Hintermann
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After the previously reported Bali trip I went to Wakatobi for more diving. I have been back in the UK for almost 2 months and should have posted this report sooner, but something or the other kept cropping-up giving me no time. Anyway, here it is and sorry if it is too long.
At Balis Denpasar Airport I joined the Garuda charter flight to Wakatobi. It took 2.5 hours and was uneventful. Arriving at the airfield, we disembarked and took a convoluted car-walk-boat-boat ride to the resort. The weather was gloriously sunny and the resort staff made us welcome. There were quite a few guests coming and going, as was usual for Monday and the atmosphere was one of organised chaos.
After mutual introductions and sorting out the separately arrived luggage, we had lunch. I was in the smaller group heading for the MV Pelagianliveboard boat and we had to go in a tender to reach it. The liveaboard boat was quite upmarket but my liveaboard experienced eyes felt that in refurbishing an older boat they had made poor use of space and the layout was not the most diver friendly. There was a large camera room however and I was able to set-up in a convenient corner. They had provided the 15-litre tank at my request and I was soon settled in. I was in a shared very large superluxe cabin with good en suite facilities and plenty of storage space for both of us. My cabin-mate was an older American man, very courteous and friendly.
After we settled in there was a long briefing about the boats facilities and general etiquette, after which an optional check dive was scheduled for the same evening. I gave that a miss and used the time to set-up my dive gear to my liking. Later we had dinner, which reflected the standard of food for rest of the trip good without being anything special but rather limited in quantity by most liveaboard standards.
The following morning was the first day of real diving and we got down to business. 4 dives were scheduled every diving day, including a night dive. All dives were through dinghies and while these were slightly larger than standard ones, the arrangement consisted of piling all the kit at one end of the craft behind a steel barrier and kitting up at the site. I disliked this arrangement because there was a risk of damage to regulators and indeed the plastic cover over the second stage of my octopus was broken by someones tank. Also, kitting-up on the rounded edge of the dinghy was awkward at best, but it had a convenient ladder to get back into the boat.
Day 1: First dive at Kampung Populia. 26*C and excellent visibility. There was very little current and lots of colourful coral and profuse fish life. We saw a couple of blue dragonfish, several nudibranchs, a school of vertical shrimpfish and a school of bumphead parrotfish among other things. The late morning dive was at Cavern Wall and this was a drift dive in a good, strong current. Once again, lots of coral with many gorgonian fans and plenty of fish, including a school of fusiliers, a long sea snake and several square-spot antheas. After we surfaced, we were greeted by a large school of slow moving pilot whales. The afternoon dive was at Fish Wall, similar to cavern wall but with less current. Saw lots of nudibranchs including one with nobody could identify (#5207), a scorpionfish, regal angelfish, a couple of banded snake-eels and a tiny crinoid shrimp among other things. For the night dive at Beku Reef, all 4 wimps in my group decided to rest and I was the only diver with the guide. It was really worth it with crocodile fish, several crabs, shrimps, a warty starfish, several polyclad flatworms, a large conch and juvenile batfish. Later I saw a couple of bobtail squids before surfacing.
Day 2: We started at Pintu Barat Selatow, another lush, coral filled reef teeming in fish life. We saw a dwarf hogfish, a flatworm a small school of oriental sweetlips and a cuttlefish before being distracted by a passing large white-tip shark. Later on we saw a school of superb orange-band surgeonfish and another of red tooth triggerfish. The next dive was at Hairy Wall, so called because of a profusion of long whip coral throughout the reef. Fish life included a blue dragonfish, a school of barracuda, a large sand flounder etc. There was some current here but nothing to interfere with diving. The afternoon dive was at Turtle Town, except that we did not see any turtles. Instead, there were more square-spot antheas, several nembrotha nudibranchs, a solitary clown triggerfish and several gobies. We spent the last 10 minutes exploring the sunlit top of the reef where there were a lot of colourful juveniles. For the night dive we dropped off at Lapitu Wall and everyone including the guides were caught out by the unexpectedly strong current. We had to get down to 20 metres before we were able to control the drift and after that the dive was very enjoyable. There were lots of large Asteronotus hepaticus nudibranch, lobsters, hermit crabs, moray eels, blue-spotted stingrays, squids, lionfish etc.
