12 minute read
IN THE LAND OF DRAGONS
IN THE LAND OF DRAGONS
travels
Advertisement
Text Sylwia Kosmalska-Juriewicz
Photos Adrian Juriewicz
Slowly, the turbulence stops, the plane reaches the cruising altitude, and the fasten seat belt indicator lights are off. The flight from Denpasar to Flores takes an hour and a half, the world from the window of the plane looks phenomenal, clouds take unusual shapes and are constantly transforming.
In the morning we land at the airport in Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores, the air temperature exceeds 35°C. After leaving the plane, we are hit by hot. This air is so familiar to me air, it is saturated with the smell of the sea, sun-scorched vegetation and earth. We very efficiently collect the luggage and head to the exit, get on the bus and drive 10 minutes to the port. The road is narrow, winding and very picturesque. We stop at the parking lot, right next to the moored boats. After a while, porters appear next to us, who carry our bags to a motor boat. We also get on it and in the blink of an eye we are on a beautiful, blue and white sailing ship, which two days ago I saw in a photo on the Internet.
After getting acquainted with the yacht manager, crew and rules of the boat, we are divided into three diving groups, blue, red and black. Each of us receives a plastic box into which we put all the diving equipment. Boat workers cover every element of our equipment with coloured tapes (each colour corresponds to the group to which we were assigned) so that the crew does not confuse the equipment when putting it on the zodiacs (small operational boats).
The Komodo National Park is a unique place in terms of fauna and flora that occur here. On the northern side, sea currents can be strong and very unpredictable, which means that large fish, turtles, tuna, sharks, eagle rays come here. On the south side we can also meet large animals, but above all we will dive among incredibly colourful corals, which delight with an intense, nearly fluorescent colour even at considerable depths without additional artificial light. Diving in the Komodo National Park is not the easiest thing due to strong, changing currents, but it is definitely one of the most beautiful and diverse diving in the world. We had a companion on our cruise, a woman called Hope, who, as we learned during a short conversation, decided to fulfill her biggest dream being retired. For as long as she can remember, she has wanted to become a diver, the underwater world has fascinated her since she was a child. However, the fear of immersing her head under the surface of the water was so strong that she put off her dream for an unspecified time later. Two years ago, after her husband died, she enrolled in a diving course, and after completing it, she rented her house in Australia and went out into the world... Since then, she has been on the road all the time, and since her health is good, she sails already on the third cruise on this wonderful boat. In her spare time between dives she weaves coloured friendship bracelets, which relaxes her as much as diving.
I like to observe Hope when she elaborately creates the colorful patterns of her small masterpieces, which she later gives to the crew and guests. Sometimes in life it's not about getting to the goal but just daring to set off... We sail from the port in the evening, when the sun slowly sinks into the sea, leaving behind the orange-pink memory of the previous day. The boat stops only when on the horizon there are uplifts, gentle mountain chains rising straight from the sea. In the monsoon season, the slopes of the mountains are overgrown with lush grass, now, in the dry season, green meadows turned into barren steppes. Here and there, on the slopes of the hills, we see trees that rise above us like guardians of these extraordinary uplifts. There is silence all around, interrupted by the sounds of animals and gentle waves hitting the side of the ship. An anchor has been thrown into the sea, a thick chain slowly disappears into the dark, navy blue abyss. We stay here for the night, tomorrow morning we dive nearby, and now it's time for dinner. The table on the upper deck was covered with a white tablecloth and white tableware, and the napkins were arranged in lotus flowers. We enjoy the evening as well as the excellent dishes that were served to us. The next morning I wake up before dawn, the watch indicates 5:40, and I, as quietly as I can, on tiptoes, climb the wooden stairs to the upper deck. I take a deep breath and enjoy the space that surrounds me, the peace and beauty of nature. I turn my face to the rising sun and gratefully enter a new day. A day off from social networks, e-mails, messengers and the whole number of applications, that I use every day. No coverage, no Internet: it's a real detox from social media.
There is undisturbed silence on board, everyone is still asleep, only Ketut one of the crew members, responsible for the order in the kitchenette, is bustling around the deck. He takes out his toasters, puts together mugs, brews coffee and smiles at me, saying good morning. The air fills with the wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Ketut was born in Bali near Ubud (the cultural capital of Bali). Every day at dawn he makes gifts to his gods. He puts flowers, cookies, candies and coins into a square basket of palm leaves. He lights the incense and sprinkles everything with water from a sacred source, which he stores in a small glass bottle. Finally, he puts a flower between the two fingers of his right hand and makes beautiful harmonious movements with it. He directs his attention to the heart and in concentration he begins to speak his requests to the ancestors, and they pass them on to God. There is not one rule of prayer, everyone devotes their prayers and intentions to what they believe. Balinese Hinduism – that's what the local religion is called, which is mostly confessed by the inhabitants of Bali, borrowed a lot of elements from Buddhism and animist local beliefs.
