Umbul Ponggok is full of fresh ideas for your holiday snaps

Umbul Ponggok is a freshwater pond that comes out from a natural spring. Technically, it is in Central Java province, but you can reach it with an hour’s drive from Yogyakarta. The pond size is 70 x 40 metres, but the water continues flowing so that the visibility is crystal clear. Moreover, there are so many big, colourful fish. You can’t miss swimming in the pond because it’s very refreshing! 

 

Back in 2010, my friends and I came here to swim or to do snorkelling. Since the era of social media in 2015, the operators offer underwater photography with props that you cannot imagine. 

 

Watching TV, working on a laptop, riding a bicycle or motorbike are some of the most popular underwater poses. Surely, with clear water and fish around, this makes our social media feed something! Thanks to tourism, the village that was once the poorest in the region have now become the most prosperous. 

 

It is best to do it with two or three friends for a good photo. The photographer will tell you what to do. Just exhale, hold your breath, sink yourself, grab the motorbike, and strike a pose. As a freediver myself, it was easy to do, but I saw others who could not swim having a hard time. Glad that my friends are good swimmers, or I can say, sinkers. You will have half an hour per prop to do it, so just relax! After the session, all the photos will be transferred to your mobile phone and you are ready to post them on your social media.

 

Most visitors book the photography package inside the pool compound, but it will take a longer time due to the long queue. I suggest you book outside the pool, across the street; as the photographer is always ready to jump in right away.