The BEST of my 5762 dives on Uepi Point.
Jill Kelly
The amount of action in the top 5 metres told me it was going to be a memorable underwater occasion. Clear water with dappled sunlight played off the bright Fusiliers and others, schooling up with the Giant Trevally herding them relentlessly. My attention was drawn to a dark mass directly beneath and I knew the timing was right for an aggregation of Sailfin Snapper (Symphorichthys spilurus), serene and beautiful, intent only on their mission of annual spawning.
As I sank down to merge with them all, Grey Reef Sharks glided by but not once did I see an attack or harassment on the hundreds of gathering fish, Travelling with the Snapper took me to Uepi Point, the underwater platform at 30 metres.
It was difficult to know where to look, a myriad of small fish wizzing past, a gathering group of Big Eye Trevally, the close shark sliding by or concentrate on the Spotted Eagle Ray. I chose the ray, which became two, synchronised, gliding, a slight wing flip to change their course, as I held my breath in awe. Always sticking to the non deco diving rules, I had 12 minutes max at 30 metres and I was aware of every second, taking in the glory of the dancing shrimps, corals, fans sponges and fish, they were everywhere.
Naturally such a dive with so much going on means a current is running so I left with 4 minutes to spare, gently easing myself up and along the reef edge, checking out the nooks and crannies along the way. So much beauty with oysters and clams displaying their magnificent colours and patterns, butterflyfish, in my face but then my eye caught the flash of silver as an immense school of Big Eye Trevalley were around and over me, dancing with their movement reflecting the light like a beacon as they vanished into the blue.
Rising to the 12 metre level allowed the Barracuda to swirl around me, so close I could see their teeth, sleek silvery fish, long and fluid in their formation. As ever I had to drag myself away from the drop-off, dumping air to go with the flow through gutter C, nodding recognition to the gathered Red Bass and Midnight Snapper. I was rewarded with greetings from the Garden Eels and a White Tip Shark, resting peacefully on the sand. Checking out the cabbage coral with the friendly Midnight Snapper staying close, I just had time to visit the macro of my choice, Anemone Shrimps (Caridea Palaemonidae) and Tail Bobbers, sometimes known as Dancing Shrimps. (Thor amboinensis)
That 70 minutes in the water was full of spectacle and joy, close encounters with an enviable variety of sea creatures, all doing their own thing in their particular space. Every dive on Uepi Point is amazing in its own right but this one was something else.
