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In the summer of 2002 we spent our holidays in Bali indulging our usual interests in scuba diving, shell collecting, exploring the countryside and trying the local culinary delights. We were at the extreme East of the island 4 hours by road from the fleshpots of Kuta and Sanur . The area is very underdeveloped just a few small family run 'hotels' made up of little self contained cottages. Not self-catering, for food in the little local restaurants was excellent and dinner for 4 cost less than $20. Wonderful countryside and beaches. The skyline dominated by Gunung Agung a 9000 ft volcano. Major eruptions in 1962, '64 and '74. The 1964 one covering the area in lava flows down to the sea, killing 3,000 and making 100,000 homeless. The other big volcano has a magnificent caldera filled with a crescent shaped lake about 20 km across with an active central cone.
The diving and snorkelling was very good on pristine reefs and lots of shells and a very fine wreck from WW2. Most of our shell collecting was done wading or snorkelling on the reefs within a couple of miles of our hotel
We did not collect a large number of shells though we got a good selection. Notices on the beach asked us to preserve the reef, so in deference to that we were sensitive about collecting live shells. There was no ban on collecting, either from the sea or the beach but we tried to be eco-friendly and collect only one or two of each species. The major problem, as always, is cleaning and the ants really couldn't be relied upon to always complete the job! One day snorkelling just opposite our beach we found a flat area of rocky bottom between patch reefs covered with about 20 very large Lambis chiragra (Linne, 1758), we collected a couple thinking that we could get more at the end of the trip but never saw them again, Another day the same rocky patch was covered with Conus distans (Hwass, 1792) and Conus marmoreus (Linne, 1758) ; never saw them again either. Where were they hiding? We found several fine large Vasum ceramicum (Linne, 1758) in about 1 metre of water just opposite our hotel.
Returning to the airport we dropped in on the (now) infamous Kuta Beach. There were a selection of locals selling shells particularly Cassis cornuta (Linne 1758) and Chicoreus ramosus (Linne, 1758) , very fine large specimens, after much negotiation we got them for £l or so. You have to select carefully as they have a habit of grinding the outer lip.
Arca ventricosa Lamark, 1819 Bursa tuberosissima Reeve, 1844 Cantharus undosus Linne, 1758 Cardita variegata Brugiere, 1792 Casmaria ponderosa Gmelin, 1791 Cassis cornuta Linne, 1758 Chicoreus brunneus Link, 1807 Chicoreus ramosus Linne, 1758 Collisella striata Quoy & Gaimard, 1834 Colubraria sowerbii Reeve, 1844 Conus coronatus Roding, 1798 Conus distans Hwass, 1792 Conus emaciatus Reeve, 1849 Conus imperialis Linne, 1758 Conus lividus Hwass, 1792 Conus marmoreus Linne, 1758 Conus miles Linne, 1758 Conus monachus Linne, 1758 Conus musicus Hwass, 1792 Conus striatus Linne, 1758 Coralliophila erosa Roding, 1798 Coralliophila neritoidea Lamark, 1816 Cymbiola aulica Sowerby, 1825 Dentalium elephantinum Linne, 1758 Drupa morum Roding, 1798 Drupa ricinus Linne, 1758 Drupa rubusidaeus Roding, 1798 Glycymeris amboinensis Gmelin, 1791 Haliotis glabra Gmelin, 1791 Haliotis planata Sowerby, 1833 Lambis chiragra Linne, 1758 Lambis scorpius Linne, 1758 Latirolagena smaragdula Linne, 1758 Latirus gibbulus Gmelin, 1791 Latirus lanceolatus Reeve, 1847 Latirus polygonus Gmelin, 1791 Latirus turritus Gmelin, 1791 Modulus tectum Gmelin, 1791 |
Monodonta canalifera Lamark, 1816 Morula biconica Blainvil1e, 1832 Morula granulata Duclos, 1832 Nassarius velatus Gou1d, 1850 Nerita albicilla Linne, 1758 Nerita costata Gmelin, 1791 Nerita exuvia Linne, 1758 Nerita plicata Linne, 1758 Nerita undata Linne, 1758 Oliva annulata Gmelin, 1791 Oliva reticulata Roding, 1798 Patelloida saccharinoides Habe & Kosuge; 1966 Periglypta reticulata Linne, 1758 Pterynotus elongatus Lightfoot, 1786 Rhinoclavis sinensis Gmelin, 1791 Stomatia phymotis Heibling, 1779 Strombus labiatus Roding, 1798 Strombus luhuanus Linne, 1758 Strombus microurceus Kira, 1959 Strombus mutabilis Swainson, 1821 Terebra crenulata Linne, 1758 Terebra dimidiata Linne, 1758 Terebra subulata Linne, 1767 Thais echinata Blainville, 1832 Thais echinulata Lamark, 1822 Thais hippocastanum Linne, 1758 Trachycardium angulatum Lamark, 1822 Trapezium sp Tridacna squamosa Lamark, 1819 Trochus stellatus Gmelin, 1791 Turbo bruneus Roding, 1798 Turbo chrysostomus Linne, 1758 Turris cryptorrhaphe Sowerby, 1825 Turris nadaensis Azuma, 1973 Tutufa rubeta Linne, 1758 Vasum ceramicum Linne, 1758 Vasum turbinellum Linne, 1758 Zierliana woldemari Kiener,1838 |
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