Day 3: We moved to Buton Island for the next couple of days and this region was known for great muck dives. We started at Cheeky Beach where we saw a harlequin shrimp right away followed by 5 sea horses, cute porcupine fish, several octopi including one blue-ring octopus, frogfish, longhorn cowfish and a huge bait ball of convict blennies. At 83 minutes, this was my longest dive to date on a single tank. After breakfast we went to Wakoko Slope which consisted of a sandy slope with a few coral bommies. We saw colourful flatworms, more sea horses, some squid shrimps, a green sawfish and 5 ribbon eels. Right at the end we saw a very rare double ended pipefish. The afternoon dive at New Pier was slightly disappointing because someone had disturbed the silty bed and visibility was mediocre at best. Still, we saw lots of critters including several orbicular burrfish, lionfish, nudibranchs, banded shrimps, banded eels, all 3 types (male, female and juvenile) of ribbon eels, mantis shrimps, spiny devilfish etc. One problem was that the disturbed silt made photography very difficult because of the horrendous backscatter and over-exposure. We went back to Cheeky Beach for the night dive, and once again had a very rewarding experience. This time night critters like crabs, shrimps, octopi, sea hares, squids etc were up and about. This was another 75 minute dive and those of us who did all 4 dives of the day had spent over 5 hours underwater! I would have loved an Irish coffee after dinner but had to console myself by just imagining that I was drinking it.
Day 4: Still off Buton, we went to Banana Beach for the morning dive, so called because of a few tired-looking banana trees on the shore. It was an unusual reef topography with a sandy bed with debris interspersed with coral bommies and grassy knolls. This reef is known for ghost pipefish and we saw at least 5 of them. Also on the menu were a sea house, blue-spot stingray, 3 moray eels, a large mantis shrimp, a superb blue-black headshield slug etc. Finally there was a huge octopus cleverly camouflaged on a piece of bark. A superb dive. The next dive was in In Between reef, so called because it is between Cheeky & Banana beaches. The topography was similar to the previous dive and the shallowness made the visibility superb but there was some surge about. We saw more ghost pipefish, a small frogfish, a black velvetfish, nudibranchs, flatworms and finally a large cuttlefish. There were a number of large and colourful starfish comprising several different varities. The afternoon dive was at The Vatican, so called because of the profusion of cardinal fish there. We saw several of 2 distinct type Pyjama or Ringneck usually trying to hide in the profuse staghorn hard coral at the site. We also saw a passing turtle and a couple of stingrays among other things. The night dive was at The Old Pier to see mandarin fish but when we got there at dusk the smell of sewage from the fishing boats parked nearby was so strong that I pulled out and went back to the Pelagian.
Day 5: We moved back towards the Wakatobi archipelago during the night. The morning dive was over a conventional reef wall called Lighthouse Point. Water temp 27*C, calm sea, no current and 30m+ visibility made this an easy dive. A feature at this site is what they called bye bye coral because the heads kept opening and closing like hands. Plenty of fish too and we saw a school of bumphead parrotfish and another of orange-band surgeonfish among other things. The next dive was at Fishermans Pinnacle and once again conditions were perfect. At the top of the promontory there was a veritable jungle of soft and hard coral teeming with fusiliers, snappers, unicorn fish and so on. We saw a large pleurobranch, a couple of moray eels and a cute brown crab on bubble coral. In the afternoon we went to Kanpanacune Wall, another very pretty reef with lots of colourful coral and fish. We saw a school of square-spot antheas, a tiny shrimp on bubble coral, a rare and elusive comet fish sharing a hole with a large moray eel and a superb banana nudibranch. But the highlight was right at the end of the dive a superb devil ray that looked like a mini-manta swimming circles around us. For the night dive we jumped at Hoga Island (Buoy 3) and despite the rocky topography, there was a lot of action. We saw cardinal fish, mandarin fish, slipper lobsters, banded shrimps, a blue-spotted stingray, a red reef lobster and a huge grumpy sponge crab. We finished off bidding good night to a large octopus in a cranny.
