I had to do a separate posting for my last 2 days of diving at Matahari because I saw so many new critters !
I had 2 more days and decided I would dive with the dive shop at Matahari where I was staying. I had done most of my dives across the street because they were less expensive. But... you know the old saying, 'you get what you pay for' ... But one of the reasons why they are more expensive is because if there isn't anyone else doing 'Muck Diving', you have to pay extra. So I asked if anyone was going Muck Diving the next 2 days, (so I wouldn't have to pay the 'single-supplement fee'). They said they have a couple from Taiwan, and I could ask them if they minded if i joined them. Cathy spoke right up, and said, 'it would be their pleasure' ... WoW ! Which was very nice since she had no idea if this was my 10th dive or my 100th. The guy's name is Star. They were awesome and we formed a great friendship.
They were a lot of fun, Star is a great photographer, and Cathy has GREAT eyes ... in addition to Delon, our Guide. Extra eyes are always good ! We saw so many Nudi's on our first dive, that everyone was in awe. So, get ready for many new Nudi's.
First up is
this Jester Trapania Nudi ... a great name for it with large white dots
on a purple back ground. They were quite excited, as this is a special
one WoW !
These 2 are both Okenia ... both new to me ....Sweet Okenia
and Brown Spotted Okenia
I couldn't see either one of the Nudi's called Trapania ... they were very tiny !
and a Mosaic Trapenia
Another tiny Clown FrogFish, all splayed out ... ... ok, this one is not new :) Fun Fact: FrogFish lay in wait until something comes close enough to attack, and their prey can be larger than themselves. And they can do so in 6 milliseconds flat. To put that into perspective, the reaction time for most humans is more than 200 milliseconds, so if you’re unlucky enough to be on the FrogFish menu, all we can say is… make every day count.
and
a Black FrogFish, that i've never seen before and did NOT want his
photo taken. But i waited patiently, and he settled down.
I've seen this Nudi before .. but also, ... notice the tiny one ... hope he isn't going to be lunch :(
and this spotted Nudi is new and different..... maybe a Hexabranchus ?
Another new to me Nudi
A video of a beautiful colorful Sea Slug, moving quickly across the sand, with it's undulating movements.
The Nudi's with the 'tubes' are interesting. This is a Green Trinchesia, at first i thought those green spiral things were algae... but i guess not, considering the name ...
and so many different colors on this one
a different one, less colorful
and this one with a flare
This is a real pretty Nudi, and it was big enough for me to see, ...and colorful, they are easier to see also.
I don't recall seeing a lot of Nudi's congregating together, but this year, there were many.
the big flat ones are so much easier to see ! Bohol Discordoris
and this Side Gill Slug was easy to see also
Getting away from the tiny tiny .... a video of a BroadClub CuttleFish
Another laugh we had, (and there were many), when we got out of the water and they were excited that we saw an Algae Shrimp ... i was sad that i didn't see it ... then Cathy said, 'you took a photo of it' ... and sure enough ...
and i had 'requested' to see a Hairy Shrimp. I was running out of time to be at depth, so i was trying to stay shallower up a bit, when Delon motioned me to 'come down', and gave the sign for Hairy Shrimp ... i looked at my computer, and i had 3min ... so i quickly descended and took 2 shots ... and quickly went up again ....Whoop Whoop ...I got it! HEY ... notice the EGGS !
.JPG)
My friends were real excited to see this one ... so i was excited too :) It has a great name .. Psychedelic BatWing Slug
At first, all i could see what a fuzzy blob ... but once Delon helped me 'see' this one, i recognized it from a photo that a friend had taken. And I was 'in love' with it. And here it was in front of me ! It's called an Cyerce elegans, or a ButterFly Nudi, and you can see why. WoW what a beauty ~
And, we weren't done yet. There are a group of Nudi's called Doto ... sometimes this one is called Donut Nudi, for obvious reasons. I'd never seen any of these before.
These are 'other' Doto Nudi's
and this one with eggs !
There were several Nudi's that i couldn't 'see' .... and are still a mystery to me. This one is an Eubranchus virginalis
and i think this one is Notarchus indicus ... both weird blobby things ... :)
This is a close up of a Leaf ScorpionFish that i experimented with.
I've posted several photos of Skelton Shrimp. Skeleton shrimp look like, and are sometimes called, "praying mantises of the sea." They have two pairs of legs attached to the front end of their bodies, with three pairs of legs at the back end. The front legs form powerful "claws" for defense, grooming and capturing food. The rear legs have strong claws that grasp and hold on to algae or other surfaces. They use their antennae for filter feeding and swimming.
Our Guide Delon said that this 'striped' Skeleton Shrimp is very unusual ... another first !
There was another very special one, it was on the move .... Black Dash Polycera. It is similar to Thecacera ... but different, according to the specialists.
Some of the Dive Guides at Matahari .. the 'eyes' ... grateful to them ! Delon is on the left. They all had very difficult lives throughout Covid; and the tourists are just now starting to return.
Resident cats ... probably more by now. i was hoping i would get to see some kittens .. but no. Notice the tail ... all of the cats (here and Philippines) have these deformed, short, curly tails .... genetic ?
A couple more photos of the grounds of Matahari ... the walkway through the gardens from my room to the restaurant and waterfront. The walkway is pebbles arranged to form sea creatures.
who glued all those black stones on that pot ?
love the moss on this pot
Staghorn Fern ... i used to have one of these in my house ... back in the 'day' .. smaller :)
many, many Bonsai
and the pool / restaurant
On 4 April, Pena picked me up at 9am and took me to Palm Beach Hotel in Kuta, close by the Denpasar airport (DPS). I took a walk down to the beach and found this gigantic monument. I couldn't believe that I don't remember it from when i was here 3 other times. When i asked at Reception, they said it was just finished in November 2022, which made me feel better that i just wasn't observant :)
After much research (and help from Pena), this is what i've learned. Decades ago, German Beach (Jerman Pantai) was a major Harbour, before erosion took place and the Airport was built. The main statue (and maybe the others) was sitting in the roadway out by the Airport. The main one is Dewa (Lord) Baruna, the God of the Sea and Rain, protecting from Tsunamis, and is 60ft tall. The one on the left is Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, the Queen of the Southern Sea of Java, she rules the ocean, the spirits, nymphs, and other beings from the underworld. It is held responsible for disappearances and deaths near or in the ocean, and 30ft tall. The 3rd is Dewi Quan, she represents mercy and compassion and is popular in the East and the West, also 30ft. I couldn't find any info on the dragons, nor the turtle.
Here is a photo ... it's massive !
When the airplanes take off, they fly right over it ...
I spent 1.5 nights there, since my flight left at 1am, I booked 2 nights and just left early on the second night. I thought it was best to try to be well rested before 40hrs of travel. I had dinner on the beach both evenings. This is from the last night.
So ends my 2023 Adventure. It was great to be back in both the Philippines and Indonesia, and get to visit the friends that i have made there, and meet new ones. The diving was GREAT, I met so many new critters ! I just wish that the new light that I bought for my camera had worked... i really was disappointed about that. But, there is always next year, right ? I do plan to return!
Thank you all for coming along with me, and for your kind words and encouragement. It really means a lot to me when i'm so far from home. I returned home on 6 April as scheduled.
Fun Facts: 71 days : 52 dives : 62hrs underwater : 2,141 dive photos/videos saved (and as many deleted) : 189 snorkel photos
Note to Self: The Denpasar Airport has wonderful 'pay and go' food choices. Manila Airport is terrible.
dp
