Seatrek

Seatrek STORY AND PHOTOS BY HELEN WATKINS

After a rather traumatic UK lockdown and six months apart, my husband Kip and I decided we needed a vacation. The BWA Facebook page gave me an idea, a trip away with Seatrek Sailing Adventues. A past sponsor of BWA, Seatrek have a 30 year history of cruise operations around Bali, and with this knowledge plus a determination to safely get back on the sea, the team came up with a perfect trip with safety a priority in these uncertain times. We therefore made the decision to have ourselves an adventure!!!

With all crew and passengers passing a full PCR test we were allowed to board the Katharina at Serangan Harbour, Bali.

Our cabin was, as you’d expect, compact, but on inspection had plenty of hidden storage and hanging space, a three piece en-suite bathroom completed the accommodation ensuring that we would cruise in comfort.

Our happy fellow sailors were two adventurous families, bringing the passenger complement to ten (five children, age range 6-13yrs, and five adults).

After a great lunch we set sail for Nusa Penida and during this time we were properly introduced to our two guides, Nita and Danny. After our detailed safety briefing Nita and Danny, both highly qualified divers, shared some of their knowledge and experience of the waters we were to discover.

Upon arrival at our first destination we spent the rest of the afternoon experiencing wonderful snorkelling above beautiful corals teaming with colourful fish whilst Nita and Danny dove down to point out things of beauty and interest. A stunning sunset, pre dinner drinks followed by a veritable feast ended our first day as we sailed overnight to our next destination.

Our first night was a little troubled by the motion of the ocean but it dawned bright as we anchored in the early hours at Gili Sulat, east Lombok. It was calm and the sun was shining for our morning snorkel after breakfast, with stunning corals akin to underwater gardens with beautiful fish flitting around like butterflies and a couple of turtles flying around like large birds.

A lazy few hours was enjoyed by all, napping, sunning, reading and playing board games and having lunch as we cruised to our next destination, a pretty uninhabited Island of palm trees, Bedil Island, northwest of Sumbawa. In lovely warm calm waters we had free time to snorkel on yet another beautiful reef plus paddleboarding and kayaking under the ever watchful eye of Nita and Danny.

A delicious dinner preceded by a stunning sunset and drinks rounded our day off peacefully as we cruised onward to our next destination. Everyone turned in for an early night as we were to have a very early start the next morning.

Awoken by a light tap on our door at 5:30am, the day dawned on our big bucket list adventure...... snorkeling with whale sharks!!!

The previous evening we’d all had a briefing session with Nita and Danny, so after a swift cup of tea we grabbed our masks and snorkels and set off in the dingy. The early scouting excursion was promising so we were all rather excited and nervous at the same time.

Local fishermen catch small baitfish which they keep in large nets on their fishing platforms, and it’s here that the enormous whale sharks like to congregate.

What a wow moment!!! From the very second we put our heads under the water we saw whale sharks..... not one but four of them! The squeals of delight and excitement coming from us all was a sign of our complete wonderment.

How beautiful are these graceful, gentle giants, their white spotted skin is like a fingerprint, each is unique. Up to 12 meters long and the largest shark, they eat tiny plankton and fish eggs which they filter feed as they swim slowly along with their mouths open.

After twenty minutes we returned to the dingy, that level of excitement, nervousness and awe is hard to maintain for much longer, we’d intruded the space of these amazing creatures for long enough.

A lively breakfast with chat of “near” encounters, sharing GoPro footage and general awe was enjoyed as we weighed anchor and cruised north toward Satonda Island from Saleh Bay, both in central Sumbawa.

Along with another exceptional snorkeling experience, albeit a little choppy, on the islands reef, a short trek took us to the calm waters of Satonda Lake. Here we could paddleboard and kayak, Danny also gave a lesson on free-diving. A highly qualified and experienced free-diver, Danny had earlier given a talk to interested parties on the boat as we cruised over to the island. He set up a dive line where it has to be said, mainly the children, put into practice what they had learned in the classroom.

