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7 Days at Walindi - Day 5

7 Days at Walindi - Day 5

The Deep Dive

This was special!

I had the rare and exciting opportunity to accompany a team of experienced tech divers and scientists to map the newest wreck just outside Kimbe Bay.

Becoming only the sixteenth diver to dive this wreck and the first to photograph it was an experience I could not pass up.

The stern sits at 60m while the bow is situated at around 30m, so a deep dive it is!

The reef it sits on is covered with beautiful corals and abundant fish life, as we have come to expect from diving these waters, for the less experienced and adventurous divers on the boat to enjoy.

The team was lead by experienced tech divers and instructors, Captain Garry Kulisek and his son Matts Kulisek. Making sure all aspects of this dive went
to plan.

The team’s mission was to locate, search, map and photograph the site for others to experience and enjoy when visiting the area.

The wreck itself is only one year old giving it an eerie but beautiful feel as though it does not yet belong underwater. We could see the beginnings of coral formation on the wreck with marine life beginning to take up residence. The way it’s positioned on the reef while looking from the bow gives the optical illusion that the stern is much shallower than it actually is, adding an extra dimension to this dive.

The ship is beautiful to look at and easy to photograph in it’s entirety in the clear waters of Kimbe Bay.

As you descend to the stern you are able to see the ship in it’s entirety. Passing by the bridge and on down to the swim through that takes you underneath the body of the ship. The easy swim through lies at 53.7m filled with colourful coral allowing you to pass under the ship through to the other side, where you can see the damage to the hull before slowly ascending back up to the bow to end the dive.

I was never really captured by the lure of wreck diving until that day. Maybe it was being a part of the team and the mission, maybe it was being the first to photograph it or maybe it was the lure of the wreck itself. When I think back it was probably all of these parts combining to make this dive so unforgettable.

I can’t wait to go back and document the coral formations on this wreck over time and see who has taken up residence.

One thing is for sure; this wreck is great to dive today and is only going to get better over time!

A big thank you to Garry, Matts and the Walindi team for allowing me to be part
of the mission.

http://www.walindi.com

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