Muck Tales from Teluk Nara

Off the North-West coast of Lombok, Indonesia, there are a series of idyllic bays, secluded white sand beaches and long stretches of undisturbed coastline. Far away from the hustle of nearby Bali, this area is yet to be discovered by tourism; wherein lies its beauty.

Indonesia is fast emerging as a travel destination because of the increasing network of convenient air connections, not to mention the growth of the international airports in Denpasar and Lombok.

One reason that the massive Indonesian archipelago is visited, is due to its access to some of the world`s best dive spots. The country`s location in the Coral Triangle (an area that marine scientists believe to be the cradle of all marine life), means that the biodiversity is unrivalled.

It is well known that some of the best underwater adventures are to be had in and around the islands of Bali, Lombok, Flores, Komodo and Sulawesi. Not to mention here at Karang Divers on Gili Air. These sites have seen a massive increase in interest from overseas visitors and are frequently hailed as some of the world`s top emerging destinations.

However, due in the past to poor infrastructure and high costs, many of these stunning spots have remained elusively remote, being accessible only by exclusive 5 star resort or luxury charter liveaboard.

But things are changing. Nowhere more obviously than the newly discovered Teluk Nara bay, on the North West coast of Lombok. Within only an hours drive from the new international airport, and only 20 minutes away from the dive opportunities on the three Gili Islands, Teluk Nara is a dive destination in its own right.

For years, keen divers have flocked to an area called the Lembeh Strait, just off the coast of Sulawesi. Here, they take part in a very particular kind of scuba diving known as `muck diving`.

For the uninitiated, muck diving is a very specific art form. The conditions are generally silty/muddy, with low visiblity and a need for good buoyancy. But divers don`t dive in these areas for no reason…they hunt out the strange, the peculiar and the wonderful.

Certain marine creatures can only be found in conditions like these, and they are an underwater photographer`s dream! Not only are there frog fish, seahorses and tiny, blue ringed octopus, but also, the elusive mimic octopus, ornate ghost pipefish and a whole host of other critters not found anywhere else.

The joy of Teluk Nara is that it still remains a secret; unlike the famous Lembeh Strait, divers are not limited only to an enormous budget staying at an all-inclusive resort. Nor is Teluk Nara difficult to reach…SilkAir and Garuda run flights directly onto Lombok, and with Air Asia primed to begin international flights this year, this little gem will not stay quiet for long!

There is also the fact that accommodation options are so varied here on Gili Air; you can have lovely bathrooms and air-con, or go along the route of bargain-basement shack on the beach; the choice is yours!

One of the best reasons to visit this particular part of the world is the volume of choice. With our island, Gili Air, being only 20 minutes away, we were able to take divers yesterday for two nice long dives. Of course, we saw lots of cool and wacky little critters, but even underneath the pier itself makes for great visuals. Soft corals and clams cling to ancient-looking ropes, and troops of squirming catfish patrol the shallows.

This choice, access to stunning reefs as well as astounding muck diving, makes Teluk Nara and Gili Air a must-see for divers interested in an unforgettable experience.

This isn`t the jam-packed scuba factories of Thailand or Egypt; its desert island paradise, with underwater adventures thrown in! What more could you want?

p.s. If this all seems like one enormous advert for Gili Air and Karang Divers, you would guess correctly. The End

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Island Paradise

This morning, I left Gili Air to make a trip to nearby Bali. After writing my list, and checking it twice, I packed my bag and made for the jetty…excited about my fast-boat adventure. However, as soon as the 6 engines revved up (yes, that is 6 engines…they don`t call it fast for nothing!), I experienced a peculiar sinking feeling…figuratively speaking that is.

This feeling is no mystery to me however, and I am not alone. Here at Karang Divers, when our students / customers settle their bills, we all too often hear the words `I wish I could stay longer`. Just Yesterday, Dante and I waved goodbye to a couple from Holland who, after completing their Open Water course with us, were desperate to stay on Gili Air that bit longer. They felt that the whole thing had flown by, and now, with the visa ticking by, they were sad to leave.

I am pretty sure this is a familiar situation for many that visit Gili Air; no matter who they dive with. There is something completely disarming and peaceful about the island. Hassle is at a very bare minimum, there is hardly any obnoxious noise, and the sunsets are inspiring.

Now, of course, I would say this wouldn`t I? I live and choose to make a living here, but a few years ago, I would never have thought that I would call an Indonesian desert island `home`. Not least because of the call to prayer, which, after my first visit to this vast archipelago 6 years ago, I deemed wholly unnecessary and invasive.

