The house reef can be found right off the jetty. There is shallow low water with a dropping fringing reef. Most of the reef suffers from algae overgrowth. This area is heavily exploited by local fishing boats. None the less the area has enough attraction. You can find a field of Sea Anemone and their clown fish host. Three species share the same area. Cardinal fish and Soldier fish use the branching acropora to shelter and many damsels are guarding their algae gardens. New recruits of coral enable the reef to evolve. Schooling fusiliers patrol the area and flat head are found in the edge of the deeper reef.
In the rubbles are different types of algae. A close observation shows that there are different fish species. In the sandy area you can find Sea Grass, shells, Gobies and their symbiosis Shrimps, Flat Fish, Nudibranch. It is a good place to put a small structure to attract fish and observe growth.
It is also a great area to find unusual species such as Flat Worms, giant Pipefish, baby Cuttlefish, green Filefish, and even creatures I can’t identify.
The site is very good to study the sedimentation, the algae overgrowth, and to monitor any minute changes. Where is the threshold? When is it too late for any possible recovery?
The tide needs to be taken in consideration when diving. The site should be used as an educational dive. The contrast between live and dead corals, sedimentation, fish identification dives. The visibility is not always good, but it is an easy place to keep track of divers.
Magic behind the pool 06
This area has very good hard covers with many ledges. In season it becomes the spawning ground for fish with clouds of juveniles, and very often big Angel fish and schools of Fusilliers. It is only diveable during the Southwest moonsoon. Without ripping current it is a easy dive for the Nikoi area.
Yogibar outcrop 08
There is a group of submerged boulders 100 meters out from the bar area. Often ripping with current, the reef top is healthy with a good hard coral cover. Below, the rocks stop a huge seasonal shift of sand. On the dive, we spotted big Trevally, Sweetlip, Angel fish, and always schools of Anthias. When the visibility is clear it is as good as anywhere. We do need some current to attract the fish.
I pod rock 11
Great dive, but the current is fierce. They are many big bolders to shelter from the current but you then have to move to the next bolder odulating in the current. The under ledges are carpeted with fully bloomed yellow Tubasteras. In many places this can only be seen during the night between some cracks or between bolders or soft coral gardens.
Some table Acropora have grown curved to accommodate the current. Because of the constant current a huge variety of soft corals make this dive a very special one. You can find big Sweetlips, Groupers, and schools of 3 species of Fusilier Cuttlefish in the rubble adjascent to the rocks. You may also spot some Nudibranches and blue spotted Sting Ray. In the deeper area (no more than 16/18 meters) a garden of Sea Whips are sitting right in the center of the Sunda shelve.
The cave rock (17)
A truly magical spot when the current and the visibility is right. A cluster of boulders sits on the sea bottom together with some soft coral caves. North from these boulders are hosting schools of Sweepers, big Parrot fish and soft coral gardens.
There are more blue spotted Stingrays than anywhere else. We found 12 of them in only one dive.
It is always an amazing place as the light changes the atmosphere in the cave.
The last rock 05
This area is prone to fast currents. Under ledges turtles are sometimes seen simply taking a rest. Between the two big bolders there are cracks filled with soft coral. During the season the last pelagic of the area come to feed on the fusilliers that always hover over the rock.
Jetty dua 07
A dive when the Southwest moonsoon is blowing. There is an area in the reef where there are alot of Anemone and Clown fish. Just off the reef slope there are good patches of Seawhip and soft coral gardens at around 16 meter depth.
Some boulder which are close to the surface have good hard coral covers but during the northeast moonsoon seasons the huge waves make the site undiveable.
Mini drop off 15
A great dive at the right time. At the end of the barrier reef there is a line of boulders with straight faces, close to a 18 meter trench. There are enough crevasses to shelter big Angel fish, Sweetlips, and even giant Sting Rays in the sand. The dive has to be correctly planned as the the current can be fierce off the reef.
Turtle hang out 16
Here is a group of submerged untouched reef, Seawhip gardens, and some Crevasses with maybe the last remaining Lobsters on the coast. The ledges are used during the nesting season by the Hawksbill turtles.
Acropora plateau 04
There is a shallow plateau on the south side of a big cluster of boulders which have extended into a slopping reef. The plateau has a good growth of hard coral, especially Acropora and Table coral. The swell can often create a surge underwater meaning the shallow top part is only accessible during calm weather.