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This environment is also home tofrogfish, countless resident restingsea turtles and, of course, manytypes of colourful nudibranchs, sea-slugs and other Indo-Pacificcrustaceans.

Coral Garden is guaranteed toprovide you with an incrediblypleasurable dive.

Marlon has worked as marinebiologist, assistant manager anddive-guide at Magic Oceans,magicresorts.online ●

SPOOKY CHANNEL IS Adifferent kind of dive, because

it offers divers a different type ofexperience. As you approach thesite you feel an adrenaline rush,because you don’t know what’scoming next.

It might start out as a mystery,but once you begin making yourway down you’ll see the amazingformations, caves, swim-throughsand canyons. It gives a feel ofsightseeing but also of exploring.

At some point we think this wasa waterfall, from the way it sits onthe reef and how it connects fromthe inner lagoon to open ocean.

Visibility can vary, depending onthe water conditions and also thetime of year. The deepest point isabout 30m, it’s 15-18m wide, andbecause of the way it’s set up itallows penetration of the sun’s raysfrom the top part of the reef tocreate what looks like a cathedralunder water.

This is a cool dive on which youcan enjoy the topography of the

waterfall and the chamber-likeenvironment, which makes it closeto cave-diving but without needingcertification.

As soon as you leave the mainchamber of the channel you end upover the usual Caribbean shallowreef in less than 10m, and get the

chance to see common sea life such as turtles, parrotfish, angelfish and big schools of blue tangs.

At certain times of year you findgiant balls of silversides seekingrefuge from predators, tarpon, bigsnapper, grouper, green morayeels, lobster and small shrimps.

Taking a torch is recommendedfor exploring under crevices andledges – you never know what youmight encounter in SpookyChannel.

Ricardo is a divemaster at Anthony’sKey Resort, anthonyskey.com ●

MY FAVOURITE DIVE-SITEaround Pulau Pef is Karang

Sembilan, and it’s so much morethan just our house reef. Sembilanmeans “nine” in Indonesian, and thereef has the shape of the number 9.

It offers an incredible variety oftypes of marine life that I haverarely seen at other dive-spots.

During a typical dive, we jumpfrom the jetty and go down to 8m.We have a good chance of seeingdifferent types of pygmy seahorse,ghost pipefish, sexy shrimps, varioustypes of octopus – including theblue-ringed and beautifullypatterned wonderpus – and electric clams.

Following the ridge, there aremany big coral blocks swirling withglassfish, sweetlips and, here andthere, wobbegong sharks.

We then head down to 23m, tofind big shoals of yellowtail fusiliers,many blacktip sharks and occasionalwhitetip sharks or eagle rays.

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IN THE WESTERN PART of Anda, a small, peaceful town in south-

eastern Bohol, lies a dive-site thatshowcases an incredible diversity ofmarine life, a valuable experience forunderwater enthusiasts. One of the best diving spots you could

find, it’s suitable for both beginners andseasoned divers and should definitely bepart of a rewarding diving holiday forthose who love to see healthy, colourfulreefs full of marine life.Coral Garden is 3-5 minutes away

from Magic Oceans Dive Resort, a 4* boutique dive-resort, and offers agreat combination of walls and sandyslopes that host a lot of marine life,creatures from XXS to XXL. More than90% of it is made up of beautiful softand hard corals, especially on the reeftop, which is also great for snorkellers asit is only 3-5m deep. The wall, which is 5-20m deep, has a

lot of small caves and crevices that hosta lot of fantastic gorgonians andsponges (ideal for wide-anglephotographers). You can see a lot of different species

of reef-fish here and there is a higher chance than elsewhere of

witnessing visiting pelagic fish suchas giant trevallies, barracuda,Spanish mackerel, eaglerays, whale sharks andmore.

This place is alsohome to diverse macrocreatures.Among themost significant are thecreature from the Magic

Oceans logo, the pygmyseahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti)found on seafans living on the wall. You can also see a lot of leopard

anemones living on dead gorgonians,and there in turn you can find leopardshrimps.

