Page 410 - Micronesia

Shark Island - Located at buoys 39 and 40, this is considered an excel- to investigate the claims against Hayes. He was arrested, but then es-
lent dive site with many species of fish and invertebrates. Schools of caped in a 14-foot boat, built of timber from the wreck of the Leonora.
Eagle Rays and Barracuda are often seen, along with Dog Tooth Tuna, His treasure may have been left behind, buried somewhere in the for-
Black and White Tipped Reef Sharks. If there is no current, Shark est, although subsequent diggings have failed to uncover it.[
Island is a great night dive, but only one of many. Visibility here can Utwe Coast - A shallow reef with pristine hard corals, this site can be
sometimes appear to exceed several hundred feet. enjoyed by both divers and snorklers. You’ll find large Brain Corals,
Yela Harbor and Wall - Located at buoy 36, this deep wall site is home Staghorn Coral and Cabbage Coral, along with many other species
to many corals and scribbled file fish that are so curious and friendly at various depths. Macro photographers love this spot for the array
that they’ll follow divers around. This healthy hard coral reef starts at of vividly hued nudibranchs, flatworms, shrimp and Christmas Tree
40 feet and gradually continues down to 120 feet. You may encounter Worms. Eagle Rays are also frequently spotted in this region.
schools of impressive Broomtail Filefish, Eagle Rays and a good va- Hiroshi Point - Located at buoy 15, this site offers divers huge coral
riety of invertebrates including anemones, shrimp and nudibranchs. heads — estimated to be more than 2,000 years old — and large num-
Walung Coral Shelf - Located at buoy 32, the Walung Coral Shelf is a bers of Christmas tree worms and invertebrates. A diverse variety of
spectacular dive that includes a great variety of fish and healthy coral. marine life, including eagle rays, schools of huge parrot fish, schools
The current can be strong, so it is more suited to experienced divers. of up to 2 dozen small reef sharks, barracuda, razorfish and squid can
The water is a little colder than usual, which is possibly the reason why be seen. It is one of the few dive sites that has a partial sandy bottom.
the fish are so numerous and large. Divers have surfaced from this site saying that they felt like they were
Walung Drop-Off - Located at buoys 28 and 29, the drop-off is one diving in an huge aquarium, and asked to do their next dive there
of the most popular dive spots in Kosrae. Incredible sheer walls are again. This is a world class snorkeling site too!
home to schools of barracuda and rainbow runner. All types of ma- Malem Reefs - The Malem coast offers a series of mostly shallow dives
rine life have been seen here: small hammerhead and reef sharks, tur- featuring beautiful hard coral gardens, including enormous table cor-
tles, giant puffers, numerous small invertebrates. The current can be als and branching staghorn corals. The coral shelters a large number
strong. Buoy 28 is located in shallow water and is a great snorkel spot; of fish and invertebrates such as swirling anthias, damsels, flatworms
buoy 29 is on the of the drop-off. and nudibranchs. Located at buoys 8-10 on the windward side of the
Bully Hayes Wreck - The pirate Bully Hayes was shipwrecked on Kos- island, the site contains a wide reef shelf and is profusely covered with
rae on March 15, 1874, when his ship the Leonora was caught in Lelu low-growing coral. A variety of fish can be seen here. Juvenile whale
harbor during a storm. Bully Hayes made his home in Utwe for seven sharks have been spotted in the past.
months, during which he terrorized the local people. In September
1874, HMS Rosario (under the command of Captain Dupuis) arrived