Dive sites – Magnifico and Turkey Beach
Save the best for last?
Magnifico was my first snorkel for the day and there was no doubting why it was called Magnifico. It was so pretty and the water so clear.
My morning snorkel at Magnifico … this photo just captures the underwater vista so well.
There were no sharks (or crocodiles) in the Wakatobi reefs, not even small reef sharks. Speaking to Ketut and Adrienne earlier in the week, we agreed there weren’t the bigger fish in these waters. Perhaps this was the reason why. It certainly made for comfortable snorkeling.
We did however, have quite a bit of floating debris this morning. All the dive guides carry a bag to collect any rubbish floating by and the staff were busy around the resort collecting the rubbish the currents had brought in overnight.
I had booked a private snorkel experience guide for two of my four boat trip days. Ketut was great! He spotted critters ahead of me and was great with any I needed an ID on.
I was lucky enough to spot some more Eastern Clownfish on two different ocassions … a slideshow …
This is a Crocodile Flathead. How Ketut even spotted this I don’t know. Wow, the camouflage! And Bannerfish cruising by.
My second snorkel for the day was at Turkey Beach, very close to the resort and our Ocean Bungalow. The name? The story goes something like this … a lady snorkeled this reef area many moons ago and as she was leaving the water she was shouting, “turkeys, turkeys, turkeys”. The ‘turkeys’ were turtles! But, the story is retold with glee and the name Turkey Beach stands.
Unfortunately, with a strong current flowing past the resort, the water was cloudy at Turkey Beach. Ketut signaled the boat to relocate us, but we experienced the same cloudiness a bit further along. There were many apologies about my last snorkel, but they weren’t needed. This morning’s Magnifico had more than made up for it.
However, just as we approached the Wakatobi jetty, Ketut spotted a Nudibranch. Once again it was ever so tiny, and once again I got only one photo in focus! It was difficult as I’m not sure I‘ve mentioned that the Wakatobi National Park has a ‘no glove’ policy. While we all use a rock or dead coral to keep our balance under water, especially while snorkeling, no gloves did initially cause me concern, but I quickly adapted.
I do want to mention the dive boats here at Wakatobi. In an earlier blog post I mentioned that all the timber work here is made on site, by the Wakatobi carpentry team and in the traditional way. The boats are too. There are ten dive boats rotated through. They are used for diving, the transport of guests and the staff, and for collecting of supplies along with the carrying of boxes of waste products back to the airport and Bali. Each boat, apart from seating, dive tank storage, rinse tubs and an engine, also has a toilet. The carpentry team bring in extra workers to build a boat. And get this … they launch a new boat by using all their staff heave-hoeing it in to the water! (This was gleaned from a conversation between Neville and a staff member.)
The boats are well maintained with all the timberwork pristine and the captains are so skilled. I know because I was always last to be collected. The boat would come close, hover, I’d remove my fins and pass my cameras up and then I’d be helped up the very user friendly non-slip ladder quickly. All done without a fuss.
So that was my last snorkel at Wakatobi. What a week. Magnifico!!
A drink at the Sunset Bar with Sue from Colorado completed the day.
… a crab! our last towel animal for our week, along with packing instructions, and a timeline for the morning’s departure. All very organised, of course.
One more Wakatobi post to go!
So beautiful and clear… loved the gorgonian fans. The seascape was like a garden.
Apart from my last snorkel where the current & wind was strong, the water was so clear. The fans were beautiful & not too deep. I was lucky with that Nudi too. Not too deep. The Wakatobi team have done an amazing job over the years preserving these reefs.