Yet another reason to help me win...The Menjangan!!!!

Hello there faithful fans and ceaseless supporters!


Well, the contest is quickly speeding to an end so I'm here to keep you up to date on all the reasons why I'm battling to win this amazing opportunity with Blue Season Bali and why you should support me to WIN WIN WIN!!!!

Today's entry:

The Menjangan!!

One of Blue Season Bali's three dive outlets is housed at The Menjangan Hotel near Menjangan Island in the North West corner of Bali. It is the only hotel located within the borders of West Bali National Park and consequently has undisturbed access to some of the most picturesque diving and nature in all of Bali. This year as part of The Best Dive Job 2012 the winner gets to spend a bit of time here to check out what Blue Season has on offer at this amazing hotel. Now, as anyone who has travelled with me knows, I'm from the  "who needs to pay more than 15 dollars a night for a hotel" school of travelling so the thought of being allowed to spend a night at a hotel like The Menjangan is beyond imagination for me. Of course, the accommodations are gorgeous - beach bugalows set up on white sand beaches, a gorgeous pool surrounded by the beauty of being nestled in a national park and undisturbed views of the crystal waters of Bali. Of course the other amenities are the stuff 5 star hotel dreams are made of like amazing restaurants and spas (in fact, one of the restaurants is actually in the treetops!) And all of this in the serenity of a national park with noone haggling you to buy anything, no potholed sidewalks to fall down in, no drunken 20 somethings falling down in the streets, no motorcycles with surfboards attached careening into unsuspecting pedestrians and best of all...no "transport, transport!" (anyone who's been to Bali will know what I'm talking about).

Ya, I could spend some time here....

Of course all of this is amazing but being a big ol' dive geek, I'm most interested in what lies under the water around The Menjangan.


Two Words pretty much sum it up - Mandarin. Fish!..or three words...Mating. Mandarin. Fish!!


For those of you who don't know, mandarin fish are shy, elusive little guys who don't like to come out until just before sunset. The divers who are around when they do decide to come out of their little hidey holes are a lucky bunch because not only are these little critters absolutely gorgeous, they also like to put on quite a show. Just before sunset the ladies of the neighbourhood come and gather around their favorite little coral hangout, gossiping and catching up on the day's events. They may seem unsuspecting and innocent but what they are all really waiting for is the local hunka hunka burning Mandarin Fish love to come strutting by. Of course, the men don't disappoint and sure enough, just as the sun is setting they take their little stroll along the main drag to check out the ladies. Now these are not picky fish. Instead, these fine young gentlemen are anything but! What follows is a bit of mass mating hysteria as the lucky gentlemen run from hangout to hangout getting 'jiggy' with as many ladies as they can get their multicoloured little fins on. 

Of course out in the wild where bowflexes, makeup, high heels and spanx aren't readily available, these little fishies have to strut their stuff to attract each other so the show is beautiful. Once one of these eligible bachelors has chosen a bachellorette, "I'll take bachelorette number one, Chuck", they float in perfect balance above the coral side by side so that all the divers can get a good look at 'em. Such a special moment for them...until the man drops her like a sack of stones and moves on to her best friend (who doesn't blink an eye at betraying her buddy)

And so it continues until the sun sets and both divers and mandarin fish head home feeling satisfied, albeit a little tired.   

Putting on a show for the local divers

The house reef of The Menjangan Hotel is a apparently prime viewing of the nightly lust fest so you don't even have to go far!! BONUS!! There are of course many other beautiful dive sites in the area, with menjangan island only minutes away. Walls, drift dives, coral slopes and breathtaking dropoffs. I've dived Menjangan before and it doesn't disappoint. Bumphead parrot fish, white tip reef sharks, tuna, lion fish, honeycomb and giant morays, damselfish and surgeon fish and angel fish and..and..and... plus it's pretty nice scenery in which to spend your surface interval.

Menjangan Island, beautiful above and below the water line

Just in case you needed a bit of protection, Lord Ganesha has a lookout point on Menjangan Island  to watch over your every dive

Local fishing boats around Menjangan Island

             
So my faithful readers...as you can see. There is more to Blue Season Bali and The Best Dive Job in the World than just hanging out in the training pool in their Sanur Career Development Centre. There are adventures on every corner of the island of Bali!
Help me to convince Blue Season Bali that I'm the lady who deserves to win this thing!!

Like my Facebook fan page here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joe-Zeiler-for-Best-Job-in-the-World-2012/175807769165257

Leave a comment of support on my application page here:
http://www.bestdivejob.com/2012/?p=90

And continue to check back to see what's new! The competition ends on Feb. 28th...we're into the final month so now's the time to race to the finish. Spread the word and get the world behind me!! Help me win so that I can hang out with fish doing the nasty!!!

Cheers from the battlefield
Joe