Blogs from Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia, Asia

First stop Sipadan After our arrival in Tawau we were picked up by Seaventures for a one hour transfer to Semporna. We noticed the many thousands and thousands of palm oil trees along the road. From Semporna we were sailed to the converted oilrig of Seaventures just opposite Mabul Island. It was a great ride in a speedboat powered by two 200 horsepower engines. This is really something compared to the slow boats we experienced in the Philippines. It was very special to live on the rig that is transported to Borneo all the way from Panama and now functions as a dive resort. To our joy we met Bob from California who we befriended on our Socorro dive trip last year. We had a great time in Socorro and again on Borneo. The diving around ... read more

Here are our thoughts--voyagers’ thought Here not the land, firm land, alone appears, may then by them be said, They sky o’erarches here--we feel the undulating deck beneath our feet We feel the long pulsation--ebb and flow of endless motion; The tones of unseen mystery--the vague and vast suggestions of the briny world--the liquid-flowing syllables, The perfume, the faint creaking of the cordage, the melancholy rhythm, The boundless vista, and the horizon far and dim, are all here, And this is Ocean’s poem. In Cabin’d Ships at Sea, Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman After getting my advanced open water certification in Taiwan in 2011, I always put Sipadan, Sabah, Malaysia on my traveling shortlist. On February 24, 2012, I finally was one of 120 permitted divers of Sipadan on this day. And ... read more

We get into ton about half five. It's dark and quiet. I've had maybe an hours sleep and LP doesn't even supply a map of the town. Netta wants to stay at Dragon Inn so that's where we head first - RM20 (£4) for a dorm room, cold showers, squat toilet and no wi-fi. It doesn't open until half six. I check my dive status at Sipadan Scuba and they recommend I stay at the attached GH. It's RM25 (£5) for a dorm bed, with hot showers, western toilets, wi-fi and a towel. I'm sold, but Netta would rather save the RM5 a night, though she does get a whole dorm to herself (at time of check-in). Netta manages to find a Sipanan dive for tomorrow for RM600 and something. We each grab naps (tough Netta's ... read more

Leaving Uncle Tans i took the bus to Lahan Datu and onto Semporna, first impressions - o my GOD - this place is much worse than everyone said, its a complete and utter dump! But when you get into the main street where the dive shops are and hostels its just a dump and not as bad. Checking in to Scuba Junkie backpackers they had lost my booking but by the time i headed over to fill out the paperwork for my dive it was all organised i and checked into my room. There are loads of local cheap cafe's and a very good western cafe attached to the hostel, for the first night i headed to the cheap cafes. And after been at Uncle Tans for three days where there are no showers had an ... read more

Leaving Korea was difficult. A year may seem small in a lifetime, but it's huge when living abroad, because the people you form relationships with become your family away from family. Everyone is living far from home, in a foreign land, having similar experiences and emotions; we come to rely on one another more than we realize, that is until one leaves. I started to realize before leaving that it would be tough, which played into my decision to head straight to Borneo to start my Divemaster course. I'd pondered taking a couple of weeks off to travel first, but thought I might be having a tough time leaving Korea, so being alone somewhere in Malaysia could potentially be more lonely than relaxing. I figured, if I head straight to Borneo for a month-long stay to ... read more

Zwischenhalt in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia Flug nach Tawau, dann Bus nach Semporna. Diving Mabul, Kapalai, SIPADAN und Mantabuan. Dann 3 Tage / 2 Naechte in Uncle Tan Jungle Camp am Kinabatang River... etwas Dschungel zur Abwechslung. Tauchen um Mabul und Sempoerna herum war gut, allerdings sieht man die krassen Schaeden von der ehemaligen (der heutigen illegalen Dynamithfischerei) - ein guter Tauchplatz ist wo ca. 50% der Korallen noch intakt sind oder sich in den letzten Jahrzehnten wieder einigermassen erholt hat - traurig aber wahr. Sipadan war dafuer umso besser - eben keine Fischer, da Nationalpark und das sieht man ueberdeutlich. Es hat Haie, unzaehlige Schildkroeten und wir sahen eine Schule von Barracudas und eine Schule Jacks - die sind immer am gleichen Ort... am Barracuda Point. Die Korallengaerten sind der Hammer, eben so die Waende. Geniale ... read more