Category: Dive Logs

I descended slowly with Maya as she was underweighted due to which she had some trouble descending. Later Amrita came back up to help and we went down together.

This time I saw 4 Aluterus scriptus at around 6m near the line! They were pecking at a single jellyfish from all 4 sides forming a cross. They were all around 30cm big.

The vis at the surface was worse due to tiny particles in the water but the vis at the bottom was a lot better than the previous days (8-10m). As soon as we came down Amrita’s 1st stage started to bubble. She immediately went to the instructor who was nearby to see what’s wrong and if it could be fixed underwater although he didn’t understand and pointed to the boat. Amrita decided to go back up and change her tank as the pressure was already 60 bars. She asked us to stay close and ascended.

Maya spotted a shrimpgoby with a shrimp taking sand out of its hole. They were one of the most adorable things I ever saw. As I approached to film it though, the shrimp backed off into its hole and the goby also tensed up. I remained prone on the sand patiently with the camera. Slowly the two relaxed and the shrimp continued with its work.

From one of the openings among the debris I could see a portion of the big honeycomb moray and while I was trying to film the partially visible body, the massive head loomed out from the hole on the other end of its den. I looked at it and filmed it for a while taking circles around it and so did Amrita.

We went to the beer garden and then to the parking lot. While I was taking rounds near the parking lot, Amrita signaled to come. Maya and Amrita had found a ghost net stuck into the metal structure. There were many Odonus niger and another brown species of triggerfish stuck in it. I took out my knife and began cutting the nets while Amrita tore with her hands. As for the triggerfish, Maya and Amrita held the fish for me while I carefully cut off the strings. We released 5 to 6 of them.

While releasing one of them alone as the other two were busy removing the nets but I was holding the camera in one hand so it was pretty difficult. I ended up cutting my finger slightly. I didn’t pay much attention to it but all of a sudden I was taken aback by a blackish green gash where I got the cut. Immediately I realised that it was just blood that appeared green due to the absorption of colour and I was relieved.

We wanted to release one last fish but Maya was at 60 bars so we decided to ascend and release it at the stop.

As planned we released the triggerfish at the stop and then ascended.

Another message from Shilpin saying ‘very very clear’ arrived. I wanted to dive as soon as I got free but Ameya insisted that each of us should carry a dive knife and he bought two kitchen knives. To carry them, he made the both of us one knife strap.

We hurried and got into the water at 3pm and found out the water was tremendously clear. As good or better than the first day since the green colour caused by the Pedinomonas noctiluca was completely gone and the water was blue.

The barracuda were back but this time with the school of catfish. I wanted to linger there longer but we didn’t have time. The water was choppy and the horizon looked dark with storm clouds. We moved towards the ring. 

The Gymnothorax meleagris was gone but the other juvenile eels were there. I quickly went over to check the honeycomb moray’s hangout, at the cement block near the internal pillars. It was gone too. Maybe it was still at the pier but it had just shifted spots.

We went to the eastern ring and while we were diving, two 20cm trevally zoomed past the ring. Both Ameya and I exclaimed with joy. Their glittering silver bodies that cut through the water effortlessly looked elegant and awe-inspiring.

It wasn’t as clear as the previous dive but the visibility was by no means poor. Although it was a day’s difference there was a huge change at the pier. There were no barracuda in sight in the center portion of the pier unfortunately but there was a huge school of catfish instead. Later Ameya found a barracuda but I couldn’t see it. When we checked the barge to see if the blue triggerfish were still there (Odonus niger), they had already abandoned the place… I doubt there are any fish that feed on them.

At the ring, we saw a new visitor. It was a huge eel right at the cavity on top of the ring so it was visible even from the surface. It was absolutely beautiful with millions of white spots adorning its dark olive green body. The closest looking species I have found is the white mouth moray (Gymnothorax meleagris) although it didn’t have a white mouth and the patterns looked slightly different from them. We found 4 other juvenile morays around the ring.

The net that was stuck around the eastern ring and pillars was still there and more fish seemed to have been caught. As we hadn’t gotten a shot of the honeycomb moray in the previous dive, Ameya hurried to find it again before the camera died again. It was still there in the same spot near the blocks in the center portion towards the end of the pier.

