Nusa Penida Part II and last day in Kuta

February 9th - So supposedly there was too much oil in Padang Bai which I suspected because the other divers using ProDive mentioned it. They say that some dive spots were ok though. So I am heading back to Nusa Penida.

Today I'm diving with an Austrian / Hungarian man, Andras and a Polish woman, Alina. They are a couple who had been living in Western Australia. After this trip they are heading to Brussels where the woman will be working for the European Commission. They are both advanced divers.

As I went to Nusa Penida yesterday, we are going to a different site. Yesterday I went to Elementary School point and Lembongan Point. Today we went to Manta Point to see manta rays and Crystal Bay!

On the way to Manta Point, I got sea sick. The ride out there wasn't as bad as yesterday but our destination was incredibly rocky. So they put me in the water as fast as possible since the boat makes it worse. I did not have a dive instructor as I'm done with my certification so I had a dive master named Agustus. He was kind of a jokester, but very serious when it comes to diving.

We saw one massive manta ray right away, but then just hung out for a bit - I practiced my neutral buoyancy waiting for more manta rays. Supposedly this is where they come for the "cleaning station" where fish feed off the dead skin and parasites on the manta rays. Then as we waited, we saw a wobbegong shark, or carpet shark, on the sea floor. My dive instructor in NY said I would be lucky to see a shark as it can be rare and despite Jaws propaganda, they do not like being around humans. Don't worry mom, I was a good 5 meters away and finned in the opposite direction. Plus carpet sharks hang out at the bottom of the sea floor and we were mid water looking for manta rays. Then we saw another massive manta ray! I'm sad we didn't see more but what are you going to do.

Carpet Shark

We headed to Crystal Bay for some lunch and to see mola or sunfish. Unfortunately, we did not see any as it is out of season, but the coral and other fish were amazing.

Then we headed back to Bali which is again about a 45 minute boat ride. After 3 days of diving, I've seen so many things! But am exhausted and looking forward to staying at a resort and relaxing on the beach in Nusa Dua.

Back at Un's hotel, I went to the restaurant and guiltily ordered a burger and ginger ale. I have eaten only Asian food for 12 straight days and was craving one after I saw a family at Poppies order a few burgers last night. I was also starving as I did not eat my entire lunch due to my sea sickness.

My mosquito bite count is at least over 30. It's really annoying. Some are from Malaysia and Singapore as well. Thank God they don't have a malaria problem here but I use OFF spray, sleep under a net, and have a mosquito coil burning and they seem to still get me. My dive instructors say it's because I'm so pale and that I need to get a tan. Something to work on when I'm hanging out at the resort!

After a walk to and from Kuta beach, I headed back to my room to relax. Since the tv channels in English are limited, I have been watching a lot of E!. Well, don't judge me, I'm on vacation...