Sipadan Island, MalaysiaI

By Terry Booth / Photo by Charlene Kwan

Jacques Cousteau famously quoted "I have seen other places like Sipadan, 45 years ago, but now no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art."

Located in the Celebes Sea off the east coast of Sabah, East Malaysia, Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, an isolated pinnacle rising 600 metres from the seabed.

Times have changed since Jacques donned his primitive self-contained underwater breathing apparatus and for years, divers both novice and experienced have been drawn to this sub-aqua mecca in the hordes.

The subsequent over-diving led to damaged reefs and a marine life that could not cope with the stress caused by too many divers on Sipadan Island. Since 2005 all resorts had to relocate away from Sipadan Island and since April 2006 a strictly enforced permit system was introduced for all divers wanting to dive at Sipadan, limiting the number of divers to just 120 a day from the 12 neighbouring resorts.

The very real threat from the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas (a famous mass kidnapping from Sipadan in 2000) and a slew of regular incidents up and down the Borneo coastline and neighbouring islands has led to bans on night travel and night dives and mandates a permanent military presence on Sipadan and night time guards at the resorts.

But despite this top side turmoil and remote location, divers are not dissuaded by the limited access (typically only one permit per diver every four days of stay) or armed guards. Consistently voted two of the world’s best dives sites, Barracuda Point and The Drop Off, along with the promise of tornados of barracudas and jacks and the swarms of schooling sharks and turtles, lure a stream of eager disciples.

Generally slow drift dives along sheer walls dripping in hard and soft corals, minimal effort is expended whilst gazing at the rich flora and fauna, a magnificent leopard shark serenely gliding by with gentle swishes of its’ elongated tail steals the show. And even for the most jaded diver, witnessing up close the mass congregation of giant bumphead parrot fish is awe inspiring. 

However too often, divers are so focused on going to Sipadan Island that they don’t realize how much the other islands have to offer too. These islands are often treated as “filler songs in an album with one hit single”.

Yes, Sipadan Island is special in that it is an oceanic island while the other islands sit on the continental shelf. So the kind of marine life you see at Sipadan Island will be different from the others. Memorable dives are also had at these islands with an abundance of macro critters, frog and crocodile fish at both Mabul and Kapalai Islands.

With its’ rich history and diverse and impressive marine life it should be obligatory for any serious diver to make the pilgrimage to these holy waters at least once in their lifetime.

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Note: This will be Terry's last article as he is leaving Singapore.

The Holy Cephalopod

Text and Photo by Charlene Kwan

With a dive count in excess of 400 and visits to the legion of SE Asia’s macro diving hotspots, diving’s most sought after critters have been found, admired and photographed for posterity. With one notable exception. Back in October, I proved the old adage ‘if you snooze you lose’ by sitting out one of 13 dives in the tropical island of Malapascua. In this dive not one, but two, blue ringed octopi were discovered in the islands’ fringing reefs. Despite the primary purpose of this trip being to see the majestic thresher shark, this was a sickening body blow! So near and yet so far!

Plans for the next trip therefore were researched with a single aim: to find one of diving’s holy grails, the blue ringed octopus.

Constructing an algorithm of dive locations to establish the most likely seasonal sightings, we opted for Dauin, a small town South East of the island of Negros Occidental in the Philippines. I booked in with my partners’ long-time friends, Tim & Zoe and owners of Liquid Dumaguete - a first rate flash-packers’ resort nestled amongst verdant plantations and overlooking the black sands and azure waters of Dauin.

Trying not to be too demanding, we did however make it clear that for we were on a mission! By the time we arrived, all of the dive guides, staff and anyone else that would listen knew our single-minded aim.

And so armed with local knowledge, eagle-eyed dive guide supremo Rocky, the alignment of tides, currents, stars and the planets we plunged into the temperate waters of Dumaguete. Our quest had begun.