While I was wandering around the internal pillars chasing to observe the catfish, a lone Odonus niger came fluttering to say ‘hi’. I was so happy to see it again and notified Ameya as I wanted a closer shot of it. It was so interesting to see how its wing-like fins flapped desperately to keep its plump body moving.

Suddenly Ameya called me while I was looking at the honeycomb moray. He took me to the spot where we had found the groupers yesterday, and showed me the horror. It was by the blocks at the southern side of the pier. The whole area was draped with a huge net which spread over 3-4 pillars on the southern side. The groupers were gone, thankfully, and the place looked desolate. Yet again, we swam across the whole sight helplessly.

When Shilpin writes ‘very very clear,’ we know it’s going to be very very clear. I couldn’t suppress my excitement as I was wearing my fins and could see the sand so clearly! On the way up, my mind was still not able to grasp why it was being able to see the bottom. I had gotten too used to seeing a murky nothingness all through until you almost bumped into a pillar or a jellyfish.

There was a bottle floating tied to a few branches. I searched into it and there were two brown fish camouflaging inside it. I went ahead as Ameya was waiting. I don’t know why he insisted on staying close when it was so clear, calm and there were no jellyfish in sight. 

On the way up I was so surprised when the barge was in full view from the surface (at least what is remaining of it, which is the tip). There were a lot of Abudefduf bengalensis around it, that are not usually seen around the pier. Further up there was another piece of the barge and to my surprise there was a species of blue triggerfish! 6 to 7 of them were lingering there and they didn’t shy away when we got closer. I have never seen these ones before, they have probably migrated from somewhere. 

When I went in between the pillars and saw my left (center portion of pier) I couldn’t believe my eyes. In the shadowy bottom I saw long shadows. Barracuda! I dived and swam along the pillars, parallel to them. I could see them so clearly and they didn’t seem to get away. On the contrary they seem to follow you but maintain just enough distance as though they’re keeping watch over their territory. Sometimes 2-3 of them even came and swam under me.The experience was spectacular, like none I’ve had before. I went to the center portion of the pier where they all lingered and from above, I counted 8 of them. 

We went to the ring and inspected the area. There were a lot of juvenile moray eels popping their heads out of the holes. I counted 5 in total. At the blocks near the pillars there were groupers hiding. There was black and white one (of which the white was pretty prominent, not a brownish white). Later we found groupers at the blocks near the southern pillars too. Normally during the year, I haven’t seen any groupers. I’m not sure whether they’re actually not there or they’re hard to spot simply because it’s murky. The groupers were extremely shy and as soon as they noticed us coming they either backed away or scurried behind the blocks.

When we went to the rings further east, we found a ghost net hanging from the tip of the metal rod, extending across to the internal pillars. Shocked, I followed it and found that it wrapped around several of the outer pillars. There was an Abudefduf vaigiensis stuck in it and some older fish that were rotting and losing colour. It saddened me a lot but I didn’t have a knife and Ameya had lost his. So we didn’t touch the nets.

When we were diving near the eastern pillars, we noticed that the barracuda were swimming below here too. They had followed us! What a feeling it is to see these 0.8-1m big fish have kept an eye on you, were curious about you and have followed you for so long! It was a little chilly and exciting at the same time.

I found a piece of cement, near the central pillars and when I went near it to see if anything was under it, I found a honeycomb moray eel! It was a big one. It probably was the one that we had seen last year. We hadn’t found that one again though maybe because the water hadn’t cleared up and the eel kept changing its spot. But here it was, popping out its head from underneath the block, accompanied by another adult eel.

It was a pity that the battery of SJ Cam died in no time at all on such a good day. We got a few videos but we didn’t get to take the honeycomb moray that day.

I took my vomikind just before leaving home so that there is enough time until we get on the boat.

The temple adventure guys were taking out the big boat today so we did a giant stride entry from the platform at the back of the boat. While I waited for Amrita to come near the drift-line (line that you can pull if you drift), I saw a 30cm funny-looking filefish from the surface at around 6m near 1 of the lines going down. There were jellyfish here and there and I spotted just one yellow sea nettle. As soon as Amrita came I did the compass exercise (swim in a straight line using compass) at the surface and CESA from 6m, 2 of the 3 skills that were remaining. Then, following one of the lines, we went down.