However, cycling home through the coconut fields with the chant echoing in the background, I actually find it very reassuring. The same goes for the `island` way of life. Sometimes, the power goes off at night, and the heat cranks up to insane levels, but most visitors to the island look over it; the sight of tealight candles flickering on the beach is such a romantic one.

One will have to forgive me for sounding sentimental, for this is the first time in well over a year, that I have spent a night away from Dante, my partner in crime. It felt odd leaving my fun boat crew behind too…not to mention, the gorgeous turquoise water that splashed around my feet as I boarded the Marina Srikandi. All I could think was;

`Well, that’s great, that is. here I am, about to head for noisy crowded Denpasar airport, and Dante is going to take some brand new divers out to my current favourite site, Manta Point`. I think the word that most sums it up is blind jealousy.

That is not to say that I despise Bali…how could anyone? It`s just that with a few days out of the water, I tend to start feeling land-locked and itchy….even now, as I soar over Java in my Air Asia plane, I keep seeing little drops of land sprinkled around the coast…`I bet the diving there is great`, `maybe it will be quiet so I won`t miss out`, `I get back at 6pm on Sunday…I should do a night dive in the harbour to refresh my skills`. These are all thoughts that occur to me now.

I suppose the point (meandering as it is) is that with Gili Air being so postcard perfect, full of smiling warm locals and swaying trees, it is hard not to get `homesick` for the island I call home; and with the way Maciej and Magdalena looked when they left our little paradise, I know for sure, I got a pretty sweet deal when I agreed to run Karang Divers.

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Foggy Mask

Yesterday, whilst at a site called Air Wall, I spent 55 minutes diving…about 53 of those minutes were spent flooding then clearing my mask of fog. For those not in the know, clearing your scuba mask underwater consists of several steps.

1. Inhale deeply

2. Look up toward the surface of the water

3. Tilt the mask forward and let a rush of salt water fill your mask and nostrils

4. Without inhaling any salty H2O, one then needs to exhale your lung-full of air through the nostrils, whilst still looking up.

5. The exhaled air then forces the water out from the mask.

Hey presto, you have cleared the mask of fog and can continue to see the spectacular underwater topography!

Now, as an instructor at my dive shop, Karang Divers, I am familiar with the mask-clearing skill. Indeed, as any open water diver will tell you, it is one of the first skills divers learn in the swimming pool. For some people, this takes moments to commit to memory. For others, the process is an altogether harrowing experience…especially the first few times it has to be completed.

When I did my open water diver course all those years ago, I did my dives in a group of twenty…all of us knelt, shoulder to shoulder on top of a submerged cargo container in the murkiest, coldest lake in Wales.
All I remember thinking was `Why does this guy want me to deliberately fill my mask with water, then clear it?!? Is he some kind of Padi masochist???!!`

I think it is fair to say that I was not a natural in the water…in fact, I had only learnt to swim a month before my Padi course began! Un-nerving is an understatement!

But the reason that all new divers should learn this technique, is not only to prepare for an accidental flooding of the mask, but also, the scuba divers number one annoyance…a foggy mask.

This fog is created by condensation forming on the inside of the mask and, unlike when snorkelling, one can`t simply lift one`s head out of the water, rinse the fog then continue to swim around. In diving, this would not be practical…who wants to spend half your time underwater going up and down, up and down? (well, maybe free-divers do…but that is a whole other level of idiocy!)

Anyway, my point (vague as it is) remains with the fact that you have to prevent this fog from building up in the first place…there are two ways one can `pre-prepare`.

1. Buy a swanky bottle of divers De-Fog. It looks like hair gel and you apply a fine layer just before diving (you can also use toothpaste for this, but I prefer not as, it makes my eyes minty)

2. Yes, that’s right, the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to prevent build up of fog whilst underwater, is spitting a nice mouthful of saliva into the mask, then rubbing it around before rinsing and placing the mask against one` s face. The squeamish amongst you might cringe, but for scuba divers, this is second nature. There is even a general rule that `the greener, the cleaner` (the saliva that is!)

I am only wittering on about this for one reason…yesterday, in my hurry to get into the water and begin the dive, I forgot to spit in my mask…hence, almost an hour of constant filling/clearing!

Nonetheless, the dive was beautiful, with a fantastic sheer wall that drops 40m into the blue, and a stunning little alcove at 25m that is shaped like an arch, adorned with psychedelic soft coral…I call it the shrine.

Today`s lesson then? Always hock a big gob-full of spit into your mask, to avoid that pesky fog…hooray for saliva glands!!!!!

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