Bali Bobbit Worms ?

HeyHo,

I will return to Bali in two weeks (my sixth time over there).

I have never dived Secret Bay, but one of my all-time-dream photo subjects would be the Bobbit worm.

Now I`ve read on the `net that there are some dive outfits that know how to get to them on a night dive in the (not so) Secret Bay.

Has anyone around here ever done that ? If so with which dive shop/dive guide ?

On the last photo tours I led to PJ's and Secret Bay we had success at both locations. You just need a keen eye to find them, but they aren't all that interesting once you've seen them!

I'm not sure which shops know where they are though, who are you booked with?

Thanks for the quick reply.

I can imagine that they are not _that_ interesting to observe. Would love to do some pretty Macro shots though.

So far we are not booked with anyone yet. Our vague plan is to spend some dive time on the places we haven`t really been to in the NorthWest:

Amed, Seraya (just a little Tulamben), PJ, Menjangan, Secret Bay

Yes, they are pretty! I have never had my camera when i've seen the traditional Bobbit Worm, i saw a funky one in Komodo a few weeks back, it was really strange, i'll see if i can find a picture.

Menjangan is ok, but IMHO you will get bored after a few day trips. If you dive with Renaud in Pemuteran ask to go to some of their less explored sites. I did some exploratory stuff with them and had a great time.

I'm on Gili Trawangan at the moment doing some filming, we're seeing a lot of turtles, especially horny males chasing the girls around - much like the backpackers on island So if you're into Turtles it might be worth a trip, but be prepared for seriously lazy people (i can't wait to get back to 'prompt' service on Bali)

Tulamben and Amed are in the East

Hey Simon,

Tulamben in the east ? I know, I know. Actually did my Dive Master there.

I`m aware that Menjangan could get boring fairly fast. We have really fallen in love with the relaxed diving in Tulamben, Kubu, etc. But we have would like to see some different places this time. Nusa Penida and the Amuk bay sites -while nice- have just not been relaxing enough for us. That`s why we would like to explore the North coast some more. I`ve never been to PJ for example.

Thanks for the hint with Renaud. I`ll consider him and will look up his site right now.

Have you seen the Bobbits during the day or only at night ? I´d guess they are only proper photo subjects when it´s dark.

As for the Gilis I always heard that they suffered a lot underwater in recent years. Not sure if it`s worth the trip as I am not too much into mushrooms.

(hope the turtles have stayed off those...)

haha,

The reefs in Gili mostly suck, very very dead. and i have been offered mushrooms at 7am before a dive. I declined. As an aside though, it is rather worrying to see that hard drugs have made it to this little hippy island.

Renaud works for Bali Hai (website offline), there is also Werner Lau (very, very unflexible from what i have observed - 45minute follow the leader diving), Reef Scene, Mimpi and a couple of others.

Renaud is an old friend, so i am somewhat biased, let me know if you want contact details.

The only problem with diving the Menjangan / Pemuteran area is that you'd need a boat for most dives. PJ's is worth doing several dives on, although i hear that the fishermen are being a bit naughty there recently and heading into the area that's meant for diving.

Bobbits are usually at dusk/night. Drew had some good advice on a hotel near Secret Bay a while back, i can't remember the name though. If you're driving yourself around or have a private car you should be able to have a lot of fun in the NW. Find a beach and jump in.

Hey Marco,

I came across this guy diving the little muck site directly in front of Scuba Seraya. Which, if you don't have a place to stay yet, I can't recommend enough.

The worm was id'ed as being related to the bobbit family.... since he's not a pure blood bobbit he may not be of interest to you, but here's a link to the thread in which he was id'ed...

http://www.digitaldiver.net/yabbse/index.p...art=0#msg219168

It was a late afternoon dive at a pretty shallow depth. If you enjoy seeing things other than worms the place is simply swarming with life.

Best of luck on the Bobbit hunt.

Robert