So I am In love with this place! its so chilled out, the locals are great and its so small you can walk from one side to the other in 30 minutes. Yes there is a bit of a party scene here, but only if your looking for it, there is one club and 2 bars where people seem to drink at night, and there is an awesome bar on the spit that everyone swims around and has a couple of drinks (some more than others) and that bar is a great way to spend a lazy afternoon.

And so today I spent it looking around, but the heat of the sun during the middle of the day is torture. After a lazy lay in the hammock, In the afternoon I managed to catch up with two coast friends one of which I haven’t seen for ten years, it was awesome to see familiar faces. We drank at the spit bar and swam until about 5 where we jumped on a rastafarian’s boat and watched the sunset. It was an awesome time, And it was so good to see Danyelle and Noni, I had a blast. After the drinking in the sun i enjoyed a well deserved nap and John and I caught up with another new friend, Alicia, from Sydney for dinner. all in all a great day. 

Right now there is a 6 year old little rastafarian child playing in my dorm he is so cute! he is playing with a small puppy and a foam float he is using as a ball, he is adorable, Its making me excited to go and volunteer in Guatemala. But I must remember to enjoy and savour each experience as it comes. I don’t expect to do to much here on the island but I will keep you all informed about my bohemian lifestyle. By Friday i will have dove the blue hole and maybe others we will have to wait and see…

Mozambique is a country brimming with fascinating cultures,majestic wildlife and amber sunsets we usually only see in travel magazines. And while the country is composed of many spectacular places, people and animals, it is generally widely accepted that the most unforgettable thing about this Southeast African country are the mesmerizing underwater landscapes. 1,550 miles of powdery white sand hug the azure tropical waters, which are home to an abundance of sea and plant life. Needless to say, this makes for sensational diving spots and has encouraged avid divers to opt for diving in Mozambique instead of more mainstream destinations.

Some of these spots include:

Bazaruto Island

The dives at Bazaruto Island are all between 12 and 30 metres. During the winter months the visibility can reach 30 meters with crystal clear blue water. The reefs are pristine with an abundance of sea life. Divers can encounter Manta rays, spotted eagle rays, Black tip reef sharks and Zambezi sharks, to name just a few. This is also an important area for feeding Dugongs and also nesting the Leatherback and Loggerhead turtles. In the summer times you can expect to see dolphins, Humpback whales and even whale sharks.

Ponta do Ouro

The reefs here are known for its beautiful coral, the invertebrates and game fish that frequent the area, and also the Whale sharks; Hammerhead sharks and big Potato bass. From October to March is turtle season and depending on the species, eggs are laid above the high-water mark on the beaches from October to March. Regular sightings of Bottlenose and Humpbacked dolphins are also a highlight at these reefs.

Medjumbe Island

One of Mozambique’s best-kept secrets is the coral reefs that surround Medjumbe Island. Bordered by the northern Mozambique coastline and the Mozambique Channel, these waters hold an astounding diversity of marine species with all the reefs within close proximity to the island. The island features phenomenal vertical drop-offs, some up to 400 meters. These walls are abundant with coral covered caves and tropical fish ranging from Goldies to enormous Napoleon wrasse and game fish, such as Kingfish, Barracuda and Spanish mackerel.

Some text courtesy of Scuba Mozambique

While Praia do Tofo (or Tofo) is generally considered the best spot for whale shark and manta ray diving, the entire Mozambican coast is littered with spectacular diving spots. Pomene offers unforgettable coral reef dives (as well as adventure sports for those who prefer to remain on dry land), Zavora is great for shallow reef diving with manta ray, hump back whales and whale sharks, Medjumbe Island is ideal if you’re daring enough to face vertical drop-offs of up to 400 meters and large Napoleon Wrasse, while Benguerra Island is perfect for the snorkelers and divers alike. Diving in Mozambique is an incredible experience which will leave you speechless and wanting more.

Mozambique has become a popular holiday destination thanks to its vast kilometers of white, sandy beaches, underwater kaleidoscopes of tropical fish and coral reefs, unforgettable sunsets and the friendly inhabitants. And while there are certain areas which are preferred amongst divers (such as Praia do Tofo) diving can be enjoyed just about anywhere along the coastal regions. So if it isn’t already, I would highly suggest adding diving in Mozambique to your bucket list!

At the jetty you can ask any agents there. Preferably the one that have a shop at the jetty and have legal licence for business.
You can either:-
1) Book chalets with the agents together with the speedboat return tickets, or
2) Buy only the return tickets and just walkin to any chalets on the islands.

