236 278
TRAVEL
236
April15
The diving
Bunaken Island is surrounded by deep,
deep water. The water drops from the
reef at one to two metres down a vertical
wall as deep as 1,600 metres. The
water was so clear that we could see
at least 35 metres into the inky depths,
and the myriad sponges and colourful
soft corals attached to every inch of the
vertical wall proved irresistible.
It had been 12 years since our last dive;
in that time, we had bought a house, had
three kids, moved from Asia to Australia,
sold a house and moved back to Asia!
As I stuck the regulator in my mouth and
inelegantly rolled backwards off the boat,
I tried to recall what I was supposed to
do. I was already descending towards the
reef when I remembered: breathe!
With my breathing under control and
any sign of panic gone, I followed the
dive master down the wall. My expert
guide, born and bred inBunaken, pointed
out every kind of salty beast from huge
Napoleonwrasse to tiny orangutan crabs.
One turtle was actually asleep in a small
indent in the reef wall and continued to
snooze therewhile I inspectedher at close
range. The dive master, who had barely
said a word on the surface, was clearly
in his element as he showed me the vast
hidden treasures of his island’s ocean.
While I dived, a snorkelling guide
was engaging the rest of the family,
and even our four-year-old daughter
was delighting in spotting Nemos and
swimming out over the drop off into the
turtle’s realm. During breaks, everyone
revelled in the joy of flinging themselves
off the bow of the boat.