409 Dive Log Australasia December 24

Long Nose Hawkfish on a huge purple Fan coral

Plentiful variety of Anemone fish

Each dive boat has a dive crew, boat crew and everything you need. I asked Novie about Flasher Wrasse, one of my favorite subjexts. We dived at a site called ‘Liabale’ where they are sometimes seen. Novie took me straight down to a patch of sand at 23 metres. Lo and Behold, we saw a group of those beautiful little creatures. They are extremely furtive and shy. I settled in with my 105 micro lens, to try for a portrait. These were definitely Flasher Wrasse, we decided but there were no males flashing the beautiful colours of their dorsal fins for which they are highly regarded. I need to research out if they develop the stunning high dorsal fin structure during the mating season. The consensus amongst the dive guides is that this is the case.

Ridge and Pinkie’s Wall followed by Fan Garden and Allegra’s Wall. There are many varied coral reef ecosystems on show. Diving is done from huge wooden phinisi dive boats. Most of these beautiful wooden boats are about twenty-four metres long. They have so much space and are purpose built. The local boat-building artisan actually builds the boats right next to the resort. These Phinisi boats are famous for their sea worthiness and the ability to do long voyages.The local peoples are also famous seafarers. It is very obvious that the boat captains are highly experienced. You can walk a short ten minutes from the resort to a small bay where the boats are constructed. They have an ingenious system for launching the boats.

Crocodile Flathead are always a delight to encounter

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DIVE LOG Australasia #409 - December ‘24