Page 96 - Diving Indonesia 21 November 2019

ribbon eels, flying gurnards, robust and indigenous species of anemonefish
Dive Site and Marine Life Highlights of Ambon Bay ornate ghost pipe fish, banded cleaner which is black and white striped with
shrimps, nudibranch and some of the pale yellow colouration on its belly.
more obvious bottom dweller such as Divers should make a close examination
Ambon Bay is gaining fame as a top caves to explore. There are plenty of the scorpion fish, moray eels and peacock of the anemones as they often house
Indonesian muck diving destination, a reef fish here that are synonymous with flounders. Flamboyant cuttlefish, blue anemone shrimps and porcelain crabs,
macro photographers’ wonderland which Indonesia and the sites are a pleasant ringed and mimic octopus, rhinopias and ribbon eels are known to burrow
hosts resident mandarin fish, mimic and break from the muck dives of the bay. and wonderpus are also seen here. close by too. Other types of brightly
blue ringed octopus, wonderpus, various coloured crustaceans are common
frogfish species, flamboyant cuttlefish, One of the best macro dive site in too, such as commensal and emperor
rhinopias and a vast array of nudibranches Ambon is Laha. The reef here consists Other sites to note are Air Manis Jetty shrimps, and arrow crabs.
and shrimps. That’s not all though; if of a slope from 2 metres deep, which offers abundant marine life and
you are looking for a change from sandy overgrown with a few simple corals more coral reef growth than elsewhere The shallows are a great place to spend
slopes and critters the east side of and rubble substrate, featherstars, fire in the Bay. Moorish idols, butterfly the majority of the dive. Here you can
Ambon Bay offers coral reef walls and the urchins and sea squirts, on a sandy bed. fishes and a variety of wrasses cruise take your time hunting for critters,
mysterious Duke of Sparta Wreck is not to The slope levels off a little at 12 metres by. Under the jetty bat fish hide out in including for nudibranchs, moray eels
be missed. before continuing down again into the shade and schooling banner fish and dragonets.
can be seen on the drop off. These sites
Ambon Bay’s murky depths. Look out have an abundance of bottom dwellers
The bay of Ambon is 563 metres deep for all manner of critters here including such as scorpion fish, flounders, various Although it is primarily muck divers that
and 8 kilometres wide at its mouth, and saddled tobies, painted frogfish, types of frogfish are not unusual flock to Ambon, mention must be given
cuts 23 kilometres back into the island. cockatoo waspfish, a range of moray eel together with hermit crabs, mantis to the Duke of Sparta Wreck. The wreck,
Modern history of the last century species, lionfish, stonefish, and spiny shrimp, moray eels, cleaner shrimps known for years simply as ‘The Ambon
witnessed the battle of Ambon in 1942 and spotted devilfish. and cuttlefish. On clear days with good Wreck’, lies approximately 50 meters
between Japan and the Allied Forces. visibility the supports of the jetty are south of the Pertamina Harbour on the
Glass bottles have become homes photogenic and are worth investigating west bank. The entry point is clearly
Since that event, the local people used to striped fangblennies and catfish, for lion fish and other critters favoring marked by a 2 meter tall steel buoy
attached to the deck of the ship by a
coral to rebuild roads thus destroying fingered dragonets crawl across the the darkness. mooring chain which makes an excellent
the fringing reefs, and later dredged sand, and sandperches squat on the descent line. The site is a relatively deep
the bay’s shallows to allow bigger rubble. Orbicular porcupinefish - the Rhino City lies directly to the west of site with the top of the deck starting at
ships, so what is left in the bay now is smallest species in its family - stare up Laha and is an extension of the same 15 meters underneath the mooring chain
some world class muck diving. at you with their innocent-looking eyes, sandy slope. It is named after the
and large trumpetfish stalk through this and sloping down to 35 meters at the
aquatic town. Take a close look at the Rhinopias - a rare type of cryptic weedy top of the bow. The ship is approximately
The eponymous Ambon scorpionfish is spiny sponge branches in this section of scorpionfish that you can find here. 137 meters in length and despite sinking
one of the rare creatures that can the dive as you may be able to find pink over 50 years ago it is almost entirely
be found by divers here with some thorny seahorses. The slope is dotted with anemones - intact with very easily identifiable features
frequency. This incredible critter comes often carpet or bulb-tentacle varieties in including the upper deck, engine room
in shades of pink, green, brown yellow Laha at sunset has another highlight Ambon. These are home to a delightful and bridge.
or red, with variable skin flaps and though – this is when the exquisite little
filaments; but is characterised by its mandarinfish come out of the corals to
very long growths above each eye. perform their mating dance – a show
not to be missed! Snorkeling and Freediving Highlights of Ambon Bay
A rare find anywhere are Halimeda
ghostpipefish. This cryptic creature has Tawiri is a long stretch of sandy slope For snorkelers and freedivers the Banda Sea offer more abundant reef
green-grey rounded fin lobes resembling that is divided into several dive sites – who want to explore muck sites and spot possibilities, a wider range of reef fish and
leaf-like segments of Halimeda algae, all of which have some shallow water unusual critters then the sites in Ambon the opportunity to spot larger pelagics.
where they shelter in pairs or solitarily. corals and sparse appearing sandy Bay offer plenty of marine species in the
slopes. These sandy slopes however, are shallows. However, if you are hoping for The conditions in Ambon Bay are good for
Elsewhere along the outer coastline of far from sparse in reality! Tawiri sites colourful coral reefs, Ambon may not snorkeling and free diving all year round,
this horseshoe shaped island, you’ll find are a treasure trove of critter life and be the best location. Although there are but as an industrial harbour, one should
some colourful soft coral wall diving, some of the residents include – painted wonderful reefs to be found on the outside expect some boat traffic and not always
with many overhangs and several and clown frog fish, thorny sea horses, of the Bay, areas such as Weda Bay and the clearest water.

188 Wonderful Indonesia Diving and Snorkeling Directory Wonderful Indonesia Diving and Snorkeling Directory 189