Category: Diving

Hmm…I’ve been asked to do a job at sea for US$5000.

I’m gonna do it.

Day 2 in Tioman and it was a good one. We started the morning with some roti canai and nasi lemak. First dive was at the Sawasdee Wrecks.I remember telling Kudinne that it was going to be a decompression dive, and it was. Like another dive site called Fan Canyon, it’s so easy to lose track of your bottom time diving these wrecks. I spent 23 minutes at the bottom and had to do 26 minutes of decompression stops starting at 24 meters through 3 meters.

Next dive was at Labas. The winds had picked up by this time so the waves were quite big and the surge could be felt all the way down. By the time we surfaced, it was raining.

Expecting calmer weather after the rain we dived at Golden Reef next. Current was strong and so was the surge. Visibility was bad too! But there were two Manta rays passing by but we couldn’t catch up with them. Then Reeno asked me to enter a relatively huge cave. I did, but having no dive light I exited the cave. Derrick then went in as he was better prepared, and hurriedly came out andd signalled that there was a shark in there. So I re-entered and still couldn’t see anything. Suddenly, Derrick switched on his light from behind me, and there it was, with a head wider than my body and I went “Holy Cow!”. I turned and never went back in. Reeno had the shark on video.

It has been a good trip but frustrating for me as I did not have a camera with me during this dive trip.

Greetings from Tekek, in Tioman. Although this resort actually has LAN connection via wifi, I’m using GPRS to connect.

The drive was nice and easy, did 110km/h all the way to Air Hitam. I left KL at 11.45pm and got to Mersing at 4.15am (plus an hour roti canai break). I managed to get around 1.5 hours worth of sleep before taking a shower and making my way to the jetty.

Anyway, I did three dives. First dive was at Tiger Reef, second was at Pirate Reef, followed by one at Soyak Reef. Monsoon is already here. The waves were big initially but was flat calm after a storm. However, you can feel the surge even down at 24m. Visibility ranged between 8m-15m. Not too bad at all.

So, what did I see? A Blacktip Reef Shark, several huge Reef and Broadclub Cuttlefishes, huge Chevron Barracudas, Bumphead.Parrotfishes. The shallower of the two wrecks at Soyak’s falling apart. That’s the bad thing about sinking wooden ships as artificial reefs. Tomorrow we’ll be doing Chebeh island first and I expect thunderstorm again late morning or afternoon.

Thank you to Kay for taking time to read my blog: do leave comments as you do.

I shall write again after tomorrow’ dives.

It’s time to go back diving.

Here’s what weather in Tioman is going to be like until Sunday:

Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th November:

Morning – fair; Afternoon – thunderstorms; Night – fair.

Sunday 5th November:

Morning – fair; Afternoon – cloudy; Night – fair.

THUNDERSTORM WARNING
WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM WARNING
IN THE CENTRAL SOUTH CHINA SEA

A) WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN THE COASTAL WATERS OF PERAK AND NEGERI SEMBILAN
Thunderstorms activities with strong winds over the coastal waters of Perak and Negeri Sembilan are expected to persist till noon (01 November 2006). This condition is expected to cause rough seas up to 3.0 metres and is dangerous to small boat.

WARNING ON STRONG WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS IN THE COASTAL WATERS OF THE EAST COAST OF PENINSULAR MALAYSIA, SARAWAK, LABUAN AND SABAH

Typhoon ‘Cimaron’ was centred near latitude 18.7 North and longitude 116.3 East, approximately 482 km Southeast Hong Kong at 05.00 am 01 November 2006 and is expected to track northwestwards with speed of 6 kmph.

In this connection, strong southwesterly winds of 40-50 kmph and rough seas with waves up to 3.5 meters now occurring in the coastal waters of the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, Labuan and Sabah are expected to continue until Thursday (2 November 2006). This condition of strong winds and rough seas is dangerous to small boats.

Updated on 01 Nov 2006, 7.30 am

Yes, I am writing about diving during fasting month. So what? Last year I did 3 dives during fasting month and still fasted. Half dead.

Anyway, with the imminent onset of the monsoon season on the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia (it will hit Perhentian, Redang, Lang Tengah and Bidong first), I would like to tell all hardcore divers out there that SEAHORSE DIVE CENTER on Perhentian Besar shall remain open throughout the monsoon period for all hardcore divers.

Hooray for Ghani!

This big guy was out feeding at Batu Layar.

You can see more pics by clicking here.

Sometimes, when friends pester me to go diving with them, they would find me reluctant. The above is one of the reasons I am always reluctant to leave home for an extended period.

That’s Nisaa. She is now, at the time of this posting, 20 months old; and by the time I get back from this trip, she would be exactly 21 months old. She sleeps with the mother. Every night, she would clamber onto my bed and sleep with me, snuggling against me. In the morning, when she wakes up, she’d rub my cheek and kiss me. Always smiling when she wakes up.

My son, Farhan, is another reason. Since he came back from the maternity ward after his birth, he has been sleeping with me whenever I am around. He’s grown now but is still attached to me, other than his toys.

The other reasons are below:

From left: Hana – my whole purpose of living changed the day she was born. I remember dedicating the song Jasmine Flower by Kenny G as that was the first song the player in my car played after she was born. Very sunny day that was. She was my 3-year old friend who comforted me when my marriage to her mother broke up. Farhan – the boy who is now my heir. My best friend. Alim – though just a stepson, I am the only father he has ever known. However, with his recently acquired ability to read and comprehend, he has now begun to ask why is my name different to that of the ones written on his exercise books. Nisaa – the baby and terror of the family. Angelic-sweet, but can be very short-tempered. She will only complete her tertiary education (hopefully) when I turn 61 years old. If I live that long. Fazira – the daughter whose “baby-life” I missed. She was only 11 months old when her mother and I split. I finally managed to get visiting rights when she turned 2. Now, she is the elder sister I can rely upon to look after her younger siblings. Iqa – my stepdaughter. Chubby when she first saw me as a 9-year old girl, she too, does not recognise anyone else to be her father. She is now Hana‘s best friend.

Those are my reasons for living on this Earth, other than the specified obligations.

I received a call just now from the HOLEMASTER telling me not to go to Perhentian without him, and how many times more do I want to log dives without him.

Hehehe…sorry, bro. You can always go on MC tomorrow till Friday and join me.