The first faint glow of dawn was just beginning to appear in the eastern sky as the armed cargo ship and its two destroyer escorts approached the deep waters of the Lombok Strait between the islands of Bali and Lombok.

Unknown to the crews, although perhaps strongly suspected, they had already been spotted by a Japanese long-range submarine. The strait was the principal transit route through the long chain of islands that formed the southern rim of what was then known as the Malay Archipelago, making it an ideal hunting ground.

As I slid backwards down a steep slope of black sand, trying desperately to hold my camera steady and focus on a tiny critter no larger than a grain of rice, I could not help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Bali’s underwater world is as challenging as it is breathtaking, and beneath the surface of the warm, turquoise waters lies a treasure trove of marine life, especially for those passionate about macro and super macro underwater photography.

When Chris Brown came to Pemuteran on Bali for the first time in 1990, he ended up staying. He said, “It just happened,” and in the end, it was probably the best thing that could have happened. From the very first hour, he felt at home here and immediately started becoming active in the conservation of its nature and, above all, taking care of the underwater world. 

The founders of the project, Cassandra Dragon and Chris Brown, told me about the project in detail. In 1990, Chris, who is an Australian, came to Bali, making a new home for himself in Pemuteran and establishing the Reef Seen Divers’ Resort. At that time, the reefs had already been partially destroyed by dynamite and cyanide fishing for aquarium fish. The abundance of fish decreased, but it was not too late. 

After braving a few days among the masses in these areas, I headed northwest. The hair-raising, four-and-a-half-hour drive up and around two volcanoes showed me one reason why not many people make the trek this far from the airport. But my arrival under a blanket of stars with the sound of soft waves crashing as I went to sleep had me thinking that the long ride to Reef Seen Divers’ Resort had been worth it.

Tulamben. Widely known as one of Bali’s most popular diving destinations, Tulamben was put on the diving map after the discovery of the USAT Liberty wreck lying just meters offshore. Once a sleepy fishing village, it has now been transformed into a world famous dive destination, and for good reason too.