Finding My Element

Finding My Element
Originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

It's been about a year since I got back from Bali. I've been finishing up the little video I'd begun of my 8 day visit, and yesterday I came across some photos from my scuba diving experience.
I never planned on diving at all. I had journied to Ahmed, over on the eastern coast of Bali, to do some snorkling. But after my first exhausting morning of snorkling a bit of rough weather came in and it was much too choppy.
I asked my driver to take me for an ambling drive through the countryside and we somehow ended up at this beach with a dive shop. There is a wreck there offshore. A big US LIberty class ship from WWII is right there, about 40 feet off the beach! It's only down about 14 meters and is a major draw for divers and snorklers. I'd read about it in the guide books.
Some young French tourists were talking with the divemaster. He was telling them that they'd get all the equipment, a diving lesson and an hour long guided tour of the wreck for 150,000 rupiah. That's about $15!
The French people said they'd come back tomorrow. It was getting on toward late afternoon and the water was an unlikely color and the waves still rough. I sat there with my driver and the divemaster chatting for quite a while (getting up my courage).
I obviously went for it. And lived to tell the tale. In fact, I lived to come back the next morning and do it again!
The divemaster was very very careful to make sure I was safe and felt safe. I'll admit that I was truly scared--part of me fully expected to drown and I gave my driver instructions on how to contact Krista!
What a relief once we were in! It felt so much safer and more relaxed than any snorkling I'd ever done! And within a few minutes we were at the wreck and I'd never seen such diversity of coral and fish.
I think my Balinese guide knew ever square inch of the area and took me directly to see the various points of interest--the clown fish, the giant clam, etc.
The second day we went deeper (19 meters) into the wreck. Not inside any cabins, but down along the crowded and jumbled decks.
This was a ship that had been hit with a torpedo from a Japanese submarine. A rescue effort had been made and it was towed toward a port on the north side of Bali, but began to sink and was beached here. I'm pretty sure no one was even killed in the attack.
In the 60's a volcanic erruption and earthquake had caused the wreck to slide down off the beach to it's present location. I read that it's the closest wreck to shore anywhere in the world.
Anyhow, my WWII fascinated inner child was happy as a giant clam.
I very much want to return someday. It was an underwater peak experience.
(I've got a few more photos over on flickr.)