DIVE LOG DECEMBER 25 ISSUE 415

Bilikiki’s Night dive to remember

Live aboard diving in the Solomons allows divers to locate amazing reefs that are dives to remember. Once such night dive from Bilikiki went like this:- The descent into the silky smooth 29 degree waters late in the darkening, ochre orange sunset sky was so easy. Settling down on the sea floor, as my eye is drawn to a baby Sweetlip dancing amongst the bright red whip coral tree colony. A huge red Dardanus hermit crab scurried past. Nearby, inside a small deep sea cave, a stunning Navarchus Angelfish settled in for the evening. On the next coral head, a sleeping Yellow Cheek Angelfish took refuge. A SaddleBack Butterflyfish was secreting itself within the safety of the Staghorn Coral. Rabbitfish donned their night camouflage, disbanding their bright golden daytime colours. I pass sleeping Flounder on the sand and Parrotfish deep inside their staghorn coral refuge. Crocodile Flathead lay out in the open in ambush waiting for their evening meal. Blooming corals feed in the velvet darkness as Feather stars and gigantic Gorgon’s Head Basket Stars come out to dominate the night reef as they have done for hundreds of millions of years. I surfaced to gentle lapping water under sparkling starlight.

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DIVE LOG Australasia #415 - December‘25

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