419 Dive Log Australasia AUGUST 2026

Wakatobi’s Colourful treasures

wakatobi.com

Carl’s cuttles

Wakatobi is reached by a 2 3/4-hour flight from Bali. The flight is unusual because they charter the whole plane and you can often take luggage on board that exceeds the normal weight restrictions. Great for photographers. You land at the airport on the mainland that Wakatobi built and are taken by boat to the next island, Wakatobi. After the initial greeting, resort familiarisation and welcome, I had lunch and went diving. As they say, you can fly and dive on day one. The House reef is their check out dive location. it is the most carefully protected of the reefs. As such, it has excellent marine life, not tame but fairly used to divers. Over the next week, I explored some of the forty plus dive sites. There were so many colourful treasures to be found under the water here in the Southern

Sulawesi Sea. As an inveterate fish lover, the highlights for me were brightly coloured fish. The one with the biggest impact was definitely the bright pink Stone Fish sitting in three metres of water. The dive guide has summonsed me to end the dive as I had completed my safety stop. When I saw it, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I just had to get a few photos. Stone fish lie in wait motionless for the ambush. So they are the best subject for U/W photography. The equal favorite of the trip was the Flame Dottyback. These are giants in the world of Dottybacks reaching up to 15 cms. The colours hypnotised me and I had to get a few photos. Like all fish, they are very skittish and these are especially difficult to photograph. But with a lot of patience and

Saron shrimp

Hot Pink Leafy Scorpion fish

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Dive Log Australasia #419 August ‘26

www.divelog.net.au

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