DIVE LOG AUSTRALASIA FEB 2026

Deep inside a dark coral cave lies a lurking Lionfish

Ornate Butterfly fish

Some of the dive sites such as Namo Bula Bula have sandy patches at the base. Often, you can find Jawfish peering out of their rubbley jubblewy burrows Flagtail Blanquillos slither through the water keeping just out of range for your camera. Shrimp Gobies watch alertly as you approach. It is always fun to watch the untiring efforts of the Alpheid shrimp toiling away at the housekeeping whilst that vigilant Goby stands guard. I spotted a magnificent Wrasse similar to a Melanesian Wrasse. Its bright red eyes watching intently as it flashed a danger warning to the rest of the school. Down the slopes of the walls Ornate Butterfly fish swim in formation with military stealth. They move forward one by one whilst the other watches for danger. Butterfly fish constantly signal to each other that it is safe to proceed in a manner that reminds me of soldiers going from door to door in urban combat missions. Drifting amongst these colourful reefs is a wonderful experience. For more information, go to www.wakatobi.com.

There are more than forty dive sites around Wakatobi that are classified as day dives.. I explored about twenty of these dive sites, some of which I dived twice. Each dive site has a description and suitability for each various weather conditions. For example, Black Forest. Black Forest has a shallow reef connected to a deep wall by a coral slope. Overhangs and canyons make for excellent critter hunting. The steep sides of the deep wall has a forest of Black Coral Trees down in the depths that entice more experienced divers. Black Forest is a dive that is exposed to North Westerly winds so it is reserved for days when the wind is from the East or South. Allegra’s Wall features spikey Tube Sponges and Orange cup corals. There are many overhangs and coral caves filled with crevices and cracks in its walls. These coral cracks are home to many species of fish, crustaceans, flat worms, Soldier fish and Scorpionfish. Allegra’s Wall is diveable safely in all conditions except for when there is a strong Westerly wind.

A colourful cornucopia of corals

Coral gardens hide insatiable and deadly killers

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Dive Log Australasia #416 February’’26

www.divelog.net.au