The East Coast - A Free and Easy Diving Holiday (Part Two)

22 May 2007

Reached Kuala Besut at about 9am. Left the car at Kak Shikin's place.... Took the speed boat and arrived in D'Lagoon at about 11.30am. Pakcik Razak wasn't there but they had already prepared for us a room.

D'Lagoon is in Teluk Kerma, Perhentian Kecil. It's very quiet as it is the only resort or chalet here. I have been here once in April 2004... My first dive trip after OWD... Majority of the holidaymakers here are Europeans.

The dive shop is managed by Turtle Bay Divers and the resident instructor is Drew who has been there for perhaps 3 years. Arranged to dive with them and our 1st DM was a sweet Swede called Emily. She took us to the house reef but since they are worried bout coral destruction all dives to the House Reef are boat dives

1st dive - 3pm
Viz was horrible but we managed to see the cleaner station and the shrimps....


23rd May 2007

Our DM for the next three dives is Hannah, who just qualified as a DM a week prior... hmmm I think I may have dived more than her plus she has only dived in Perhentian... but she's the DM laaaa....... that's why can 'eksyen'


2nd dive- Sugar Wreck... at last... Salwa was worried as there are surface currents but at went well... saw loads of jellyfish, lionfish, puffer and porqupine, baby barracuddas... I was absolutely happy....It's my first REAL wreck.....


3rd dive
The outer part of d'lagoon.... our DM was hopeless... told us what we may see but she was not interested in 'hunting' for anything... How can spot anything if you're about 2m above the reef.. cehh... Me and saliha as usual were our slow self.. and our DM was just taking a stroll in water... Absolutely hopeless!!!!!!





In the evening we witnessed turtles hatching- four in total... at the beach in D'lagoon.. what a sight...


24th May 2007
4th dive- Tokong Laut

This has always been a lovely site to dive.... we saw loads of boxfishes, whiteeyed morays, bamboo shark (no thanks to our DM)....


5th dive - Aaah changed DM- Paul. Cool and easy-going. Went to Tg Basi (dunno whether that's the actual name) the DM named it Tangen Basi... hahhahaha.....As usual, mat sallehs get hyper-excited seeing turtles. I must say I was too... finally something big....


6th dive- Night dive. BEST DIVE ere. Drew was sick so Tim came over to take us diving in D'lagoon. See the photos... Can't say enough!!!





For more photos, go to www.flickr.com/photos/bakawali/

Mixed feelings

I was hoping the KKM people delay in sending me my appointment letter.. but alas, at 5.28pm someone from Putrajaya called. I have to pick up my letter of appointment tomorrow and report for duty on 1st June.

So officially, I am now going to work in the Temerloh Hospital. I am cool with the posting but as usual a bit anxious as I now have to change my life... out of my comfort zone

I guess I have to work where I am needed.

We will see what happens....

The East Coast - A Free and Easy Diving Holiday (Part One)

aaahhhh.... it's over! My week-long diving holiday is now over.... but I had great fun.

This is my report for the trip

18th May 2007

I was in Langkawi for the MOA. Presented at 8am. Thank god it went OK, did not make a fool of myself.


Flight to KL delayed 2 hours only reached KL at 5.30pm... OMG haven't packed yet. When I reached home it was almost 8pm. Saliha called and said she'll be late...

"I've got time"...heheeheh..


19th May 2007


When I finally picked her up, it was nearly midnight. Took the coastal road.... saw the most amazing sunrise... and reached KT at bout 7am... (slept halfway for almost 2 hours)...

The next task was finding a secured parking for the car...mom's!!!...The problem with taking the ferry from Jetty Syahbandar to Redang is there are limited secured car park.. only about 20 spots at the ferry terminal (taman laut office)... Thank god someone was leaving and I secure the place in the nick of time



Reached Mozana at about 11 am..... checked in and immediately prepared our equipment.


Sunrise at Mozana Beach Resort

1st dive - terumbu Che Isa

Was supposed to og to Che Isa Darat, jumped in and about 1 min into the dive i.e. at 7m aborted coz we missed the dive site...


So i guessed we went to Che Isa Laut after that. Viz was not so great, but since I have dived in viz of 1m I guess it's Ok....


2nd dive

Pulau Paku Kecil... nice site... it was a drift dive... loads of hard coral but again viz was not so OK. Realised we are poor swimmers as the current got stronger... However, I enjoyed it... My first few dives after 6 months

20th May 2007
3rd dive

Tanjung Tokong.... wanted to catch a glimpse of whale shark...hahaahhah...dream on

'Bullock Hypselodoris'

But the area is superb and we did a drift dive... very strong current. Saliha and I kept together but got swept away during our ascend into the blue... realised we're in the open sea when the current became calm... I guess three years diving prepared us for this so both of us were ok. Had my sausage and after the safety stop we ascended and realised we were bout 300-500m away from where the other surfaced...

4th dive

'Crinoid Squat Lobster'

The infamous Stinger Reef... It's all that we hoped. A real macro heaven... there were clumps of reef filled with shrimps and crabs and...blah blah blah... yellow spot faced and white eyed morays; cleaner, boxer anemone shrimps; crabs; SQUAT LOBSTER...... nearly deco-ed (maybe I did...) did a longer safety stop...


I was damn happy....


5th dive..
Our latest buddy, the newbie arrived. Since this was her 1st dive after OWD Adrin took her down for some refresher and skills... to build her confidence.. So off to the House Reef

Viz was about 5-8m..OK I guess


21st May 2007
6th Dive


Stinger Reef again.... Ahhhh HEAVEN, Salwa skipped this as we were planning to take more photos..(and perhaps deco again.....) but alas I had Saliha to watch my time....

7th dive

K1- at Pulau Kerengga. Also a heaven underwater, better viz... no currents... Highlights were the swim through.... and as I was exiting it... a turtle exited with me.........ahhhhhhh

Salwa was grinning ear to ear- 1st time seeing not just one but TWO turtles......

Left on the last ferry and stayed overnight at KT.

Part Two -Perhentian (Coming soon)