Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine March 2018 | Page 108

106
Travel | Lembeh
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Twenty metres below the surface of Sulawesi’s Lembeh
Strait, local dive guide Paulus Nomang is pointing towards
a clump of mottled seaweed on the sandy seafloor.
At least I think it’s seaweed. Squinting
through my mask in the direction of
Nomang’s aluminium pointer, the seaweed
seems to transform into a perfectly
camouflaged fish – the highly elusive
Rhinopias scorpionfish – often described as
the holy grail of underwater photography.
Even as I’m composing the photo with my
camera, I have to keep checking with Paulus
to make sure I’ve got the mysterious fish in
the frame. Checking the first photos on the
LCD screen, the colours of this incredible
creature have come to life – hues of red and
deep orange are visible only with the light
from the camera’s underwater flash.
Leaving the Rhinopias for the other divers
in our group to check out, Paulus directs us
towards shallower water, trading the black
sand and soft coral environment of the
Rhinopias for a craggy stretch of rubble –
home to entirely different underwater
creatures, or ‘critters’ as they’re known
to Lembeh enthusiasts.
Here we find brilliantly coloured
nudibranchs or ‘nudis’ – the gastropods
beloved by underwater photographers across
the world for their unusual shapes and
stunning colours. Ranging in size from
smaller than a fingernail to those longer than
your hand, these amazing creatures appear
like a porcelain sculpture or confection of
cake icing carved in a kaleidoscope of primary
colours. Lit by a beam from an underwater
‘strobe’ (camera flash) their colours explode
like a visual carnival. But in the blue light of
the deep sea, they are almost invisible –
blending with the background of the reef.
Lucky for me, Paulus is one of the most
experienced guides on the entire island,
having begun his career more than 27 years
ago under the tutelage of Larry Smith – an
early pioneer of diving in the Lembeh Strait.
As we drift past a background of coral rubble,
Paulus points out nudi after nudi while I try
to keep up with him, filling up my camera
with a circus of technicolour images.
Here we find brilliantly
coloured nudibranchs or
‘nudis’ – the gastropods
beloved by underwater
photographers across
the world for their
unusual shapes and
stunning colours.
1 From the port city of Bitung, about 40 minutes from
Manado airport, the island of Lembeh is easily reached by
just a short boat ride.
2 Legendary scuba guide Paulus Nomang helps a visiting
diver from Canada with his underwater camera
equipment at the ‘Nudi Falls’ dive site.