I had a great stay in Anilao, and ... the Philippines, and was ready to begin my next adventures in Indonesia. If you look on the map, it looks like a straight shot from Manila to Manado … but the airlines have different ideas. The best flights for me turned out to be from Manila, to 12hrs in Singapore, then to Manado.
So back to the Manila airport. I left at 9am, to make my 5pm flight, which was a good plan. I didn’t know that not all Jeepneys went to the Grand Terminal, so I got on the wrong Jeepney, and had to transfer. The big bus and taxi to the Airport went smoothly. But then I went to the wrong terminal in Manila… totally my fault. But it took another 45min to get from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 by slow bus, that you have to pay for. So I arrived with 1hr to spare.... barely :)
I arrived at the Singapore airport at 9pm. It could have been 9am, or 12noon. Singapore airport reminded me of Las Vegas; you couldn’t tell if it was day or night. And, there are lots of things to do, open 24 hours! But, first things first. My new iPhone 8 locked up, the screen was not responding. Of course there is an Apple store at the airport and i spent an hour with a tech there. He could not fix it, although he tried desperately and apologetically. So i left wondering what i was going to do without a phone … a phone that i always thought i never needed; but now seemed lost without it. He showed me what to do and what was supposed to happen. I kept trying periodically for several hours, and at some point, it magically responded to the prompts. Whew!
In the meantime, I entertained myself walking around at the various beautiful gardens they have displayed with all kinds of flowers and cactus.
They even have a ButterFly Garden… yes, right in the airport. It was night and dark, so they were all hiding and sleeping; but i managed to find a few pretty ones. I took a lot of photos … but i don’t know what happened to them :( They’ve disappeared from my camera and computer. I cleared my memory card, and i guess i forgot to input them into my computer before doing so.
I found a nice lounge area for sleeping, but it was invaded by 5 screaming running 4-6 year olds … with no adult in sight … just running around the airport. All the people attempting to rest were wide awake looking around for a parent. Ugly American that i am, and a tired one, with no fondness nor tolerance for naughty children; i took matters into my own hands. I rounded up the kids and put my fingers to my mouth to ‘shush’, and rested my head on my hands to show ‘sleeping’ and pointed to all the people. HA … it worked ! they quietly left … triumph !
I got a little rest, and boarded the flight for Manado at 9am. I thought these little islands looked like ‘cat eyes’ …. yes, i miss Mufasa :(
Manado and Lembeh Island are in N.Sulawesi. Last year my friend Kim and I were in Bunekin. You can see it in the map, off the west coast, and we did a lot of snorkeling. We considered Lembeh, but after looking at the prices, knowing that it is mostly for diving, and considering how happy and comfortable we were snorkeling in Bunekin, we decided against it.
Lembeh is an island on the east side of N.Sulawesi, about an hour from the Manado airport.
The water in-between the mainland and the island is known as Lembeh Straits. This is a volcanic region so the sand here is black/brown. For some reason this attracts many small creatures; and they call this 'Strait' their home. It is known as the ‘Muck Diving Capital of the World’ … a title that other areas also now claim. Muck Diving has become very popular, and all Dive Shops are clamoring around to find 'small critters' to get in on the action. But, i think Lembeh Straits may have been the first, certainly the most well-known.
If i’m doing the Muck Diving ‘thing’, i might as well go all the way. After much research, i found Two Fish Divers, one of the few resorts servicing Lembeh Straits, and had the best ‘Sleep Eat Dive’ package. So i splurged!
I had some difficulties clearing security in Manado. They tore my luggage apart, and kept saying ‘pills’. Yes, i have LOTS of pills, and i was a bit worried. But he narrowed in on a small pack of about 6 Excedrin, and a bag of ‘silica’ packets, (used to reduce moisture). He didn’t understand the ‘silica’ and with a stern look; took both away for ‘further analysis’. After about 30min, he let me go. I still don’t know what he was looking for.