Day 6: The morning dive was at Neptunes Garden closer to Tomia. This is a sloping coral-covered reef known for blue-spotted stingrays among other things. We saw quite a few, along with snappers, fusiliers, nudibranchs, baby boxfish, striped butterflyfish and an aggressively hunting banded sea snake. As we did the safety stop, a school of squid passed by. I personally enjoyed the next dive at Kaledupa Wall a lot because of the profusion of nudibranch. They were mostly various chromodoris type but there was a fair sprinkling of other species as well. We also saw huge sea fans with gobies on them, several flatworms and a massive flat green table coral, large enough for a diver to lie down on (no one did, of course). By the afternoon we were within stone throwing distance of the Wakatobi Resort and dived at Tanjung Pantok. There were a lot of oriental sweetlips here among other fish, queen angelfish and a clown triggerfish. As with most Wakatobi reefs, the fish ran helter-skelter as we approached but we got some photos. The night dive at Pantai Putih was the last dive of the liveaboard cruise and it was a worthy finale with lots of nocturnal critters like crabs, shrimps, octopi, pleurobranchs, basket stars and even a turtle. There were a lot of colourful coral heads that had opened-up for the night, creating a memorable picture.
Day 7: This was a Monday, the traditional transition day at Wakatobi and always very chaotic with new guests arriving and some of the liveaboard guests departing while others, like me in this instance, staying on at the resort for more diving. This is one area where the Wakatobi organisers have got it all wrong, allowing .even encouraging . the liveaboard guests moving to the resort to dive on the same day. For a start, we had to vacate the boat at 06:30 sharp, not convenient by any stretch of imagination. Then we had to move to the resort, wait for the gear to arrive and immediately leave on a day boat if we wanted to dive, without time even to check anything. Fortunately, I had chosen Monday not to be one of my 2 resort diving days, wanting time to settle-in. It turned out to be a very wise decision because there was quite a bit of gear mix-up and other confusion. My dive bag was loaded onto one of the Day Boats leaving the harbour and it was fortunate that I noticed the missing bag and asked for it. It was past noon by the time I got things sorted and settled down for rest of the day, which I spent relaxing on a hammock by the beach. My cabin was one of the seaside ones and very well appointed. Resting on Monday also gave me the opportunity to check the dive programme for the following day and choose the boat in which I wanted to go.
Day 8: After breakfast we met at the harbour and were moved to the dive boats in groups. There were 20+ people per boat, each with his/her allocated space. The first dive was at Teluk Maya, a sandy bar with rather sparse coral. We saw several varieties of ghost pipefish, blue spotted stingrays, nudibranchs etc. My tank was a trifle under-filled and I had to finish some 10 minutes before the rest. The next dive, which followed after a brief visit to the resort, was at Fan Wall Garden, a reef known for its gorgonian sea fans. The water was at 28*C with excellent visibility and a very mild current. Apart from the huge sea fans which give the reef its name, we saw lots of colourful coral and varied fish. This included a white pygmy, a large crocodile fish and a superb leaf fish. Later on we saw a passing turtle and a small school of barracuda. Fittingly, the afternoon dive was at Barracuda Reef but oddly enough, they are supposed to be very rare there. There was some current here and although we did not see any barracuda, we made-up with a school of fusiliers, butterflyfish, regal angelfish, spotted boxfish etc. There were plenty of nudibranchs and flatworms about and we finished off following a marauding sea snake out hunting. There was no scheduled night dive but I paid $100 to hire a private guide to take me to the famous Wakatobi House Reef. It was well worth it; even before we reached the reef was saw a large octopus and then a crocodile fish. The wall itself is covered in very lush and colourful coral and teeming with fish life. We saw flatworms, nudibranchs, shrimps, decorated crabs, a couple of resting bumphead parrotfish, moray eels, goatfish, several types of sea cucumbers and so on. One of my very best night dives.
Day 9: There were 3 dives scheduled for the day, including a night dive (in place of the afternoon dive). We went to Fan 38 West for the morning dive, a sheer wall covered in coral and rich in marine life. The visibility was excellent and there was some current, strong in places but as we were drifting with it, there was no problem. There were several schools of fish all around us snappers, fusiliers and so on. We saw a large scorpionfish and the largest barracuda that I had ever seen over 1m long. The next dive was over Lorenzos Delight, so called reportedly because it is the resort owners favourite dive site. The topography was very similar to the previous dive except that it was not such a sheer drop. Once again there was some current with which we drifted along. I saw a huge pufferfish that drifted with us for a while but my camera was giving a bit of trouble and I was not able to get a picture. After a siesta in the afternoon, we got ready for the night dive at Dunia Baru, meaning New World. Although it is a wall, there is a gentle slope from 3m to 21m over which we remained. We was lors of sea cucumbers, flatworms, nudibranchs, lionfish, filefish and so on. The slope of the reef top made it slightly disorientating at times but overall it was a very enjoyable night dive. Sadly, the zoom mechanism in my camera housing had jammed and so photography was limited.
