Sand Bottom: Full of Life

Alleyways is the only dive site that Miguel’s Diving offers with a relatively shallow sand bottom. The near end has a sand shelf at 3 meters before a steep sand bank. The first section of the dive site has a relatively flat sand bottom at around 16 meters. The last section of the dive site is an abrupt coral wall topped by a lovely coral garden. But what is there to see on the sand flat? Plenty!

Large Yellowmargin triggerfish (Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus) cruise this area and presumably are the culprits that have dug numerous large pits in the sand. Today, not only were the Spotted garden eels (Heteroconger hassi) weaving and bobbing but so too was a small, black juvenile Ribbon eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita) with a blue and yellow adult not far away on a coral rubble bank. One of a pair of Gold-spec jawfish (Opistognathus sp.) was completely out of its hole, waving its spec-tacular yellow barred tail as it carried a mouthful of sand away from its home and spit it out. A lovely spotted Chromodoris kuniei nudibranch lumbered over the sand while a large Coronation lyretail cod (Variola louti) patrolled overhead.