We took a taxi today. You don’t want to drive yourself in Bali. The traffic is horrendous. Taxis are very inexpensive. Most of the drivers speak good English and tend to be excellent guides as well.
The best deal is to rent a taxi for a whole day.
Tirta Gangga palace in Bali near Karangase and Mount Abang, is a magnificent water palace, owned by the Karangasem Royal family.
The Taman Ujung water Palace is in the village of Seraya.
It is a beautiful combination of European and Balanese architecture.
We attended the 43rd annual scientific meeting of SPUMS at the Alila resort in Bali.
It was a great meeting, excellent papers, good diving and great company.
Diving the wrecks, jetty and manta point was great .Much better than expected. I was pleasantly surprised.
We have dived with the Mokarran team at Rocktail Bay a couple of times in the past.
Lion Fish
Our recent dive there, in January, was great. The water temp was 28 degrees C and the visibility 20 meters.
They usually do a 2 tank morning dive, with a brunch on shore between the 2 dives. Their skippers, dive-masters and instructors are very competent and considerate. This excellent operation is owned and run by Darryl, Clive and Michelle. Their website is www. mokarrandivecharters.com
Mokarran is the only dive operation in the area and therefore there aren’t any other boats racing around above you. They are not rushed and operate in a very relaxed atmosphere. They are about one hour’s drive north of Sodwana Bay and is the most northern dive area in South Africa, not far from Kosi Bay, Tembe Elephant Park and the Mozambique border. As tropical as you can get in South Africa, Rocktail Bay Beach Camp is not on beach, but, within close walking distance.
What also makes this area so special, is that you are close to all the Game Parks in the iSimangaliso wetland world heritage area. The variation of sea life in this area, is difficult to beat anywhere in the world. You may see whales, dolphins, various kinds of sharks, huge potato bass and all the normal coral fish in abundance. There are very few types of fish that we have not seen here in the past.
Esmé
We have dived in may place in the past and in our opinion it is a better dive site than southern Mozambique.
The turtles and sharks are seasonal, but scuba diving is excellent all year round. It is also one of the few dive sites in South Africa where you can snorkel, but, of course it is weather dependent like any other dive site.
Clam
If you haven’t yet dived with Mokarran, you should definitely put it on your to do list. Rocktail Bay Beach Camp is also an excellent lodge to stay.
