish Secluded dive spots; good pelagic action
Often passed over because divers are more anxious to arrive in Komodo, the islands east of Bali are blessed with some world-class dives. Variety is the spice of life here, and liveaboards can now offer anything from black sand dives to vertiginous walls covered in hard and soft corals.
The Gili Islands off Lombok’s west coast are a favorite destination for young sun-seeking and party-going backpackers because of the picturesque white sand beaches and non-demanding diving. The main island of Gili Trawangan offers numerous dive schools that coexist amongst the islands many bars and late night hangouts. Although coral rings the three islands, the diving isn’t outstanding as the ravages of fish bombing and El Niño have taken their toll. Still, there is some worthwhile diving on the deeper reefs and quite an assortment of fish life that is ideal for less experienced divers and for those who want pleasant, easy dives. The gentle slopes, which are swept by mild currents, feature an assortment of reef fish, occasionally including trevally, sharks, turtles and the more common angelfish and triggerfish.
The green sea turtle is the second largest species of sea turtle. It
