Wednesday, Dec. 9 — Macro Marathon

North of the desalination plant in the Sabadeco area. Hard and soft coral slopes to roughly 38m sand; seahorses have been spotted here alongside moray eels and all three 'big' parrotfish.

Access · Queen's Highway shoulder parking. ~50m walk over rocky ground; narrow coral-path entry, fins on in the water.

Camera · Sony 100mm Macro GM

Targets · Flamingo tongues, gobies, blennies, shrimp, juvenile fish; slow and deliberate

Boat-access site in Washington Slagbaai Park, named for WWII resistance fighter and Marine Park founder Carel Steensma. Wide-open terrain with dense hard coral — a good wide-angle site.

Access · CLOSED to diving — Washington Slagbaai Park, coral disease (SCTLD) closure since May 2023, still in effect as of early 2026. Confirm with a dive shop before relying on this dive.

Camera · Sony 100mm Macro GM

Targets · Small reef fish, crustaceans, blennies, coral detail

BNMP site #21, a boat dive opposite Marine Park HQ — worth confirming access, since the rest of this trip is shore-based. Elkhorn coral in the shallows hosts schools of blue tangs.

Access · Boat dive, opposite the STINAPA Marine Park HQ — not shore-accessible on this itinerary.

Camera · Sony 100mm Macro GM

Targets · Shallow macro; juvenile fish, gobies, blennies

Entry via the salt-pond drainage outflow channel. Gradual slope from 6–12m steepens further north; sand patches near the mooring draw turtles and eagle rays.

Access · EEG Boulevard between Salt Pier and White Slave. Park on the shoulder, walk to entry; cross a sandbar to reach the reef.

Camera · 100mm Macro

Targets · Octopus, morays, nocturnal hunting behavior