After the usual morning routine of counting and organising tanks to be loaded onto the boat, wolfing down a pancake or nasi goreng for breakfast, setting the equipment up, checking we have everything, herding the guests and finally getting onto the boat; the commute to the dive sites is amazing!

After the boat briefing, the captain skillfully steers the boat through the seagrass and boat channel making sure not to come into contact with any corals. As you clear the channel and the engines ramp up, the reef disappears below as the boat heads over the wall and into deep water, the drop off is incredible! We’re well and truly on our way. As we arrive at Lekuan 2, a member of the Two Fish Divers team gives a site briefing; it’s a wall and we’re told there is a small cave with baby white tip reef sharks in it – my heart skips a beat (in a good way). Safety checks done (BWRAF – if you know you know), clear behind – ok, splash! My buddy and I meet up on the surface, all good, regs in, thumbs down, let’s go diving!

As the bubbles clear I get my first glimpse of the wall and I’m instantly reminded of my time previously in Wakatobi. The volume and diversity of both fish and reef life (metaphorically) takes my breath away. Something is happening everywhere I look. Trigger, angel and parrotfish in huge numbers. Flat, stag and fan corals, sponges, bivalves, anemones, guides show me pygmy seahorses, it’s all here and it looks like it’s thriving. This is the first ever dive I’ve done with a prescription mask (I have terrible eyesight) and it was instantly the best piece of equipment I came with – I can, for the first time, clearly see individual scales and eyes of the fish, the coral details burst out at me, this ecosystem has got me again.

We descend 5m to the cave, it’s easy to find, just follow the bubbles. There are two other divers there and we wait for our chance to glimpse the two white tips and sure enough, there they are resting in the cave both about 2.5 – 3ft long. As we move on, there is a small current which we go with and the drift dive doesn’t disappoint the further along we go – there must have been at least 6 or 7 green sea turtles of varying age and size, some are munching on the reef, others heading off into the dark blue depths whilst some are relaxing in crevices and I even spot one with its flippers hung over a sea fan. At one point whilst I’m gazing at the reef one seemingly comes out of nowhere from underneath me and passes within a couple of feet of me. Remembering not to touch ANYTHING, I do my best to avoid making contact with it.

As the dive ends I am slow to ascend as I have narrow Eustachian tubes which easily become congested and can give me a bit of a reverse squeeze, so I take my time. The diving in Bunaken is a pleasure, there is no need to rush. As my head comes above the water, I inflate my BCD and the guide, Tian, can already tell from my smile I’m amazed.

This was the first of many dives and I can’t wait for the next one…

The life of a PADI Divemaster seems to be growing on Alex, unlimited diving in pristine waters, surrounded by some of the most diverse reefs in the world! If this sounds like a dream to you then why not make it a reality and sign up for the Divemaster Internship at Two Fish Divers Bunaken? Maybe you will get to see Juvenile Sharks in a Bunaken Cave too! Our PADI Divemaster Internships are totally unique and you’ll have the opportunity to stay and dive in not just one awesome Indonesian dive location but choose between a combination of Two Fish Divers resorts. Why not mix up wall diving in Bunaken with muck diving in Lembeh, North Sulawesi or with some time in Amed – Bali, Nusa Lembongan, South Lombok or the Gili Islands?

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