In the meantime, the TwoFish driver, Ronald, was patiently waiting with my name on a sign… that was special for me; no fighting with all the taxi drivers. I'm paying the big bucks, and living the high life now! An hour later, we were at the Straits just outside of Bitung. ‘My’ boat was waiting for me and this is the first sight of my home for the next 4 nights. Of course i loved it here, it was quiet, there were no cars nor motorcycles !
Everyone was very welcoming and i got set up with my dive gear and had one of the best meals of the trip. At a 'proper' restaurant right at the resort. Because of my normal 'budget' establishments, i am not accustomed to such service.
Then to bed, ready for a 7am breakfast, and a full day of diving.
At 7:45 we were on our way to our first dive site. My Guide was Rully, and again, an AMAZING young guy with a talent for finding the un-seeable.
I have a new acronym for this new ‘diving passion’ of mine. D.E.S. Repeat Repeat and Repeat, that is (Dive, Eat, Sleep). There is no time for anything else. I can understand that snorkeling may be tiring, but i never thought that scuba diving would be. But it is ! They tell me that breathing all that compressed air is part of the reason. They say that Nitrox Diving alleviates that, but i’m not there yet.
Full Disclosure: I really like to identify what i see; but searching the internet to find the names is frustrating and very time-consuming. Especially the Nudibranchs. There are 3,000+ Nudis, and most of them just have their ‘scientific name’, which i can’t pronounce, and are no fun. There are many variations in color from place to place; and many labeled as ‘undescribed’. So, i’m not going to try to identify them in the future. Unless someone tells me a ‘cute common’ name.
Some of the Nudis I saw:
Two here, i saw them referred to as 'Orange and Purple' :)
Two more ...must be mating season
Rully's pointer of about 1/4", shows how small this one is
The book says that this is a 'rare find'. And yes, everyone that didn't see this, wants to see it. It is a Phyllodesmium longicirrum, or Solar Powered Nudibranch; and that’s a fact too :) They feed on soft corals, and they are able to remove the algae from the coral's tissues, and keep it intact, and store it in their 'cerata'. The algae continues to photosynthesize and begins to supply the Nudi with an ongoing supply of manufactured sugars. If you look at the cerata at the back of the photo, you can see the white ducts of the digestive gland radiating out to the brown 'gardens' where the algae is growing.
Due to the fact that it's cerata are so 'flat' ... they act as Solar Panels !!!!!!!!! It is thought that as much as a quarter of the Nudi's energy needs are supplied this way. Isn't Mother Nature amazing ... when she's not pissed off :)
What about the poor algae? Not to worry, they breed within the Nudi's body.
The next two are called T-bar Nudis because of their shape, i imagine. But of course, both have different scientific names.
I took many many photos of 'some small part' of this Nudi from a different angle, and didn't know what i was photographing. It wasn't until i started to leave and looked at a different angle, did i realize what i was 'supposed' to be taking a photo of :(
Cute, these Chromodoris all look like little Bunny Ears
They said this one is a Nudi, but it’s name is Worm Lomanotus, and everyone was excited about it
Very colorful Nudi. This Nudi uses it's cerata to retain some of the stinging cells from their food to then reuse them in their own defence. Some are so strong they can severely sting humans.
This is a Pilsbury Headshield Slug ... you have to wonder about that name. It really stood out on that sand though, and easily identified.
We saw Nudis that i have not seen before; and some repeats. And one special one that was SPECTACULAR. Everyone knew it's name: Melibe viridis ... an amazing find ! It was about 5", big enough for me to easily observe. Notice the little Shrimp taking a ride.
They have no teeth but have developed an oral veil, like a "fish net" which they use to constantly scan the bottom as they crawl along. When the inner edge of the oral veil touches a small crab or crustacean, the edge of the veil is rapidly contracted, trapping the prey, which is then ingested. Because of the way this 'veil' moves, i am naming it the Amoeba Anemone. If you watch this video, i think you will know why. or: https://youtu.be/3QD7vDxagr4
Honestly, .... i was taking a photo of this Emperor Shrimp before i realized that he was riding on something more exciting, that i should be paying attention to... the above Melibe viridis
We saw other Shrimps too, this is a Skeleton Shrimp. Amazingly small and skinny
and a Snapping Shrimp on a matching Crinoid
They told me this is a Sea Star Shrimp, surely is flattened out
Also saw a Tiger Shrimp, these are hard to resist because of their intricate pattern. Also a favorite among divers.