Despite our much publicised goal, this was strangely forgotten as we explored the local sub-aqua fauna and flora. Perennial favourites frogfish, seahorses, ornate ghost pipe fishes, an abundance of funky and obscure crabs filled the vista and occupied us wholly. And then the telling ‘clank clank clank’ as Rocky signalled for our attention by rapping his pointer repeatedly on his air cylinder.

We approached cautiously, our eyes darting to where Rocky was positioned motionless on the sand. And there it was. Perched atop a single outcrop of sinewy soft coral, plugged in isolation in the black sands was the most majestic of cephalopods.

Disturbed by our intrusion the octopus took flight, nimbly moving across the rubbly seabed in search of refuge. Recognisable by characteristic blue and black rings and yellowish skin when the octopus is agitated, it constantly flashed its warning as the brown patches on its body and tentacles darkened dramatically and, mesmorisingly, it’s iridescent blue rings or clumps of rings appeared and pulsated. Despite their small size and relatively docile nature, they are known as one of the most venomous marine animals and we therefore kept a close but respectful distance as we followed this tentacled trouper in awe until fully sated by this experience.

The dive came to an end and elated we clambered aboard our Bangka, ready to discuss where to find our next Holy Grail.

Verde Island: Heart of the Coral Triangle

Text and Photo by Terry Booth

A team of marine conservationists declared in 2006 that the Philippines is the ‘Center of Marine Biodiversity in the world’ and the Verde Island Passages as the ‘Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity’, containing more than 76% of the world’s coral species.

The eponymous Verde Island, located slap bang in the center of the strait between Batangas and Mindoro, is one of the best diving places in the Philippines, due to its pristine clear waters, stunning underwater topography and abundant marine life.

The only sign that there is a world class dive site just meters below the surface are two small pinnacles piercing the surface of the water. These pinnacles drop down deep and with the undulating terrain melding canyons, fissures, boulders and sheer walls, amazingly varied seascapes are offered, and along with the varying conditions, can be dived again and again, without the fear of getting bored.

We chose to drop in at the top of the pinnacles, at around 5m, with a negative entry to negate against the surface currants and in case the currents below were playing up. The wall afforded some shelter enabling us to relax and to gasp at the crystal clear waters and the abundance of fish. As we followed the wall down, we were greeted by thousands of red tooth triggerfish, anthias and butterfly fish. Whip corals and gorgonian fans scattered the wall providing shelter for a myriad of macro inhabitants such as shrimp, crabs and pygmy seahorses.

Verde Island also holds a huge amount of colourful nudibranches that rivals anywhere in the archipelago with thousands of species having been recorded, including the magnificent Spanish Dancer.

Reaching the edge of the pinnacle, there is a ledge at 18m. Here is where you will find the larger inhabitants of Verde Island. The wall ends and the current soars. We hold onto the rocks as we are buffeted from the swells; a line of clothes drying in this ferocious wind. Firmly holding on to the ledge, we become engulfed in schools of barracuda and a tornado of trevally hanging graciously in the current.

We dived four times at Verde, alternating the exposed wall side with the island side. There lies a sloping reef, rich in volcanic activity, with sulphurous bubbles bubbling from the sea floor. A more sedatory drift allows the divers to go slowly with the current. As you get closer to the end of the wall, the current starts racing, and you have to make sure that at the right time you nip back behind the wall. Otherwise you are in the blue, and it’s time for your ascent!

Diving Downunder

Text and photo by Terry Booth

South of the tropical Queensland waters and the more famous Great Barrier Reef lies Julian Rocks. Lapped by the Tasman Sea’s temperate swells, these volcanic sedimentary protrusions are a stones’ throw from the picturesque coastal town of Australia’s Byron Bay.

This top ten dive site hosts seasonal pelagic denizens including leopard sharks and manta rays in the summer and, for me this October trip, the grey nurse shark.

These apex predators were persecuted to near extinction, but are thankfully now protected in this established marine sanctuary.

These sharks patrol gullys at 20m depth, inhabiting the channels eroded into the substrate. Divers find sheltered
vantage points and wait expectantly, anxious not to scare off the sharks with an intrusive presence. The water is murky and rich with nutrients. Limited visibility and muffled breathing add to the tension; a distant haunting whale song adds an ethereal ambiance.

