The endemic Halmahera walking shark
Sepia latimanus, about 60cm in length, who allowed divers to get really close. At the other end of the scale, my guide found a pygmy squid, Idiosepius pygmaeus hiding under some seaweed.
We had no luck with the sharks on the first night dive, but on the second there was non-stop epaulette action. We found a few of them in little caves, or lying on the seabed with their heads nestled against sponges. On the way back from that second dive, we had a moment of pure magic: a perfectly clear sky with zero light pollution. I had a profound sense of our tiny boat motoring across the Patinti Strait under the shimmering stars of the Milky Way.
Broadclub cuttlefish on the night dive
Pygmy squid, about 2cm
Immaculate table coral
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