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Dive Sites
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The Sea Fans (Tu'ungasika)
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This grove of Gorgonians is reached by swimming through a wide tunnel that funnels the water they need for food. A thoughtless diver from Hawaii started a harvesting program to encase the gorgonians in plexiglas, but for the time being the grove is flousihing again. Sweet lips cruise this valley and some nice lettuce coral has survived the careless anchoring of a "scientific" study group. Continuing around the corner, Damselfish school in the sunlight and Yellow Dot Squirrelfish can always be found at the same spot. A cave with an air chamber at the surface is a good spot to discuss events but the black and white objects sometimes found on the rock shelves are not batteries for the flashlight, as will become obvious when they slither off into the water. The return trip takes us over a mount covered with "organ pipe" coral. Here several large Anemones are home for Tomato and Blue Banded Clown fish. At the base of the mound, sleeping sharks are frequently spotted and returning to the boat, a rare species of translucent Flute fish can be seen hovering around the anchor line that they take as a relative.
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China Town (Part of Tu'ungasika)
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Named for its pagoda like Porite coral formations that are covered with multi-hued Tube worms. If you feel like showing your power just wave a hand and thousands will retract at your command. An easy swim up a gully will get you to a bright red Anemone, home for a Clown fish family, nestled in a bed of green lettuce coral. Dragging fins are a real menace for the lettuce that gets crunched if care is not exercised. At 27 meters the growth continues down and out as far as one can see. Continuing across a ridge with schools of large Surgeonfish and other species. The return trip passes several large bushes of deadman's fingers and offers plenty of tunnels and crevices to check for sleeping sharks, Emperor Angelfish and cruising Harlequin or Clown Trigger fish. In the late afternnon Scorpion fish can be seen in their full splendor.
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Split Rock
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Named by some divers from Auckland in honor of their club, a wooden name plate was installed, but being wood it did what all good wood does. However, the archway and canyons remained and offer exploring as does the split rock that gives just enough space to swim through. We planned it that way when we broke this large mound in half. A cave with air chamber adds to the attraction of this dive. This is where we saw the largest existing shark. He was a little too curious but fortunately there was plenty to hide behind.
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Hunga Magic
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Drop into the water above a school of yellow Goatfish that haven't moved in eleven years and swim through a nice valley with a large mound on your left. A single large Gorgonian sways gently on your right before coming over the top of a ridge slowly, so as nto to disturb whatever might be on the other side. This varies from Bat Rays to large spotted grouper and Turtles. A chimney to 28 meters entices and the holes at the base usually have a good sized resident. Swimming around the point the bottom drops away to deeper than 67 meters with perfect visibility. The wall has good growth of white-stemmed purple soft and fine haired coral as well as a black coral bush. If you have a tendency to vertigo, check it out on this wall where it feels like you're floating in mid air. The return trip goes by a huge, blue brain coral and some outcropping's covered with purple and gold soft corals. Another viewpoint gives the chance to hang over the edge. Returning to the boat there are large boulders with swim through, gully's and crevices offer lots of exploring possibilities.
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The Lettuce Patch
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This is another good dive spot for getting comfortable. The entry is near a large clump of stag horn coral, home for a large school of Goatfish that haven't moved since our time here. Convict Damselfish abound in large schools. A gradual descent to 20 meters over a sand bed leads to a ledge covered with large leaves of lettuce coral. Spotted Grouper and Goatfish live in the protection of these cavities. Nearby is a mound, home for the long tentacle Goniopora coral that has potential for use in bone grafts. Retracing one's steps to a corner beyond which is always some large grouper. One reaches an area that has a bed of strange looking "fungus" coral. Beyond this are large pagodas of Ponte covered with Tubeworms which deserve exploring until it's time to get back in the boat.
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The Clan McWilliam
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The beautiful old copra steamer sank in the 1920's with brass portholes, mast and crows nest still in place. The wreck is teaming with bat angelfish, and snappers galore. Legend has it that the Captain and Chief engineer went down with her. Some say as they descend onto the upper deck they can feel the presence of the Captain watching over his mighty ship.
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Mariner's Cave
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This cave can not be seen above water, it can only be found underwater. There are two entrances to the cave, the diver's entrance at 50 ft and the snorkeler's entrance at 12 ft. Once inside that cave you slowly surface into the most magnificent 40 ft high chamber with beautiful rock formations and stalactites. Inside the chamber it will turn into a blue-green fog then clear as the swell goes in and out making you think your mask has fogged up. Only seconds later the air is crystal clear again. The adventure repeats itself with each swell. Magic! Truly Magic!
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King Neptune's Sea Fan Grotto
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The size of the sea fans on this dive are beyond belief. Flute fish and butterfly fish swim gracefully through the fans as the Clown Fish triggers dart back and forth. After passing the fans you enter "Clown Fish Heaven" home for hundreds of anemones and every size of clown fish possible. This dive is a photographer's dream.
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