Day 133-135: Mabul, Borneo

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June 8th

Today was the big day... Diving the legendary Sipadan Island. Unfortunately Ferdi had a feverish night and woke with a terrible cold. We were lucky to get the permits to Sipadan so we didn't want to give them up. We packed our snorkeling gear just in case he couldn't dive. The morning was off to a dubious start and would get progressively worse.

First, we almost missed the boat cause they were leaving early and in the rush to get to the boat we forgot our water and sodas at the dive shop. Then we had terrible weather with big swells which slowed us down considerably, instead of taking 45mins to reach Mabul Island it took us an hour and a half.

Here we dropped off a few passengers and picked up a few divers. Ferdi quickly ran into the village to replace our forgotten water and sodas. From Mabul it should take about 15mins to reach Sipadan but with the weather it took 30mins. As we approached Sipadan Island we were told that because of the uselessness of Malaysian bureaucracy (sounds a lot like South African bureaucracy) the few of us who were on this dive because of cancellations had to assume the persons identity whom we replaced when we sign in at the island HQ. This meant that as far as the Malaysian government is concerned we never visited Sipadan.

The first dive site was called Turtle Patch. Once in the water Ferdi heard a leak on his cylinder and upon inspection the DM said his cylinder needed to be replaced. While Ferdi was swimming back to the boat it almost reversed into him. In the commotion he dropped his mask and it disappeared down the 600m chasm below. He didn't even realize the mask was missing until he had to get back into the water. They had a spare mask on-board but it was way too small and a total piece of rubbish, leaking and fogging up in equal measures.

For some reason the DM thought it best to dive deep. We don't really understand that kind of thinking because the deeper you go the more bland it gets. Colours disappear completely and sea life gets less and less. All the nice stuff is in the first 10 to 15m with the added bonus of being able to stay down for longer.

There was a strong current sweeping us along and the viz was not great. There were tons of particles in the water, making photography difficult. We saw a few turtles, followed by a White-tip shark swimming in our direction. Talita had been real nervous when she was told that she'd be seeing a bunch of sharks. She had the camera (since Ferdi could barely see through the mask) and didn't hesitate to take pictures as the shark approached. It disappeared into a hole on the rock-face and Talita, very bravely, swam up to the hole. As she got close the shark suddenly swam out of the hole, coming right for her but then veering off. These sharks are fairly small and hardly posses a threat to divers, but it was still a little intimidating to have a creature with such a fearsome reputation swim at you. Ferdi was still kicking himself for dropping his mask, but there was nothing to do but accept the loss and try to make the best of the day. We saw more sharks snoozing on the bottom and also a few lone Barracuda. So far we couldn't see what the big fuss about Sipadan is.

Our second dive site was called South Point. Again there was a strong current with low viz, lots of particles and a deep dive. Ferdi's mask was getting progressively worse and he constantly struggled to keep it clear. We saw more sharks and turtles but we still didn't see what all the 'who-hah' is about.

We had lunch on Sipadan Island where we got talking to an Aussie guy Nick and a lady from the UK. Nick is hilarious, with tons of stories and useless information.

Our third and last dive site was Barracuda Point. As we got in the water we were surrounded by Unicorn-fish and the first half of the dive was great. We saw a huge Napoleon Wrasse, sharks, turtles and a school of Pinnate Bat-fish. Ferdi managed to get a real nice close-up of a turtle chilling on a rocky ledge. The current got stronger and at one point we had to cling to the rock-face while waiting for stray members of our group to catch up with us. When they finally arrived we continued drifting until we reached the area the site is named for. A huge school of Barracuda hang out here, swimming against the strong current. Here everyone had to find a piece of rock to hang on to. This was where Ferdi's dive took a turn for the worse. In the extremely strong current we flapped like rags in a hurricane and Ferdi's mask refused to stay in place. It flooded quickly and continuously making it impossible for him to see anything. It was also a constant battle to keep of the soft corrals which burned his arms every time the current shoved him against it. Luckily Talita had the camera so she got some really nice pics.

Finally, after what felt like forever and with aching arms, we let the current sweep us away. Luckily (for Ferdi) we had expended so much energy (and therefore air) that we had to surface almost immediately. With burning eyes, throbbing sinuses and feeling miserable, Ferdi finally got onto the boat. Talita had enjoyed the last dive but her fingers hurt from clinging to the rocks.

Diving Sipadan was not as great as we expected and is so much more expensive than the other dive sites here. In our opinion it doesn't come close to Koh Tao or Phuket, but then again, it depends on what you like. We like a whole variety of big and small, pretty and ugly, corals and wrecks, and preferably, zero current (for the photographers among us). Is that too much to ask? 😱 We were told when we started diving that not all dives turn out to be fun. We didn't think it possible at the time, but today we were proven wrong.

We returned to Mabul Island were we would spend the next few nights. After a long chat with Nick and a few others we went to check into "The Longhouse" on the other side of the island. We couldn't stay at Scuba Junkie's resort cause it was fully booked. Ferdi's head felt stuffed and swollen. He hadn't been this sick in years. This didn't stop us from drinking a few beers with Nick and co.

Today's highlights:
1. Diving with White-Tip Sharks and Talita being calm about it.
2. Hanging onto the reef, dangling in the current, surrounded by a huge school of Barracuda.
3. Sitting on the deck of the longhouse, sipping shandies and enjoying the sea breeze.

June 9th

The Longhouse is a wooden structure built out onto the water. We woke with the sound of the Celebes sea lapping against the pilings of the house. Ferdi was still feeling sick so we decided to just rest the next few days. There's no better place to chill and recover. The weather here is great. There's a light and cool sea breeze blowing all day and virtually no mosquitoes.

The morning and the early afternoon was spent reading and napping. Then we were invited to go snorkeling on the nearby reef. Still feeling sick, Ferdi declined but Talita was keen, so after lathering on the sunscreen they set off by boat. Our local kitty came and kept Ferdi company while Talita was away.

While snorkeling Talita befriended a German lady, Esther, who was very experienced at spotting sea creatures. Esther would spot and Talita would photograph. They saw a black Lion-fish, Titan Trigger-fish, Cuttle-fish, Giant Moray Eel, a couple of Green Turtle, Box-fish, Napoleon Wrasse, shrimp and also her very first couple of Ribbon Eel. The younger female is neon blue with a bit of yellow while the older female is almost completely yellow.

At dinner we were chatting to Esther and her friend Fiona, a dive instructor vacationing here. She had dived Sipadan today and like us, she couldn't see what all the hype was about. It's not a terrible dive site, it's just that after all the hype you kinda expect something absolutely spectacular, not just something nice. We're just hoping that Mabul proves to be a better experience.

Today's highlights:
1. Talita enjoying a very nice snorkeling trip and seeing her first Ribbon Eel.
2. Friendly local kitty keeping Ferdi company.

June 10th

We were kept awake till about 2am by the drunken and terribly off-key singing of some "French kniget". Eventually the booze got the better of him and he passed out, to our great delight.

Ferdi woke feeling better and we had another chill day in bed. We arranged to stay longer on Mabul because it's such a nice place and we want to do some more snorkeling here.

Today's highlights:
1. Arranging to stay longer on Mabul.

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Photos

Dots of colour
Banner-fish

Children fishing
Sipadan in the background

Comments

[Belinda]

Hey girl, Ek is seker jy is nou moeg om net engels te lees, hoe gaan dit skat. Ek sien jy geniet julle paradys vakansie oppad Nieu See;and toe. Geniet dit want die 7 kinders gaan jou vreeslik besig hou.. Liefde, Belinda