We took a dive off of Dili rock west of Dili near the Malaysian checkpoint.
these guys came over in their APC's to have a look.
They get pretty
bored over there just sitting alongside the road in the hot sun checking
incomming trucks and buses for weapons. There were 3 women diving with us so
that required a closer inspection. These guys are happy go lucky and can say
"I Love You" in English.
Their wheeled vehicles move over the sand easier
than the Australian tracked APC's.
On the reef there were heaps of
crown of thorn starfish chewing away at the coral. There are a few different
schools of thought on this menace. Some people feel it is good to go in
there and remove as many as possible and stack them up in the hot sun on the
beach to die. Others feel that is is best to just let nature takes it's
course. Crown of thorn population explosions are a natural cycle that will
come and go.
I have no clue what is best, but you don't want to get
spiked by the thorns because there is some kind of toxin in there that will
cause you to be in a bit of pain. There were lion fish as well that can
cause a painful jab and always keep an eye out for scorpion fish and stone
fish lying on the bottom. Their camoflouge is excellent and they don't move
so you can easily brush up against one, especially if you are rusty on your
bouyancy.
Some divers prefer the dives east of Dili.
The Dili rock
dive site is a great training dive area because of the gradually sloping
sandy bottom alongside the reef.
|