Day 10: On paper I had completed my scheduled dives at Wakatobi and this Thursday was supposed to be a dive-free day. But having liked the House Reef so much on the night dive and having well over 24 hours before the flight out on the following day, I paid another $100 for a privately guided dive in the morning. The conditions were excellent and as with the night dive, we met the resident octopus even before reaching the reef. The colourful wall making up the house reef looked even better during the day and there were fish all around us. We saw a school of what looked like blue tang among other things, an orang-utan crab, a bubble coral shrimp, several stingrays, green moray eels, 3 fat lobsters, waspfish, a large stonefish and topped off with a pygmy seahorse. After the dive the staff took care of washing and drying the dive gear and made a great job of it. I relaxed by the beach with a few beers and a book for company for rest of the day. There was not much else to do on the island but having had a great time, I could not complain.
Days 11 & 12: The following morning I packed leisurely, said farewells to the crew with suitable gratuities and started on the return journey. They first took us by boat and vans to Wakatobis private airfield where we were joined by our luggage. The charter flight took us back to Bali and I checked into the evening flight to KL on Malaysia Airlines, booking my baggage through to London. On arrival at Kuala Lumpur, I remained on the airside with my hand luggage and stayed overnight at the Transit Hotel. The next morning I checked into the long daytime flight to London; there were around a 100 people in the 400+ seat Airbus A380 and I had a 3-seat section in the priority seating section all to myself. Despite this I could not sleep and one lingering memory of the 13-hour flight was the sight of two huge aircraft engines just outside my window. I was shattered by the time I made it back home but the whole trip was worth it.
Here are some pictures to go with it. Sorry about the mediocrity but I had lost one strobe to flooding and my camera's zoom mechanism was not working below 6m. https://flic.kr/s/aHskkjwNcM
At Balis Denpasar Airport I joined the Garuda charter flight to Wakatobi. It took 2.5 hours and was uneventful. Arriving at the airfield, we disembarked and took a convoluted car-walk-boat-boat ride to the resort. The weather was gloriously sunny and the resort staff made us welcome. There were quite a few guests coming and going, as was usual for Monday and the atmosphere was one of organised chaos.
After mutual introductions and sorting out the separately arrived luggage, we had lunch. I was in the smaller group heading for the MV Pelagianliveboard boat and we had to go in a tender to reach it. The liveaboard boat was quite upmarket but my liveaboard experienced eyes felt that in refurbishing an older boat they had made poor use of space and the layout was not the most diver friendly. There was a large camera room however and I was able to set-up in a convenient corner. They had provided the 15-litre tank at my request and I was soon settled in. I was in a shared very large superluxe cabin with good en suite facilities and plenty of storage space for both of us. My cabin-mate was an older American man, very courteous and friendly.
After we settled in there was a long briefing about the boats facilities and general etiquette, after which an optional check dive was scheduled for the same evening. I gave that a miss and used the time to set-up my dive gear to my liking. Later we had dinner, which reflected the standard of food for rest of the trip good without being anything special but rather limited in quantity by most liveaboard standards.
The following morning was the first day of real diving and we got down to business. 4 dives were scheduled every diving day, including a night dive. All dives were through dinghies and while these were slightly larger than standard ones, the arrangement consisted of piling all the kit at one end of the craft behind a steel barrier and kitting up at the site. I disliked this arrangement because there was a risk of damage to regulators and indeed the plastic cover over the second stage of my octopus was broken by someones tank. Also, kitting-up on the rounded edge of the dinghy was awkward at best, but it had a convenient ladder to get back into the boat.