Slowly the deck begins to teem with life, gentle yawns, sleepy good mornings, coffee, toasts, yogurt and fresh fruit, this is what our early breakfast looked like. It means we eat some snack fast before the first dive of the morning. The boat manager hits the bell several times, thus waking up the other participants of the cruise. After breakfast, we take part in a briefing, today we dive three times. Our cruise lasts seven days and is planned in detail, but it may change slightly if the current in a given dive site turns out to be too strong and we will not be able to go underwater. Then we will change the spot to a different one. During our stay on the boat we will visit the most beautiful dive destinations in this area such as Sebayor, Tatawa Besar, Gili Lawa, Tatawa Kecil, Mawan, Shotgun, Batu Bolong, Karang Makassar, Manta Alley, Loh Sera.
After the briefing, we put on wetsuits, the northern waters of Komodo are much warmer than in the south (from 21°C to 27°C). We get into zodiacs and sail to our first dive site Sebayor, which is a perfect location for a check dive. After reaching the place, we put on the diving equipment, sit on the side of the zodiac and jump into the water on the count of four. At the beginning, the temperature difference between air (35°C) and water (27°C) causes a slight thermal shock, but after a while comes the state that I love most: the moment when the body unites with water. I release all the air from my lungs and the wing and slowly begin to fall down. Along with us, a sea turtle submerges, which swam to the surface to get some air. We immerse ourselves together for a moment, but after a while the turtle floats away and disappears among the beautiful corals. We stop at 20 meters just above the sandy bottom, which grows both soft and hard corals. Among them, there are shrimps, tiny, transparent creatures, which are difficult to see with the unaided eye. My attention is drawn to a green-orange nudibranch with small protrusions on the head, which form a coloured plume. Its appearance fascinated me to such an extent that as I approached the snail I did not notice a small anemone that appeared next door. Almost immediately, its inhabitants came to me: two clownfish, also known as Nemo fish. The anemones began to attack and nibble on my diving mask. In this way, they wanted to scare off the intruder, who got dangerously close to them. The clownfish defend their home in this way their home – that is the anemone in which they have lived their entire lives.
On the surface, the Komodo is calm, as if it held its breath for a moment, but as soon as we plunge under the surface of the water, we discover a completely different world. A diverse world, saturated with colours, vibrant and very unpredictable. Tatawa Beser is a place that is also ideal for a check dive, but only when the sea currents are weak, or they don't exist at all. If they appear then the dive turns into drifting over beautiful sponges and soft corals that teem with marine life. Today, the current is very strong, which makes blacktip sharks, octopuses and large shoals of fish appear.
Karangan Makassar also called Manta point is a location where you can meet manta rays all year round. Most often they swim close to the surface to feed on plankton, or they are at a depth of 15–17 m, where they undergo hygienic treatments. A large group of people who came with us to Komodo had never seen these majestic creatures in their natural environment before. It is a great happiness and privilege to be able to dive with these magical creatures. Today, while diving in this location, five mantas arrived, they began to circulate over our heads, moving "wings" in a hurry. In moments like this, I very much regret that I cannot stay here for longer, under the surface of the water, surrounded by these majestic creatures and the world of peace, inspiration… The moment I saw the landscape of Loh Buaya National Park, I thought of Karen Blixen's book – “Farewell to Africa”. It is one of the most beautiful autobiographical novels I've ever read. Maybe the clime was very dry that time of the year, maybe it is because I could see in the background the incredibly beautiful view of mountains, but one thing is for sure, I felt there as if I were in Africa. To the National Park Loh Buaya we sail about 15 minutes by two small wooden boats. We moor the boats in a tiny harbor and descend the wooden stairs to the mainland. Welcome to Komodo – National Park Loh Buaya, a large white inscription welcomes us to the island of dragons. We walk along a narrow sandy road, along small hills. It's very hot, the air temperature is over 30 degrees. We pass through a concrete gate supported by two stone Komodo dragons.
The sandy road leads us to several wooden buildings, where the rangers have their base (guardians and tour guides). Under the wooden buildings, erected on piles, you can see dragons also called Komodo dragons. These unique reptiles are the largest lizards on earth. The weight of adult individuals varies between 79–90 kg, and the length of the body is from 2.5 to 3 meters. They feed mainly on mammals, but there are also acts of cannibalism in their nests. Komodo dragons hunt by surprise, their saliva contains toxins that cause paralysis and, consequently, the death of the victim. Therefore, it is very important to follow all the rules of the reserve when visiting it. Together with the local guide, we slowly climb the highest mountain in the area. The rocky path is narrow, very winding. Only from this place can I see the incredible beauty that surrounds us. Apparently, our life is proof that miracles exist. Looking at the world around us, I believe that everything is a miracle...
PERFECTDIVER No. 3(21)/2022 31
