by Kat Ramage | Sep 23, 2017 | General News
You may have heard in the news that Bali is under highest alert for a volcano eruption. Mount Agung is 60 miles/96.5 km away from us here in Pemuteran with a range of mountains in-between, so we are safe here.
They have evacuated over 10,000 people from the area close to the volcano. These are some of the poorest villages in Bali, and many in our diving industry are affected too because Tulamben is shut down and reports from Amed state that many of the tourists have left (even though Amed is outside the evacuation zone).
Here at Sea Rovers, it’s business as usual. If you are traveling to Bali in the next few weeks, keep a close eye on the news and stay in touch with your airline or travel agent.
by Kat Ramage | Sep 19, 2017 | Kat Ramage Photos, Mucky Pirates Bay
If you want maximum bottom time, a shore dive is the way to go. No set schedule to follow, little to no current to worry about, easy to navigate and nearly impossible to get lost. My friend Linda was visiting from Texas, and we got to talking about what our longest dive was. Both of us had several dives that went longer than 2 hours, but we decided to challenge ourselves to make it to 3 hours.
To accomplish this, we needed to stay relatively shallow and not do too much swimming. Mucky Pirates Bay here in Pemuteran is perfect. You can spend an entire dive exploring under the pier. There are also nearby mooring bases and piles of debris that have their own little ecosystems—a macro photographer’s dream.
After helping us in the water with our gear & cameras, we told the Sea Rovers shore support crew not to expect us back for at least 2.5 hours (I don’t think they completely believed us, but they smiled and waved us on our way). It was low tide and there was limited visibility, so it was a good thing we didn’t plan to venture too far from shore. Because of the particles in the water, the dive wasn’t particularly fruitful photographically. We saw several morays, pipefish, lionfish, and the usual cleaner shrimp and anemone crabs. But here is my favorite shot of the day
Here’s the proof – 30 feet (10 metres) for 180 minutes
So, if you love long slow dives with lots of interesting critters, be sure to check out Mucky Pirates Bay with the Pirates of Sea Rovers. Maybe you too can log your longest dive ever and beat my record.
The starry moray is one of my favorite eels because of the bright yellow eyes
While shooting the shrimp, the moray suddenly stuck out his head
One of several lionfish under the pier
One of many pipefish we saw
Look for these in anemones if the clownfish will let you get close enough
by Kat Ramage | Aug 8, 2017 | Kat Ramage Photos, Mucky Pirates Bay
During a recent dive in Mucky Pirates Bay, I came across an upside-down jellyfish lying in the sand. I wasn’t sure whether it was alive or dead, so I gently prodded it with my muck stick. Imagine my surprise when it started running across the sand! What I didn’t realize was that there was a decorator crab underneath who had adorned this jellyfish like a hat to protect itself from predators. I found another one on a subsequent dive, so this must be fairly common. It’s clear what benefit the crab gets from this relationship…not sure if the jellyfish is too happy about the arrangement.Save
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by Kat Ramage | Jul 30, 2017 | Mucky Pirates Bay, Try Dive
Helen, with daughters Zoe and Aline, did an Intro Dive with instructor Wayan. Check out their exciting experience.
by Kat Ramage | Jul 25, 2017 | Menjangan Island, Try Dive
Sarah & Clement came to Pemuteran to try diving, so Captain Paul taught them the basics–a little theory and some in-water practice. After doing a Try Dive with Sea Rovers, you can dive with an instructor/DM for up to 14 days to a maximum depth of 12 meters. They went out on one of our regular trips to Menjangan today under the watchful eye of Abdul. From the photo, it looks like they’re having a fantastic time.
2 boats heading out for diving & snorkeling adventures
Sarah & Clement along the wall at Menjangan
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