Another day in paradise and the sun is shining again. The water is calm as we headed off to our next dive site.
This was called Gorgonian wall and was a jungle covered island which descended into the blue water with a rock wall covered with giant Gorgonian fans. There was no current so the drift dive turned into a gentle swim along the wall admiring the beautiful fans and checking out the holes and crevices for critters.
I found a Nudibranch and a pipefish in one hole and the dive guide pointed out little shrimps balancing on the fan edges.
Under a ledge there were several sweetlips and a Batfish, and as we ascended up the wall a school of giant Bumphead parrotfish swam past.
As you looked up you could see the sun shining on the jungle above the waterline and it was quite magical.
The top of the reef was adorned with the usual colourful soft corals and there were lots of tiny fish swimming around the hard corals.
After the dive the tender boat driver took us to a nearby sandy island for a bit of a swim and to admire the scenery.
The snorkelling there was fantastic and was similar to Sipadan in that it went right to the edge of the reef with a huge drop off at the end.
The second dive after breakfast was rather unpleasant as I had buoyancy problems and kept trying to float to the surface. Fighting the current to stay down was impossible so I had to go up and maintaining a 5metre level for the safety stop was no picnic.
After lunch and with more weight put back in the bcd we went to a site called Nudi rock. So named for its resemblance to a Nudibranch. The dive started off rather boring with poor visibility but at the end of the dive we found an exquisite garden of hot pink anemones guarded by clown fish. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen under the sea.
2025-02-06