DIVE LOG Australasia

they became a bit spooked by the presence of divers, and thought I was lucky to get that. Padang Bai is way more than a transport hub for tourists, it is well worth a visit in itself. The diving is diverse, with muck dives, walls, rocky reefs, and drop-offs. Beware that there can be strong currents in some locations, and that the water can have cold thermoclines. We registered water temperatures between 29°C and 22°C. Quite a drop in a distance of a metre. A 3mm wetsuit with a 2mm vest/hood was fine for all conditions through the trip. For a tropical location the water here can be colder that you imagine, as it gets upwellings from the deeper water to the south. This is a place I will revisit, the photo opportunities here are fantastic! We stayed and dived with OK Divers, located on the beach near the jetty at Padang Bai. It has excellent rooms, a nice swimming pool, and a good restaurant with a great hamburger! www.okdiversbali.com

Ab o v e L e ft a n d Ri g ht: Tw o p addl e fla p rhi nop ias ge tti ng t o k no w e ach o th e r! W e sta ye d th e en tir e div e with this c o u p l e , wh o w e r e sl o wl y m o vi ng ar o u n d, en abli ng us t o ge t s o m e sh o ts o f th e m t oge th e r b e f o r e th e lar ge r h oppe d awa y a n d th e chas e start e d a g ai n .

U n d e r ne ath th e sch oo li ng fish l ongno s e e m pe r o r p ush e d th e m u p i n t o th e r o ad o f th e tu n a.

I hav en ’t s een ma ny tu n a o v e r th e j o ur ney , s o havi ng a cha n c e t o o bs e rv e th e s e fri g at e tu n a e x p l o di ng thr o u g h th e sch oo l was e xc ep ti on al.

Ken Hoppen pHoTogRApHy: Ch e ck o ut m y ne w w e bsit e f o r i n f o rmati on on div e tri p s, bl og s, p h o t o s a n d m o r e . It’s a w o rk i n p r og r e ss! o ne s p ac e l e ft f o r C o c o s K ee li ng Isla n ds/Christmas Isla n d i n oct o b e r ’25. M o la m o la a n d ma n ta tri p d e tails f o r S ep t e mb e r ’25 c o mi ng o ut s oon !

C on tact m e via th e w e bsit e f o r m o r e i n f o rmati on . www.k en h oppenp h o t og ra p h y .c o m.au

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DIVE LOG Australasia #408 - October ‘24

www.divelog.net.au