That day i dived with Sunlight Divers located at Coral Bay, Perhentian Kecil. Even if you stayed at Perhentian Besar , any dive centers can offer to pickup from your chalet if you decided to dive with them. the trip was Adhoc. Planned at the last minute. Drive from KL on friday night and arrived at the Kuala Besut on the next morning saturday 8am. In the island for a night and went out back to KL on Sunday. Managed to do 4 dives

The logs:-

1st Dive Site: Batu Layar (Sailing rock)
Date: 2nd Aug 08
Time: 2pm
Depth: 17m
Bottom time: 66min
Note: It was a first time for me getting up into a boat without using any ladder. It was hard trying to pull oneself into the boat. During the manage to meet a very giant turtle. The site located near to Perhentian Besar and in between both of the islands. Formation of hardcorals and filled with reef fishes.

2nd Dive Site: D’ Lagoon
Date: 2nd Aug 08
Time: 5.30pm
Depth: 14m
Bottom Time: 60min
Note: the dive site located near to the long beach of perhentian kecil. sandy bottom with patches of corals.

3rd Dive Site: Tokong Laut (temple of the sea)
Date: 3rd Aug 08
time: 9am
Depth: 24m
Bottom Time: 70min
Note: i went to this dive site quite early. the boat moves around 8.15am. The dive site located far from the island so need to move early if want to catch good viz before many more divers arrived to the site.
At the surface can only see a small rock formation then it shape down like a small mountain until reach down to a sandy bottom with whip corals and other type of corals. This particular site famous with pelagic sightings. I got lucky that day when i get to scuba with 2 whalesharks. I was about to end the dive when suddenly the whaleshark passby to my right side from behind. The depth was 15meter.

4th Dive Site: Sugar Wreck
Date: 3rd Aug 08
Time: 1.30pm
Depth: 17m
Bottom Time: 55min
Note: The Wreck location quite far. The viz was around 10m. Many schools of fishes and baracudas. Be sure to bring along a dive torch to sneak peak inside the dark wreck.

Another very simple skill to do. It is used to demonstrate air way control, you know prevent water being inhaled and why would we want to do this? well say you had to swim on the surface from your entry to your descent line. You would have you face in the water looking at the bottom and all the cool things whilst breathing through your snorkel, to save the air in your tank, then without any effort you would switch to your regulator and start descending following your descent line to the depth that your going to do your dive, and oh you never had to remove your face out of the water and take your eyes off that really awesome pod of dolphins that were playing at the bottom.

So how does one practice this skill? in the shallow end of the pool get your feet on the floor and have a good solid base so you don’t rock and roll.

Have either your reg in your mouth or your snorkel then just simply place your face in the water and start breathing.

Take a few good breaths and then prepare to swop over, remember to blow bubbles when you don’t have the mouth piece in your mouth. The simply place the other in and clear using the blast method if your now on your snorkel, or the purge and blast method if your on your reg, take a breath in and be careful of any water that might be still inside the mouth piece.

once your happy and have got your breathing right swop over again to the other, remembering the golden rule in diving, always breath, so blow bubbles when you don’t have the mouth piece in.

Do a few times and then your ready to take this skill out to the open water. Try on your next dive to swim face in the water and swap out from your reg to your snorkel then back without lifting your face.

Simple: 5. Alternately breathe from snorkel and regulator without lifting the face from the water.

IDC candidates Adventures in Diving workshop, pricticing on how to use Lift bag, Underwater navigation and proper buoyancy.

Checkout more information about our PADI IDC  or Sign up now!:  http://www.llbc.com.ph/?q=idc_enroll or  http://www.tropicalidc.com/idc_enroll.html

Aruba Carnival, 1998. Festive costumes. Feathers of multicolored patterns fanned out like peacock tails from dancing dark skined Aruban girls. Huge trucks with steel drum bands pounding out Caribbean music like wild chimpanzees. Flat bed trucks with stacks of amplifiers, floats and flowers. Crowds of people lining the streets grooving to the electric static assault on the ears. Hot wind blowing through the divi divi trees down by the beach. Shouts of joy and celebration roared through the crowd. And out of blood shot eyes irritated by booze, green smoke and wine I watched it all and wondered how much more my body could take.

I really don’t know how I got to where I was or how the day began; only bursts of flashbacks came to me that I could piece together like a broken jigsaw puzzle. Funny what we do to ourselves in the name of a good time: How we pollute our bodies with happy poison to the point where our minds are in a bending wonderland of chaos.

