Saturday, 29th March 2008
Dive: 37
Max Depth: 21.6m; Bottom time: 63 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 25-30m
Dive: 38
Dive Site: Sahaung 1 (Bangka Island)
Max Depth: 21.0m; Bottom time: 64 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 25-30m
Dive: 39
Dive Site: Batu Gosoh (Bangka Island)
Max Depth: 18.9m; Bottom time: 62 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 25-30m
Comment: A great dive site for a check out dive! We descended easily into a sandy bottom, littered with coral heads to start the trip. Renee, Jisook, Fred, Lisa and Mehdi needed the easy start to get back into the swing of things. The sandy slopes gave way to a wall dive, and finally a corals garden, angled deep into the blue off the main island of Sulawesi. Bangka Island rewarded us with good visibility, tranquility as we were the only boat in the area, and wall dives similarly to Bunaken. Easy condition and good drift dives.
Sunday, 30th March 2008
Dive: 40
Dive Site: Eddy Point (Siau Island)
Max Depth: 25.3m; Bottom time: 58 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m
Dive: 41
Dive Site:Batu Bulan (Siau Island)
Max Depth: 22.2m; Bottom time: 66 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m
Dive: 42
Dive Site: Pehe (Siau Island)
Max Depth: 19.8m; Bottom time: 67 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m
Comment: By Renee St.Clair - Perhaps the greatest draw for many of us coming into the trip was the opportunity to dive at the base of a live, steaming volcano at Siau Island. It last erupted in 1992 sending reddened lava flowing into the sea. As if breathing clouds into the sky, the volcano greeted us with puffs of smoke and streams of steam, its slopes adorned with palms and greens, paying tribute to the fertile soil below. Our dive sites were Eddy Point and Batu Point, both of which were abundant with reef fish and coral, among which we again found our share of nudibranches and an orangutang crab—clearly named for its red, furry appearance. Moored in Pehe Bay, we finished the day with a muck dive, which proved to be a favorite for its many surprises, including a pair of ornate ghost pipefish, a family of squid, playful/aggressive anemone fish, and razorfish which appeared to be dancing in rhythm to a beat we mere divers could not hear.
A surprise awaited us after our first dive as we were ferried via the zodiac to a natural, volcanic hot spring, where our dive computers quickly measured 36 degrees Celsius. One brave sole among us, Simon, ventured onto the rocky lava shoreline, where his dive boots just barely withstood the penetrating heat. We joked that the metal screws holding his surgically repaired ankle would conduct the heat and fuse the bones. It was here too that we would end our day of diving toasting to fellow diver Dan's birthday with a round of iced cold local Bintang Beer surrounded now by fast friends who truly shared a unique day of diving and celebration. For Dan, it was a day that started with a hand drawn birthday card, an island shaped rice “cake” at topped not with candles, but celery “palm trees”. This birthday will not soon be forgotten.
Monday, 31st March 2008
Dive: 43
Dive Site: Underwater volcano 1 (Mahegetang Island)
Max Depth: 29.5m; Bottom time: 52 minWater Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40mDive: 44
Dive Site: Underwater volcano 2 (Mahegetang Island)
Max Depth: 24.3m; Bottom time: 54 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m
Dive: 45
Dive Site: Bukide (Siau Island)
Max Depth: 24.6m; Bottom time: 63 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m
Comment: We woke up to a spectacular morning with clear blue sky and calm sea. The day looked promising for our dives at the underwater volcano. Dropped off by the zodiac, the site is an amazing plateau, grew straight out from the deep blue, vis was in the neighborhood of 40m+. Hard corals, lava rocks, and patches of black sand made up the topography of this dive site. Current is quite tricky here, thus we spent most of the dive on East side of the plateau. Common marine life here: school of jack trevallies, snappers, fusiliers, and the occasional giant baracuda & Napoleon Wrasse stalking its preys in the blue. The hot steam bubbling through the lava rocks at the top of the plateau gave us the sign for what's brewing underneath us, Mt. Mahegetang is alive...
Tuesday, April's Fool 2008
Dive: 46
Dive Site: New Lava Flow 1 (Ruang Island)
Max Depth: 26.2m; Bottom time: 69 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 30-40m
Dive: 47
Dive Site: New Lava Flow 2 (Ruang Island)
Max Depth: 23.4m; Bottom time: 56 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m
Dive: 48
Dive Site: Zakarias Rock (Biaro Island)
Max Depth: 23.4m; Bottom time: 66 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m
Comment: DOLPHINS at dawn, hundreds of them passing through the channel between Ruang & Biaro Islands. We made attempts to sneak to swim with them, however most were unsucceessful as they wanted nothing to do with us homosapiens. The dive site is as its name, fresh lava flow from the recent eruption, both on the surface and underwater. Marine life here is made up of spectacular colors from the healthy reef and corals. Vis continue to be in the 30-40m range, so even with a cloudy day, there are more than enough light to bring this beautiful colorful land beneath the sea. Keep your eyes out for nudi, they are everywhere...
Wednesday, 2nd April 2008
Dive: 48
Dive Site: Nudi Reat-Reat (Lembeh Strait)
Max Depth: 22.2m; Bottom time: 67 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 30-40m
Dive: 49
Dive Site: Hair Ball (Lembeh Strait)
Max Depth: 20.7m; Bottom time: 65 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m
Dive: 50
Dive Site: Jahir (Lembeh Strait)
Max Depth: 19.2m; Bottom time: 74 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m
Dive: 51
Dive Site: Aer Prang (Lembeh Strait)
Max Depth: 21.9m; Bottom time: 63 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m
Comment: There's enough written about this magical body of water North of Sulawesi. The Strait, between Lembeh Island and Sulawesi, is home to some of the rarest, weirdest, coolest, strangest creatures in the planet. If you are a diver, this dive location should be at the top of your wish list. So, no mumble jumble from me, go dive it and see for yourself... More photos in my album at Picasa.
Wednesday, 3rd April 2008
Dive: 52
Dive Site: Pangulingan (Manado Tua Island)
Max Depth: 28.6m; Bottom time: 57 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m
Dive: 53
Dive Site: Lekuan 1 (Bunaken Island)
Max Depth: 26.5m; Bottom time: 65 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 30-40m
Comment: Returning to port, our last dives of the trip were in the Bunaken Island area. Manado Tua rewarded us with a relax morning dive. Our non-photography group found a sleeping nurse shark (first & only one of the trip), while the rest continued with our hunt for the best nudibranch to add to our collection. Our final dive at Lekuan 1, Bunaken, the 3rd dive on our 22 dives trip where we shared the dive site with others, was as how we remembered it. Clear blue 40m visibility, bottomless wall, and the resident hawksbill turtle were there to greet and beg us farewell!
I can't wait until next year... Destination: Borneo!
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