Chanteek Menjangan Island, Bali

Today, Kristin and I hired a driver, boatman, and an underwater guide to take us snorkeling at the Menjangan Island Reefs.  Menjangan Island is part of the protected area of West Bali National Park.  It is a very famous dive and snorkeling site in far West Bali, and many people place it on their shortlist for best in the world.  We can both see why.

 

Java mountains

On our way to Menjangan

Our little boat that we had all to ourselves

Some corals

Yellow fish that would not let me get close enough

The drop off to the ocean below

Lots of life down here

Clown

My nemo shot

Dinner time, hard to tell in this pic, but this was a big fella

So much to see, obviously, this place blew our minds

A big clam

Pretty black, white, and pink fish

They looked like they were on their way somewhere important

Such beautiful colors

I think these are some kind of batfish

Thanks for the pic, Geda

It goes down really deep

Scorpion fish - very poisonous

Can you see him?

I saw this freak on my way up, he let me in close

Geda (our guide) and me taking a break from the chanteek (beautiful)

Bali

A bat cave, click through for all its batty glory

The temple on Menjangan Island

On our way to site number 2

The bigger red guy would climb right into your hands

A Moorish Idol

Some of the coral is so intricate you have to stop

and admire it

I took about 300 pictures underwater, most look like this

An exotic lobster

A weird large fish

Geda cradling a sea cucumber, man those things are weird

 

A fish cruising by

Medusa looking

This fish came to check us out, very friendly.

A Blue clam

Some crazy

This fish had the prettiest markings

Chasing the fish off

Another sea cucumber

Another cool fish escaping my lens

Other-worldly

The deep beyond

We surface to this, wow

Docked

Our pool

Young Balinese girls practicing dance

Tomorrow, we have to get up real early to dive Secret bay, which is in between Java and Bali.  We will hopefully see some serious Strange there.