Day 1: First dive at Kampung Populia. 26*C and excellent visibility. There was very little current and lots of colourful coral and profuse fish life. We saw a couple of blue dragonfish, several nudibranchs, a school of vertical shrimpfish and a school of bumphead parrotfish among other things. The late morning dive was at Cavern Wall and this was a drift dive in a good, strong current. Once again, lots of coral with many gorgonian fans and plenty of fish, including a school of fusiliers, a long sea snake and several square-spot antheas. After we surfaced, we were greeted by a large school of slow moving pilot whales. The afternoon dive was at Fish Wall, similar to cavern wall but with less current. Saw lots of nudibranchs including one with nobody could identify (#5207), a scorpionfish, regal angelfish, a couple of banded snake-eels and a tiny crinoid shrimp among other things. For the night dive at Beku Reef, all 4 wimps in my group decided to rest and I was the only diver with the guide. It was really worth it with crocodile fish, several crabs, shrimps, a warty starfish, several polyclad flatworms, a large conch and juvenile batfish. Later I saw a couple of bobtail squids before surfacing.
Day 2: We started at Pintu Barat Selatow, another lush, coral filled reef teeming in fish life. We saw a dwarf hogfish, a flatworm a small school of oriental sweetlips and a cuttlefish before being distracted by a passing large white-tip shark. Later on we saw a school of superb orange-band surgeonfish and another of red tooth triggerfish. The next dive was at Hairy Wall, so called because of a profusion of long whip coral throughout the reef. Fish life included a blue dragonfish, a school of barracuda, a large sand flounder etc. There was some current here but nothing to interfere with diving. The afternoon dive was at Turtle Town, except that we did not see any turtles. Instead, there were more square-spot antheas, several nembrotha nudibranchs, a solitary clown triggerfish and several gobies. We spent the last 10 minutes exploring the sunlit top of the reef where there were a lot of colourful juveniles. For the night dive we dropped off at Lapitu Wall and everyone including the guides were caught out by the unexpectedly strong current. We had to get down to 20 metres before we were able to control the drift and after that the dive was very enjoyable. There were lots of large Asteronotus hepaticus nudibranch, lobsters, hermit crabs, moray eels, blue-spotted stingrays, squids, lionfish etc.
Day 3: We moved to Buton Island for the next couple of days and this region was known for great muck dives. We started at Cheeky Beach where we saw a harlequin shrimp right away followed by 5 sea horses, cute porcupine fish, several octopi including one blue-ring octopus, frogfish, longhorn cowfish and a huge bait ball of convict blennies. At 83 minutes, this was my longest dive to date on a single tank. After breakfast we went to Wakoko Slope which consisted of a sandy slope with a few coral bommies. We saw colourful flatworms, more sea horses, some squid shrimps, a green sawfish and 5 ribbon eels. Right at the end we saw a very rare double ended pipefish. The afternoon dive at New Pier was slightly disappointing because someone had disturbed the silty bed and visibility was mediocre at best. Still, we saw lots of critters including several orbicular burrfish, lionfish, nudibranchs, banded shrimps, banded eels, all 3 types (male, female and juvenile) of ribbon eels, mantis shrimps, spiny devilfish etc. One problem was that the disturbed silt made photography very difficult because of the horrendous backscatter and over-exposure. We went back to Cheeky Beach for the night dive, and once again had a very rewarding experience. This time night critters like crabs, shrimps, octopi, sea hares, squids etc were up and about. This was another 75 minute dive and those of us who did all 4 dives of the day had spent over 5 hours underwater! I would have loved an Irish coffee after dinner but had to console myself by just imagining that I was drinking it.
Day 4: Still off Buton, we went to Banana Beach for the morning dive, so called because of a few tired-looking banana trees on the shore. It was an unusual reef topography with a sandy bed with debris interspersed with coral bommies and grassy knolls. This reef is known for ghost pipefish and we saw at least 5 of them. Also on the menu were a sea house, blue-spot stingray, 3 moray eels, a large mantis shrimp, a superb blue-black headshield slug etc. Finally there was a huge octopus cleverly camouflaged on a piece of bark. A superb dive. The next dive was in In Between reef, so called because it is between Cheeky & Banana beaches. The topography was similar to the previous dive and the shallowness made the visibility superb but there was some surge about. We saw more ghost pipefish, a small frogfish, a black velvetfish, nudibranchs, flatworms and finally a large cuttlefish. There were a number of large and colourful starfish comprising several different varities. The afternoon dive was at The Vatican, so called because of the profusion of cardinal fish there. We saw several of 2 distinct type Pyjama or Ringneck usually trying to hide in the profuse staghorn hard coral at the site. We also saw a passing turtle and a couple of stingrays among other things. The night dive was at The Old Pier to see mandarin fish but when we got there at dusk the smell of sewage from the fishing boats parked nearby was so strong that I pulled out and went back to the Pelagian.
