13,000 Islands. Only seen One.

13,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago and we have only see one…until now. 

Since our arrival here in Bali the daily dance of work and life has consumed much of our desire to travel beyond where a motor scooter can carry us each day.  After three months island bound the draw to venture beyond the shores of Bali fit perfectly into a week long break Teri had from the Green School last month.

We have always dreamed of going on a live-aboard dive trip since we both became certified divers about six years ago in Mexico. With some of the worlds premier dive locations surrounding us here in Bali this seemed like a perfect time to take the next step in our diving resume and fulfill that live-aboard dream.

As the week break was approaching the search for our perfect first off island adventure got into full swing.  With the help of a good friend back home and a couple lucky web encounters we narrowed our plans to the eastern region of Indonesia and the small and developing island of Flores near the famed Komodo Islands.

After a flurry of emails, scooter trips, and one short phone conversation we were off on the adventure of a lifetime…..  Teri, myself and a Green School teacher from Bend, Oregon Mary Thomas.

I wasn’t 100% certain what we were in for, but I know for sure it involved diving, a beautiful boat, some island exploration and most certainly an encounter of a dragon or two.

We took the short 90 minute flight directly from Bali/Denpasar into the Flores town of Labuan Bajo and were met as we reached the bottom of the plane steps by our guide and dive master extraordinaire VoVo .

A character of the first degree – we were in good hands with his 14 years diving and pioneering guide experience in this area.  We would be joining one other couple that had been on board for the last four days and so we were in a hurry to make the one hour speed boat ride to join them on board and hopefully make an
afternoon dive.

After a quick transition from the airport and bumpy ride on the dive skiff we were deposited on our floating home for the next five days the Duyung Baru.  Dropping our bags on the deck we were in our wetsuits and assembling our tanks less that 20 minutes after arriving. One thing about VoVo…. he is all German.  If you’re unfamiliar with what that means….his humor is as dry as hills surrounding the local airport and it is nothing but business until the sun sets and the beer starts to flow.

Our first dive was a rush of gear, dive skiff, reacquainting ourselves with equipment, clearing our ears, and finding our place in the group.  Not the most elegant or graceful experience, but that was why we were here, to get more comfortable and familiar with the entire process again.  Making the scuba gear become a part of us in the water rather than it controlling our experience. I felt sure we would get there with the chance to experience 3 or 4 dives a day. We could easily triple our previous experience on this trip alone. A pretty exciting prospect.

On the skiff ride back to Duyung Baru we were amazed that what we had seen underwater was beyond our wildest expectation. To which VoVo replied. “ That was CRAP…wait till tomorrow”

Back on board the boat at sunset we settle into our cabins and then headed out on deck to stand back and take in the majesty of where we have been transported to. Floating quietly in a broad bay we are surrounded by a spectacular scene of arid rocky shoreline and towering island peaks silhouette against a fading light. The water is clear for 80 feet below us and the breeze blows our boat across the arch of our anchor as we sip an ice cold beer . It has been a hectic first day filled with travel, urgency, schedules, and diving. Tomorrow and for the next five days….only diving.