DIVE LOG AUSTRALASIA FEB 2025 ISSUE 410

LEMBEH STREIGHT AND THE MAWALI WRECK Bitung is the jumping-off place to dive to Lembeh Island, and the port is surprisingly busy with a wide variety of smaller island cargo ships and local craft. I don’t know if I’m doing the town a disservice, but what I saw there was not much to like. I am thankful I could dive the wreck from Manado. The correct name of the Malawi Wreck is unknown. She has simply been named after the little village ashore. Her position is 1° 26.778’ N and 125° 13.536’ E. She is 90 meters long and lies between 17 and 30 meters on her port side. The best guess is she was sunk by U.S. bombers in 1943. In the 70’s and 80’s, the wreck was buoyed and regularly dived. But now, it’s a matter of local knowledge and necessary for the dive boats to anchor on the wreck. Talking to the older, experienced divemasters, the new generation of local dive operators have no interest in wreck diving. It’s much easier to concentrate on simple, shallow muck diving.

Interestingly, the wreck was off-limits for many years after the war. The forward hold was carrying a cargo of anti-ship mines. The Indonesian Navy removed the mines in 1955. Descending the anchor line, a large school of mackerel parting way for us is impressive. Moments later, the hull is visible in the gloom. Getting closer, I see the wreck is alive with marine life. Swimming off the side of the hull and onto the deck, I make my way to the engine room skylight. I plan to check the engine and condenser. But I change my mind and head to the stern. I’m keen to check out the propeller. To conserve air and limit bottom time, I use the scooter to skim a few meters above the hull; it’s impossible not to notice the rich carpet of beautiful hard corals and ferns that cover the hull. The propeller in all its glory is sitting there like Jackie, just waiting to be plucked, but alas, like the Molas wreck, it’s cast iron. Not worth the effort BIMOLI WRECK This small Japanese freighter is approximately 900 tons and some 70m long. She was discharging munitions when she was torpedoed by U.S. aircraft and sunk; much of the stern section was obliterated—maximum depth 35m and shallow end 12m. Check under the bow for the sponge gardens, nudibranchs, and other interesting weird stuff. The dive master told me reef sharks and large cod are also familiar sights. She is close to Bitung, in front of the Bimoli oil factory, and right in the middle of the shipping area, so be careful when surfacing. Visibility can be poor; the best time to dive is during the incoming tide. In 2006, local divers scavenged non-ferrous and other scraps from the wreck, but the police stopped this. Like most of the wrecks in North Sulawesi, not much is known about the Bimoli . KAPAL INDAH and KAPAL BARU There are two other wrecks worth visiting. The Kapal Indah : a 45m fishing boat that caught fire and was towed into a shallow bay to sink. She sits on an even keel, the shallow end at 17m, with a maximum depth of 24m. The wreck is covered with bryozoans, hydroids, sponges, and lots of nudibranchs, some of which are very rare. You can also encounter giant frogfish, ready to devour the fish around them. After diving on the wreck, you can finish diving on the small coral patches further towards the shore. Close to Kapal Indah lies the Kapal Baru , another local boat on the bottom between 4 and 14 meters. I didn’t get to visit this wreck, but I was told it’s richly covered in coral and

marine life. It used to be popular as a night dive. Apparently, this wreck is more fruitful for critter photographers than the Kapal Indah.

60

Dive Log Australasia issue 410 Feb 2025

www.divelog.net.au