The Deep Blue Wonder
"Some amazing fish to be seen, hundreds of pretty angel fish, clown fish and clouds of smaller fish that bubbled up underneath..."
Odyssey Marine Adventures takes place in Amuk Bay, just north of the Padang Bai turn off on the road to Candidasa.
From the centre of Denpasar, Kuta or Sanur, you can be at Amuk Bay in two hours. It makes for an easy day trip, or as part of an East Bali exploration, it is on the way to Amed.
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| All aboard... and into the deep for an underwater adventure - without getting wet! |
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We were told to be ready just before ten at the headquarters of Odyssey Marine Adventures, and were looking forward to a day of water activities. Our submarine dive would take us along the side of the reef, but before we could board we had to listen to the safety instructions and don our life jackets.
I was feeling a bit Poseidon Adventure myself, not being comfortable in enclosed spaces, and had already begun to 'fathom' my exit strategies. I could see the submarine glinting off shore and as we tucked into our inflatable vests and boarded the motorboats it loomed large. Climbing down through the hatch we were instructed to remove our vests and relax in the wide chairs. A sense of relief: so the life jackets were just for the way over, not for the submerging part.
A cool wafting breeze from the air-conditioner also set my mind at ease, so it was easy to breathe, and as I adjusted myself for the 'take-off' the guide began his explanation of our trip. He spoke in competent English and Japanese; the Japanese on board laughed a lot so I think they understood the jokes he told; so we were informed about our impending journey, how deep we would go and how to see as much as possible, then how we would then raise up from the sea bed to a depth of around 20 to 15 meters below the water. I was still waiting for the lurching descent when it appeared to me that it had already taken place.
We cruised around the reef wall and remained transfixed at the life, and lack of it, outside the large portholes. Truly there were some amazing fish to be seen, hundreds of pretty angel fish, clown fish and clouds of smaller fish that bubbled up underneath the submarine and danced across the sides as we passed them by. We saw large rays wafting and a grotesque fish with an oversized pout that fixed us with a gimlet eye.
The presence of divers with squeezy bottles of fish food created a surreal scene as they flipped around the portholes drawing fish closer in for their 'photo ops'. The guide was pointing out the "Nemo" fish and it then struck me: this was underwater adventuring for the Disney generation. We have seen so much, so much that was large and so colorful, as if the underwater world as depicted by cartoon life must now be encouraged to imitate art.
By Katy Robertson, courtesy photos. SUBMARINE SAFARIS ASIA
Jl. Raya Kuta No. 9X, Kuta
(0361) 759-777
www.submarine-bali.com |
