Bali 2010
I have now started on my adventure. I am taking an EFR, Rescue Diver and Divemaster course with http://world-diving.com World Diving on Lembongan.
Here I will make short updates on my experiences and there will be photo's from the wonderful underwater world around Bali.
The start
Started out with the Emergency First Responder course. A course in first aid that I think that all people should have. Quite interesting, especially with the set-up drills. What a day. never seen so many accidents in such a short span of time. Everybody survived and I can now call me a Emergency Responder 
Really busy in the divecenter so went on a leisure divetrip to Manta Point and Crystal Bay. The manta's were there and they were playing. Some really close encounters, but annoying seeing divers chasing the animals. If you go, stay put and the manta's will come to you.
Great day and a nice finish with balinese buffet on Pondok Baruna.
Rescue diver
I can now call myself a Rescue Diver A very good course and also a bit strenuous from time to time. So now I am onto the Divemaster course and have finished an Open Water Diver course and is now concentrating on getting to know the divesites better. There has been some really good diving. Once again Manta's at Manta Point. Seasnakes and a Seahorse in Crystal Bay and and and. Some diver were lucky to spot a Mola Mola and a Thresher Shark on the same dive. I already look forward to the trip to Manta Point tomorrow. Who knows, maybe the Stonefish will still be there.
Up-date June 27 th 2010
The Divemaster course in progressing nicely. I have finished all the exams and 3 of the stamina exercises. I have already enough points to pass 
Still meeting a great number of very nice people and the diving is pretty good too. Manta Point has delivered everytime and our special trip to Blue Corner was outstanding. 2 Mola Mola's, several very big Marbled Rays, some Eagle Rays and even a Whip Coral Goby. Not bad for a 32 minute dive. Mola Mola season is approaching and some of our lucky divers managed to see 7 on one dive the other day in Crystal Bay. Today Crystal Bay didn't deliver Mola Molas, but we did have a very nice encounter with a banded Seasnake, a Mantis Shrimp, a Anemone Crab and all the usual suspects of the reef. We have set a target date for finishing the Divemaster course, so on friday I should be able to call myself a Divemaster.
Divemaster July 2 nd 2010
Today was the day. I am now an educated divemaster Had a great day on the ocean and the last dive will be an unforgettable memory of my course. Crystal Bay had everything. Seahorse, Nudibranchs, Morays, Dragonets, Thorny Cowfish and 2 bypasses by a Mola Mola. What more could you ask for ? And I did rescue Mark (the missing diver). So tonight is celebration time and I'll think back on a month with many many experiences, meetings with great people from all over the world and diving with manta's, mola mola's, seasnakes, sharks, nudibranchs and and and. I look forward to 2 more months in the wonderful island of Nusa Lembongan.
Up-date July 11th 2010
Had a very bad Bali belly after the divemaster celebrations. Good for the weight loss project 
but cost 4 days of diving. Anyway I am back in full strength and today lucky divers were rewarded with a seahorse and a mola mola in Crystal Bay. Toya Pakeh was as always good with a sighting of a beautiful Nembrotha nudibranch as the highlight. The mola mola season is approaching fast. Fingers crossed for many good encounters in the coming weeks.
July 13 th 2010
Guided 2 experienced divers today and was rewarded by a 5 minute encounter with a mola mola getting cleaned at Buyuk 
Also saw quite a few nudibranchs including a new one for me, so not a bad day of diving.
July 19 th 2010
Lots of diving and very interesting we manage to find something great on about every dive. Today 2 beautiful curious cuttlefish on Buyuk and a nice hawksbill turtle breathing in the very blue water of SD. Also found a for me new small shrimp on a whip coral the other day. Mola mola's have been a bit scarce since the last encounter, but some people had a snorkel with 1 in the surface of Crystal Bay a few days ago. To round a good day of diving of, we saw a nice dolphin on our way back to Lembongan today.
Hope for mola mola in Crystal Bay tomorrow.
July 21 st 2010
No mola's on the 20 th 
, however we were compensated by 2 mola's in Crystal Bay today . One was getting cleaned and we had a really good look and the other just swam by. Great experience. Add to that, blue ribbon eel, mating nudibrancs, small shrimps, orangutang crab, seahorse, indian ocean walkman, the biggest giant trevally in the world and it all adds up to pretty good day. The guests had big smiles on their faces and so have I. An amazing day
July 26 th 2010
What a fantastic day of diving today. One of the days that will be hard to beat . First we went to Manta Point. Only one manta ray but very friendly. It came within touching distance several times. Also the resident bluespotted stingrays and a tiny beautiful nudibranch. Second dive in Crystal Bay. We dived the drop-off and was rewarded with a cleaning mola mola in 25 meters depth. Add to that a big fat banded sea snake and the cutest small yellow clown frog fish and you have a pretty good day 
.
