I found a copy of my letter to The Star on shark conservation in the website of the Perak Veterinary Services Department.
I hope more relevant Government departments have taken notice of the letter.
Is This The One?
Ancient Shipwreck Found
The wreck of what was probably a Portuguese vessel sunk in 1583 has been found off Melaka. Dr Mike Flecker, the Managing Director of Maritime Explorations said that the warship is located between Pulau Upeh and Pulau Panjang off Melaka.
I still have hope then.
Raping Sipadan Again
The Prime Minister has lashed out at the Sabah Chief Minister for wanting to go ahead with the construction project on Sipadan island, two months after the barge incident that destroyed a patch of corals near Barracuda Point.
I have therefore taken the liberty to send this E-mail out to the Editor of The Star:
Dear Editor,
Thank you for shining the light on Pulau Sipadan (‘Lay Off Sipadan’ – The Star, Thursday, July 27, 2006) by giving it the headlines. The Prime Minister should follow-up on his outrage over the matter and put a halt to this blatant stupidity, especially after the barge incident that destroyed that patch of reef on May 14, 2006.
It should be remembered that the government had ordered all resort operators on Sipadan to remove ALL structures off the island by December 31, 2004 following the findings of a study by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, to preserve the island’s eco-system. The study found that there were signs of water stress. This occurs when the island’s natural fresh water supplies are consumed faster than they can be replenished, and seawater flows in to replace the lost volume. Satellite images then showed that the island had lost 20 percent of its natural vegetation. Sewage was found in groundwater with e-coli bacteria contaminating the wells. About half the shoreline used by turtles to nest were taken up by buildings, and their lights deterred the turtles from nesting. Since the eviction of the operators, all visitors to the island have based themselves from resorts on nearby island, a short 15-minute boat ride away.
On May 19, 2006, four days after the barge incident, the Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah said to a local Sabah daily that there is a need for restaurants and toilet facilities to be built on the island to cater for divers numbering up to 120 daily. If there was such a need, why evict the original operators in the first place instead of upgrading the existing facilities? Why should there be any facility at all when the divers can relax in comfort after their dives at Sipadan at their respective resorts 15 minutes away?
This is the very same Deputy Chief Minister who, when the judgment on the ownership of Sipadan was passed by the ICJ, was quoted to have said the following:
“With the landmark decision we are now responsible for the protection and conservation of the abundant marine life around these remarkable islands,” he said.
He said that what followed were steps towards the full protection of Sipadan, including measures to remove the resorts with tourists no longer being allowed to stay overnight on the island.
Recent surveys found between 30 to 40pc of the island’s flora were damaged by resort development. As a result, Sipadan would undergo a period of “rehabilitation” during which “everyone” should take stock and evaluate how each and everyone can help, not just Sipadan but also Mabul and Kapalai, he said.
As for Sipadan, he said: “The jungle will be allowed to return to its natural state with beaches cleared for nesting turtles and we hope Sipadan’s reefs will be able to return to their former glory.”
As a diver from Malaysia I feel very much ashamed that the powers-that-be show very little appreciation for God’s gifts to us. I feel even more ashamed and disgusted that disrespect is shown by the leader of a state to the leader of our great nation. I can see no greater arrogance than that.
Capt (Rtd) Hj Abdul Rahmat Omar bin Tun Mohd Haniff
Back from the Wreck
I’m back…and am already suffering withdrawal symptoms. Bored, lethargic, sleepy etc. I wish I’m diving somewhere. 39 days of waiting and only 12 dives over 3 days. Not fair at all. Anyway, I’m thankful to be back, missed my children.
Basically, the trip was a wonderful trip (what dive trip isn’t if it ends well?). Thursday we went off to Tanjung Gemuk in Pahang via Senawang, Kuala Pilah, Muadzam Shah, Leban Chondong, and Kuala Rompin. We departed the jetty at Tanjung Gemuk at 2.30am. Our first destination was the Varella Wreck (a.k.a Gyoshin Maru), did two dives that I enjoyed immensely. Then we went to the Kuantan Wreck (a.k.a Nichi Asu Maru). Current was exceptionally strong. Nothing I have faced before. Well, maybe 10% more than that stupid dive at Soyak Wreck back in Feb 06. After several failed attempts, including the capsize of the tender, we managed to go down to the wreck. But currents were too strong for us to do anything. We managed to explore some 5% of the wreck before Holemaster decided it was too strong. So we aborted. At the line while doing our safety stop, we were literally like Superman except we had both hands on the line hanging on to dear life. We were afraid too, for friends like Massive Headwound, Atok, and Pian who went down while we were on our way up, because as they came up, it as dark, stormy, with bolts of lightning lighting up the pitch-black sky. Anyway, everyone made it on board after an elaborate rescue mission. The sad news was we lost the tender to the sea a couple of hours later.
The next day we did one dawn dive at Chebeh, off Tioman, before making it towards Tiger Reef for another dive. We thought of doing Batu Malang after, but the southern winds picked up causing the LOB and a few other LOBs and speedboats moored there to roll. So we moved to Kador Bay for the next dive. We attempted to do a night dive at Chebeh, but very strong currents made any diving there almost impossible. How did we know the current was strong below? Well, Holemaster and I were down there at 13 meters. So we went to Kador Bay again for the night dive before mooring above Roger Wreck at Salang.
We did Roger Wreck at 1.30am. A lively wreck during the day, it looked so spooky at night. But I enjoyed that dive, taking photos as usual. At 3.00am, I went to bed after a nice shower. The LOB moored off Paya for a while before making towards Pulau Jahat, off the south-western corner of Tioman. One morning dive there, and another dive at Tokong Bahara, which is an anemone garden like Hin Son at Koh Lipe.