Suddenly, amidst the gloom emerges our exciting photo opportunity. Slow moving and fearsome looking, it starts to patrol menacingly and it’s muscular frame glides effortlessly towards us. Lying still in the sediment, below rocky ledges and in concealed crevices, we wait for a close encounter. We are in luck – not one but six grey nurse sharks pass us.

Within the shadows of these primordial predators, their bulk is within touching distance. Razor sharp teeth can be individually identified and gills can be seen to oscillate gently in the currents. Impressive muscular frames in excess of 10ft gently meander through the chilly waters, each sinew on display, evidence of their power.

The dive witnessed a multiplicity of interactions, testimony to the dive groups controlled and respectful behaviour.

And in these encounters a realisation of reverence occurs. This marine creature which has suffered an unjust reputation as an indiscriminate killer and threat is evidence of evolutionary perfection. It should be mankind’s great privilege to witness and admire the sharks’ beauty and grace in its natural oceanic home.

As apex predators, the ocean needs these magnificent animals to maintain the ecological balance in the seas and it is our duty and responsibility to protect these creatures and to educate those who think otherwise.

Fossicking in the Philippines

By Rachel Hyde

Photos by Terry Booth & Charlene Kwan

An early start complete with the delights of a “golden arches” breakfast saw us heading 2.5 hours to the south of the sprawling metropolis that is Manila, to Anilao in late July.

Having witnessed the devastation wrought across Manila and the southern areas of Luzon by typhoon Rammasun only one week before, we were unsure of the impact on the dive sites at Anilao. Sure enough, upon our arrival at Planet Dive they confirmed that almost the entire house reef had been wiped out. Fortunately however, the dive gods were smiling down upon us and Secret Bay, and we were, nevertheless, in for some excellent diving.

Dive one was an embarrassingly short 47 minutes for some due to some over enthusiastic Dutch lungs, but we still managed to get a good look at a huge variety of macro critters including shrimps, nudis and frog fish.

Dive Two was a stunning reef dive, again with macro critters galore but this time with a rich diversity of fish life, as well some seriously beautiful corals. Even a turtle popped by to visit. 

The descent on our third dive was unspectacular to say the least, especially after the sensory overload of the glorious corals on the previous dive. I have to say that looking down onto an almost completely bare, sandy bottom with the odd tuft of sea grass waving in the gentle current lowered my expectations of this dive considerably. But how wrong I was. Every inch of this sandy bottom was teeming with sea life to delight even the biggest skeptic (i.e. me 30 seconds previously). Tiny frog fish, seahorses, skeleton shrimp, hairy crabs, Orangutan crabs, nudibranchs, jaw fish, ribbon eels, boxer crabs – every patch of sand contained yet another delight. Very tempting indeed to dive until the air ran out…

Anilao is convenient to Manila, very reasonably price and most of all, offers some spectacular and seriously interesting diving.

Manila – Freestyle Divers International The Inner Circle

By Stu King

Photos: Terry Booth & Charlene Kwan

What better way to spend a long weekend than by taking a short trip to the Philippines which includes outstanding food, great diving, drinks a plenty, and of course a volcano!

Flying in Friday evening, we were off the plane, through immigration with bags collected in less than 25 minutes and swiftly met by our driver.  A quick drive to Casa Del Booth-Kwan, we caught up over a drink and turned in early due to a 5am start the following day.

Early the next  morning, rubbing the sleep out of our eyes, we pile into the Bongo van as we head off for our 2 hour drive to the Southern Peninsula dive haven – Anilao.

On arrival, we gear up and head across the bay to a rocky outcrop where we roll out of the boat into the crystal, warm water, which reveals a number of pinnacles that reach just below the surface of the water.   We descend to around 24 meters and start to explore this amazing underwater wonderland!