We saw a different Mantis Shrimp, this one with Pink 'ears' ... thus his name ... a Pink Ear Mantis Shrimp. There were a lot of other small ones poking their heads out of their holes. Now i've seen at least 3 different Mantis Shrimps.
Also this Crinoid Shrimp who was very well camouflaged
We did a night dive, and honestly, i was uncomfortable. It was my least favorite dive. There were too many divers in the water so visibility was clouded, and i wasn't sure where my 'group' was. So i spent more time looking around so i didn't get lost, than looking down. My light wasn't very bright; but luckily one of the other divers were kind enough to shine their light my way occasionally.
And after looking at my photos, i guess i saw more than i realized. And Rully obviously was keeping an eye on me; so i probably didn't need to worry. He kept pointing at this skinny orange thing in the sand, so i took the shot. hummm, he was right :) It's Sea Star Shrimp.
While we are on the Night Dive, i do remember seeing 2 crabs, ...by myself :)
This one is a Sponge Crab, and he did/does look kind of 'spongy'
I think this is an ArrowHead Crab, but maybe not. He was looking at me asking me to take his picture
and this big bright red one, hard to miss. I easily found this one in a book, it was listed as Undetermined Decorator Crab :)
Rully showed me this ugly White Margin Star Gazer Fish ... just waiting beneath the sand with his eyes and mouth exposed, ready to grab dinner. Described as an 'ambush' predator. Creepy
But ... not as creepy as this next one. When we got back in the boat, everyone was really excited... except me. They saw the Bobbit Worm !!!!!!!!!! Oh that was a big thing, and on everyone's 'list' of things they wanted to see. Well i didn't know what a Bobbit Worm was, nor did i see one. Poor Me.
But, when i got home i checked it out on YouTube. OMG, i'm kind of glad i didn't know what it was. It's a terrifying animal. It's body is as long as an arm, and just it's mouth parts and claws are above ground. It has no eyes, and no brain; the antennae on top of it's head triggers a reaction if anything touches it ... including a absent-minded diver's hand !!!!!!!
'There’s just something about the way the seabed heaves with the prey's final, desperate attempts at life' that makes it so gruesome.
But you should really just see it for yourself on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_7ByiYbCYM
Oh, and someone told me it got it's name from Lorena Bobbitt 1993 .... not sure if it's true; you can form your own opinion after watching the video. I also had to Google Lorena, and found out that just this February there is a docu-series out about her and her story of abuse; .... who knew?
So later, i am looking at my photos ... YES, i have a photo of the Bobbit Worm! I do remember Rully insisting that i take a photo of something in the sand. He really took good care of me !
Many people were excited to see this Cockatoo WaspFish, a new one to me. A member of the ScorpionFish family, so don't touch it. Obviously it gets it's name from that dorsel fin, Cockatoo 'doo' on it's head
We also saw a CuttleFish swimming around that night
I found these 'things' in the water during one of the day dives. I was told they are BigFin Squid eggs, a cousin to the CuttleFish. No momma in sight :(
One more cool thing we saw on the night dive. A Wonderpus Octopus ... also on many 'lists'. Ok, so we really saw a lot on the Night Dive; i just wasn't comfortable.
During the day dives we saw other kinds of Octopus ... a Long Arm Octopus, he does have long arms
and here he is making his escape; ...yes, long arms
I spent some time watching a Coconut Octopus, waiting for him to come out of his shell. Just peeking over the edge at me. Great eyes !
He refused, and eventually, (notice his suction cups on the back of the shell)...... he just used them and closed the door in my face! He just locked himself up inside is shell. It was cute, as if he said, 'I've had enough of you staring at me'. Wish i would have had the video on !
Later on in that dive, he must have come out and i caught this posture
CuttleFish are cousins of the Octopus. This is a Juvenile BroadClub CuttleFish. He was so cute and so tiny swimming around all by himself. So tiny and unprotected, i wonder how they survive.
