After our dive we decided a nap for a couple of hours was in order. We were on holidays after all. When we woke up the cloudy day was then threatening something a bit more wet. The storm clouds were building & by night fall the lightning had started. We sat at the outdoor restaurant having a nice curry watching the light show in the distance. Eventually the rain did hit us, but not until we were tucked up in bed.
The photo below is the hotel pool with the indoor restaurant in the background. Oddly, the dodgy looking beach side outdoor restaurant had better food than the more expensive fancy indoor version. They're the same hotel & same staff, but different food. Weird.
The first dive was the shallow atoll just off Bamboo Island. We Suited up & hit the water. I must say it was a nice change to be able to dive without a restrictive wet suit. It was very shallow & the sand very white & powdery (and easily stirred up). I wasn't getting good vibes early on but it got better. We had been promised a leopard shark so everyone was on the look out. We weren't disappointed.
We saw 3 different types of clown fish including the one above (Ocellaris Clown Fish) made popular by the Finding Nemo movie. There were also a number of families of a bright orange species I've never hear of called the Fire Clown fish. It's the orange one in foreground below. The other one is Kerri.
We also saw three lion fish (below). I've logged heaps of dives on the Great Barrier reef & have never actually seen one. I was very excited.
The list continues including a moral eel and countless other fish species. The Harlequin fish below (related to clown fish) are very territorial and this one I thought was just curious until it gave me a nip on the knuckle.