PRO DIVER

We asked pro divers fromaround the world to stepup and tell us about theirfavourite neighbourhooddive-sites. And whenyou’ve shared these 16divers’ passions, you’llreallywant to go diving…

Coral GardenAnda, Philippines

by Marlon Manage

Spooky ChannelRoatan, Honduras

by Ricardo David Calderon

KarangSembilanRaja Ampat,Indonesia

by ArifHamidINTELLIGENCE

BETH WATSON

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DEPAN KAMPUNG MEANS “infront of the village” in Bahasa,

and as the dive-site is a mere 200mfrom Bunaken’s largest village, it isaptly named. It’s a continuation ofthe famous Lekuan wall, only herethe reef becomes a slope, rather thanone of the vertical underwater cliffsfor which Bunaken is famous.

Mooring up at the dive-site, you can already see the coralsshimmering under the water’ssurface, and you might spot aturtle’s head appear briefly as itcomes up to breathe.

Bunaken is well known for drift-diving and Depan Kampung is noexception, so the typical entrancepoint is on a sheltered corner of the slope.

As soon as you descend,you’re greeted by thousandsof reef fish darting abovethe pristine shallow corals,and once you reach 5m,some parts of the reef arealready above you.

With the slope on oneside, the gentle currents pushyou effortlessly along.

And on your other side isthe endless blue, home to tensof thousands of redtoothtriggerfish, schooling blacksnapper and the occasionaleagle ray or tuna.

Crown jewels of the site are theabundant green and hawksbillturtles. It’s not uncommon to spot 20 in an hour, some in the blue,

others resting on a sponge. Theslope goes very deep, much deeperthan most divers could ever visit.Visibility is good most of the year, soit’s easy to spot some of the many

reef sharks that patrol the depths. It’s not just the big things you can

find here, either. The slope is hometo endless critters – nudibranchs,ghost pipefish, frogfish and more.

You need to visit DepanKampung more than once. Youcould dive it 100 times, and neverget bored.

Miguel is resort manager at SiladenResort & Spa, siladen.com ●

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With the reef still on our rightshoulder, we slowly go up to 15 or10m to get to the coral slope, wherewe usually find candy crabs, turtles,razorfish, anemones and theirclownfish, bumphead parrotfish –shall I go on?

On the way back to the jetty,

scattered on the reef, there arearound 30 beautiful and healthygiant clams. We collected andplanted them there to regrow apopulation that had been threatenedby extinction.

Back at the jetty, we linger aroundour Raja4Divers’ statues, covered

with colourful sponges and corals. Night-dives are especially

spectacular, as we often see theendemic Raja Ampat walking shark(above left) and sometimes Waltonflasher wrasse, along with lobstersand many other nocturnal creatures.

And snorkellers have come back

with huge smiles on their faces afterseeing a dugong swim by over theseagrass-covered area on a lateafternoon!

Arif is dive manager and aninstructor at Raja4Divers,raja4divers.com ●

Shark & YolandaSharm el Sheikh, Egypt

by ‘G’ Evans

Buddy’s ReefBonaire

by Macy van Sabben

YOU CAN WALK OUT of your room straight into the ocean

at Buddy’s Reef. It’s located right in front of the resort, with aspacious dock area and differenteasy entry-points.

Once you descend to 4m you’llfind a yellow rope heading out to

the drop-off. From there on, it startssloping down from 6-30m.

I was blown away by the marinelife and healthy corals when I firstsaw this house reef. Most of themarine life is found cruising aroundbetween 12-18m.

On every dive I’ve done here I’ve found bigtarpon cruisingalong, a lot ofspotted eels,slugs andoctopuses. Thereis even a littlewreck located on the northside, between 9-18m deep.

The reef has

loads of different soft and hardcorals, all very healthy. Because it’s located in Bonaire’s “bay area”,currents are usually very weak.

