Page 523 - Melanesia
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POINT TO POINT: This is an advanced dive. sharks. Seasonally common are the scal- cially the flashing file shells. The topogra-
It commences on the opposite side of the loped hammerhead sharks or maybe a great phy is spectacular above and below water.
channel to Uepi Point at Charapoanna hammerhead. They come with the cold wa-
Point (see below). Divers descend quickly ter, usually from June to November, but can UEPI PIER: From flashing “scallops” to “shark
then navigate across the passage towards appear anytime. After spending some time bommie” in just over 30 meters, to a 15 me-
Uepi Point. During this dive schools of fish at the point the rest of the dive is spent ter wall clustered with fans. Rated as one of
numbering in the thousands may be seen, exploring the numerous overhangs, cracks, the best shore dives, you’ll see a variety of
mingling with sharks & rays. Outstanding crevices and swim-throughs of the area. game fish, spotted eagle rays resting on the
visibility often offers panoramic views in “Flashing scallops” or file shells can be seen sand. The wall is great for a night dive.
all directions. Divers must be experienced and easily photographed and it is not unu-
in currents, deep diving, maintaining a sual to find a cuttlefish along the wall. For UEPI POINT DRIFT: From Uepi Point back
planned depth in mid-water & the use of those who want to stop and look the walls to the Dive Shop pier, allow yourself the
computers. have many nudibranch, sponges, cleaner courtesy ride of the incoming tide. The
stations manned by shrimp, diverse fish-life passage wall meets the floor at about 50m.
THE ELBOW: A sheer wall dropping to well and a huge array of other invertebrates. Large gorgonians, huge amphora basket
over 600 meters covered with hard and sponge, soft coral trees and small hard
soft corals. Keep an eye seaward as you THE SINKHOLE: directly under it in a few corals cram the slope. You’ll encounter
are bound to see a variety of fish swim by meters of water is a vertical shaft allowing schools of trevally, rainbowrunner, barra-
including eagle rays, tuna, barracuda, king comfortable descent to 28 meters. A hori- cuda and other pelagics like mackerel, tuna
trevally, darts, and of course the chance of zontal cave then traverses about 20 meters and sharks, along with an abundance of
hammerheads. An outside corner of Uepi seawards where the ceiling ends and the reef fish including butterfly-fish, basselets,
Island where the wall is covered with luxuri- cave develops into a canyon with widening angelfish, unicornfish, surgeons, fusiliers,
ant gorgonian fans. Grey whaler sharks, vertical walls. The floor terminates at about wrasses, the resident scorpion ‘firefish’ and
schools of trevally and barracuda are com- 50 meters depth where the broken remains clown-trigger fish.
mon. Often sighted are spotted eagle rays, of a USA barge rests, right on the lip of a
turtles, tuna, kingfish and white tip reef deep drop-off. The marine life is nice espe-
