411 Dive Log Australasia April 2025

Schooling Yellow Snapper hovering over a giant Elephant Ear sponge

massive soft coral formations and large Gorgonian fans, while out in the blue are various pelagic fish, turtles, eagle rays and an abundance of reef sharks. The two giant pinnacles at ‘Turbo’ and ‘Nonki Bommie’ are fantastic dives rising from 35 metres and covered in beautiful soft corals which provided refuge for a enormous array of reef fish. Also common are schools of Big Eye Trevally, Barracuda, Stingrays, Green Turtles and the odd Tawny Nurse Shark can be spotted. We also found lots of Nemos, giant orange Gorgonian Fans, Clown and Triton Trigger Fish, Batfish, Lionfish, Grey and White Tip Reef Sharks. Another wonderful site, appropriately named: ‘A-maz-ing’, is comprised of coral outcrops with small caves and swim-throughs separated by sandy patches providing a suitable home for Sand Gobies and their ‘housekeeping’ Shrimp, Goatfish, Rock Movers, Sea Cucumbers and Garden Eels. There were also lots of Nemos on top of reef, while Cuttlefish, Lionfish and turtles commonly seen. After a wonderful dinner and an hour or two sharing our diving experiences amongst the crew and guests we were heading to Bougainville Reef due North and 250ks Northeast of Cairns. Bougainville, although only four kilometres in diameter, offers some of the best diving and snorkelling experiences on the planet. Surrounded by numerous pristine dive

sites such as ‘Anchors Away’, ‘Little Bay’, and many more, Bougainville is an absolute must visit destination. For example, at ‘Dungeons and Dragons’, we found some striking gutters full of fish species the number of which were too hard to keep a track on. Meanwhile, at ‘Crystal Plateau’, a cluster of small bommies coming up from 30m to 15m from the surface, we have always found a great dive for our style(s) of photography with lots of fish species including Flame Angels, Hump Head Parrot Fish, reef sharks, the occasional Potato Cod and big schools of Barracuda out in the blue.

So many colourful reefs to explore

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DIVE LOG Australasia #411- April 25

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