Yesterday was a 16 hour slog from the Neptune One, in Sorong to the Mangroove Boutique Hostel, in Sumberkima. Two flights and a four hour car ride has us arriving at the Mangroove at 9:00 pm exhausted. We quickly unpack our dive gear as we are diving in the morning.
Menjangan (which means deer) Island is a marine park, part of the West Bali National Park. Endemic deer inhabit the island and are also protected. There happens to be Hindu Temples on the island. Today is a sacred day for blessing etc so there is boat traffic to the island not just for diving.
Our first dive is good, with healthy soft and hard corals and schools of fish. As we get shallow, we see a constant stream of plastic garbage floating in the water. Our dive guide and Murray grab what floats by them, but they can’t get it all. It is quite disturbing as I have never seen so much garbage in the water before. We have a few more days of diving at Menjangan so I hope the garbage isn’t a usual thing in this area.
The next day, we dive the Dream Wall. And it is a dream. The corals, both soft and hard, are exquisite and abundant. We see Blue Spot Sting Rays, flatworms, a green turtle and what looks like a grandpa pufferfish. I could dive that site again.
The diving has redeemed itself from that first dive and I am now looking forward to the next three days.