Sure Travel Journey 5.4 Spring 2019 | Page 39

Clockwise from left: A cuttlefish, one of Lembeh Strait’s many unique inhabitants, shows off
its psychedelic colours. It’s not all murky waters. Nudibranc species Hypselodoris emma.
©ADAM SILVERMAN
“
This environment
has forged Lembeh’s
unique ecosystem
and made it home to
exotic species found
almost nowhere else
on Earth
“
dangerous to humans. I am intrigued but
keep a safe distance.
During our dive I come across several
more nudibranch species – soft-bodied
marine molluscs – all with extravagant
colours in rare combinations. This is macro
diving at its best, and I start to realise why
Lembeh is known as the “Mecca of Muck”
amongst divers worldwide.
Located in Pacific Indonesia, the narrow
strait separates Lembeh Island from the
Sulawesi mainland and is characterised
by its dark silt and volcanic-rock bottom
– not the usual conditions divers seek
out. But it is this environment that has
forged Lembeh’s unique ecosystem and
made it home to exotic fish, flamboyant
cephalopods and nudibranch species
found almost nowhere else on Earth.
Not all the animals are as extroverted
as those we have seen already, but they
are equally fascinating. Where the fine
sand seems denuded, I spot a perfectly
camouflaged flounder, a flatfish with
its eyes on the same side of its body.
Disturbed by our shadow, it undulates its
whole body to move away, then rests on
the bottom substrate again, settling into
the mud.
We ascend when our air is low, and
enthusiastically share our sightings
with the other divers, eat some fresh
pineapple, dry ourselves with fluffy towels
and motor back to shore.
Home for this blissful week is the
newly constructed White Sands Beach
Resort, an eco dive lodge bordering
the only white beach on the island. The
floor-to-ceiling windows of my oceanfront
cottage face the private beach, palm trees
and the sea beyond.
After recording the dive details in my
logbook, I read more about these weird
and wonderful critters in the dive guides,
then do some swimming training in
the resort pool that looks out over the
tranquil bay. As the sun sets over the strait
and its unique denizens, I stroll back to
the cottage to prepare for tomorrow’s
adventures in the muck.
IN WITH SURE
Q DIVE
Sure Travel can customise any
dive-adventure itinerary to suit your
needs and offers excellent deals
on flights to Indonesia with Qatar
Airways. Contact your nearest Sure
Travel agency or call 086 147 4849 /
visit www.suretravel.co.za.
MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE // 39