.

Puerto Rico’s unique geography shows in every facet of it’s tourism. You may be aware of El Yunque, the U.S.’s only Rainforest, in the Northeast region of Puerto Rico. Southwardly winds bring tropical effects on the vegetation, giving rise to lush, tropical vegetation. Once over the mountain pass that bisects Northern and Southern Puerto Rico, the geography changes drastically from tropical Rainforest to arid desert. Arid desert opens to fields and ranches peppering the landscape, and fires char the bone-dry Southern mountains.

And then you reach La Parguera, in Lajas. It’s a secret garden at the end of the island with small beaches opening to mangrove islands floating in the sea. Chickens run rampant and dogs who belong to everyone and no one at the same time remind you of home. A world away; a solitary fishing village. You’re now in the land of deep-fried everything. Even my healthy approach of eating Conch and fruit at every meal was rendered useless by the absence of fruit stands and the scent of the Bakery just up the road re-stocking fresh baked guava pastries.

But we were diving twice a day for nine days. We burned all the calories -and then some- before noon. Afternoons were spent exploring nearby towns, swimming in the Cay at Cabo Rojo, watching dive footage over fried grouper at the fish shack, snorkeling the mangroves, sleeping, and bonding. On day three we ventured to the salt flats and the Lighthouse at Cabo Rojo, and dined on pineapples and fresh cut rain.That evening, thirteen of us headed Northeast to the gorgeous town of San German for Tapas  and wine at La Tasca (not the U.S. chain!).  The 16th century architecture, reminiscent of Old San Juan, and it’s location in the rainforest mountains, San German could have been pulled from a dream. A very old dream.

It’s hard to confess which world I loved more, topside or underwater. Essentially, we were diving ancient mountains that were submerged after the Last Ice Age. Mountains that had once bisected Puerto Rico. Mountains that gave for 300-400 foot vertical reef walls. And the fish, oh the fish. Nurse sharks, Lionfish, Queen Angels, Eels, Pufferfish, Spiny Lobster, Sergeant Majors. Every dive, every day, for nine days guaranteed incredible reef life and near perfect conditions. And it only got better from there.

La Parguera is home to one of the world’s few bioluminescent bays, the brightest is in Vieques, Northeastern PR. BioBay brightness is relative to it’s geographical surroundings; research studies have found the red mangroves fringing the bays provide essential vitamins to the Dinoflagellate phytoplankton trapped in the bay waters. The microscopic Dinoflagellates (Pyrodinium bahamense) glow as they are disturbed, leaving milky star trails in the wake of the dive boat. Under a full moon with no light pollution their glow was practically obliterated. It was only until I approached the shade of the dive boat could I appreciate their brilliance. And I floated for a while, soaking in an endless moment of having stars both above and beneath me.

I fell in love with the Philippines back in 2010 when I visited it for the first time. The beauty of the country and the kindness of its people blew me away! I always knew that another visit wouldn’t take me too long. So I went back in October last year and I had the bessssssst time! :)

First stop: Malapascua, baby! I love love love this island with all my heart. I will never forget  the first time I went there in 2010 and met all those wonderful local people from the dive shop. I seriously missed them a lot, which is why I decided to go back there to say hi and of course to dive with the amazing thresher sharks! :D

I don’t have a good picture of diving with the thresher sharks, but here’s a still from a video. This time was soooooooo much better than in 2010 because they discovered a new spot to see these incredible creatures. The visibility and frequency of the sharks appearing was 100 x better. To say it was MIND BLOWING is an understatement. I’ll never forget the feeling when this one shark was swimming around in circles RIGHT in front of me. Ahhhh it was super amazing!!! :)) Best dive to date.

On the last night we went to the island’s annual fiesta! It was nothing I’ve ever witnessed before. I was literally culture shocked, haha! The basketball court was transformed into a dance floor with crazy disco lights and let me tell you something; Filipino’s LOVE dancing and are not shy to show it. I had the best time of my life watching them having so much fun and dance like their life was depending on it hahaha, it was so cute! They all had their little dance offs and they even paid the DJ to play their favourite songs. I know because everytime this particular sound went off, it meant that someone paid the DJ to have the dance floor all to themselves & their crew to show everyone what they’ve got and everyone else had to step aside hahaha! Priceless and super fun night (despite hearing Gangnam Style like 100 times that night lol SHOOT ME!)!!

 Locals gettin’ their groove on. This was the beginning of the night, it was jam packed later on! 

