What the hell does the title even mean?
On the last diving days of the German, which was our last fourth diving day (3 day left after this, understandable?), we decided to do just two day dives + one last night dive. We always did three day dives but special for today, only two. Because we thought we wouldn’t miss anything, and it’s nice to relax in the morning, and also, since their itinerary today was two dives, we followed them this time. (Since the boat transfer to dive sites were not near, we couldn’t go back to hotel in between dives. If one party wants to dive three times, the rest has to follow and board the boat as early as us. Unbeknownst to us, many of them always given in to us.)
So, we only left the hotel at 10am instead of usual 7.30am. When we reached the first dive site, Bullet, around Kepa Island, it was already midday at the very least or around 12.30. (Feel free to correct me, as I don’t have any official knowledge to back it up, mid day is the most drastic time for tide changing. From our observation in Kalimantan divetrip by lounging above the stilt cottage, doing nothing but waiting to dive, everyday for two weeks, on mid day water level was at the lowest. And if I remember correctly, the nastiest dive in Komodo back then, when the currents were most fierce, was on second dive that was around mid day).
For the briefing, we were going to do typical pelagic hunting dive. So we would decent and reach certain point, from there we would anchor ourselves against the current and looked out for the blue to see if we were lucky for any big visitors.
So we were all prepared, sitting on the side on the boat ready for back-roll entry. All eight of us except Tom who was probably wandering around the volcano that day and Carlyn who decided to sit out because she didn’t like possibility of current.
(Note: I am not a fan of this mass back-rolled entry. Back roll is fine, but not when you are so close to each other and all go at the same time. Because you will kick, and be kicked and it gets very messy for the good first 10 seconds. You really have to hold on to the mask and regulator. I would rather do what we normally did, roll when we are ready. Therefore we got time to swim away from the next one, at the same time adjusting ourselves, checking camera etc. And if we have to do it together, do giant stride from the edge of the boat, less entanglement and more control. I guess the reason why Thomas uses this method is because the current in Alor can be unpredictable and if we didn’t go down together, some might be carried away. It’s also not really possible to do giant stride from that boat. If anything, today was the day I found that his reason is more valid than ever.)
On the count of three, all of us rolled to the water, like 80% of the dives (some because the boat didn’t come to full stop?), we ended up quite a distance from the boat after we surfaced. I swam back to fetch my camera, I was the only one bringing it down on the first dive, the other two with camera including hubby decided to leave it in the boat after briefing. When he surfaced, Andreas was saying that his mask dropped. I ducked underwater and saw it few meters away from the surface, sinking. Piers dived in and picked it up nicely, handed it back to Andreas, we were all waiting at the surface. From what was probably less than three minutes incident, we were apparently had been drifted far away from the reef, so Thomas signaled to the boat to come back. According to Carlyn, it was a very difficult effort for the boat to fight the current and it took awhile before finally reached our position. So, one by one took out fins and climbed back. Again, sat at the edge of the boat while It was navigating back to the previous starting point.
The second time we jumped to the water, I believe probably 15-20 minutes difference, we were surprised by the icy cold water once our backsides touch the sea. It was freaking cold. Ferikiiiing cold, I had never encounter water that cold except from my fridge, with ice. Everyone was making a lot of sounds, including those Germans who were much more accustomed to cold water. Even my camera instantly started to fog.
Thomas said no, we better not dive here. He called the boat back with help from my storm whistle. Shivering, while hanging in the surface, I realized we were turned around in a circle. It was not rapid in the surface but we were at the washing machine current. The boat picked us up, once again we went up, this time with a lot of effort because we needed to fight the rough surface. When the boat was near, when some had climbed up, few of us who were left in the water had to fin vigorously to catch the rope thrown by Sukono. Even when we were already holding the rope, we were moving. I felt my hand was almost pulled out of its socket; five more second and I might have to let go, my other hand was holding camera. Beside the ripping current, I think the boat’s engine was on too. After much effort, we finally up and jumped around because we were colllllldddddd. Then it started to rain. This time I thought I would follow the guy’s footprint to leave the camera in the boat because I worried to see it fogged.
