Any day I get to play Ariel is a great day. And today is one of those days.

I take a bus from Ubud to the sleepy fishing village Tulamben on the east coast of Bali. I’ve chosen this site for my first ship wreck dive — the U.S. Liberty rests just off shore and is a popular dive spot on the island.

I ask around for cheap accommodation, throw my things down, and book a dive immediately. Thirty minutes later we are in the water.

Side note: Bali is one of the cheapest places in the world to dive. The price for a single dive in Tulamben (including all equipment and a dive master) is $25. A second dive — even if it’s a night dive — is merely an additional $10. I book my dive with the same place I found cheap accommodation (at this point I can’t remember the name) but someone recommends Dive Concepts to me, and their prices are the same.

The U.S. Liberty was torpedoed in 1942 and beached on shore. After the 1963 volcanic eruption of nearby Mt. Agung, the ship relocated to shallow waters just off the coast.

We get our first glimpse of the ship wreck:

My dive master guides us through the wreckage remains.

At this point I REALLY feel like Ariel. Flounder, look out for that shark!!

“I’ve got whozits and whatzits galore… You want thingamabobs? I got twenty!”

My dive master, posing:

Maybe this is where the torpedo hit back in 1942?

This napoleon fish pops out to say hello…

… and good-bye.

I’ll wrap it up with my favorite cinematic moment from childhood. Please enjoy the best song from The Little Mermaid:

It’s nearly sunset by the time we surface.

The next morning I’m scheduled to depart for the Gili Islands, a short boat ride away. As we all wait for the boat, we notice a ceremony of some sort happening nearby.

And then we find out that our boat’s engine is broken and we have to wait about four hours until they can repair it.

I anticipate standing around under the hot sun (there is only one small cafe nearby with about four tables, and there’s 30 of us waiting for the boat). But the owners offer to take us to a nearby resort where we can wait by a pool and even snorkel.

You don’t have to tell me twice… I’m one of the first people in the van. Ten minutes later a bunch of us are lounging in this pool:

I read my book, order lunch, go for another swim… I can’t believe that a four-hour delay has turned into an afternoon in paradise. It appears that the same family who operates the boat company also runs this hotel. Major kudos to them for good customer service!

Back on the beach, it’s fascinating to watch this company prepare for our voyage — men slowly fill the boat up with fuel, adding individual jugs of petrol. This process takes nearly 30 minutes as they bring down gallons and gallons to the shore. Meanwhile, women start transporting the giant pile of luggage onto the boat. They gracefully lift each bag on top of their heads and shuttle them down to the water. Men toss the bags onto the rooftop luggage rack.

And we’re off! That’s Mount Agung in the distance, the highest peak in Bali. If you’re into climbing, I hear it’s a popular (and extremely challenging) sunrise hike. It’s also the same volcano that erupted in 1963 and nudged the U.S. Liberty ship off Bali’s shores.

Good-bye, Bali! Onward to the Gili Islands!