|
The Bells
|
A true
vertical wall, full of overhangs and fissures which offers divers an exciting entry
through a narrow chimney. Bells is full of overhangs and
fissures, with many swim-throughs and small caves. Toward the
Blue Hole in the south the reef profile softens to a steep
slope.
The dive
begins in a small slot in the reef table about 100m north
of the Blue Hole. Descend through the tube-like fissure
and, after reaching your maximum depth, ascend slowly
while following the reef south to the saddle marking the
Blue Hole. A head-first, spiralling descent through the
chimney adds a new dimension to the confined space of the
tube. The saddle, at approximately 6m from the top of the
reef, is one exit point. Current permitting, divers are
able to enjoy a relaxing drift along the wall towards the
saddle, and then exit through the Blue Hole.
Coral cover on the wall
section is not abundant, but there is quite good growth
of plate and cabbage coral, black
coral bushes, white soft corals.
Although
the fish life here is reasonable, there are many sites
with greater diversity and larger populations.
Like all wall sites, this site should be treated with
caution. It is easy to be seduced by the sheer profile and
exceed your planned maximum depth. You should remember
that the exit point is only a few hundred metres from the
entry and is easily missed.
Note that as the road
approaches this site it passes through a very narrow
archway. This archway is just wide enough to pass a
Landrover through. A short walk over rocks along along the
shoreline is required to get to the entry point, care is
required as you will be carrying all your kit.
|
Drawing of the Bells.
Ascending from the chimney.
Access to the Bells
is through a narrow
archway. |