(Again, sidenote: I think it’s very dangerous that the boat machine was on during climbing up after diving. I didn’t confirm it by asking but I think there was more than one occasion that it happened. Once, I was the last on the water, after passing the camera, before I took off my fins, the boat was moving, so instead of trying to take it off or climbing up, I thought what the hell and just let it dragged me for a while. Manual wakeboarding lesson everyone. I didn’t care; there was no way you expected me to try to climb up that way. It would be too dangerous if I attempted to do anything, one, I would probably lost my grip to the boat and drifted by current, second, I might dropped my fins. I was kind of pissed, but I think I understand why they turned on the engine and moved because if not, we might get trapped in the surface current. But, I guess, they could have told me, how if I got panic? Or maybe they know I wouldn’t? Sure enough, once we got out from the current, the boat slowed to stop and I could climb up. To give a credit, Thomas was standing on the ladder during the whole time, to make sure I’m okay. Man of few words he is, and I guess I was, because I didn’t say a thing also eventhough I had an assorted arrangement of cursing for a moment when I thought they forgot I was still in the water before coming into conclusion that they might had difficulty staying still in the current with engine off. See, I can be patient too.
When the rain got heavier, the surrounding fogged too. Everyone was walking around in wetsuit and upper body wrapped with towel. Thomas decided to head to another dive site nearby, but the weather didn’t look good although the rain subsided. We were hungry and cold, luckily, we bought our ginger tea in this trip and had handed it to Sukono yesterday. It was the best drink at that moment. While we were enjoying that, suddenly we heard some commotion ‘Mola-mola!’
We ran to the side of the boat and, and, and, a big Mola2 swam by, almost sideway to the surface, just a mere half a meter from the port, slowly glided along the boat. My jaw dropped and my eyes popped. I thought we would never see Mola2 in the wild. Since we are not a fan of diving in Bali in the popular dive site during mola2 season. Since I thought Thomas briefing that sometimes included the word Mola-mola would never happen. I didn’t believe we would see it here, in Alor, of all places. I have never heard these two words, Alor and Mola2, been associated before.
But it all added up, with the water temperature on the second attempt to dive, which Piers logged as 19 degree, ON THE SURFACE, I’m sure there were some Mola-mola down there. They thrive in cold water.
After the first mola-mola, we were all excited especially we saw another one nearby. First we saw the fin appearing on the surface, the it glided by. And another one. And another one. And another one. They certainly enjoyed the cold water there. Not long after, we were also greeted by big school of dolphins, it had become daily sightings, but everyone always stopped to admire.
Speaking of cold water, again. It’s not like water temperature I had experienced before. Of course Asian divers are not comparable with Westerners, in term of what kind of water temperature they get used to. I had some cold dives in Komodo, where I had to ditch my 0.5mm suit and switch to 3mm, I was fine after that. But maybe because I was younger, haha… since my 0.5mm wetsuit was torn (fixed!) and I managed to find 3mm with zip, I had been using the 3mm since. I experienced termoclines in Derawan and Bali but only lasted for awhile, I felt cold occasionally when diving in Lembeh and Bali Secret Bay, but it was bearable. Here, it was feriking feriking cold.It’s very unpredictable. Earlier I wrote about how much difference in twenty minute on the same spot. It was okay on the first attempt, of course it’s not warm Jacuzzi temperature, it’s also not so tropical, but it was bearable, I guessed around 25-26 degree. On second attempt, only when we touched the water, everyone was shivering and cursing and it was 19 degree.
As comparison to how unpredictable it is, on the first diving day, we went down and the water felt warm, probably 28-29 degree. It was our testing day and I was thinking of ditching my 3mm suit and just use 0.5mm tomorrow, it’s much easier to put and more comfortable to wear. Luckily, I tried another day, and on the second dive, the water turned very cold that we literally saw everything in pixel mode, like as if it was photoshopped.
I don't have relevant picture, it’s difficult to explain, so let me try to do some computer manipulation here:
You know when you are entering the boundary of a rain? One part you are good and dry, suddenly you are in the downpour. For this, upon seeing this pixilated water, we knew what was coming and we were suddenly entered bloody cold water. The pixilation probably can be explained similarly with why we see the road further in front as wet in very very hot day. Probably. What do I know. If only I know. I wish. I really wish. So that everyone can give up on damn Chicken and Egg question or why Chicken cross the road. In all seriousness, I really want to learn everything if I’m able to.
Back to the story,
Too bad the current was still too strong, weather still not good and cold water might not be suitable for everyone that day, Thomas decided we turned around and went to bay area, Comet bay.
I like Comet bay, it was never too cold in there and we could find quite a lot of stuffs including special looking pink robust ghost pipefish and many types of nudibranch.
It was also the only dive site where we met other divers. Which is another big plus diving in Alor. For two weeks, we only met other divers one time below, and one time on the surface, both in Comet bay. The rest we were basically the only diving boat around. It’s the exclusiveness that Papua put in their advertisement. Maybe that’s why the coral is so pristine.
We saw some mola-molas again the day after, and the last day. One dive just before we jumped, one swam by, we quickly went down, hoping to find them, but we were not lucky. The water temperature was probably too warm for them as we clocked 29 degree that very dive.
