Underwater Photography in the Indo-Pacific
Underwater Photography in the Indo-Pacific
My first trip to Tufi was in September, at the end of the winter dry season, which runs for three months from July to September. This is a good time to dive the fiords but the strong southeast winds trade winds that accompany the dry weather mean that the best offshore reefs may be hard, or sometimes impossible to access.
During the dry season the underwater visibility in the fiords is much better because of the reduction in rainwater run-off, plus the water temperature is cooler which brings out more critters.
When I arrived the winds were howling at over 25 knots and I spent all my dive time exploring the fiord in front of the dive resort. After a few days the weather cleared and I was able to get out to some of the offshore reefs.
A typical dive-day begins with breakfast at seven in the main lodge, followed by a leisurely stroll down “the hill” to the dive shop located next to Tufi’s public wharf. The shop is well organized and the dive crew will have all your gear ready & loaded on the dive boat to be used that day.
The boat departs at about 8.30 and it takes between 30 to 50 minutes to get to the offshore dive sites, which vary in distance from 5 to 10 nautical miles offshore. Two reef dives are the norm, but if everybody is in agreement and there are not so many divers - plus the weather conditions allow it - the crew will bring extra cylinders for a third dive.
Afternoon and night dives are usually conducted directly in front of the dive shop jetty in the fiord.
My second trip was in February which is in the middle of the wet season that runs from December through to March, and is when the northeast trade winds blow. The rain can be torrential and the run-off into the fiords reduces the visibility, while increasing the water temperature which drives some of the critters deeper looking for cooler water.
Offshore however, although the visibility is reduced somewhat because of the run-off, the northeasterly winds result in calmer seas, which means all the best sites can be accessed.
The very best time to dive Tufi is in October & November during the doldrum period between the trade wind seasons when the diving conditions both offshore & onshore are optimum – calm & flat with great visibility and cooler water that brings out the critters.
I did a great trip to Bunaken in September - been meaning to go there for years... Stay tuned for the new Dive Location pages, but in the mean time this link will take you to the new image gallery from the trip.
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