Day 5: We moved back towards the Wakatobi archipelago during the night. The morning dive was over a conventional reef wall called Lighthouse Point. Water temp 27*C, calm sea, no current and 30m+ visibility made this an easy dive. A feature at this site is what they called bye bye coral because the heads kept opening and closing like hands. Plenty of fish too and we saw a school of bumphead parrotfish and another of orange-band surgeonfish among other things. The next dive was at Fishermans Pinnacle and once again conditions were perfect. At the top of the promontory there was a veritable jungle of soft and hard coral teeming with fusiliers, snappers, unicorn fish and so on. We saw a large pleurobranch, a couple of moray eels and a cute brown crab on bubble coral. In the afternoon we went to Kanpanacune Wall, another very pretty reef with lots of colourful coral and fish. We saw a school of square-spot antheas, a tiny shrimp on bubble coral, a rare and elusive comet fish sharing a hole with a large moray eel and a superb banana nudibranch. But the highlight was right at the end of the dive a superb devil ray that looked like a mini-manta swimming circles around us. For the night dive we jumped at Hoga Island (Buoy 3) and despite the rocky topography, there was a lot of action. We saw cardinal fish, mandarin fish, slipper lobsters, banded shrimps, a blue-spotted stingray, a red reef lobster and a huge grumpy sponge crab. We finished off bidding good night to a large octopus in a cranny.
Day 6: The morning dive was at Neptunes Garden closer to Tomia. This is a sloping coral-covered reef known for blue-spotted stingrays among other things. We saw quite a few, along with snappers, fusiliers, nudibranchs, baby boxfish, striped butterflyfish and an aggressively hunting banded sea snake. As we did the safety stop, a school of squid passed by. I personally enjoyed the next dive at Kaledupa Wall a lot because of the profusion of nudibranch. They were mostly various chromodoris type but there was a fair sprinkling of other species as well. We also saw huge sea fans with gobies on them, several flatworms and a massive flat green table coral, large enough for a diver to lie down on (no one did, of course). By the afternoon we were within stone throwing distance of the Wakatobi Resort and dived at Tanjung Pantok. There were a lot of oriental sweetlips here among other fish, queen angelfish and a clown triggerfish. As with most Wakatobi reefs, the fish ran helter-skelter as we approached but we got some photos. The night dive at Pantai Putih was the last dive of the liveaboard cruise and it was a worthy finale with lots of nocturnal critters like crabs, shrimps, octopi, pleurobranchs, basket stars and even a turtle. There were a lot of colourful coral heads that had opened-up for the night, creating a memorable picture.
Day 7: This was a Monday, the traditional transition day at Wakatobi and always very chaotic with new guests arriving and some of the liveaboard guests departing while others, like me in this instance, staying on at the resort for more diving. This is one area where the Wakatobi organisers have got it all wrong, allowing .even encouraging . the liveaboard guests moving to the resort to dive on the same day. For a start, we had to vacate the boat at 06:30 sharp, not convenient by any stretch of imagination. Then we had to move to the resort, wait for the gear to arrive and immediately leave on a day boat if we wanted to dive, without time even to check anything. Fortunately, I had chosen Monday not to be one of my 2 resort diving days, wanting time to settle-in. It turned out to be a very wise decision because there was quite a bit of gear mix-up and other confusion. My dive bag was loaded onto one of the Day Boats leaving the harbour and it was fortunate that I noticed the missing bag and asked for it. It was past noon by the time I got things sorted and settled down for rest of the day, which I spent relaxing on a hammock by the beach. My cabin was one of the seaside ones and very well appointed. Resting on Monday also gave me the opportunity to check the dive programme for the following day and choose the boat in which I wanted to go.