There are 34 “Reef Renewal”coral trees right in front of thedrop-off – spectacular to see, and also allowing you to find your

way back super-easily! The staff and Reef Renewal

Foundation take good care of theirreef– it’s one of the most alive andcosy reefs I have dived on Bonaire.

Macy is an instructor at BuddyResort, buddydive.com ●

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Depan KampungBunaken, Indonesia

by Miguel Ribeiro

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FOR YEARS DURING the 1990s,I used to dive in Sharm el

Sheikh with my club on a divingholiday. We usually visited the RedSea at the start or end of the UKdive season (in April or October).

Shark & Yolanda Reefs wasalways my favourite site, for itsamazing topography and differentcorals. It has walls plunging downinto unreachable depths, currentson which to drift with no effort, and behind the massive coralpinnacles was a plateau of softcoral among which could be foundturtles, rays, crocodilefish andmany other species.

However, it was only in July 2002,when the UK weather was gettingmy father down and he offered methe chance to join him and his dive-

YOUR ALARM GOES OFF in what feels like the middle of the

night. But then you remember whatit’s for, and you jump out of bed andrush off to the dive-shop.

Before you know it, you’re on thedive-boat, sipping a cup of coffee,heading east into the rising sun.Your fellow-passengers might still bewaking up, but you can feel theexcitement starting to build. Thedivers on the boat have come fromall corners of the world specificallyto this unique dive-site: MonadShoal off Malapascua Island, the

only place in the world where youcan reliably see thresher sharks!

The second you hit the water,you’re wide awake. You start todescend, and in many ways it feels asif you’re on safari. The straight dropdown to 16m is quite spooky, and inthe early-morning light and with 10-15m visibility, it almost feels as if thesite is shrouded in mist.

Then you’re off, swimming slowlyover the bottom of the shoal, eyes

darting left and right in search ofthat shark, your heart thumping inanticipation, and you feel as if you’restalking big game through thejungle.

When, finally, through the hazethe stunning silver outline of themajestic thresher shark makes anappearance, it seems to come out ofnowhere. You sit still and watch inamazement as this graceful creaturecircles in front of you.

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ZenobiaLarnaca, Cyprus

by Steve Theakston

buddy for a week’s diving in Sharmduring the summer months, that I got to appreciate the true magicof Shark & Yolanda.

Year-round this site ismagnificent, fed by the constantsoup of nutrients that flow up fromthe depths to feed and replenishthe reefs at the southernmost pointof the Sinai Peninsula, but duringsummer the place comes alive, withso many shoals of different fishthat have come to spawn.

With them come biggerpredators. During the parrotfishaggregation, you can see gianttrevally as big as cars – or so theylook in the water.

We have seen a blackfin sharktaking a barracuda from the midstof a swirling school, and manyother types of shark, as well asmanta rays, sailfish and dolphins.

Now I work full-time as a diveinstructor and guide in Sharm andmanager of our family-owned divecentre, and get to dive this amazingplace regularly. I get to choose whodoes which dives and who teachesthe courses, although of course I doshare it out. After all, ourinstructors are here because of

their love of diving and marine life,and all still want to see theseamazing phenomena each year.

So divers who stay away fromSharm during the summer monthsbecause of the warm weather aremissing some of the best diving inthe world!

G is an instructor and manager ofElite Diving, elite-diving.com ●

Monad ShoalMalapascua, Philippines

by Andrea Agarwal

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BREAKING THE SURFACE of theeastern Mediterranean a mile

from Larnaca port, and lookingdown the shotline into the abyss,we see every shade of blue andsilver imaginable – and nothingmore, until we reach around 5m.

At that point a huge, imposingshadow looms into view – our firstglimpse of the Zenobia.

We reach midships on thestarboard side that lies uppermostat around 18m, and at once areengulfed in a melee of two-bandedbream, saddle bream, damselfishand huge grouper. This is a breath-taking wreck, its impressive 172mlength disappearing into thedistance to left and right.