 Being a tourist, I had to pay a fee to enter the fiesta which I thought was not very friendly. I mean if it’s free for locals, it should be free for any visitor, right? Anyway, it’s all good cuz it was all worth it! :)

I would have loved to go around the island once more, but I didn’t cuz I didn’t have as much time this time around as most of it was spent diving. Quite bummed, but it’s okay, I still have pictures of 2010 to remind me of how beautiful the island is! :)

Malapascua ’10

Next stop: A dream come true.

I have been dreaming about this since the day I learnt about this beautiful creature; diving next to a whale shark.

FINALLY!!!!

!!!!!!

I always said my life would be complete after this and it was a really great moment, but I’m not satisfied yet. Couple of things that went wrong:

1. Crazy ass current. It made it so difficult for me to dive! I had to fight against the current like mad and it made me super tired.
2. Large part of the reason why I had to fight so hard was because my BCD wasn’t working properly! I already told the instructor before we went into the sea that my BCD was making a weird sound but he assured me it was fine. So fine, I went down. But I had to use so much energy to keep myself floating because it turned out that my BCD was leaking air!! UGGGhhh I was so mad when the dive finished cuz it made the dive super uncomfortable. The waves were really crazy and I almost drowned (haha ok drama, but to illustrate how bad it was) when I went up a couple of times. Thank goodness it was a shallow dive of only a couple of meters.
3. Bad visibility. The above two points coupled with bad visibility = shitty!
4. 1 + 2 + 3 = shitty pictures. None of the pictures came out well :(

It was only the fact that I was in the water with freaking whale sharks that I fought to stay underwater, but otherwise I would have aborted the dive a long time ago. Nevertheless, definitely a dream come true.

Just hope for better water conditions and non-leaking BCD next time!

Final stop: Bohol!

Bohol was niceeeeeeeeeee! The beaches aren’t as great as other islands I’ve been to, it doesn’t have that tropical paradise feeling, but it’s a great place to visit for some diving and culture loving! :)

 Meet the world’s smallest monkey; the Tarsier! Suuuuuuuuuper cute!! It was so tiny, I think about the size of a hand. Unfortunately they don’t allow visitors to carry or touch them anymore because it stresses them out and a lot of them died because of it :( 

  Beautiful man made mahogany forest

 Chocolate Hills

Visited one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in Baclayon:

Diving at Balicasag was wonderful! There were some really nice dive sites and the visibility was great! :)

Oooohhh looking back at these pictures make me miss the Philippines and diving! Time to save up for trip #3!

The morning is pleasantly crisp and clear as we board the excellent Aquarius 9 Dive Boat just steps away from the Aquarius Dive Center in Hurghada.  We are getting ready for a diving adventure in the clear turquoise waters of near Giftun Island.  Customary on Egyptian boats, we removed our shoes and spent the day blissfully barefoot!

The Dive Team gathered the guests on the top deck and introduced us to the staff and crew, gave a boat briefing, and the plan for the day.  Shortly after, we moored up to the dive site the divers met for a dive briefing and geared up for the first dive.

We happily follow our dive guides’ giant stride into the turquoise water.  After a quick signal OK on the surface, we are descending down into the Aquarium!

Click on a photo to scroll through the gallery and take a virtual dive with Aquarius in Hurghada!

The photo I gave to my mother before I set off to Australia…when there’s six of you you have to make sure you’re not forgotten!

I was at sea for about six weeks and had my 20th birthday while watching the endlessly deep and rolling blue of the ocean crash against the mighty iron bulwarks of the ship.

From Mombasa we travelled down the African Coast calling in at all the towns and ports I had heard so much about growing up. Dar es Salam, Lorenzo Marks, Zanzibar, Pemba, Baira, Durban. Zanzibar was one of my favourites- owned by middle eastern Arabs it was an exotic island with spice markets, mosques, a sprawling sultan’s palace and surrounded by clove plantations. I spent many happy hours exploring there.

We continued down the coast taking on goods and chattels along the way including, at Baira, two live rhinos in big box crates that lived on deck. They were bound for Melbourne Zoo but nobody had thought about providing any shade for them. Unable to escape the beating African heat, these poor buggars got so sunburnt that eventually their skin started peeling off. Rhino skin is in plates and half the plate would burn while the skin between and underneath would start festering. In addition, because they were deck cargo, and right next to the wharf whenever we docked, some unscrupulous Africans would see them and come in with knives and pangas to take a slice off their horns. We couldn’t stop it- there were too many of them. Luckily one of the passengers was the director of veterinary services for Tanganika. He and I took to each other because we were both interested in animals and I helped him tend to these rhinos. We used up all the antiobiotics on the ship and then used up the large amounts we purchased at each port en-route. The rhinos did eventually heal but by the time they got to Australia they had funny patches of white skin all over them and their horns were only a 3-4 inch stubs. They were sorry looking creatures indeed. Nevertheless we were thanked by the Zoo for saving their valuable animals because I think they knew that both rhinos would undoubtedly have died if we hadn’t been there.

