We
missed our early morning flight to Sumbawa and had to find an
alternate way to get there. There were only two flights a week
to the island, so flying was no longer an option. Simply put,
we had to do a long drive through Lombok to get to our destination.
Fortunately, it was a pleasant ride. We passed through green
fields and villages, seeing golden tobacco leaves harvested
along the way and a nice wedding procession going down the street.
Laguna
Biru Lodge had just been built. It sits on top of a hill facing
a small bay, where boats are moored. Rina spent a few days practicing
her scuba skills in the warm sea. When Ken joined the group,
the real scuba began. The first dives were made off the coast
of Moyo Island. We then had lunch at Moyo consisted of freshly
caught grilled fish with rice and vegetables. While relaxing,
Jo discovered that we were sitting on star-shaped sand beach!
No kidding!
Perfect
weather made it easy to select the next dive sites. A tiny,
uninhabited island has an extensive coral reef at a shallow
depth. Sadly, like many other regions in Indonesia, over fishing
,the use of cyanide, and dynamiting reduced the marine habitats
in this area. We had another grilled fish lunch at the island
with Laguna Biru crew. Then, before the sunset, another dive
was made from the shore.
With every day that passed, we
would go on sites farther away. We had seen many creatures and
were on the hunt to find some more. At some point we found an
abundance of nudibranchs at one site! It was surely a colorful
experience!
The highlight of our visit came
at the end when we went out to Satonda Island for our last dives.
The island, a long gone volcanic mountain, has a fascinating
geological evolution. After its eruption, the crater collected
rain and became fresh water lake overtime. However, the powerful
eruption of the nearby Tambora Mountain sent giant waves high
enough to enter the old crater of Satonda Island. Now Satonda
Lake is rakish and contains a high content in hydrogen-sulphur
stratified at a certain depth. Although the surface layer remains
relatively non-toxic, the deadly presence of the hydrogen-sulphur
has kept living organisms to a minimum there.
Our dives around Satonda yielded
some interesting finds. We saw a group of white pipefish in
an anemone. We also spotted sharks that strayed away from their
nearby lair. As the day closed to an end, strong winds developed
that cancelled our plans for a night dive. So we spent the time
around the campfire and had a sing-a-long with a guitar. The
wind kept the mosquitoes away and everyone slept soundly on
Satonda Island that very night.
On the way back to our lodge
the next day, we stopped to make a wreck dive. Visibility was
so poor that we could barely find the wreck. Apparently, efforts
to attach a mooring failed each time the locals steal the mooring.
Finally, one dive guide's instinct was right on target and found
us the sunken Japanese ship that we sought after.