We descend over the starboardrail and immediately see some ofthe 104 articulated lorries thatwere once secured to the deck.

Now they either lie like corpsesalong the seabed at 42m, or clingprecariously by their chains to thishuge roll-on, roll-off ferry in theirfinal acts of defiance, as they areslowly claimed by the sea.

We descend to a trailer at 30m. It still contains the skeletal remainsof its cargo of meat.

We continue towards the sterncargo doors, maintaining ourdepth of 30m halfway down thedeck. We see many lionfish, brieflyencounter the resident loggerhead

turtle and might have the pleasureof swimming through huge,menacing schools of barracuda, allthe while enjoying this impressivescrapyard of trucks and trailers.

Once between the cargo doorswe continue to the bottom of thewreck to explore the twoimpressive propellers, theuppermost at around 25m.

We ascend to the starboard sideat around 20m before headingback to the shotline, over the huge funnels, starboard rail andmind-blowing amount of aquaticlife now resident on thismagnificent wreck.

Steve is the owner of Pissouri BayDivers, pissouribaydivers.com ●

The shark doesn’t even seem tonotice you; it is just there for itsearly-morning cleaning.

Another thresher might join it,and perhaps a third. It’s notuncommon to see several circling at once. Often they come so closethat you could almost reach out andtouch them.

As the dive comes to an end and

you hit the surface, there are whoops and hollers and high fivesall round.

You can almost taste theadrenaline in the air. What a buzz!It’s a dive you remember for the restof your life.

Andrea is owner and MD of ThresherShark Divers, malapascuadiving.com ●

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MY FAVOURITE DIVE-SITE lieson the north-western side of

the house reef of Amilla Fushi, in theUNESCO Biosphere Reserve of BaaAtoll. The hole starts at the edge ofthe top reef at around 6m, with anentrance/exit at 12m and anotherexit at the bottom at around 22m.

It’s a hole but not an enclosed one

– which means that cave-divingspecialities are not required to divethis site. You could describe it asmore of an underwater chimney.

Blue Hole is great for divers of alllevels. There is a huge range ofmarine life to be seen both aroundthe hole itself and along the reef.

On very rare occasions, you might

even be lucky enough to see a guitaror leopard shark.

At certain times of year the hole is filled with hundreds of glassfish,and you can often find lobsters andnurse sharks hiding in the crevices,as well as inquisitive hawksbillturtles swimming by. There is alsothe occasional green turtle, althoughthese are less common.

During the manta season fromJune to November we have seenmanta rays passing by, either alongthe top of the reef or from the drop-off into the blue.

Looking under coral blocks orledges you can find lionfish,octopuses and a variety of morayeels among other marine life.

Along the top reef, you’ll see

schools of blue-striped snapper,bannerfish, triggerfish, parrotfish,oriental sweetlips and blacktip reefsharks, to name a few.

With the top of the site so shallow,we also enjoy snorkelling orfreediving there. Sometimes hugeschools of bannerfish cover the reefand the entrance to the hole.

With each dive, whether on scubaor freediving, I’ve found somethingnew to discover. Whether I’mcreating videos or photos for oursocial-media channels or guidingdivers, it’s always an exciting site tovisit – and you never know howlucky your day might be!

Elena is PR executive for Dive ButlerInternational, dive-butler.com ●

Blue HoleBaa Atoll, Maldives

by Elena Clare Tranmer

VISIBLE FROM THE SURFACE on most days, a descent onto

this shallow shipwreck provides anexciting adventure for divers at alllevels. An inter-island cargo bargesitting fully between the shelvingcoral reefs of Grand Anse Bay, this30m vessel provides the comfort ofa beginner-level wreck dive with itsmaximum depth of 16m, yet all thewhile exhibiting the coral growthand marine life of the mostadvanced wreck dives on Grenada.

