In the Shadow of Manado Tua: Part5

By Tim Ingmire on 4 September 2008

Day 15 – Macro

• Mike’s Point
• Wori Bay
• Odyssea Point I

Dolphins. Lots and lots of dolphins, all around the boat on the journey out to Bunaken. Spectacular jumps and leaps. Very, very nice.

Day 16 – Wide Angle (12-24)

• Lekuan II
• Siladen
• Aba Point
• Posi Posi (Macro)

Day 17 – Wide Angle (12-24)

• Gabet
• Bunaken Timur
• Budo Point

Day 18 – Macro

• Mike’s Point
• Aba Point

Today was a day of rip-roaring current at both sites. Mike’s Point was a real roller coaster – we dropped in to a gentle current in the hope of seeing the pygmy seahorse but there was no hope of that as the current quickly picked up and we were swept past the fan coral where the guide, Elly, was beckoning us to see the seahorses. In a moment he was long gone and we were racing along the face of the wall. I was ahead of the group and suddenly hit an up current and within seconds shot up from 17 to 7 metres to the top of the wall with my computer beeping madly away.

I was then swept along the top off the reef somewhat like a rag doll and down into a narrow gully where I could regain my composure and relax a little. In a moment Kieran came screaming over the top of the reef in the same way I had. We then swam out of the shelter of the gully and saw the others in the group come around the wall rather than over the top of it. Then a down current hit me. Not a strong one but I could feel it pushing me relentlessly downwards.

I had always feared this – caught in a down current and no bottom in sight – shit. I was now breathing a little faster as I tried to fin across the wall and hopefully out of the current but it wasn’t helping. I grabbed onto a rock to steady myself and take a breather all the while my mask shaking and bubbles hardly moving – man I was annoyed and not a little worried.

I looked behind me to find the others and was surprised to see Andrew, the dive centre owner, about 5metres behind me and away from the wall hovering effortlessly with a big grin on his face. He was enjoying seeing me struggling only a few metres away and then I realized I just had to fin away from the wall a couple of meters and I’d be out of the current. I felt a bit of a fool as I did so. A little bit of local knowledge of the currents was all I needed and Andrew had taught me that with a big grin. Once out of the current I looked over at Andrew and smiling I mouthed “bastard” into the reg.

The diving holiday was finished with a final dive at Aba point. A great, if tiring, dive along the wall against another strong current to get to the muck diving where, after 60 minutes, Julius and Augustus Ceasar (names changed to protect the guilty) left me to get some air at the surface (CESA – get it?). We were only in 4 metres of water so both were in no danger. I stayed with the guides hunting out the wee creatures and was surprised to see both J & C reappear – they had boarded, changed tanks – and come back down. I would have done the same if it was me as the diving was so good. After 80 minutes we finished off with a pair of Cockatoo Waspfish and surfaced.

So that was the end to the diving and it had been truly exceptional. I could have taken a few more day trips to the Islands of Banka and Ganga but I really didn’t feel the need to as there was so much available locally.
Homeward Bound

The next day I was to catch a flight back to Singapore, which was all very uneventful. That evening I met up with Priscilla, Carlene and the two guys from Singapore that we met in Kima Bajo and had a few beers and lots and lots of chicken wings. Delicious.

The next day I was on a mission. I felt I had to buy my wife a little pressie, she had been left at home with our three daughters to look after as well as move us into a new house following our move from Ireland. Not only that, I had not been there for her birthday so clearly something very pretty and sparkly was the order of the day. That sorted, I didn’t have time to revisit Sim Lim square and look for all the goodies so I took myself back to the airport ready for the long tiresome flights back to London Gatwick and Home. Except as we had moved, I didn’t actually know where home was and my phone was dead so I couldn’t call me wife and ask. Oh and I didn’t know her new mobile phone number or our new house phone number either but hey that’s another story and besides, who was I to care? I had just had a spectacular holiday.

Contact

Author: Tim Ingmire
Email: info@travel-dive.com

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