Where do you muck dive?

[Dan]

Some of you may wonder about what I meant by "muck dive". A quick search in the Internet you'll find this: Muck diving - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I did muck diving for the first time in a dive site called Little Bight in Utila in August 2008. I got hooked to this type of relaxing, floating about a foot above the sand, while watching of interesting critters diving ever since.

Afterward I did some searching of other muck diving sites. I read a lot about Lembeh, Indonesia, which became well known for some of the best muck diving in the world by Larry Smith.

Being an Indonesian & living in the same state of Texas, where Larry was originally from, drew me even more to go to Lembeh and to meet him. Why would a guy from Texas goes half around the world to Lembeh? It must be a good place to muck dive there.

Unfortunately Larry passed away a year before I even knew about what muck diving is all about. Here is a bit info about Larry Smith's obituary and how he made Lembeh famous for muck diving: Larry Smith passes away in Indonesia ::

I did finally got a chance to muck dive in Lembeh on July 2011 and again in November 2013. I'm not very good in taking pictures, nor videos, so to those who are interested to know what you may see in Lembeh, I just post a link to one of the best, most complete documentary video of Lembeh done by a professional videographer and narrator, Nick Hope. Here is the excellent, must see, 92-minute video of Lembeh by Nick Hope of bubblevision.com:
Another cool muck diving site that I went, here in USA, is Blue Heron Bridge (BHB) in Jupiter, Florida. Here is another excellent (fortunately short & sweet) 13-minute video of BHB by Jonathan Bird of Blue Wold:
Another good muck diving place that I dove in is Secret Bay in Gilimanuk, Bali, Indonesia. You can search some of the cool muck diving video in YouTube about this place.

My next one will be in Ambon, in November 2017.

So, if anyone have gone to some other cool muck diving sites, please share.

Thanks
Dan

 

[RyanT]

Anywhere! Honestly, I enjoy doing this at least as much as spending time up on top of the reef where it is colorful. I don't have a particular favorite place, I just do it and enjoy it wherever I am!

 

[Lorenzoid]

Another good muck diving place that I dove in is Secret Bay in Gilimanuk, Bali, Indonesia. You can search some of the cool muck diving video in YouTube about this place.

When did you dive Secret Bay? Based on trip reports I had read from 2014 and earlier, I was eager to dive Secret Bay when I was in the area early last month (June 2016). However, I was told by my dive operator--who was happy to take me anywhere I wanted to pay to go--"it's not as good as it used to be." I was told that the relocation of the ferry terminal closer to the area preferred by divers had some sort of impact. He also said he had found oil floating on the water where he used to dive. Based on these warnings, we did not dive Secret Bay. I was also interested in another famed muck dive site, Puri Jati, which as you may know is also on Bali's north coast. We did one dive there. We did not see as much life as trip reports (again, none within the last couple of years) had suggested we might. Of course, it's hard to review a dive site based on one dive. However, later in our trip, an Australian who said she used to enjoy Puri Jati told us that it, too, "is not what it used to be." She did not know what might have caused the decline.

As far as Bali goes, Tulamben has great muck opportunities. Not quite on par with Lembeh, but I still saw a lot of stuff.

 

[Dan]

I've been in Secret Bay twice, in Nov 2009 & July 2014. Both times were great muck divings. Saw similar critters that I saw in Lembeh. I guess I was there before the bad things happened.

I have never been in Puri Jati. That would be a good next visit when I go to Bali.

Tulamben is always my favorite place to dive in Bali. I went there 5 times (Nov 2007, Nov 2008, Nov 2011, Jul 2014, Jun 2015). The muck diving there is pretty good. Saw 2 kinds of garden eels, ghost pipefish, other interesting critters, but not much variety as I saw in Secret Bay. I went to Tulamben mostly to check out the big fish in USS Liberty wreck, especially at dawn (~5-6am) when the school of Bumphead parrotfish & Brown-marbled grouper start to come out of their hide out in the wreck searching for breakfast.

A better muck diving near Tulamben is Seraya, just east of Tulamben, where I saw 5 robust ghost pipefish lineup on a boomy. I was told that you might see harlequin shrimps. Unfortunately, my last dive guide told me that they are no longer there. The only time I saw the harlequin shrimps were in Bunaken back in Jul 2011 & the latest one in May 2016 in Pulau Pef, Raja Ampat. The dive guide gave the shrimps their favorite meal, multi pore sea star, which they were happily chomping the sea star to bits.

 

[seeker242]

Blue Heron Bridge, cause it's just a 45 min drive! Night diving there is pretty cool too, when the tides are right.

 

[Dan]

I'm gathering my dive buddies to head out to BHB in August next year for the exact muck diving & seeing the Goliath grouper spawning in the wrecks off BHB.

 

[dirtfarmer]

Lately I've seen some photos coming out of the Rombolon area in the PI and there are some very rare nudes to be found there.
Dan_t have you been to Anilao? Great muck there too.

 

[Dan]

dirtfarmer, I haven't been to Philippines. I should add those places you mentioned in my bucket list. Thanks.

 

[Dan]

Just got a tip from my local dive club buddy, AquaCat of chumclub.org about Dominica: Blennywatcher Diary: Dominica ::

 

[indiedive]

Muck diving in Blue Heron Bridge looks awesome! Is November good season for muck diving in Florida?

Would you recommend a dive center that I can dive with? Is dive guide included?