Page 516 - Melanesia

BILLY GHIZO POINT: Ten minutes from Uepi. CHARAPOANA PIER: This dive takes the un-

A triple combination of good drop-off wall derwater explorer along a wall crammed with

diving, swim thru riddled coral gardens & a gorgonians, soft and hard corals and profusely

brilliant point. The point is small but covered in growing Amphora sponges. A range of colorful

colorful invertebrates. The soft corals are out- marine life includes, schools of trevally, mack-

standing and several gorgonian fans are home erel, sharks, rainbow runners, tuna, barracuda

to the exquisite pygmy seahorses. A whole dive and smaller reef fish.

can be spent exploring or photographing the

point. Like other sites cuttlefish are often seen. CHARAPOANA DRIFT: From Uepi Point drift

back to the Dive Shed pier. The “slot” wall

BOTCH: This is a sensational dive directly off curves to the passage floor, covered with large

the Uepi dive jetty. The dive starts by entering gorgonians, huge Amphora basket and barrel

the water at the dive jetty and descending to sponges, while soft coral trees and small hard

around 30m on the wall. Then head out into corals cram the slope. You’ll encounter schools

the passage and imagine being confronted of trevally, rainbow runners, barracuda, and

with an underwater sand dune that rises about other pelagic fish. A very exciting dive where

2m off the bottom! The sand dune runs along many fish congregate to feed where two cur-

the channel, following the current line, to the rents meet. Many sharks, schools of barracuda,

Deep Bombies at maximum depth of around trevally, tuna and many other pelagics can be

40 meters. Visibility often in excess of 40 seen swirling around in the currents. There are

meters. There are many interesting creatures to several convenient places to ‘stop’ and check

be found on the sandy bottom including thou- out the action. Then up into the shallows to

sands of garden eels waving in the current, sea see excellent fish life & corals, maybe see huge

pens and other sand dwelling species. Known numbers of pipefish or the very large basket

for blue-spotted reef-rays, bull rays and sharks sponges also in this area.

gliding over the sand.