Lesser Dived Sites of Eastern Bali

An impressively perched table coral overhanging a small canyon at a beautiful dive site just north of Tulamben in Bali.

For reference this table coral is a flat disc oriented horizontally, and I am shooting this picture looking almost straight up. The underside is pale white and stained with algae while the top is the usual healthy pale brown colour. The tightly branched structure of the coral provides shelter for small damsel fish that venture up in to the water column to feed and retreat amongst the branches when any threat presents itself.

Having the chance to dive and explore some of the lesser dived sites along Bali's East coast has revealed some hidden pockets thriving with life, that compete in quality with some of the best I have seen anywhere in Indonesia. These contrast strongly with the better known sites just a kilometre or two down the coast, which are conspicuously quiet in terms of fish life and the corals which are in noticeably diminished in quantity and health by comparison.

Its quite amazing how a little bit of protection either by way of obscurity, or by design, in the form of marine protected area status, goes a long way to support a thriving habitat.