We departed for Tanjung Gemuk at 2.30pm and arrived there around 6.00pm.
It was a good trip and I would like to do this trip again….and soon.
Off I Go…
Well, today’s the day. I’m just waiting for Massive Headwound‘s flight confirmation so I’ll know what time to go to KLIA. Hopefully we can get to Tanjung Gemuk before midnight.
My bags are all packed, except for the toiletries and medicines. I really can’t wait to get underwater again.
I hope when I come back, I can do a three-day field report and post it here. I also hope to do lots of stills and videos. I need to replenish my image and video banks. At least there will be more things to show during the Malaysia Diving Community first anniversary.
I am also hoping very much to be able to photography AND videograph a Whale Shark. The last and only time I had seen one was in Kota Kinabalu (off-shore, not in some soup bowl) back in 2000. I didn’t have a camera then. I have promised myself to fast for a week for every Whale Shark I get to photograph and videograph. If people didn’t hunt them for their fins, I should be at my optimum weight now.
So, adios, and I shall be back online hopefully on Monday (if I’m not too tired to write).
May Tomorrow Be A Perfect Day
Boy, I feel real tired, yet happy. I was in Melaka earlier today to have a look at a potential LOB. To my disappointment, it doesn’t fit the criteria of one..what more it runs on petrol (wrong choice of engines). However, I feel happy because I now have a good wreck in the Strait of Malacca to dive on. I shall organise a trip when the east coast season’s off. So now it is back to the Sekinchan potential LOB if my final attempt in Johor fails too.
I need to have an LOB. My cash reserves are down to critical level so I have to quickly identify one and write-up a paper and present to the old man. Hopefully, the old man will buy the idea and agree to finance me with a interest-free no-payback loan for the operations. After all, he was the one who suggested I do something that I have passion for. That’s diving then. But to open just another dive shop will kill me for sure as there is no way I can make safe and comfortable financial margins. And since the LOB craze seems to be catching on, I would say it is the way to go.
Talking about LOB, tomorrow is the big day. By this time tomorrow (2347 hours Malaysian time) I should already be on the MV Wavebreaker, and hopefully Massive Headwound will be able to catch a flight from Kota Bharu to KL. Day after tomorrow, I shall be back in familiar surroundings.
As for August, I have been invited to join the Coral Society’s dive program. My sister, whose identity you can find out in my previous posting (Hey, I’m 40 – Part Deux), will also be there. She hopes for me to join that program. So I may make that trip. Then she will have a week’s break, and wants to go somewhere before she gets busy again. So I have suggested an LOB trip. She has agreed, and hopefully the weekend after that, we’ll be diving again. She is upset she is not able to join me on tomorrow’s trip as she has just returned from London and need to do some work, attend some press interviews etc. She’s upset mostly because it is going to be mainly wreck dives from an LOB. Real wrecks…not those sunken fishing boats.
So, there you go…hopefully I get to get the financing for the LOB of my choice.
If you don’t want to read my previous posting to find out who my sister is, her picture is below:
I Can Smell The Sea
54 hours from now, I shall be making my way to Tanjung Gemuk in Kuala Rompin, Pahang. Some 13 hours later, my friends and I should be diving the Nichi Asu Maru wreck in the South China Sea. Six hours after that, we should be diving the Gyoshin Maru wreck, and 18 hours after that, the outer reefs of Tioman Island.
It has been an extremely long time for me between dives…not even a pool dive was done since my trip to Tioman early last month, and it is about time I get back underwater. The polluted air above ground is getting to me already.
I need my dose of compressed air.
Snafu Back Offshore
Today, SnafuDeDiver has gone back offshore on board a barge. For those who asked if the barge is bigger than the MV Kaleebso, have a look at the pic above.
So Snafu is back to watching young Indian engineers unzipping their seniors’ fly.
Kuantan Wreck
In a week’s time of writing this, I would probably be, or about to do, my second dive onto this wreck. Next week, save for war, violent earthquake, the sea drying up for no apparent reason, will see the end of my longest stay on dry land without breathing compressed air – 39 days.
Crazy. But not as crazy as going to work in that s**thole they call “office”.
So next Thursday evening we will all drive through the highway exiting at Senawang through Kuala Pilah, Bahau, Serting, Muadzam Shah and Leban Chondong before hitting Kuala Rompin’s Fisheries Department’s jetty at Tanjung Gemok to board the MV Wavebreaker.
Friday 21st July we should do two dives at the Nichi Asu Maru (a.k.a Kuantan Wreck – pictured above). She was a Japanese oil tanker than sank some 20 nautical miles off Kuantan back in the 1960s. She lies in 26m of water, the shallowest point at 15m. She is 80m in length, so to circumnavigate the wreck (without penetration or really taking photos) should take one whole dive.
After that we will be shooting off to the Gyoshin Maru (a.k.a Varella Wreck) located in 24m of water near Pulau Berhala (Varella Rock). The Gyoshin Maru was a merchantman converted into a torpedo gunboat by the Japanese. One day, at speed, she rammed into the Varella Rock, split in half, and sank. I gather we would be doing more than two dives here plus probably two night dives here before moving on to Tioman’s outer reefs.
On the 22nd and 23rd July, we’ll be doing the various reefs and islands off Tioman such as Labas, Sepoi, Chebeh, Tiger, Golden and Magicienne before returning to Tanjong Gemok on the 23rd.
I just hope I will be diving more frequently after that.
The MV Wavebreaker
SeaDemon Says 
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