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

Zoop dive computer showing 3 hour dive

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.

Starry moray eel, Mucky Pirates Bay, Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia

The starry moray is one of my favorite eels because of the bright yellow eyes

 

Moray eel, banded coral shrimp, Mucky Pirates Bay, Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia

While shooting the shrimp, the moray suddenly stuck out his head

 

Lionfish under pier, Mucky Pirates Bay, Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia

One of several lionfish under the pier

 

Pipefish profile, Mucky Pirates Bay, Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia

One of many pipefish we saw

 

Porcelain crab, anemone, Mucky Pirates Bay, Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia

Look for these in anemones if the clownfish will let you get close enough

 

Sea Rovers Message in e-bottle The pirates who dive
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