With orange cup corals, spongesand hydroids covering the wreck’ssurface a variety of marine lifethrives – blennies, fireworms,

basket seastars, moray eels,octopuses, coral crabs and lobstersto name a few. This is the

advantage of resting in a coral bed,and divers can also explore thesurrounding reef to glimpse nursesharks, rays, seahorses and theoccasional frogfish.

Shoals of chromis and creolewrasse surround Veronica L asdivers navigate the coral growth.

With barjack, trevallies andyellowtail snapper hunting as well,the action on this wreck can beimmense; a spectacle for any aviddiver. It makes for a particularlyimpressive night-dive, with the cup

corals extended in all their vibrantorange and yellow glory.

To add to the character of thewreck, along the mid-section sits a welded crane that houses a giantgreen moray eel at its base.

With its open hull, wheelhouseand an engine-room that’s intactand visible, a dive on the Veronica Lis a delight for all visiting divers.

Keone is an MSDT and underwaterphotographer with Eco Dive,ecodivegrenada.com ●

Veronica LGrenada

by Keone Drew

WHEN I WAS A KID, my dreamwas to dive with all the

different fish in the seas around theworld. At Tufi Resort, my dream hascome true.

The guests and team are gearingup to visit my favourite dive-site,Stewards, a reef that blows yourmind with its amazing colours.

Set against the dark blue at depthto the light blue at the top, we take a journey through the spectrumamong a rich variety of fish andcorals, not forgetting all thosespecial sea-slugs and other critters.

Expect the unexpected from themoment you release the air fromyour BC, and the world of Stewardswelcomes you with open arms.

In front of us, a little blue-ringedoctopus tries to hide itself.

Some metres ahead, the next stopis always with the beloved clownfishin their anemone. The nudibranchcolours are spectacular, little visions

in pink, blue, yellow…The corals are huge and healthy –

I have never seen such beautieselsewhere.

And all the little things are takingthe opportunity to use this coralgarden as their home, including thevery cute pygmy seahorse, shrimpsand featherstars.

The funny thing is that, as at all

Tufi’s reefs, you look down the wallto left and right and there are all thebig fish – barracuda, lionfish andmore or less all the sharks youmight wish to see, including ourfavourite albino hammerhead.

After a fantastic dive and on ourway back to Tufi Resort, a school ofdolphins has fun with the boat.

My words to describe this greatlocation? Breathtaking, stunning,spectacular… fantastic.

Jana is an instructor at Tufi Resort,tufiresort.com ●

Stewards ReefTufi, Papua New Guinea

by Jana Röttgers

JUST A 10-MINUTE boat journeyfrom Paphos Harbour in the

south of Cyprus lies the Vera-K, a Lebanese freighter that beachedon shallow ground in 1972.

This wreckage was then used fortarget practice by the Cypriotmilitary until 1974, when it wasdeemed dangerous to passingvessels. The local authoritiesdecided to blow it up, and it’s nowsettled inside a crater in the reef.All this means that it’s not unusualto find old ammunition lying amidthe debris.

After anchoring onto the top ofthe reef, we begin our steadydescent into the crater, where you

can often see green turtles grazingin the seagrass meadows.

With a maximum depth of 12m,there’s plenty of time to enjoy thispicturesque underwater world.

We begin the dive by followingthe crater wall to the westernmostpoint of the dive-site, to find a largeswim-through full of colourfulalgae, natural light and largegrouper that have made theirhome there.

Continuing around the crater,breaks in the reef open up smallgullies and overhangs, perfect fordivers to explore before reachingthe main attraction.

The Vera-K is in four main pieces:

bow, stern, bridge and engine, allscattered over the seabed. Thebridge is still intact, though slightlytoo narrow to penetrate, but it’sgreat for peering into, looking forhidden marine life such ascardinalfish and lionfish.

Although the bow and sternsections are still identifiable, theytook the biggest hit in theexplosion and now offer refuge tojuvenile fish during tougherweather.

