11-23: Misool

[longrunner]

As with any liveaboard/dive resort, there's a daily schedule that you may (or may not) choose to follow:

• 7AM - First breakfast (delicious toast!)
• 8AM - Dive #1
• 9AM ish - Second Breakfast
• 11:15 - 11:45 - Dive #2
• 1PM ish - Lunch (Evvy and I called this "Third Breakfast")
• 2:00 or 3:00 - Dive #3
• Snacks/nap/picture comparisons ("Fourth Breakast")
• 6:30 - Night Dive (if applicable, which it often was)
• 7:30 - whenever - Dinner ("Fifth Breakfast)

Indonesia is known for its colorful, extensive, stunning reefs, but also for it’s “macro” life. Meaning teeny, tiny, interesting things like pygmy sea horses and nudibranchs. Most of my diving in recent years has been with “big fish”: sharks, whales, dolphins, hammers, etc (aka Wide lens shots). So I haven’t been in a place where the people and photographers are focused solely on macro subjects. It was an interesting lesson… read on.

Dive #1: Boo Window


Dive briefing



Evvy, taking pictures of her favorite things: anemone fish



Octopus in its hole



Boo Window



Evvy swimming (aka fighting the strong current) through Boo Window



Nudi



Fan

Dive #2: South West
I stayed around the same area while the photographers shot marine life. The current was relatively strong but that means loads and loads of fish. Indonesia really is like swimming in an aquarium.



Sangut and our dive briefing

Dive #3: Fiabacet “Nudibranch Hunt”
Only Ben, Colin, Nana and I were on the dive, so we had Sangut and Marcus at our beck and call. While the other three were outfitted with huge cameras and focused on shooting macro, I was happy just to look and observe. Though of course I got some pictures as well. Ten minutes into the dive I followed Sangut’s lead and used my flashlight to light dark little holes and caves where interesting creatures may be hiding.

I managed to find my own little nudibranch, but after a false call where I thought I found an interesting looking nudi but it was actually just a very very small soft coral. Sangut laughed at me underwater for that one.



Ghost pipefish



Nudi



Pygmy sea horse (the little guy in the very middle of the picture)

For fun, here are some pictures of the resort. This is pretty much all the pictures you're going to see through these journals: underwater, and the resort.



Eco Garden. I don't know how, but somehow this filters our toilet. Try not to dwell on that too much.



View from our bungalow



The little crab that lives at the base of our bungalow stairs

Journal Links
Thursday - Saturday, Nov 18 - 20, 2010 - New York to Hong Kong to Jakarta
Sunday, Nov 21, 2010 - Jakarta to Makassar to Sorong to Misool
Monday, Nov 22, 2010 - Misool
Tuesday, Nov 23, 2010 - Misool
Wednesday, Nov 24, 2010 - Misool
Thursday, Nov 25, 2010 - Misool
Friday, Nov 26, 2010 - Misool
Saturday, Nov 27, 2010 - Misool
Sunday, Nov 28, 2010 - Misool
Monday, Nov 29, 2010 - Misool
Tuesday, Nov 30, 2010 - Misool
Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010 - Misool
Thursday, Dec 2, 2010 - Misool to Sorong
Friday-Saturday, Dec 3-4, 2010 - Sorong to Makassar to Jakarta to Hong Kong to NYC