26 Apr 2023
Last day of diving, and since I had an early flight out, I was only able to do the first of today’s 2 dives 🙁
Also, last day of watching the sun rise from the sun deck:
Dive #28 – The Crack
This site is named for a large crack in the wall that formed after an earthquake back in the 90s:
Map by Nora Niggs
Giant clam:
Tailspot squirrelfish:
A couple of soldierfish:
Mimic surgeonfish:
Pennant bannerfish:
Blackstripe? cardinalfish:
Royal dottyback:
Latticed butterflyfish (top) and Twospot surgeonfish (bottom):
Phyllidia elegans
So many schooling fusiliers:
Spotfin squirrelfish:
Solor boxfish (male):
Solor boxfish (female):
Bluegirdled angelfish:
Clown triggerfish:
Longnose butterflyfish:
Philippine damselfish:
A pair of Barhead spinefoot (spinefeet?):
Another male Solor boxfish!
Nembrotha kubaryana:
Giant cuttlefish:
Crocodilefish!
I didn’t want to get too close and scare him off, but he’s got the coolest eyes!
Another Nembrotha kubaryana:
Coryphellina exoptata:
After lunch, we took the speedboats over to this sandbar:
Our guides scouted out the best place for us to land:
Welcome to our little island:
I’m on land!
A working volcano!
There were so many tiny crabs crawling around- this one had a pretty purple shell:
Our boat:
Last trip, they deployed the sails, and I thought they would again this afternoon, but no dice 🙁
One final sunset:
Then a special farewell dinner (sushi, but there were cooked and veggie options):
followed by more songs and dancing:
One of the guys in my group, Charlie (he’s the gray-haired man sitting on the other side of the table), wrote a special song about our trip, which I uploaded here:
Because he’s facing away from my camera for most of the song, it’s a bit hard to hear him, so here are the lyrics (you can scroll in this box):
I want to tell you all a story ‘bout a trip aboard Amira
She’s a craft that sails the sea
There were lots of different divers who turned out to be survivors
Of a voyage April 2023
We got started on our travels from the island of Yamdena
We were Niusnitu bound
There were lots of coral creatures on the reefs of many features
Every time we looked around
Think we’ll ever return, perhaps one day we’ll return
For there’s much more to be seen
And the seas of Indonesia got a lot of things to please ya
Both rambunctious and serene
The Amira headed westward making stops at special dives sites
All within the Banda Sea
There were critters in the atoll, inside overhangs and small holes
Making homes so pleasantly
Purple shrimp on Bubble coral, Barrel sponges with Squat lobsters
What a strain to even see
Dogtooth tunas and trevallys swishing by like passing trolleys
Through the current easily
Think we’ll ever return, perhaps one day we’ll return
To the charm of the Banda Sea
It’s a satisfying feeling when the only things you’re stealing
Are the pics and memories
Porcelain crabs inside anemones and other ones in crinoids
And the Sea snake drew a stare
Lovely Butterflyfish coupling, Barrel sponges were erupting
With their offspring everywhere
There’s a crazy cast of creature like a crab that shares the features
Of a red orangutan
Nudibranchs and other critters would give anyone the jitters
If they looked gargantuan
Think we’ll ever return, perhaps one day we’ll return
For there’s much more to explore
White-tip sharks and Barracuda, then you layer up your suit-a
For the muck that’s in Alor
Solar-powered Phyllodesmium can march along the sea bed
As you look so carefully
Keep an eye out for ghost pipefish and perhaps you’ll realize your wish
When Rhinopias is there to see
Find a Leaf fish who’s just chillin’ or a wunderpus that’s hidin’
And it helps you reach your goal
Helmut Gurnard went a-flyin’ and the Mantis shrimp was spyin’
’Til we chased him from his hole
Think we’ll every return, perhaps one day we’ll return
Where there’s muck, there’s lots to see
And if the current is your pleasure, maybe you should take a measure
Of how far you’ll drift freely
Ronald, Paman, Meidy, Ading led us to the greatest critters
Kevin helped in many ways
And the Captain and the drivers, cooks, housekeepers served the divers
Nora pleased us all our days
We are Michael, Manuela, Gabby, Stefan and Rebecca
Julia, Tom, Jorg and Jean
Dan and Joachim and Bettina, Helge, Martin and Martina
Ann, Lianna and Charlie
So will we ever return, you bet your life we’ll return
‘Cause we just can’t stay away
If you want a place to cheer ya, Indonesia with Amira
Brings a smile on every day
The rest of the night was spent packing (we had hung our gear in front of the fans from the engine, so it was all dry) and, since we were docked in the harbor, I was able to sleep in my own bed.