The days before I have dived Toya Pakeh Wall south. Great dives. Beautiful scenery and a gorgeous very big resident honeycomb moray in the small cave. Also had a sighting of the beautiful zebra dwarf lionfish. All in all things are pretty good at Nusa Lembongan.
Singapore July 30 th 2010
I am now in the airport of Singapore. My visa has expired, so I need to leave Bali. However, the internet here is much faster, so I have downloaded a few more photo's. Have a look and hopefully you get inspired for a visit to Lembongan.
Latest dive was a repeat of Manta Point and Crystal Bay. Manta Point once again delivered. 3 mantas cleaning and coming within touching distance. Always a great pleasure. The current at Crystal was a bit strong, so quite a short dive without mola mola's. I have found a new underwater canyon in about 12 - 12 meters depth which is very beautiful. That included with the dramatic scenery of the drop-off made for a very nice dive. And we managed to find one fine nembrotha nudibranch.
Lembongan August 5 th 2010
Back from Singapore with a cold. I am not a great fan of airvondition 
Anyway that is over and my family has arrived first 2 days has delivered encounters with a mola mola, many manta rays, turtles, nudibranchs, orangutang crabs and a nice seasnake. Not bad at all. Hope to see a mola mola or 2 in Crystal Bay tomorrow or perhaps the beautiful clown frog fish. We'll see. Always exciting to go under the surface in this area.
Lembongan August 8 th 2010
Dived Blue Corner yesterday and no currents 
. Beautiful topography but no big animals except a very big banded seasnake. In Crystal Bay we found another clown frog fish in the warted version.
Today we went to Manta Point. My group saw no manta's but the others had a brief encounter with 2 of the elegant animals. We did Crystal Bay again as a second and here was a very good highlight with 2 mola mola's together cleaning. Awesome experience and big smiles on the faces of some very happy divers
We'll go to Crystal again tomorrow and hope they still are hanging around.
Lembongan August 13 th 2010
Well what can I say. Today we were rewarded with plenty of the graceful manta rays. Immediately we had 3 swimming around us for 15 minutes. After that we moved to the cleaning station and mantas kept on giving us the greatest show in diving. In Crystal Bay the water temperature hit 22 degrees celcius today. Freezing. No molas for us, but we once again said hello to the clown frogfish. We didn't manage to find his little brother, the red clown frog fish, that we discovered a few days ago. Yesterday was also very rewarding with a very frindly cuttlefish laying eggs and a rare and very nice appearance of a whitetip reefshark. The diving is very good indeed
Lembongan August 25 th 2010
My family has left and spend some time helping on OWD courses. The last 2 days have been mindblowing. Yesterday a trip to Blue Corner. Vow. Eagle rays, huge marbled stingrays and an appearance og a whitetip reef shark. Not bad at all. Viz a bit down due to big waves. Today we went to Crystal Bay and were rewarded with a mola mola, the frogfish, leaf scorpionfish, nudibrancs and a seasnake. Second dive gave us a nice encounter with a whitetip reefshark coming fairly close and just the stunning coral and marine life on SD.
For anyone considering a trip to this area, I can confirm that the mola season is in full swing with several encounters over the last days.
Singapore August 30 th 2010
My period as a divemaster internship on Lembongan has finished. It has been a great time. Thank you to all the staff at World Diving. They are a great crew.
My last day of diving ended on a high note with several sightings of the beautiful nembrotha nudibranchs and a rare encounter with a whitemouth moray in Toya Pakeh Bay. I'll stay a couple of days in Singapore before returning for a month of holiday ding in Bali. My trip will take me to Padang Bai, Tulamben, Pemuteran and back to Lembongan. I hope to have many great encounters and to snap a good photo or 2.
Padang Bai September 6 th 2010
I have just finished 5 days of diving out of Padang Bai. The highlight being Manta Point (Nusa Penida) and Gili Tepegong. Have seen some very nice nudibranchs, a whitetip reefshark (Gili Mimpang) and quite a few of my favourites, the frogfish. Various sizes and colours. Great. Next part of the trip brings me to Tulamben, where I look forward to dive the Liberty Wreck, the Coral Garden, The Drop-off and especially the muck site, Seraya. Hope to get some nice images.