Basically, you jump from the boat on the edge of the reef and descend along a vertical wall with bottom at 70 to 120 meters. Currents can get pretty tricky, moving
in completely different directions within 5 to 7 meters depth difference. Swirling vortex-like downcurrents are also on tap.
Wait, did I mention visibility yet? I was blown away the first time I jumped in the water here. Sipadan two days before had been a great preparation, but is really awesome.
Here are fotos of a turtle in the wall as an example:
and here is one turtle in the blue:
And there is more to see up and down the wall: Notably Millions of Redtooth Triggerfish, an abundance of the typical reef fish, giant clams in the shallows, many turtles, Flasher Frogfish (the white ones), Big Puffers, Scorpionfish, and fancy colorful marine life of all sorts.
I concentrated on diving these days, did not take too many pictures (and videos, but you know, the WiFi is sloooow)
Most evenings I sat at the beach bar, listening to the locals singing, and watching the geckos hunting in the lamps. I am glad, when the locals start to sing, because the barkeeper puts on Gangsta Rap all the time, so much that some guests complain and ask for music with less "Motherf**ker" lines...
One of the weirdest dives in my short dive life was my last one here on Bunaken: the Mandarin Dive.
It's a dive scheduled short before a regular night dive, starting at 4:45pm. The boat trip takes two minutes, you could actually do a shore dive and swim there.
You go down to 5-6 meters, swim some meters to a bush of corals (small staghorn-like corals?), put your fintips in the rubble, lean on your pointer stick, stare into the corals and wait. Wait. Wait. Wait for the tiny Mandarine fish to come out of the corals. Tiny means 2-3cm in this case. After 10 minutes staring and waiting, motionless, anxious not to stir up any sediments, I started feeling uncomfortable and thought about abandoning the dive, when the first Mandarine fish appeared. I did not see it, my guide showed it to me.
OK, now I know what we are looking for, and I shot around 10 pictures and some short video clips. After 60 minutes we swam back to the boat, had some Razorfish dancing in my guide's torch light.
OK, so that was the famous Mandarine dive.
Normal lights are not allowed, you need redlight or a red filter. Volker has a DIY Red Filter:
By the way, you have to pay an extra 160.000 Rupiah on top for this...
The diving was really great, with stunning visibility, but I could not get into the resort's groove.
Only one evening we all sat together singing the usual suspects, like Hotel California, Leaving on a Jetplane, Countryroads etc.
Missing the community spirit of Mabul, I made no real friends here, with one great exception: Elynn and Charlton, a very sympathetic couple from Singapore, great divers and fun people to pass time with.
They left for Lembeh one day before me, so I would meet them again there. Looking forward to see some familiar faces there, I finished my time on Bunaken with a glorious sunset.
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Find the mistake....:-(
See you under water
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