Serengeti under the sea

PemuTRAN, Bali 7th November 2012

Here on the north west coast of Bali, the sea is a balmy 27 – 31 degrees centigrade. We’re on the edge of the world’s most biodiverse seas. Indonesia has 581 of the world’s 793 species of coral. But fishing, weather, and crown of thorns starfish destroyed much of it in this area. Then 12 years ago the biorock project was formed (biorockbali.webs.com). It was found that by introducing a low electric current into a metal structure corals grow faster, larger and are more resilient.

Today we visited the biorock project which has seeded more than 500 meters of coral in an area of two hectares. This is the world’s largest biorock coral reef and nursery and restoration project. It is  larger than the combined sizes of all other ongoing projects in the Pacific, Carribbean and Indian Oceans.

Biorock works. We were overwhelmed by what we saw. Larger and more plentiful than Polynesia, we saw enormous coral, spectacular sizes. And along with the coral were schools of fish, more like herds of fish. In one school of snapper (pictured below) we estimated about 1,000 (yes one thousand) fish. Daniela says there were more than 1000. I counted 500 and had only included half the school. We saw a number of large schools of fish from tiny fish three centimeters long to the larger snapper.

On Friday we’re going diving at Manjangan Island. We expect to be overwhelmed again.

Sanur

I love the heat (especially the sea water temperature, which is very similar to  my bath tub).

What they don’t tell you about Bali

Sanur, Bali, Nov 5th, 2012

It’s hot, humid and sticky.

Luckily I traveled in my twenties. Today, when changing money at a small “Government Authorized” money changer, we counted out the money together. Then just as I was about to take the money, he (the money changer) picks it up to count again, and as he does so he drops some of it into his lap hoping I won’t notice and will leave shortchanged. Luckily, I’d been shortchanged before, two decades before. Now I’m waiting for the guy who needs a few dollars to get the bus, the guy who tells us his wallet’s been stolen, the guy with the fast hands ….

Oh, did I mention, It’s hot, humid and sticky. Tomorrow, we’re off to malaria country.