Day 6 (Finish): Turtle Traffic!

I fell in love. Deeply. As 18 metres as I was allowed.

Dulu saya terkesan sekali dengan foto-foto Kepulauan Maladewa. Bercita-cita suatu hari berkunjung ke sana. Ternyata hanya butuh satu kunjungan ke Karimun Jawa untuk mengubah segalanya. Di Indonesia, laut serupa itu banyak. Cita-cita berubah dalam sekejap. Saya akan melihat Indonesia dulu.

Lalu dari berbagai sumber saya mengetahui ada pantai berpasir merah jambu di Labuan Bajo. Ketika mengarungi Laut Arafura, saya dan teman-teman singgah di kepulauan Widi, lalu mendapati pantai berpasir merah jambu di salah satu sisi pulau. Kemudian seorang teman mengabari ada pula pantai berpasir merah jambu di Lombok Timur. Ada banyak ternyata!

Ubur-ubur tak menyengat yang kemarin saya jumpai di danau purba Kakaban, pun ternyata punya saudara sepupu. Di Misool, Nu Waar barat, ada laguna yang juga berisi stingless jellyfish.

Hari ini kami ke salah satu dari banyak titik menakjubkan itu. Maratua. 

Fusilier Paradise, Maratua Island

Perjalanan pagi menuju Pulau Maratua ditingkahi lumba-lumba yang melompat berombong-rombong. Satu ekor tepat melompat di hadapan kami berukuran begitu besar! Selamat pagi, selamat menjemput rejekimu hari ini!

Kami tidak diving di channel, tentu saja. Channel adalah untuk penyelam kawakan yang mencari pure adventure, dengan arus yang sanggup membawa rombongan penghuni laut berpindah ke benua lain. Arus yang membawa Nemo dan Dory mencari ayahnya. 

Kami turun di Fusilier Paradise, sebuah dive spot dekat Maratua Paradise Resort. Arus cukup kencang, tapi saya belajar dari pengalaman sebelumnya. Ikuti  arus, atur buoyancy. Drift dive, drift dive. Bertemu barracuda, ular laut, molusca panjang bening berhias bintang-bintang.

Makan siang di dermaga Maratua Paradise Resort, menikmati laut biru sejernih kaca di hadapan mata, di bawah kaki-kaki kami yang bergoyang riang. Seriang hatiku, yaa Rabb, inna lakalhamd!

 

Turtle Traffic

Suzanna tidak ikut dive berikutnya di Turtle Traffic. And it got its name for a reason. Once we got to the right spot, one turtle slowly passed me by with abandonment. And then another. And then another. And another, and another..! Had I worn full face mask, my buddies would have hurt their ears from my screaming in excitement :D :D :D

They were laying around everywhere, swimming everywhere. Probably like 30-ish of them in one spot. Kontur dasar laut yang berupa slope membuat table corals membentuk serupa tangga lebar-lebar. Dan di anak-anak tangganya, penyu besar-besar hinggap menikmati sore hari mereka, 2-3 penyu di tiap anak tangga.

We went crazy.

We swam around, getting closer to them. Touching them gently, watching them enjoying their late lunch. I watched closely, lovingly, one turtle eating the molluscs on a coral reef. I fell in love. Deeply. As 18 metres as I was allowed.

As the mild current drifted us farther, more turtles we saw. Everytime we saw one laying on a coral, we slowly got closer and touched them gently, admiring the pattern on its tempurung. Everytime we saw ones swimming, we swam around with them, followed them side by side until we couldn't catch up anymore.

 

 

 

 

How may turtles can you spot on this giant table corals? Watch closely!

I took a picture of a stingray hiding under a coral.

When we surfaced, "the last dive, the best dive!" I proclaimed from the top of my lung!

We decided to take a rest in one dermaga dan jalan-jalan checking out the kampung di dekat Turtle Traffic. There soon to be an airport in Maratua, it is now under construction.

On our way back, I casually mentioned a gusung (gosong pasir, gundukan pasir di tengah laut) I saw near Derawan. Icuk said, "Mau ke sana? Seperti Jakarta-Jakarta itu?" :D  'Nuff said! :D

For sure, we didn't go there :D

My last night here, I checked out April Resto. Good price for fish that big and for Derawan price standard. 30 ribu, ikannya besar. Tapi rasa sop ikan itu gak terlalu enak, hambar saja. 15 ribu tumis kangkung. The whole meal was 2 person size. My stomach was bearing a dinner for two.

I got to check Derawan Resort before dinner and I think nothing can beat a room above the sea with turtles saying hi to you every morning in front of your door, a.k.a, my room :D

I'll be leaving tomorrow. And I'm already in denial.

There won’t be story of day-7 coz I don’t wanna say goodbye. ::crying::