Saturday 29 October Ilot Amedee

Despite our late night the three musketeer boats were up and away to Ilot Amedee early this morning. We'd heard and read this island was surrounding by reefs that offered good diving and possibly a wreck or two to explore.

Ile Amedee

Amedee has the tallest lighthouse in New Caledonia and marks the main passage through the fringing reef on the western seaboard. It's also a nature reserve on land and the surrounding waters with free mooring balls for boats up to 10m and a shallow draft. It was another beautiful day and the island was busy with visitors as this is a long holiday weekend for All Saints Day on Tuesday.



Bear and David at lighthouse

Our aim was to dive so kits were assembled and we headed out to the reef marked with a light to find the dive spot. We discovered local knowledge is essential as there aren't buoys marking the spot. A local boat was over the site of the Dieppoise wreck and generously indicated where would be good to drop the anchor, It was deep, close to 30m, and we had to join an extra line onto the anchor line to hook in.
I followed David down the anchor line and found we were perfectly positioned on the port side of the wreck and the visibility was good. The Dieppoise was a French naval frigate of 40m. When her working life came to an end in 1996 she was stripped of valuables and towed out to a reef close to Amedee and to be sunk as a dive site. It is a deeper dive; the top of the wreck is 14m and the keel at 27m. The visibility this morning was very good and we could see the whole ship. It's not big and a complete inspection along the port side, around the bow, back up the starboard, along the decks, in the wheel house and to the top of the super structure was completed in 30 minutes. We agreed it's the best dive we've done in New Caledonia.

charming a sea snake

The afternoon activity was ashore to furtle around the small island of Amedee and to climb to the top of the lighthouse for a clear view over the reefs and out over the anchorage. The island is home to many tricots rayes which we call banded krait or sea snakes. Sea snake is almost a misnomer as these pretty diapsids. They go to sea to find food but sleep and breed on land. In the warmth of the late afternoon they were coming ashore to find a place to curl up for the night and they're inquisitive, highly poisonous but too timid, and mouth too small, to take a bite. Here's me trying to catch one in my hat and gently feeling his smoothe skin.