From the book "Bali Island", part 5 "East", episode 29.
8°31'54.62"S 115°35'13.26"E
Tepekong is the largest of the islands in the sea opposite the village of Candidasa. We'd dive near it three times – once in January and twice in October 2016. Probably it is the richest place of corals in this area. It is a rock of volcanic lava and reef limestone on the surface, it is covered with green bushes.
The island is surrounded under water by wall which becomes a rather flat bottom at a depth of 15-25 meters. Soft and hard corals and sponges here are so various.
However, they are destroyed on the North-East underwater plateau – perhaps it's the effects of the tsunami.
There are interesting shellfish among the corals. Here's a giant clam, the size of such shells on the Great barrier reef in Australia reaches 1.2 meters. This is smaller, about 40 centimeters in length. However, if it catch your finger in its doors – it never let it go :-)
Giant clam
Anemone with fishes-clowns are in abundance here.
There is also a cave, or rather, underwater tunnel connecting the Eastern and Western sides of the island. Whitetip sharks hide here to sleep alone at day time..
Lovers of 'macro' can find here are quite rare nudibranchs...
Nembrotha milleri
Chromodoris joshi
A great chance to see various members of the genus eel.
Ribbon Eel Rhinomuraena quaesita
The rays are somewhere..
Blue-spotted ribbontail ray
Of course, there are various representatives of the scorpionfish here.
Lionfish Pterois volttans
Lionfish Pterois volttans
Tasseled scorpionfish Scorpaenopsis oxycephala
So various fish live in the waters of the island - coralic and pelagic species. It is unlikely you will see someone big, local people fished here a long time and they'd catch them all, though.. This pool is open, ocean is nearby..
Emperor angelfish Pomacanthus imperator
Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus commerson on corals
A pack of mackerel in deep blue
Clown triggerfish Balistoides conspicillum
Grey Triggerfish
Boxfish Ostracion cubicus
White-spotted boxfish Ostracion meleagris
And we saw a turtle during all our three dives. Its nest is here so we hope that you too will meet it when you get here. By the time she will grow up a bit :-)
Flocks of fish were walking along the reefs here: Sweetlips fish and Blue Striped Snapper, angry Titan Triggerfish were building their nests, colorful Butterfly fish fluttered all around us.. Watch the movie:
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episode 30 > |
