DIVELOG JUNE 406

Every day you have a stunning sunrise and sunset.

Febrina has a family of Silver Tip Whalers that they visit often.

continue the second great age of exploration; that is exploration below the waters. The skipper who has done most exploration in these waters is without a doubt, Alan. He has searched for and discovered so many great dive sites for us to explore. Febrina’s skipper, Alan Raabe, steers her toward the renowned Witu islands, NW of Walindi. This is getting further from civilization and deeper into adventure. Many of the dives here are famous. They are known and loved by so many divers from all across the world. Many, many underwater photographers have made their name on the photos that they have taken on dives made from the Febrina. We dived on a white coral sand beach in just a few metres of water known as Witu Harbour. First impressions are that it is an empty sandy desert sloping down quite steeply to well over thirty metres. Then, you start to look closer and follow your dive guide and focus intently. My dive guide would point out something in the sand. Sometimes, I could not even see it at first. He would talk underwater and call out the name of the critter. All of a sudden, you could see it. First reaction was always: ‘Wow!” So many creatures live on and under the shifting sands. This is one place where ninety minute dives can be made again and again. The bottom is perfect for long satisfying safety stops photographing the amazing array of critters. We find a small slightly built octopus. It slinks over the sand and speedily ducks down into a hole then pops up its head to examine you. Soon, it slinks off and sometimes swims up into the water column continuously changing shape. It looks a little like the Mimic octopus but different. It is almost certainly an undescribed species new to science. There are a number of tiny Cockatoo Wasp fish hiding next to dead pieces of sea grass. The dull brown decomposing sea grass is also home to pipefish and Ghost pipefish, shrimp and shells. Numerous nudibranchs live on the sand; Sea cucumbers are home to Imperial shrimp.

Large schools of Big Eyed trevally

Cockatoo Waspfish hiding near dead marine plants

A pair of Four eyed gobies on the black sands of the volcano dive

41

www.divelog.net.au

DIVE LOG Australasia #406 - June ‘24