Down here in Belongas, South Lombok….this week we have seen an awful lot of Hawksbill turtles. It has been known to see them on occasion at our Dive sites “Gili Sarang” and “The Cathedral” but we have even run into them at “the Magnet” earlier in the week. “A lovely way to end the dive, we have been so lucky” said the group of Instructor’s and Dive master’s from Gili islands, not only did they see the Turtles they also saw a Big school of Hammerheads, Great Barracuda, 7 White tip reef sharks, Eagle rays, Bamboo sharks, Lobsters and Grouper!!
The Hawksbill’s appearance is similar to that of other marine turtles; they have a flattened body shape, a protective carapace and flipper-like arms adapted to swimming in the open ocean. They are easily distinguished from other Turtles by their sharp, curving beak and saw-like appearance of their shell margins. Depending on the water temperatures their shell can change colours!
As for the small stuff here in Belongas, I am thrilled to announce that our resident Harlequin Shrimps have made an appearance again at “Gili Sarang”. We spotted them every dive a couple of months back and then they took off but luckily they have decided to show their beautiful blue and white shell again. We have also been seeing Cowfish, Nudibranch, Squid, Ribbon eels, Indian ocean walkmans and plenty more.
A week of everything you could ask for!