Hydee’s Point

Hydee’s Point was named in honor of the guide who first frequented and explored this area. This is a rich site overflowing with a variety of marine life, similar to Secret Bay but with a few more bottom terrain features.

Upon entering the water and descending, you will find yourself on sandy flats that have some boulders and other rocky patches strewn about. These mini reefs are covered with pretty hard corals, and each has its own unique collection of reef fish. It can be interesting to swim from patch to patch and notice how different the fish can be in similar water only ten meters apart. There is an especially nice collection of various wrasse here, and finding an active cleaning station with the host bluestreak cleaner wrasse will guarantee interesting and colorful sightings.

Swimming along the long gradually sloping bottom you will notice that the patch reefs begin to mostly disappear and the area becomes an open sandy plain that gets steeper the farther out you go. This area is a wonderland for macro enthusiasts, especially painted frogfish—sometimes several of these can be seen at one time in different colors. Deeper areas are also home to a variety of rare nudibranchs, including the terrific Melibe sp2. This almost translucent nudibranch can be found by those with sharp eyes as it crosses the bottom with its big mouth wide open and surrounded by little hairs. Not as famous as Melibe colemani, but still just as bizarre and rare.

For experienced technical divers, the slope eventually leads to a wall that begins at around 30 meters, with impressive rock formations dropping down toward 55 meters. These deeper sections are only suitable for properly trained and equipped tech divers, but reward those divers with dramatic deep-reef scenery.

Hydee’s Point is also a great place to find the flamboyant cuttlefish. This small cuttlefish lives up to its name with coloration displays that can only be called flamboyant. It is the only cuttlefish to walk along the seafloor and can float off the bottom for short periods, making it easier to spot and photograph. Unlike many other bottom-dwelling species, the flamboyant cuttlefish is an active hunter during the day and uses camouflage to ambush fish and crustaceans. These animals have well-developed eyes and nervous systems—meaning they usually spot the diver before the diver spots them.

Even if no cuttlefish are present, there is still plenty to keep a hardcore macro photographer busy for hours. Hydee’s Point is the kind of site that divers return to again and again, always finding something new.