A great example of the Philippines’ aquatic conservation policies allowed loads of lionfish, moray eels, and a peculiar infestation of small neon yellow sea cucumbers to thrive, giving Charlene a good shot of photographing each one of them.

The afternoon muck dive was a great surprise.  I was expecting poor visibility, and little of interest to see.  But visibility was still around 8 to 10 meters, and we came across a school of bumpheads, tonnes of soft corals and a sleeping octopus.

I decided to sit out the third dive, in favour of beer, so chilling on the banana lounge was my idea of an afternoon.  Some either did a shore dive, where super large giant clams were the highlight, whilst others took a boat to a site further afield.  By all accounts dive number three was also spectacular.

After we cleaned up, packed up and had a few more drinks, we were ready for the return trip to Manila where local fare was on the menu, washed down with the coldest beer in Manila.

Sunday was a not so early start, but found Terry and myself preparing breakfast for the kids, before jumping into the Bongo van and heading for the day’s adventure.

Essentially the goal was to view an island in a crater lake, in a crater, in a crater lake, in a crater. Follow?  No?  See picture below.

 

Anyway we caught a boat across Taal Lake to climb Taal Volcano. All I can say about this trek was it was hot!  Damn Hot!  But the views were spectacular.

After this extremely sweaty event, it was time to pile back into the van, which would take us for a 6 star lunch at Antonio’s! Picture Raffles, then turn up the level of service, the quality of food, whilst simultaneously turning down the prices. A great 5 hour lunch with lots of laughs thus concluded the great Manila weekend!

Puerto Galera and its Sub-Aquatic Critters

By Terry Booth / Photos by Charlene Kwan

The channel between Puerto Galera and Verde Island, known internationally as the Verde Island Passage, is “the center of the world’s marine biodiversity” according to American scientists – making Puerto Galera’s underwater world a favorite amongst dive enthusiasts. Puerto Galera’s natural landscapes both above and under water are its foremost assets with many beaches and coves, named and unnamed; mountains and forests, waterfalls and rivers. Puerto Galera Bay is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the entire planet.

With spectacular dive sites very close to shore, and with Puerto Galera being just 3 to 4 hours away from Manila, it makes for an easy weekend getaway.

We opted for Sabang as our port of choice. A popular destination that facilitates diving in the nearby sites, with a variety of options catering for all skill levels and sub-aquatic interests. Whether you are after a wreck littered with critters, black volcanic sands home to marine oddities or fast drift dives out in the blue - you can take your pick.

We delighted in finding a healthy array of delights such as nudi branches, orangutan crabs, ornate ghost pipefish, seahorses, leaf scorpion fish, snake eels, cuttlefish, shrimps and turtles. The undoubted highlight though was being transfixed by a coconut
octopus ‘moving house’ as he scurried across the sea bed, each tentacle loaded with an unimaginable amount of clam shells as he searched for a suitable new location for his new dwelling.

Thank you Puerto Galera, we shall return!

Diving in my back yard

By Terry Booth / Photo by Terry Booth & Brian Hood

For 12 years, diving was made convenient to me with weekend trips up to Tioman, the Anambas Islands or into the South China Sea. In the off season, half day excursions to Singapore’s Southern Islands sated my diving appetite. However my back yard is now Anilao, the birthplace of Philippines diving. A mere 1.5 hour drive South of Manila takes you to a string of backpackers’ lodges, guest houses and hotels along the Mabini Peninsula. The gateway to Anilao caters for all budgets.

As we gear up, we observe bancas gliding across the calm azure sea, taking eager occupants to their chosen destinations, the vast selection of dive sites on offer suitable for all levels of experience.

Once the water’s surface is broken, the reefs’ kaleidoscopic colours saturates ones senses, it’s iridescent hues filling the seascape. Infinite nooks and crannies hide marine treasures; nudi branches of varying shades and texture, ponderous pufferfish and shy seahorses. Lugubrious turtles forage for food. A spiny devil fish, with a face only a mother could love, scurries across the sea bed searching for sanctuary. A pair of ornate ghost pipe fish dance harmoniously in the gentle currents.

