dirtfarmer
Contributor
In November I was departing from Ambon on a crossing trip thru the Banda Sea so I decided to spend a few days ahead of the liveaboard diving in Ambon. I'm a big fan of muck and macro and have done quite a bit of muck diving but had not been to Ambon and often read that Ambon has some great macro critters. I was also hoping that I might win the lottery and Ambon would produce another Psychedelic Frogfish as the last two times they were spotted it was in November, but no luck I only got to hear stories about the famed frogfish not photograph one.
I dived with Bluemotion a budget shop. Budget it was, basic but sufficient. They don't have accommodation but there are a couple of basic hotels/homestays just a block or two away. Also a few very basic warungs for food. I wasn't there for luxury just to get a taste of Ambon and scout it out for future trips if I found it appetizing.
I did 6 dives just out front of Bluemotion- Twilight Zone etc. I was impressed from my first dive. Are you a Moray Eel fan? I saw loads of 'em, more morays concentrated in a small area than I've ever seen. And Frogfish? Loads of those too. Singles, pairs all shapes and colors. There were more frogfish concentrated in the small area I dived than I've seen just about anywhere. Rhinopias? Yes one juvenile weedy, wish there were more but that's diving for you, and remember I just dived a very small area of the Bay. Ambon had some good Nudi action with some really large ones with a pair of big Emperor Shrimp riding along,(sorry Nudi geeks for being lazy and not looking up the identity). Two of my six dives were from the liveaboard before departing, and those were also at Twilight Zone. We spotted a juvenile roughsnout ghostpipe fish so I was ecstatic as it was only the second roughsnout I've seen. And a very curious Wonderpuss that actually came out of it lair to check us out, it seemed to be fascinated by one of us divers and kept inching closer and reaching out with it's arms to size up the other diver.
So after a brief visit would I go back??? I Love Lembeh, Tulamben, and Anilao which Ambon is often compared to all three, and yes I will be going back to see more of what Ambon has to offer someday. From what I saw I was impressed, and seeing the variety that another pair of divers who had also been diving there before the crossing trip, there is plenty more stuff out there. Lembeh is getting very popular and more crowded all the time, so Ambon will be another great macro spot for me to dive.
Here's the link to my photobucket album Ambon by thedirtfarmer | Photobucket
I dived with Bluemotion a budget shop. Budget it was, basic but sufficient. They don't have accommodation but there are a couple of basic hotels/homestays just a block or two away. Also a few very basic warungs for food. I wasn't there for luxury just to get a taste of Ambon and scout it out for future trips if I found it appetizing.
I did 6 dives just out front of Bluemotion- Twilight Zone etc. I was impressed from my first dive. Are you a Moray Eel fan? I saw loads of 'em, more morays concentrated in a small area than I've ever seen. And Frogfish? Loads of those too. Singles, pairs all shapes and colors. There were more frogfish concentrated in the small area I dived than I've seen just about anywhere. Rhinopias? Yes one juvenile weedy, wish there were more but that's diving for you, and remember I just dived a very small area of the Bay. Ambon had some good Nudi action with some really large ones with a pair of big Emperor Shrimp riding along,(sorry Nudi geeks for being lazy and not looking up the identity). Two of my six dives were from the liveaboard before departing, and those were also at Twilight Zone. We spotted a juvenile roughsnout ghostpipe fish so I was ecstatic as it was only the second roughsnout I've seen. And a very curious Wonderpuss that actually came out of it lair to check us out, it seemed to be fascinated by one of us divers and kept inching closer and reaching out with it's arms to size up the other diver.
So after a brief visit would I go back??? I Love Lembeh, Tulamben, and Anilao which Ambon is often compared to all three, and yes I will be going back to see more of what Ambon has to offer someday. From what I saw I was impressed, and seeing the variety that another pair of divers who had also been diving there before the crossing trip, there is plenty more stuff out there. Lembeh is getting very popular and more crowded all the time, so Ambon will be another great macro spot for me to dive.
Here's the link to my photobucket album Ambon by thedirtfarmer | Photobucket