After an overnight cruise back to Saleh Bay to enjoy yet more time with the whale sharks we set off at 6am in slightly more choppy waters than the previous morning. Because of this we decided two smaller groups would be easier to navigate the waters. Again we weren’t disappointed, three majestic creatures came to wow us once again. Their sheer scale really takes your breath away and your heart beats a little faster when in their company. Their markings are as individual as our fingerprints and they’re tracked using the unique pattern of spots just behind their right dorsal fin. A whale shark tracking website has been set up to trace their movements in this area.

We again didn’t intrude on their space for too long and were soon enjoying a hearty breakfast back on board the Katharina. Upping anchor we sailed south of Moyo Island and whilst we traveled we all chilled, played board games or had a well earned snooze.

We lunched in the bar/lounge area as we hit some wet weather, the sea swell caused great hilarity as we lurched from buffet to table but by the time lunch was finished normal service was resumed.

Our snorkelling experience just south of Moyo Island was spectacular with many enormous “plate” corals with beautiful colours. It is so hard to describe the beauty of these underwater wonderlands but viewing and being immersed In these vibrant gardens just has to be one of the best and most relaxing experience ever.

After hot showers, drinks and a glorious sunset we had dinner. Noticing the rain had cleared the cloud the crew pulled back the enormous canopy that covered thei eating area, switched off the lights and we were subsequently treated to a magical carpet of stars. It was as bright and busy overhead as it had been underwater. Collectively we picked out many familiar constellations and learnt new ones, we could even see the Milky Way...... what a show!

The day dawned bright and blue for our last full day on board the Katharina. Miraculously, overnight we’d cruised to yet another destination, Kenawa Island, northwest Sumbawa. Here we spent the morning taking a short hike up a hill to take in our surroundings, beautiful 360 degree views of surrounding islands and clear blue waters. As good as it felt to stretch our legs, those of us who hiked welcomed the refreshing water of a drift snorkel over some really unusual and diverse coral.

A drift snorkel is really very relaxing, using the direction of the current to “float” you over the coral with time to take it all in and no swimming necessary. The dingy picked us up where the current changed direction and as it had been so lovely we decided to do it all over again.

On all our snorkelling expeditions we’ve seen an amazing amount of small fish and certainly by far the most “Nemo” or clown fish I’ve ever seen! Other species that we’ve spotted or have had pointed out to us by Nita or Danny, have been, sea snakes, a couple of moray eels, lion fish, sting rays, crown of thorns, nudibranch, box fish, lizard fish, parrot fish and angel fish to name but a few!

The adults in our party watched from the beach as some of the crew treated the kids to “rides” using the dingy...... pulling the paddleboard behind the dingy while the children tried to stand up and waterski..... lots of cheering and hilarity as they became more and more daring..... with more epic splashes as they fell off the board! I later heard one young lady say that she’d had the best hour ever!!!

As the sun was beginning to set I asked Nita if I could g take a few shots of the Katharina in full sail with the sunset. An hour later I had some stunning photos of this beautiful vessel as the sun set on our last day.

That evening our hosts treated us to a gala dinner and the whole crew joined us to eat! Much to my husbands surprise, Danny asked him to make a speech. A huge thank you and a massive well done to everyone who’d looked after us and made this trip so special during these difficult times was delivered with such sincerity that there were few dry eyes left amongst us.

After dinner the crew sang some joyful folk songs accompanied by a guitar and a fantastic makeshift double bass. We were soon all up and dancing under the stars, a fitting gala dinner and dance for our last night aboard.

I’d loved to have been able to say that once again the morning dawned clear and bright but sadly we had heavy cloud as we anchored off Nusa Lembongan. A snorkelling trip near to some mangroves was planned but as we neared our destination in the dingy the weather and strong currents weren’t conducive to a safe snorkelling experience.

The wind increased and so did the size of the waves, sitting securely on deck we were able to ride out the choppy waters, our chatter giving way to a few squeals and nervous laughter on the occasion of a big swell.

As we neared Bali, the waters calmed and we were able to pack our belongings. A wonderful seafood lunch was enjoyed by all before we said our fond farewells and thank you’s to all our fellow travelers.

Our Seatrek trip really did exceed all our expectations especially during these challenging times. My husband and I cannot recommend the company and staff highly enough and I thank them for providing the perfect tonic to the current pandemic.