When Wind and Wave Collide

Those familiar with Sulawesi diving know that currents bring out the fish. This was certainly true of diving this morning in Sulawesi’s Tomini Bay. The initial descent into calm waters soon required some upward finning in a couple of slight down currents. A couple of Napo.leon wrasse, a large adult and a juvenile, ascended for a closer look to see who was diving. On the surface of the ocean, lines of fast breaking waves could be seen, as the current began to pick up at the point. For diving, the current made for a wonderful ride. Schools of fish were everywhere. Schools of fusiliers blue and gold poured through others colored rust and yellow. Lighting fast Blue-fin trevally (Caranx melampygus) hunted aggressively. Various triggers fluttered in the current with Schooling pyramid butterflyfish (Hemitaurichthys polylepis). A single White-spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) glided slowly past only a few meters away. Upon ascent, the ocean surface was boiling with white-capped, fast breaking waves because the wind and the current were heading in opposite directions. For the second dive we opted for a tranquil shallow reef closer to Gorontalo City.