A highlight of this dive is theengine, sitting in the middle of thecrater and perfectly intact andconnected to the transmitter. It’s a photographer’s paradise.

The combination of naturalbeauty alongside a wreck withhistory make this one of myfavourite sites around the island.

Sophie is an instructor with Cydive,cydive.com ●

Vera-KPaphos, Cyprus

by Sophie Pearson

TAKE A FEW STEPS fromAtmosphere Resorts & Spa and

you’ll enter one of the largest marinesanctuaries in Dauin. Our house reefis more than just a standard shoredive; it’s home to a huge diversity ofmarine life, and there’s plenty to holdyour attention over multiple dives.

Green turtles munch on seagrassas you make your way through theshallows, while trevally and emperorsscour the reef in packs searching fortheir next meal.

Head north to encounter bluetangs cruising among the corals andschooling barracuda hanging in theblue. Head south and see blue-spotted stingrays and inquisitiveturtle-headed sea-snakes huntingover the reef.

For macro lovers, hairy shrimp,ghost pipefish, frogfish, mantisshrimp and nudibranchs can befound while, if you’re really lucky,grape-sized flamboyant cuttlefisheggs can be seen developing rightbefore your eyes.

Dive a little deeper and you’ll comeacross three shipping containers,sunk in 2011. These artificialstructures have proved popular withbatfish, nudibranchs, scorpionfishand juvenile sweetlips.

Back on the reef, the critter-huntcontinues with jawfish mouth-brooding their eggs and broadclub

AtmosphereHouse ReefDauin, Philippines

by Kirsty Richards

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Gumi CenikBali, Indonesia

by Ian Keeling

cuttlefish buried in the sand. Finishup in the shallows, where colourfulanthias and damselfish twinkle inthe sunlight and garden eels, schoolsof razorfish and sea moths arescattered over the seagrass beds.

Wait a few hours and another rarecritter can be encountered. As thesun sets behind the palm trees,technicoloured mandarinfish begintheir complex, but brief, matingrituals. Be patient and you won’t bedisappointed by these small but

beautiful fish.Once darkness sets in, life on the

reef changes again. Many fish find

a safe crevice and settle in for thenight, but others are only justbeginning to stir.

If you’re lucky, bobtail squid and the elusive blue-ringed octopuscan be seen exploring the reef,manoeuvring around colonies offluorescing corals.

Whichever time ofday you drop under thewaves, this house reefwill have you coming up smiling.

Kirsty is an instructor andin-house marine biologistat Atmosphere Resort,atmosphereresorts.com ●

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ASHORT BOAT-RIDE from thedive-centre takes us to the

corner of a bay typical of northernBali. We descend along a small reefthat continues into a sandy slopeand follow its course, keeping aneye out for inquisitive garden eels.

Before we actually see the mainreef, the clouds of schooling fishgive its location away.

Descending along its edge, we’regreeted by beautiful corals,schooling snapper, blue-spotted

sting rays by the dozen and theoccasional tuna whizzing by.

Looking more closely at the reefwe find nudibranchs, scorpionfishhiding, frogfish, leaf-fish and ghostpipefish. Often we find a turtlemunching away or just sleepingwedged between coral blocks.

Making our way shallower on theother side of the V-shaped reef, we cross a sandy patch to a smallerreef alongside the main one. It ischaracterised by big barrel

sponges growing right in its centre. Moray eels seem to love living in

the shadow of these massivestructures, and lionfish regard

the ridges of the sponges as primereal estate.

Leaving the reef, the seabedcomposition changes from sand to

ALL THE DIVE-SITES here in the Lhaviyani Atoll are beautiful.

With the right current they canbecome amazing and leave you withlifelong memories of underwaterislands, walls, outer-reef drop-offsand corners full of sharks and rays,but one that stands out for me isKuredu Island Resort’s house reef.

This long reef can be accessed byshore or boat, and stretches betweentwo shark-filled channels on theinside of the island known as thebiggest turtle sanctuary in theMaldives. It’s perfect for beginners,optimal for courses, and thrillingeven for the most fastidious diver.

