To Swim Or Not To Swim…
A Journey from Lombok to Flores - Part 2
As we stood around Emmanuele for the briefing, strict rules were given on how to behave if, as a swimmer, you decided to get in the water. There was to be no touching, no chasing, no jumping off the boat, and you were required to keep your distance to minimise disturbance to the Whale Sharks.
With those rules in mind, we both decided to get in the water. We can honestly say the experience was amazing, humbling and at times sad to watch. We can both walk away knowing that we respected the Whale Sharks that morning, whose home we were allowed to be in for that short time. We took turns in the water and kept to the middle of the boat, where the Whale Sharks were swimming towards the fishing boat. This turned out to be a great location as it was well away from the feeding area, there were no swimmers, and there was always a Whale Shark swimming below us as it moved towards the fishing boat.
One of the few Whale Sharks we were privileged to swim with
To lie upon the surface of the ocean, bobbing with its waves and watching as grey shadows emerged into magnificent fish was a special privilege we won’t ever forget. These are incredible fish, and the beauty of their individual white spots across their skin is special to see.
Another amazing Whale Shark we saw that morning.
About 15 minutes after our boat tied up to the fishing vessel, two other boats arrived, and it was clear that those boats did not impart the same strict rules we were asked to follow. After a while, it became tough to watch, and with the ever-increasing amount of chum in the water, we decided to call it quits.
We joined with all the other guests at breakfast on the deck as we moved away from the fishing boat, and the sharing of photos and videos began quickly. One of the guests sadly lost their GoPro while swimming that morning, and as a group, we began to share videos and photos via WhatsApp to ease the loss.
One of many meals together as a group
After breakfast, we sailed towards Satonda Island, which is an ancient extinct volcanic island located north of Sumbawa. The volcano, sometime in the past, had an event which caused its crater to fill with seawater, causing an unusual saltwater lake to be formed. We anchored offshore and made our way in the boats to the island. Once there, it was a short hike inland to the lake. The lake itself is about 1 km wide and 100m deep and very, very salty. Because of evaporation, the water is denser than seawater. The best part of this is that you can easily float on the surface. Several human starfish formed and started floating across the surface of this ancient lake, with steep hills rising from the water around us.
Floating on the saltwater lake at Satonda Island
The rest of the day became a relaxing time on board with card games, afternoon snoozes and reading. Later that evening, we had another great meal as we continued to sail on towards the Komodo National Park. Our first destination the next day was to be Manta Point to try to observe some Manta Rays.
The next morning, again began early as we headed out in the boats in the hope of seeing the Manta Rays. We weren’t lucky on this occasion, despite the time we spent snorkelling in the water. However, the location was wonderful, the water was warm, and we managed to get a glimpse of our first turtles of the trip. We headed back to the boat and then sailed towards Komodo Island for a visit to the village and the Komodo Dragons. As we arrived, our group was brought together for a talk from one of the local guides, and we voted on doing the two-kilometre round-trip hike on the outskirts of the village.
The weather was stifling, the humidity was already thick, and the sun was raging against the blue sky. Not long after we started, most of the group were dripping as we came towards a clearing and encountered our first Komodo Dragon. Although sleepy and resting in a small pool of water, it became aware of our presence and started to move away from us, hissing loudly. The large dragon moved through the clearing, and the guides then moved us to keep a distance. We then got to watch as this dragon enforced its territory against another dragon. It was great to watch, and we felt like Sir David Attenborough should be narrating the whole scene.
Over the remainder of the walk, we observed several other dragons moving through the jungle. We were glad to see the guides taking a careful approach to protect us, but also to maintain minimal impact on these animals. We were told that they regularly encroach upon the village looking for food and need to be moved on. A bite from one of them can be fatal due to the lack of medical care in this location, and the ensuing infections from the bite, as they hold a large amount of bacteria in their mouths.
One of the guides was kind enough to take this for us
The last part of the hike has you walking through the village, and a number of the homes have small stalls set up out front with souvenirs and trinkets available. Some of them had large Komodo Dragons that had been carved from timber and were amazingly lifelike. After lunch, we made our way to the very special Pink Beach in Komodo National Park.
Pink Beach is one of only a few naturally occurring pink beaches that exist in the world. The slightly blush pink that appears is a result of crushed red corals mixing with the white sand. The pink tint is an interesting occurrence, but the big surprise for us that we were not expecting was the Timor Deer that are on the island and walk around in the shallow water of the beach. Obviously, due to the number of tourists that have come and gone over time, they certainly were not timid, and we could walk up very close to take some photos.
One of the Timor Deer on Pink Beach Komodo National Park
Later that afternoon, we made our way ashore to Padar Island and climbed numerous stairs (lets say 1000) to several lookout points for sweeping views of the island and sunset. The hike to the summit on Padar Island can take between 20 and 45 minutes, depending on your fitness level. Thankfully, our guides got us to the island and through the hike early, before several large groups arrived to do the hike also. The view from the top of Padar Island is iconic and a regular on Instagram due to the stunning view of the crescent-shaped bays and steep green hills in the distance falling to the sea.
One of the view points from our trek
Overnight, we sailed towards Kelor Island. In the morning, we ferried ashore and set up underneath some shelters in front of some small stores selling drinks before climbing a steep hill for a spectacular view. The island is a great location for snorkelling, and it's a place where you can swim with any number of small baby black-tip reef sharks. The reef sharks are easily frightened and keep their distance from the swimmers. Under the jetty, you can see some larger reef sharks; however, they also will keep their distance. As we headed back to our boat, you could hear us singing Baby Shark doo doo doo doo doo doo!
We finished our trip with a swim at Manjarite Island, which remains one of our favourite snorkelling spots. On returning to Lady Grace, we had some group photos, jumping off the bow of the boat and sadly, packed up as we moved towards Labuan Bajo. As we reflect on our time travelling from Lombok to Flores on the Lady Grace, we think fondly of the people we met, the laughter over meals and the shared curiosity we all had for the landscape and beauty we were moving through.
This journey was less about travel and more about the setting of a new standard for how we wanted to move going forward. This was a slow, meandering drift through an Indonesia we had not seen before. The trip was remiss of distraction, and became a focus on the building of relationships. Not just the relationships with our new friends, but more importantly, the relationship we have with the world around us. It was a humbling experience, and we have spoken several times since about swimming with the Whale Sharks that day. We both agree it is not something we will ever do in that manner again.
To join us on our travels, be sure to follow along on our socials:
☕️ @billandjo
