Page 381 - Melanesia
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THE PINNACLES: Located a short ride from means it’s one for those with experience. lous reef dive centered around 2 coral bom-
the southern tidal reef, this dive has Nudi- mies side by side that attract large numbers
branchs abound, along with a nice selection THE WALL: A vertical wall that drops off to of fish. The reef extends out as a plateau in
of tiny lace corals, sponges and some very around 90m. Features lots of fans at differ- 12-18 meters before dropping over a drop
colorful sea squirts. Although not prolific ent depths and an unusual coral formation. off down to the white sand at 25-30 meters.
with hard corals and more of a scattered Pelagics are occasionally spotted here. The Butterfly fish swim in and out of the yellow
rocky reef dive, it still offers some great top of the reef is home to a multitude of and blue staghorn coral. Colorful nudi-
macro photo opportunities. Max Depth: 20 friendly fish, all waiting for that great photo branchs can be spotted on the rocks. Leaf
meters. shot. This dive profile can be as a deep dive scorpionfish hide in nooks and crannies. It
over the wall. is very rare not to see a turtle or two here
THE SEMELE FEDERSEN: This inter-island on our night dives. Covered in gorgonians,
cargo vessel was deliberately sunk in 1985 TUKUTUKU CAVERNS: A large dive site with sea whips, sponges, and anemones, the
in approximately 30 meters of water. This is many caverns, swim throughs and lace cor- bommies attract swathes of colorful reef
an excellent build up dive to the SS Presi- als. Appropriate for all skill levels it would fish, including titan triggerfish, butterfly
dent Coolidge. Divers can see a range of take 2-3 dives to see all the caverns. 25 min- fish, bannerfish, angelfish, and more. In the
plants and animals in the stern, cabin and utes from Vaughani Shores, this is a particu- anemones, you’ll find “Clarkies” or Clark’s
wheelhouse. The whole sheep can be seen larly popular night dive site. anemonefish, which are oddly curious and
from the mooring line. Cyclone Uma in 1987 friendly. At the bottom, look for the well-
moved her down the reef to her present TWIN BOMBIES: There are two ‘bombora’ hidden crocodile fish, which can be hard
position. She now lies in sand between 38 formations and a sheer wall on this dive. to spot at first as they blend in so well with
and 55 meters with the top of the wreck at The grottos and coral are alive with a vari- their surroundings.
30 meters. The visibility on this dive is often ety of welcoming fish. 10 meters on top of
spectacular sometimes reaching 40 to 50 the reef to 18 meters over the drop-off. Lots
meters. It is a stunning dive but the depth of fish with varying size and color. A fabu-
