JonnieB
Contributor
My observations after my first couple dives at Monkey Reef, a site about 10 minutes drive north from Tulamben (at the Relax Bali resort). The site is a shore dive entry over the typical medium sized pebble shoreline common in the area. (There is a moring line so it's also dived by boats.) It is a sandy slope starting about 20-25 meters offshore at 3 meters dropping down to at least 50 meters, with sloping reefs on both sides of the sandy slope. It's mostly typical pretty reef fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. There is an abundance of colourful reef fish, sponges, hydroids, and corals. The visibility was very good at 20-25 meters, with no current during my dives and the water temperature was 29°. I'd rate it an easy dive, and thus suitable for OW divers on up.
Marine life seen included four-five species of angelfish, lots of butterfly fish, anthies, gobys, moray eels, triggerfish (including a Clown Triggerfish), and a lot more. I saw several Reef Octopus as well. A cute baby Hawksbill Turtle (70 cm) was seen three times eating encrusting corals and swimming around in the shallow top of the reef. (During our swim in after the second dive, when we saw it again, we noticed that it had become entangled on some fishing line, which we successful removed. I shudder to think what would have happened if we hadn't swum past when we did, and if I didn't always carry a knife when diving (to free myself from such an entangled). There was also a Green Turtle who did a fast swim by.
I enjoyed my dives at Monkey Reef. There is plenty to see and each side of the reef can be its own dive. For shore diving, you park and gear up at the end of a road. One nice touch not found at every local site is a rope line, which is a real help on both entries and exits from the water, especially if there are even small waves in the water (as any Tulamben diver can tell you). The slope of the shore line entry is also rather steep so again the rope line is a big help. There is also a single shower for rinsing off after dives and a little store to purchase water and snacks for in-between dives, if doing more than one. There are also local porters who will assist in loading and unloading tanks and gear. The porterage fee is IDR 15000 per tank (which is paid by your dive center).
Marine life seen included four-five species of angelfish, lots of butterfly fish, anthies, gobys, moray eels, triggerfish (including a Clown Triggerfish), and a lot more. I saw several Reef Octopus as well. A cute baby Hawksbill Turtle (70 cm) was seen three times eating encrusting corals and swimming around in the shallow top of the reef. (During our swim in after the second dive, when we saw it again, we noticed that it had become entangled on some fishing line, which we successful removed. I shudder to think what would have happened if we hadn't swum past when we did, and if I didn't always carry a knife when diving (to free myself from such an entangled). There was also a Green Turtle who did a fast swim by.
I enjoyed my dives at Monkey Reef. There is plenty to see and each side of the reef can be its own dive. For shore diving, you park and gear up at the end of a road. One nice touch not found at every local site is a rope line, which is a real help on both entries and exits from the water, especially if there are even small waves in the water (as any Tulamben diver can tell you). The slope of the shore line entry is also rather steep so again the rope line is a big help. There is also a single shower for rinsing off after dives and a little store to purchase water and snacks for in-between dives, if doing more than one. There are also local porters who will assist in loading and unloading tanks and gear. The porterage fee is IDR 15000 per tank (which is paid by your dive center).
