Category Dive Logs

Due to the return back to Te Anau over the pass at altitude, a relatively short and shallow second dive in the sound (strictly a fiord). A layer of colder, tannin-stained fresh water sits on top of the salt water and produces a hazy, shimmering effect which reduces visibility.

This reduced visibility allows flora/fauna that would normally inhabit depths greater than recreational diving limits to be seen at shallower depths.

The star of the show is the lovely black coral (Antipatharia) which here is a feathery white – only the skeleton is black! There is a good number of large specimens.

Other deep water species are saucer sponges and large tube anemones – a superb if cold dive in a world heritage site

Many marunes, Water was very cold

almost the same species as the mushroom rock site, +2 species of nudibranch, spike-cheek anemonefishes, clown fish, giant clam, flute fish, …. wall dive…. even went to a crack at the shore (an at the end, there was a small unserwater cave)

almost the same species as the mushroom rock site, +2 species of nudibranch, spike-cheek anemonefishes, clown fish, giant clam, flute fish, …. wall dive…. even went to a crack at the shore (an at the end, there was a small unserwater cave)

Set off from Vilamendhoo on a dhoni for two hour trip to the sothern end of Ari Atol, where there were reports of whale shark sightings. Cruised around in the general area, but no sighting, so went for the first scheduled dive on the outside reef of ‘local’ island Manigili, a long reef right on the southern edge of the atoll.

In the water at around 15m, and approx 10 minutes into the dive, when Frank starts pointing out into the blue. Heading straight for us is a soltary rhincodon typus, around 6m long. The fish then headed west along the reef at around 5m, and lets us fin with it for 10-12 minutes, not seeming to mind the (careful) attention of a dozen divers, before slipping quietly into the blue again.

The whale shark is not supposed to be an efficient swimmer, but we were seriously fi...

Dropped off rib onto wall and finned into the blue to 29m. Big grey reef shark below and 2 hammerheads in the distance!! Schooling barracudas, Tuna and Jacks! Slowly made way back to reef and joined by a big batfish on the way. Finished dive on reef with beautiful soft corals – all open in the current. Really nice dive!

Amazing dendronephthya and chironephthya soft corals with schooling big-eye jacks, barracuda, masked surgeons and red and black snappers. One black and one yellow leaf scorpionfish. Strong current pushed us around a bit but great dive!!

Dropped to 23m, finning above the blue and yellow staghorn coral fields with blue chromis and anthias, a real treat. Big fans and excellent soft corals. Lots of reef fish but current made it difficult to stay where we wanted.

Lots of fish with densely packed blue and yellow fusiliers and gold-band fusiliers and small groups of mackerel scads doing their mating dance, running after each other. There were also schools of yellow-spotted trevallies, a white tip reef shark moving about the reef, and big schools of red and black snapper, surgeonfish and one very friendly gray reef shark on a deep pinnacle. Current more manageable on this dive and managed to spot an Octopus, a lovely lionfish and a goby in a tube coral.

Third dive of the trip at Marsa Shouni, this time on the north side of the bay. Dive site name is bedouin for bay of the small market.

Positive entry off Sea Dream’s dive platform, down to 12m, very low vis, approx 2m, finned with reef left shoulder, vis improving as we edged around the reef. Pinnacles rising out of the ‘mist’ made for quite an atmospheric dive. Beautiful yet eerie.

One crocodile fish, one stonefish, couple of morays and sweetlips, plus usual array of hard and soft corals and small reef fish, anthias, lion fish and groupers.

After 30 mins, turned around and finned back, slowly ascending along the coral wall, evemtually back into the poor vis. Almost needed a buddy line!

Unusual but atmospheric dive.