And, we saw another Flambouyant CuttleFish !
They are simply irresistable. I don't know anyone who isn't happy to just sit and watch them during their dive. A short video here, or at: https://youtu.be/lssIKOn8cTA
We saw a crab i had not seen before. It's a Soft Coral Porcelain Crab and looks like an Orchestra Maestro. If you look closely, you can see his transparent fan-like claws, waving in the air.
This distinguished character is called a Crinoid Squat Lobster; and why not a Zebra Squat Lobster? Almost everything is so small, and he was no exception
I enjoyed watching this colorful Hermit Crab
We saw many SeaHorses, some were just moving along the sand like this one
Others, like this one, that was holding on to a Sea Pen for stability
And, thanks to Rully's eyes AND patience, i actually took all three of these photos ! Always a great 'find' and envy of all divers! The Pygmy SeaHorse match their home so perfectly !
He was looking right at me :)
If you took a grain of rice, and sliced it in half lengthwise, you can get an idea of how tiny these little ones are. That's why they are called Pygmy Sea Horses. This was a special day :)
A close relative of the SeaHorse, is the PipeFish. This is a Robust Ghost PipeFish
The one on the right is the seaweed. They match a blade of seaweed grass perfectly, ....
Not only in size and shape, but also in movement. This video is testimony to that. Here or: https://youtu.be/S_V1gRJYaDY
Happy that i got to see two Ornate Ghost Pipefish, adult and baby below. This one is reddish in color. The one in Anilao was white.
We also saw some fishes. I recognized this small fish as a TriggerFish, but i've never seen one like this before. It is a Juvenile Blue TriggerFish, also called Rippled TriggerFish Juvenile, which is more descriptive for the Juvenile. She played a game of hide and seek with me, but i persisted. Really pretty colors !
This little darling is a juvenile Yellow Box Fish. About the size of a pea. How can you not just say ‘awwww’. Again, how do they survive in this big bad sea
Another little one, it’s a Juvenile Puffer Fish, about the same size
There isn’t much color down on the black sandy bottom, that you can actually ‘see’. These Tunicates were very noticeable. A bright spot in an otherwise rather bland setting.
This gigantic Trumpet Fish was hiding among one of the few coral stands in the area. I've never gotten that close to a TrumperFish before.
The Flying Gurard reminds me of one of my very first snorkel trips with Kathy Dilsaver. It's a long story, but she will remember what i am thinking of. Fun times!
This is a cool video of one in action; digging in the sand, picking things up and spitting them out. Check out those 'wings' ... aka pectoral fins. Also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/98Oh5iiIyEU
This Blue Spotted StingRay visited for awhile.
We saw several small FrogFish.
FrogFish generally don't move much. They have an 'appendage', like a fishing pole, from the top of their head. There is 'bate'-lure' at the end that attracts prey. When any prey get close, the FrogFish quickly sucks them in. Large or small, they can take prey possibly 2x their size !
Rully called this one a Shaggy Hairy FrogFish. I know it's hard to tell what it is. The 'eye' is in the middle of the photo. That might be his 'lure' in the bottom right corner.
i recently read that the Painted FrogFish has dark spots or rings that cover it's body. i'm thinking this could be a Painted FrogFish.
Such a bright color
They are always a treat that divers and photographers flock to see; even the not so 'cute' colorful ones
We glided past a giant golden coral and i remembered that we've seen FrogFish on it before. Rully passed it by, but i lingered and found this little one tucked inside. I banged my tank, and this time, everyone came running. i love how their front legs are splayed, holding them in place.
This monster of only 5" is a Hairy FrogFish. Very cool and interesting-looking FrogFish
His 'lure' is made up of numerous worm-like appendages that are thick and very visible. I thought they were extending out from his nose; but maybe it's that 'white' on the top of his head.
I think that wraps up my 'Muck Diving' experience for this year. Two Fish Divers are a large group of dive shops in many other places in Indonesia. Well respected, and well-earned. Although only 4 nights there ... it was amazing !
The sunsets were beautiful too :)
On to my next adventure ..... in the Jungle !!!!!