And as the weekend draws to a close, I retrace my steps back to the metropolis of Manila knowing that I will soon return. After all, I was diving in my backyard. 

Rescue Diving in Bintan

By Richard Jones

Photo: Terry Booth & Charlene Kwan

We arrived at Bintan agro resort mid-morning and were soon on the boat to Umbrella Rock, our first dive site. This was to be the first of 4 dives that weekend and my Rescue diver course. My buddy, Richard, was getting back underwater after a few years break and was impressed with our dive leader Charlene - an expert Nudibranch spotter. In addition to teaching me, Terry was also instructing Richard’s daughter, Nico and fellow students Rob and Lesley, on their first Open Water dives. Rachel made up the excited eight, providing crucial support to all on her final Dive Master qualifying trip.

Rays, cuttlefish, bat fish,
puffers and a shy moray hiding in a sandbag were the highlights of our dive under an abandoned kelong. Plenty of little stuff too all weekend and our hunt for all things macro was well rewarded despite the variable visibility.

Inevitably though much aquatic life went unseen as the out of air drills, discarded regulators, detached bcds and missing diver searches had me truly occupied underwater. Surface intervals proved eventful too, with
‘panicked’ divers galore frequently jumping overboard!

A fantastic weekend both below and above water ended in smiles - 3 new Open Waters, a Divemaster and Rescue diver – not to mention delicious food, company and great memories for all!

Diving in Komodo

By James Leo

Despite some initial airline related challenges, our group of 7 made it aboard the MV Black Manta in time for lunch and ready to start our holiday of a lifetime. After a welcome briefing and some fine local fare, we enjoyed an afternoon checkout dive, sharing the site with blue spotted rays, lion fish, pygmy seahorses and a cowfish.

Day 2 which also ended up being one of the best dives of the trip as well as being Charlene’s 300^th dive; our intrepid team of underwater explorers were rewarded with more manta rays than you could shake a stick at.

Day 3 started with a dive affectionately known as “Shotgun” because we were supposed to be fired upwards from 13 to 6 metres by a strong current. Unfortunately the current was still asleep, like some of the dive party, and Shotgun became Water Pistol. During the dive, we encountered a myriad of white tip sharks, as well as stingrays, turtles and even a baby manta swimming gracefully past. The second dive of the day at Crystal Rock was amazing. The fish action was truly stunning, complemented again my many, many sharks patrolling the site.

Day 4 had many highlights, starting with the superb Castle Rock where there were sharks - loads of them.  I think a rumour had been started that Steven Spielberg was in town auditioning for extras in Jaws 7. The challenging Batu Balong was Terry's 1000th dive, however the day ended with a very cold night dive which meant he was unable to properly celebrate his milestone for several hours until circulation was restored.

Day 5, the last day on our beloved Black Manta, the morning started with a heart stopping cold dive in Pantai Merah. A gentle dive with beautiful coral, plenty of fish life and the odd blue spotted ray swimming past. Unfortunately, the second visit to the dive site named, "Mantas on the Moon" morphed into simply, "On the Moon" as there  were no mantas to be found - clearly they had a better offer that morning. The afternoon was the highlight of our trip as we searched for the infamous ‘Komodo Dragon’ on nearby Rinca Island – we weren’t disappointed. From the start of our walk we warned about ‘drop dragons’ hiding in the trees, likely story, but we were fortunate enough to see a large, 2.5m, dragon hiding in the bushes.

Between dives, we invariably sat on the superb sun deck soaking up the equatorial sun rays while surveying the amazing islands in the Flores sea where clouds were scarcer than an Australian at a teetotal party. It was great diving with so many experienced divers in the group - one instructor, 3 dive masters, a tech diver and a rescue diver.  

I can highly recommend diving in Komodo on the Black Manta with a fantastic and helpful crew and with Freestyle Divers.  We disturbed nothing in Komodo, taking only photos and memories, except for one idiot who dropped a rock on a stingray to wake it up, ouch.

By James Leo