One of my favourite adventures on our trip was snorkelling in Bali. We did a snorkel tour that took us to two snorkel sites around the island of Nusa Penida. Our first stop was at a place called Manta Bay. We went there to see manta rays because that is where they usually come to feed. Manta rays are huge and can reach up to three meters! That’s almost ten feet tall. It would be really neat to see these gargantuan creatures in person. Unfortunately, the water conditions were too choppy and there were no mantas on that day. However, we did see two other memorable animals. They were the Bamboo shark and the Titan triggerfish.
The Bamboo shark was a decent size and wove its way around the coral like needle and thread. We watched it for a while before moving on. It was really cool to see yet another shark while we were snorkelling. We had already seen the Black-tip and the Hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos.The Titan triggerfish was a huge beige and blue fish with a creepy, leering smile that gave me goosebumps. We have never seen a Titan triggerfish before. Although most people are scared of sharks, I was actually more afraid of the triggerfish. Titans are known to bite swimmers with their huge front teeth more often than sharks. This is especially true during the nesting season when females are trying to protect their eggs. Plus, Bamboo sharks are not aggressive so I wasn't very scared. I swam away from them, always looking back. Other than that, we saw many more tropical fish with vibrant colours. Our second stop was Crystal Bay, a bay with shallow waters and clear visibility. There was more fish here than at Manta Bay and the water was calmer. At one point, our guide was trying to show us an animal. He dove down and pointed at a Moray eel, a snake like creature with a big, ugly head. We also saw some cool coral. It varied from coral that looked like brains to coral that looked like flowers. It was diverse. Our guide’s dog, Oreo, came with us on board the boat. His fur was black and white, hence his name, Oreo. When we were bouncing along in the rough waves, Oreo just sat down and didn’t even get seasick. Mom, on the other hand, felt a little nauseous. When we returned to shore, our guide tossed Oreo into the water. He swam back then trotted happily away. Our overall experience snorkelling in Bali was awesome! We saw many new animals and sea life. Someday I would love to come back to Bali and see some Manta rays.