Summary
Highlights
After a week in Saalon, the couple is finally heading out for an afternoon of diving. They discover a faster route to the beach and reflect on their previous island hopping experience, which left them with sunburns despite reapplying sunscreen. They are excited for their upcoming two dives, especially at the Manta cleaning station, hoping to spot some manta rays.
The couple finishes lunch and heads to the dive shop, aiming to get an early start on their dive. They take a smaller boat to reach the main dive boat, and receive a safety briefing from the dive master, which evokes a mix of nerves and excitement as they recall their dive training.
The first dive takes place at a reef called 'Wild Wild East'. They are amazed by the abundance and variety of fish, comparing it to their previous sardine run dive. The visibility is excellent, over 20 meters, and it's a sandy bottom dive, a new experience compared to their usual wall dives, with a maximum depth of 18 meters.
The second dive is at a Manta ray cleaning station, which has four separate stations. Despite not seeing any manta rays, they encounter a lot of other marine life, including turtles, cuttlefish, jawfish, flounder, and more spotted rays. The visibility is around 15 meters, and they enjoy kneeling on the sandy bottom to observe the diverse marine ecosystem.
They provide a detailed recap of both dives, highlighting the excellent visibility and diverse marine life. Dave experienced seasickness between dives but recovered once back in the water. They discuss the cost of the dives, which was 4,800 per person and almost 10,000 for two with rented gear, including environmental fees. They then plan to grab ice coffee before heading back to their hotel, as it's their last night before moving to Coron, excited for proper air conditioning and fewer bugs.