While going down the line I got to look at the filefish from close. It was a ‘scribbled filefish’ (Aluterus scriptus – 30cm) and it indeed looked as if a toddler’s doodle came alive. There were still a lot of Odonus niger, they were mostly at 6-10m depth. Among the coconut leaves, pig-faced leatherjackets were camouflaging (Paramonacanthus choirocephalus), they are 4-6cm filefish with white and green stripes. They are hard to spot unless you look at the leaves or under them closely.

From around 10m, I started seeing a lot of Taeniamia fucata, a magenta cardinalfish with blue lines over and under its eyes. They were there in 100s all the way to the bottom.

Near the coconut leaves at the bottom, there were 3 70-80cm groupers lurking. Here and there, there were jellyfish bouncing on the bottom that were being pecked by fish.

At the bottom, we finished the compass skill, I swam along the line while following only at the compass and Amrita checking whether I’m going straight.

Whenever I saw structures on the ground with holes I looked into it to see if there were any octopus as Amrita had seen them for 2 consecutive days! But I eventually didn’t find any…

The white hydroids that are there at the pier were also down here and a lot of them were open. On one of the branches there was a tiny lionfish (10cm) sitting and resting. 

Near one oyster there a 20cm moorish idol was pecking at something with effort. I couldn’t tell what it was pecking at though. Either the algae or sponge that was growing on the oyster. There were several Gymnothorax thyrsoideus popping their heads out of holes and cracks near the bottom.

Whenever we shifted from one reef to another we went close along the ground looking out for sea urchins as I wanted to bring back several for the sea urchin fertilisation experiment. I didn’t find any though, probably because it’s not the season.. 

I saw the ‘beer garden’ reef for the first time where there were a lot of bottles stuck in the sand (with some sort of support). Although I looked into several bottles I didn’t find anything hiding in there. 

There were a lot of Pinna standing on the sand so whenever I saw ones that were partially open I tried looking inside to see if there were any of the symbiont shrimps living inside. I again didn’t find any, in fact one of the pinna closed its doors (valves) at my face so I backed off leaving him alone.

Near one of the lines leading to the next reef, Amrita pointed at something on the ground. I saw that the sand had been dug up and in the middle of it was a hole in which a sand-coloured shrimp rested (diameter = 2 cm). I first thought it was a mantis shrimp but it might have been a different type. There also were shrimp gobies on the sand although no shrimp were to be seen near it. Shrimp gobies often live in symbiosis with the shrimp a characteristic from which it got its name. In this relationship, the shrimp is the builder who will build a safe burrow for them and the goby is the house’s watchman on the lookout for danger!

We came up once Amrita was at 50 bars at which point I was at 70.

Repetitive Dive: Interval 15mins

We climbed out of the water from the ladder as we had to change tanks.

We changed tanks, ate some tapioca chips while we warmed up for some time in the sun to prepare for the 2nd dive. The second dive was essentially a fun dive as we were done with all the skills. For the 2nd dive, Amrita wanted me to lead and take her to all the 3 reefs. 

The rope going from the 1st reef (at the bottom) to the 2nd reef had formed a vertical curve and along that a school of yellow and white-striped snappers were in ‘rassemblement’. I also saw a Bodianus axillaris (10cm) among the debris. 

After taking a round around the first reef I signaled Amrita and went along the rope leading to a 2nd reef which was the ‘beer garden’. Near one of the iron rods jutting from the bottom, a black Cephalopholis spp with white star-like spots was resting close to the bottom. It was turning towards me as I moved around filming it as if it was protecting its home from me.

On hydroids, I noticed mostly Cinhitichthys oxycephalus (pixy hawkfish) or another species of a reddish brown hawkfish perched. Only once, I saw a juvenile (8-9cm) lionfish perched in the shadow among a bunch of hydroids.

I was keeping an eye on my air and computer. When I was at 160 bars I noticed that we had 7 mins to the decompression limit (18m) so I signaled Amrita. Her computer said 5 mins so we decided to go up. We stayed a little longer at around 11m. I immediately saw the deco limit go up.

There were a lot of Siganus javus among the M.argentus, O.nigers, fusiliers and another silver fish with yellow tail that I still have to ID.

I met the Aluterus scriptus again so I filmed it. I noticed the Paramonacanthus choirocephalus again too so I filmed them too among the coconut leaves. If I had known that they eat Aiptasia earlier I would have tried to get them… There also was a juvenile Arothron Hispidus hiding near the leaves.

After some time we ascended, did a safety stop at 3m and came up.