9th December 2011/Be careful as you go
Bali is blessed by being an all year round destination to get away from it all.  It is a magical island with something to please all your senses;  colourful and spiritual Hindu Ceremonies; dramatic landscapes of Volcanoes, waterfalls and rice terraces, ancient art and craft culture; diving on some of the healthiest reefs around. 

Up here in North Bali the water temperature is settling at a comfortable 29/30 degrees and a couple of good rainfalls have already turned the winter-dry barren backdrop of mountains in Pemuteran a lush green.

Proyek Penyu, our Turtle Hatchery has had a very successful year and we thank all our visitors for the contributions they have made to protect the sea turtles in this area.  We have only a handful of babies at the moment after releasing over 400 turtles during the last 12 months as we wait for new clutches of 280 eggs to hatch in the new year.

Reef Seen's efforts to protect the precious reefs continues with the help of the Reef Gardeners.  We are seeing more and more visitors each year drawn to this delightful place to enjoy the wealth of life to be found in the sea.  However we are concerned by the impact that such an increase can have.  As the numbers of tourists increase so the number of businesses to cater for them also rises and the knock on effect can be devastating. More buildings fill in the green spaces, more rubbish to deal with in an already inadequate infrastructure, more drain on the local, natural resources and more traffic to bring the people here. We ask that when you come you take extra care to set a good example of consideration for the environment above and below the water line. Just because there is some plastic on the ground doesn’t mean you should add to it.  A split second with a misplaced foot/fin can take years to mend and the corals have enough thrown at them by nature without us humans adding to the trauma. 

At the moment it is still a beautiful, unspoilt and very special place, a haven for underwater photographers, so we hope you can help us keep it that way. Whether you want to blow a few bubbles or just relax this time of year is a great time to visit without the crowds of peak season so please come and enjoy it with us.