As our confidence in underwater photography and videography grew, we increasingly looked forward to each day’s dives. The morning routine—early coffee, breakfast, and gearing up—had become second nature.
This day, the dive center was noticeably busier than before, dispatching two boats full of divers. For our first dive, Mudy guided us once again. On the second, Michael suggested we dive with him so he could provide more hands-on help with my camera settings.
Both dives were outstanding, filled with incredible sights and encounters. We spotted some impressive large fish in deeper water, though I didn’t attempt to photograph them—I’d opted for the macro lens that day, having found it delivered far better results than the wide-angle.
Almost immediately after descending, we came across a stunning leaf fish.
This was soon followed by a frogfish, so well camouflaged that I would definitely not have seen it if Mudy had not pointed it out.
We were entertained by damselfish swimming around in the coral.
We saw several lionfish on both dives,
as well as a few nudibranchs.
A mature male ribbon eel, recognisable by its bright blue colour, poked its head out at us as we were passing its burrow.
A red scorpionfish was closely followed by a Tasseled scorpionfish, which I struggeld to see initially, even after it was pointed out to me.
Toward the end of the second dive we saw multiple Black spotted pufferfish, more Sailor’s eyeballs and finally some anemonefish nestled within their host sea anemone.
During our second dive, an especially feisty little damselfish decided to harass Liana and her GoPro, repeatedly charging in with surprising bravado. It was a perfect reminder of those tiny dogs that bark fiercely at the world, utterly convinced they’re far bigger than they actually are.
That afternoon was devoted to sorting through a wealth of photos and videos from the dives, editing them in the welcome comfort of our air-conditioned room at Afro Divers Lodge.
The internet connection proved frustratingly inconsistent—strong and reliable one moment, vanishing entirely the next—which forced me to delay posting my blog update until the following morning.
Dinner, however, more than made up for any earlier frustrations: a special Saturday barbecue featuring perfectly grilled marlin, tender octopus, and succulent chicken, accompanied by an array of delicious side dishes. It ranks among the finest meals we’ve enjoyed at any of the diving and wildlife lodges we’ve visited in recent years.
Etienne's Camera 