After weeks of planning and arrangements to set up my new rig, Got my tray, handles, lights, spare batteries, etc. I was ready to test my new rig and the very first serious videography of Sipadan and Mabul islands. God knows! A strand of hair caught between the housing o-ring caused the camera to flood and the whole trip was almost spoiled. I was left with no other choice but to rent a camera to capture some memories of my diving adventure. The pictures taken were of bad quality, so were the handler (me) could not hold the camera steadily. White balance were off and colors all eaten up at depth.
The dive guide was co-operative enough to ascend with my camera to let it dry. The next dive without camera, I was in complete focus on the diving and enjoyed the beauty of the underwater world with Garry, the Divemaster. On the 3rd dive, water could not purge from my regulators,. I could not breathe, kept swallowing water and panicked. I thought it was time for me to go. I have forgotten what I learned and what to do. Garry was close by and I used his octopus to ascend. My octopus could still work though it was not in top condition. I did not know what actually went wrong except the fact that the second stage was kinda block.
I am grateful Garry saved my life. He is also very special compared to the other guides I have dived with. Besides being meticulous and dedicated to his work, he is sincere and true. Someone you can entrust your life to and make you feel secured. I am so glad I met this wonderful guy. He is also funny in his special ways and makes you laugh endlessly. I decided to stay at the same resort and got to know him better. The rest of the dive crew were not helpful enough. They seemed to leave every responsibility to Garry. They were not accommodating enough.
There is no fresh water on the boat, for drinking or rinsing. No towels provided on 2 dives trip and no snacks or hot drinks. The boatman even took my snacks without asking! So I brought my own towel for the next day dives. When the towel was blown away, they said it was my fault that I am supposed to take care of it, and not they.
Every morning, I wake up every morning as usual at about 6.30 and hoping to have breakfast at 7.30 but surprisingly, the kitchen staff got the food ready just before 8 am but the crew wake up only after 8 am! Some don't even have time to take their breakfast because the first dive is supposed to start at 8.30. There is no system, discipline or rules in this resort. They seem to only do things at their own pace and not providing adequate service to their guests. The other disappointment with this diving center I had was not having the opportunity to explore the other dive sites around Kapalai because I was the ONLY guest. The boat will only take a minimum of 2 guests out to the slightly further Kapalai dive sites (approx 20 minutes journey) though. So ... friends, if you are planning to dive these islands, make sure the dive center have other guests diving together with you or you will be left out alone missing out many dive sites.
Aside from these complaints and my camera's problem, the whole trip was well compensated with Garry's good companionship on land and underwater. I had no more qualms though.
Diving at Sipadan was fantastic. Watching white tip reef sharks, schooling jacks, barracudas and bumphead parrotfishes swim by face to face will be my unforgettable moments during my diving adventure. The more I see, the more I yearn for.
Diving around Mabul island were mostly critter hunting. We found lots of critters especially my favorite nudibranch, morays and frogfish and took lots of pictures and videos. It was awesome especially with Garry beside me. The diversity of macro life is awesome but as compared to Lembeh Straits, it is still at second place. I would be back to dive Kota Kinabalu, Sabah etc not so much for the critters, but to dive with Garry again.