You’re immediately immersed in a fish soup of vibrant colours andmovement. The top of the reef iscovered with sand, which makes thesun reflect and light up the site witha spectacular gradient of blue hues.

The first attractionis a shipwreck, placedby Prodivers as anartificial reef.

Covered in bothhard and soft corals, itinvites you to take acloser look into thecargo holds and thebridge for frogfish,nudis, ghost pipefishand the signature 2m-long moray eel gettingcleaned behind one ofthe doors to the bow.

As you move alongthe reef, you see turtles swimming,sometimes “too” close, seeking outspots to get cleaned or to scratchtheir shells.

Looking into the blue, you mightwell see squadrons of eagle rayshovering within arm’s length.

The fortunate few might even findthemselves in the presence of themajestic ornate eagle ray, as it passes the reef for a bite to eat on thesandy bottom.

And the end of the dive in thenearby channel might provide grey

reef sharks cruising in the current,waiting for brave cleaning wrasse toswim into their mouths and “brushtheir teeth”.

Jacob works for Prodivers Maldives,prodivers.com ●

Kuredu House ReefLhaviyani Atoll, Maldives

by Jacob Alguren

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stones. Anyone who has been onmuck dives will realise that critterslove hanging out here, and takingtime to look at this seeminglyempty rubble slope, you start tonotice things moving.

The whole bottomseems to be scattered with the most colourfulnudibranchs, specialtypes of shrimps, mimicoctopus and theoccasional fingernail-sized baby frogfishhiding in plain sight.

The depth here is 4-7m, so it makes theperfect place for your

safety stop and the end of abeautiful dive.

Ian is manager of Alam Anda DivingCentre, wernerlau.org ●

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LAST CHECK: fins on, wetsuit zipped up, all pinch-buckles

closed, dive computer set to 30%nitrox, gas on, tank and pony full,weights are in my pocket and maskis defogged. All the guests are intheir equipment and checked.

I have two couples, one from theUSA, the other from the UK. Onecouple are fiddling with theirGoPro, making last-minute setting

adjustments, while the others arenervously waiting for the boat tostop. All are experienced divers; wenever take anyone to Bianca Cunless we have vetted them first.

Easy step off the dive platform,negative entry and they can use myflagline as a reference on the waydown. Gotta get to the wreck fast incase there is an unexpected currentlower down. One last glance to the

top to make sure everyone isfollowing. Sometimes the swimdown feels endless, but you alwaysknow you hit the right spot whenthe enormous shadow engulfs you.

At the stern, the usual shy reefshark welcomes me before theother divers arrive. Only the early

birds will get a glimpse of him. NowI can focus on the sheer size of thehulk of metal. It’s always an eeriefeeling when you’re by yourself.

One hundred and eighty metresto cover in less than 20 minutes.The divers arrive beside me at 35mand we start swimming towardsthe bow. First, of course, we have adip in the pool – “the deepest pooldive you’ll ever take” as I joked inthe briefing – 40m to the bottom.

I can see the large school ofhorseye jack shimmering in thedistance. I slow the group andsignal to breathe slowly, so wedon’t scare them off. Always anamazing sight.

Someone is banging a tank –must be the other group on thereef, shallower but parallel to thewreck. It makes me turn, and therethey are, six majestic eagle raysdancing alongside the wreck.

I signal the divers to turn around.We drift with the gentle current asthe rays slowly fly by.

Approaching the bow, we’re nowat 30m. I signal everyone to checktheir gauges. If everyone has over100 bar, we can head to WhibblesReef. Everyone is OK. Slight easternturn until we are greeted by blackgorgonians and schools of fish.

Another 20 minutes drifting over this beautiful reef and wehead for our safety stop and backto the surface.

Robin works for Aquanauts Grenada,aquanautsgrenada.com ●

Bianca CGrenada

by Robin Burkhardt

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