Day 8: After breakfast we met at the harbour and were moved to the dive boats in groups. There were 20+ people per boat, each with his/her allocated space. The first dive was at Teluk Maya, a sandy bar with rather sparse coral. We saw several varieties of ghost pipefish, blue spotted stingrays, nudibranchs etc. My tank was a trifle under-filled and I had to finish some 10 minutes before the rest. The next dive, which followed after a brief visit to the resort, was at Fan Wall Garden, a reef known for its gorgonian sea fans. The water was at 28*C with excellent visibility and a very mild current. Apart from the huge sea fans which give the reef its name, we saw lots of colourful coral and varied fish. This included a white pygmy, a large crocodile fish and a superb leaf fish. Later on we saw a passing turtle and a small school of barracuda. Fittingly, the afternoon dive was at Barracuda Reef but oddly enough, they are supposed to be very rare there. There was some current here and although we did not see any barracuda, we made-up with a school of fusiliers, butterflyfish, regal angelfish, spotted boxfish etc. There were plenty of nudibranchs and flatworms about and we finished off following a marauding sea snake out hunting. There was no scheduled night dive but I paid $100 to hire a private guide to take me to the famous Wakatobi House Reef. It was well worth it; even before we reached the reef was saw a large octopus and then a crocodile fish. The wall itself is covered in very lush and colourful coral and teeming with fish life. We saw flatworms, nudibranchs, shrimps, decorated crabs, a couple of resting bumphead parrotfish, moray eels, goatfish, several types of sea cucumbers and so on. One of my very best night dives.
Day 9: There were 3 dives scheduled for the day, including a night dive (in place of the afternoon dive). We went to Fan 38 West for the morning dive, a sheer wall covered in coral and rich in marine life. The visibility was excellent and there was some current, strong in places but as we were drifting with it, there was no problem. There were several schools of fish all around us snappers, fusiliers and so on. We saw a large scorpionfish and the largest barracuda that I had ever seen over 1m long. The next dive was over Lorenzos Delight, so called reportedly because it is the resort owners favourite dive site. The topography was very similar to the previous dive except that it was not such a sheer drop. Once again there was some current with which we drifted along. I saw a huge pufferfish that drifted with us for a while but my camera was giving a bit of trouble and I was not able to get a picture. After a siesta in the afternoon, we got ready for the night dive at Dunia Baru, meaning New World. Although it is a wall, there is a gentle slope from 3m to 21m over which we remained. We was lors of sea cucumbers, flatworms, nudibranchs, lionfish, filefish and so on. The slope of the reef top made it slightly disorientating at times but overall it was a very enjoyable night dive. Sadly, the zoom mechanism in my camera housing had jammed and so photography was limited.
Day 10: On paper I had completed my scheduled dives at Wakatobi and this Thursday was supposed to be a dive-free day. But having liked the House Reef so much on the night dive and having well over 24 hours before the flight out on the following day, I paid another $100 for a privately guided dive in the morning. The conditions were excellent and as with the night dive, we met the resident octopus even before reaching the reef. The colourful wall making up the house reef looked even better during the day and there were fish all around us. We saw a school of what looked like blue tang among other things, an orang-utan crab, a bubble coral shrimp, several stingrays, green moray eels, 3 fat lobsters, waspfish, a large stonefish and topped off with a pygmy seahorse. After the dive the staff took care of washing and drying the dive gear and made a great job of it. I relaxed by the beach with a few beers and a book for company for rest of the day. There was not much else to do on the island but having had a great time, I could not complain.
Days 11 & 12: The following morning I packed leisurely, said farewells to the crew with suitable gratuities and started on the return journey. They first took us by boat and vans to Wakatobis private airfield where we were joined by our luggage. The charter flight took us back to Bali and I checked into the evening flight to KL on Malaysia Airlines, booking my baggage through to London. On arrival at Kuala Lumpur, I remained on the airside with my hand luggage and stayed overnight at the Transit Hotel. The next morning I checked into the long daytime flight to London; there were around a 100 people in the 400+ seat Airbus A380 and I had a 3-seat section in the priority seating section all to myself. Despite this I could not sleep and one lingering memory of the 13-hour flight was the sight of two huge aircraft engines just outside my window. I was shattered by the time I made it back home but the whole trip was worth it.
Here are some pictures to go with it. Sorry about the mediocrity but I had lost one strobe to flooding and my camera's zoom mechanism was not working below 6m. https://flic.kr/s/aHskkjwNcM
I do want to go and see what all the fuss is about, despite hearing similar comments in the past about how it compares to other locations. I figure a week is enough to see what the place has to offer - without breaking the bank!