One of the other passengers on the ship who also drew my attention was a young Jewess travelling with her mother, an expat Russian. She was the only young girl on the ship so I felt biologically obliged to make a play for her. Unfortunately there were two young navy cadets also on the ship about the same age. We three testosterone charged boys spent most of the trip vying for her favours and in doing so I made one of my bigger mistakes when trying to impress a girl.

By the time we reached South Africa it became clear that despite my natural charm I was at a distinct disadvantage compared to the uniforms of the other two. We decided to all spend a day at the swimming pool in Durban where I hoped to impress her with my skills in the water. In fact the pool was one of the few in those days that had a 10m diving platform. Shielding her eyes against the sun and staring up at the platform the girl remarked:

“Goodness what a high board, I’ll bet not many people go up there”.

A 10 metre platform in Greater Yarmouth swimming pool- it’s a long way up!

The cadets agreed wholeheartedly and so of course I thought I had found my chance to get one over them. I immediately ran up the ladder to the 10m platform. About three-quarters of the way up I began wondering if this was such a good idea. As I stood on the end of the platform staring down at the rippling blue of the pool very far below I definitely began entertaining second thoughts. I”d never dived off anything so high in my life before. But the thought of now having to humiliatingly climb back down that long ladder was unthinkable so I took a deep breath and leapt.

I dived off alright but I made the mistake of not holding my hands together tightly. As I hit the water one of my arms slammed right over my back, badly dislocating my shoulder. The pain was so severe I thought I was going to drown as I struggled to regain my senses. I kicked my way furiously to the surface and clambered out in some pain to be met by the concerned girl and the grinning cadets. The pain was increased exponentially during the rickety, bumping three-mile cab ride back to the ship and then as the ship’s doctor manhandled my shoulder back into place. The only consolation was that I got quite a lot of attention from the girl after that- injuries trump a uniform it would seem. However, I was not at all convinced that the prize was really worth the price that I paid.

Also on the ship was an old lady whose son owned a big station in central Northern Territory. We got to know each other quite well and when she found out I had about three months to kill before I started college she suggested I go and take a look at northern Australia and stay with her son. I was keen to see what I thought of as “the real Australian outback” so she telegraphed her son from the ship. But when we docked in Adelaide there was a message from her son saying he couldn’t have me because he was going on an overseas tour. However he had made arrangements with his neighbours on “Napperby Station” to have me for the three months instead.

I wasn’t too concerned and looked forward to my outback adventure with some excitement.

I knew I would have to get some clothing before I went up there and one of my mother’s friends in Adelaide, whom I was staying with, suggested I go to a chap called RM Williams who had a little shop in Percy Street, Prospect selling country workwear. I found my way to his place which looked just like an Indian duga shop- a dark little place with all the clothing piled high on the shelves that surrounded the shop. The man himself was there (this was quite some time before he became a household name in Australia) and when he knew I was from overseas he started chatting to me about his bush experiences and what I could expect. He obviously knew the Northern Territory quite well and we had some good chats as he sold me jeans with leather pockets and blue denim shirts. He also made up a few boots for me, including some cuban-heeled black kid leather riding boots which I was very impressed with. My final purchase was an impressive 10-gallon akubra with a curly brim of which I was very proud.

Feeling prepared I boarded a very small plane and flew to Alice Springs.

U.S. Olympic medalist Troy Dumais took silver in the 3-meter springboard behind He Chao’s 53.25 points. Dumais, who won a bronze medal in synchronized 3-meter platform at the London Olympics, said he’s not ready to focus on the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games yet.

“I’m taking it a day at a time. I can’t promise anything,” Dumais said. “You don’t make money in diving, I’m sorry – it’s a hobby, it’s not a career. I have to put some energy elsewhere. The only problem is, when you do that, it takes away from your diving. It’s a balancing act.”

China’s Huo Liang and Jian Yang began the day by winning the synchronized men’s platform with 460.77 points, ahead of Germany’s Patrick Hausding and Sascha Klein, and Colombia’s Juan Rios and Victor Ortega.

