I’m back, at least for now.
The last few months have been hectic, to say the least. We have moved our Dive Centre down the to a newly rebuilt/renovated resort, called Maluku Resort and Spa. Though we hoped (wished) that all would go according to plan, everything has taken a little longer than first thought. We eventually got everything moved (Dive Centre, House, Compressor etc etc) at the beginning of October and it’s certainly been worth it. But it has meant that I haven’t been able to go diving until yesterday!!
This has been hard, especially as all our guests have been having such a great time. We are definitely feeling the big ‘El Nino’ here. It was an incredibly dry wet monsoon (if that makes any sense) and after monsoon ended we had very cold water, around 22C. It has taken a while for the water to start to warm up, but the critters love the cold water, so the diving has been very ‘hot’ indeed.
Ambon Bay, the ‘muck’, has been giving us many Rhinopias, Wonderpus, Ambon Scorpionfish, Leaf Scorpionfish, Flamboyant Cuttlefish, many many nudis, Gurnard Lionfish, Frogfish everywhere (including Hairy Frogfish), Tiger Shrimp, Harlequin Shrimp, Bumblebee Shrimp, Urchin Bumblebee Shrimp, Mototi Octopus, Ornate and Robust Ghost Pipefish and so much more
The Coral Side has seen Thresher Sharks (!!!), Little Green Shrimp, Eel Bornella, Bump Head Parrotfish, Sea Spider, Frogfish, Mushroom Coral Pipefish, occasional Reef Sharks, big Tuna, Soft Coral Pipefish, Candy Crabs, Napoleon Wrasse and of course our cave with Flashlight Fish, our underwater Volcano and Hukurila Caves and Pintu Kota has been wonderful.
Anyway, yesterday was the first day I managed to actually go out and enjoy some of the fantastic diving. And it did not disappoint. Amazinf Yellow and Brown Weedy Rhinopias, rare Gurnard Lionfish, Harlequin, Tiger and Bumblebee Shrimp, Wunderpus, great nudis, Byrozoan Gobies…..really great. My video setup is still, just about, working, so here’s a little bit of yesterday’s dive:
Comments
Wonderful stuff! Thank you for sharing.