China’s Jie Lian and Huang Xiaohui finished Nos. 1-2 in the women’s platform.

Dumais said he was pleased with his Grand Prix performance after having competed in Dubai, Scotland and Beijing in recent months. He planned to leave for Tallahassee, Fla., on Monday for this week’s USA World Championship Trials.

“The other divers (in the Grand Prix) haven’t been traveling the world. I’m beat up,” Dumais said. “So, I’m really trying to keep it positive. It’s a building block.

“If you’re traveling all over the world just competing, you’re not able to work on those things that might make that dive from an 8½ to a 9, or a 9 to a 9½ .”

Chao, 21, is the younger brother of He Chong, who won an Olympic gold medal in the 3-meter springboard at Bejing in 2008 and a bronze in London last year.

“I’m following in my brother’s footsteps but I’m going to surpass my brother’s success,” Chao said through a translator.

Liang was half of the gold-medal winning synchronized team in 2008 at Beijing, where Hausding and Klein captured the silver medal.

“It’s hard to see,’ Hausding said of losing to the Chinese again. “You’re working and working and yet they’re still in front of you. Sometimes they can be beaten – but not today.”

In the women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard, China’s Zhang Jun and Qu Lin won with 311.40 points. Ukraine’s Anna Pysmenska and Olena Fedorova were second (293.70). Malaysia’s Ng Yan Yee and Cheong Jun Hoong were third (282.90).

Lian won gold with 392.980 points, and Xiaohui had 368.55. Ukraine’s Juliia Prokopchuk was third with 346.15 points.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

J. Phillips’ reaction to the last minute of the Watford x Leicester second leg of the playoffs, where a penalty is saved at one end (after a dive) and, within ten seconds, a goal is scored at the other. Spectacular match, better commentating.

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5 months ago I’ve transferred to this wonderful place called Sabah, and I now live in the capital, Kota Kinabalu. It’s a place packed with tourist spots, so I feel like I’m on a loong vacation. It’s awesome.

There really are a lot of places you can visit here, but the tourist destination I’ve frequented the most is Pulau Sapi, one of the 5 islands that make up Tunku Abdul Rahman marine park (TARP).

1) How to get there?

You can go to any of the islands in TARP via Jesselton Point in the city center. The standard published rate is RM23 for a return trip to 1 island, RM33 for 2 islands, etc2. But it’s easy to bargain for a cheaper price, especially if you’re a local and got a large group.

2) Which island(s) to go?

I guess it depends on what you want to do. Gaya is the biggest island, it’s got a resort and a settlement. Manukan is the 2nd largest, it also has a resort, and you can do some water sports activities there. The beach area is quite big, and it’s a good place if you just to relax on the beach.

Parasailing = awesome. Standard rate is RM100 per person, you’ll be up in the air for about 15 minutes. But you can always bargain the price down. lol

Sapi is a good place for snorkeling, but the good snorkeling spots are a bit far from the shore, so make sure you don’t give up and just keep swimming until you see the pretty corals! I also did my PADI Open Water training there. Although I heard that it’s not in par to Sipadan and the likes, I think it’s pretty enough to satisfy newbie divers like me. And since it’s so close to home, it’s a convenient place to go diving.

I heard that Sulug is also pretty for diving. But there’s no public amenities there. So people rarely go there. I’m not really sure how Mamutik is, but all I know is that it’s got lots of sea urchins :p (but it does have public amenities, and people often go there too)

Pulau Mamutik. This is what I saw near the jetty. Sea urchins, lots of them. But I’ve also heard that it’s a good place for snorkeling.

3) Okay back to Pulau Sapi

If you go there, you HAVE to go see the underwater life. If not, it’s better to just go to Manukan. Unlike Manukan, the beach is pretty small. And also unlike Manukan, the corals are still pretty much preserved.

Pretty Sapi Island

It can get quite crowded, especially on a sunny day. But many people tend to flock close to the beach, coz I guess most newbie snorkelers are too scared to go too far away from the land. Which is good for all you non-newbie snorkelers out there. lol

I love cute tiny clown fish and I spotted quite a lot of them. There were lots of parrotfish too, and some of them are so big they kinda freaked me out. lol. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to see a huge school of fish feeding at the corals. It’s fun to follow them around.

As for diving, there are several diving spots around Sapi. Most of them aren’t so deep. Not far from Sapi there’s a diving spot called Angel Petris. It’s quite nice, but, it’s pretty far from the land and I guess it’s quite easy to miss the spot and ended up searching futilely. lol

That’s all from me