Apo Reef 2023

Apo reef natural park is located in Mindoro strait, between the islands of Mindoro and Coron. It is the world’s second largest single coral reef and the largest atoll in the Philippines. It has 2 isolated coral reefs separated by a deep channel.

There are 3 uninhabited islands: Apo Island, Apo Menor and Cayos del Bajo. Apo Island is the location of the Ranger’s station and this is where the lighthouse is also located.

Apo reef is one of the few dive spots we have been with the clearest visibility. Being so isolated, it is still very rich in marine life and pelagics.

Seeing sharks in the dive is an indirect way of knowing that the reef is healthy and we saw sharks almost every dive! However, the most famous site to dive with them is the Shark airport.

In the shallow areas, small schooling fishes thrive. Steep walls are mostly covered by hard and soft corals, which was a beautiful site.

To dive Apo reef, you need to coordinate with the Ranger station and there is a limit on the number of days/nights you have to be there. We opted for a 3-day dive. If you need to extend for another day, you will have to pay for another 3 days worth. You can also do a day trip. There are no hotels or accommodations in the island, so staying in the boat (liveaboard or private) would be the only choice for consecutive dives.

You can get dive guides from Sablayan Mindoro or Coron. We had our dive guide from Coron who was quite familiar with the Apo reef sites.

It was indeed a great visit in a remote island like Apo reef natural park. We look forward to visit and explore more of these untouched remote treasures our country has to offer.

Coron 2023

It has been 2 years since our last post and we are excited to share some of our recent dive adventures in our succeeding posts. Today, we’ll virtually take you to Coron. Coron occupies the eastern part of the Busuanga Island, which is part of the Palawan Province of the Philippines.

Coron diving is best-known for the ship wrecks, as it is the final resting place of the 12 Japanese supply ships, bombed by Ally forces in 1944 during World War 2. Of those 12, we visited 2 ship wrecks- Okikawa Maru and Lusong.

This photo was taken in Okikawa Maru, seen with beautiful soft corals and even a friendly turtle. Okikawa Maru is 160m but the main deck lies at around 12m. Like most of the ship wrecks in Coron, visibility is always challenging, ranging from 5m-15m.

For both our wreck dives, we opted to have minimal penetration and explored with our underwater scooters. With the scooters, we can swim against the current with ease and we cover a huge surface area at a shorter time. The next photo is from Lusong gunboat, which is relatively shallow and small, with a nice coral garden beside it.

The highlight of our diving in Coron was seeing the sea cow or Dugong in the Northern part of the Busuanga coastline. Diving with the dugong would start with a local guide briefing on how to approach this marine mammal. The local guide then snorkels to find the dugong and then we dive as soon as it is spotted.

The dugong mostly stays for a couple of minutes, grazes on the sea grass beds and moves to a different location. We witnessed a fascinating behavior where it was trying to brush off the Remora by rolling over multiple times. It was indeed 2 memorable dives with the Dugong named Aban.

Another beautiful yet an exclusive area to explore is the Club Paradise house reef. We dove with the very accommodating Dugong dive center and their service is highly recommended.

Coron is certainly a mix of different diving profiles, both suited for beginners and advanced divers. Equally beautiful above water are the limestone formations, where non-divers can also enjoy. We look forward to explore more of Coron with our macro lenses and the unique diving sites in the lakes.

Dauin, Dumaguete 2019/2021

It is obvious that Dauin is one of our favorite macro dive destinations here in the Philippines. It is our 4th time here and since we missed writing about our 3rd visit last 2019, we will be sharing some of our favorite shots/footage during that time as well. We stayed with Atlantis resort (2019) and Atmosphere resort (2021). We dove with Mahi Mahi dive resort during our most recent visit.

Since the start of Pandemic last year, Dauin tourism has been badly affected as they have very limited local divers. In fact, it was our dive guide’s 1st time to do “muck diving” again in a year. Although it was an advantage to have the dive sites all to ourselves, the familiarity of “where-to-find-specific-critters” shared amongst local dive guides was also gone. Our critter finding was a bit slow during the first few dives but a lot of patience with consecutive diving eventually led us to finding our little treasures.

It was not long until we figured out it was frogfish season during our most recent visit. We see them in different sizes and colors, in almost all dive sites. This one in particular was about an inch small. I was able to practice a new technique shown to me by the owner of Mahi Mahi and was fortunate enough to catch this frogfish yawning.

Another critter that was fairly common in almost all of the dive sites we visited were ghost pipefishes.

A Dauin bucket list is never complete without Brian’s favorite critter, the Flamboyant cuttlefish. Surprisingly, we only saw this on our very last day of diving. In contrast to our previous visits where we see it almost everyday.

There is one popular dive site in Dauin called “secret corner”. This is known for the variety and high concentration of octopus. It is a “hit-or-miss” site though and because it is in the corner, currents can be challenging for underwater photography, so good timing is key. It was not octopus season (usually around October-January) but we were still happy to find a wonderpus, identified by its black and white zebra like pattern.

A visit in Dumaguete is never complete without visiting the beautiful reefs of Apo Island, which is a 30-45 minute-boat ride from Dauin. The main attraction in Apo are the lush soft and hard coral gardens, and ofcourse the hawksbill and green sea turtles.

We spent 6 days of diving during our most recent visit with 3-4 dives a day. With this schedule, you could maximize each dive site with a good and productive pace. After all, there is always something nice to photograph in almost all dives, from different types of gobies, and if you are lucky, you might see one with eggs, to a huge variety of shrimps like the saw blade and the emperor, to name a few.

What really fascinates me the most are the mouth brooding fishes. In our 2019 visit, we saw this cooperative jawfish with eggs. It was our first time to see one. Although this recent visit, we were not as lucky with the jawfish, we got better shots of the cardinal fish with eggs, which are resident fishes in the dive site, Talatha.

Dumaguete really offers the best of both worlds with amazing muck diving and lush coral reefs. These critters are just a few of the many in Dauin’s critter list in different dive sites. Mainly the reason why we never get tired of going back over and over again.

Malapascua, Philippines 2021

Since the beginning of lockdown here in the Philippines last March 2020, we haven’t really been out of Cebu City, except for some visits in Mactan Island. That’s why when Cebu province opened its doors to tourist without the requirements of mandatory swab testing and acceptance letters from the province, we did not hesitate to visit Malapascua Island. Knowing that the island had very few, if any COVID-19 cases, we felt safe to travel. Although swab testing was not necessary for entry, it was timely that we had a swab test for an intimate wedding for Brian’s cousin a few days before our departure, this way, we were also confident NOT to be “vectors” to the beautiful island.

This is not our first time in the island, but we always love coming back because of the vast variety of underwater creatures from pelagics and macro life. Malapascua Island is located in the northern part of Cebu. From our home, it takes around 4 hours to the port of Maya Daanbantayan by car, and another 40 minutes by boat from Maya port to Malapascua Island. Boats usually dock close to your resort. We stayed in Ocean Vida, fronting the white sand beach at a very convenient location.

It was very different to see Malapascua so quiet with very few guests. However, it was to our advantage as we were also the only guest divers in the island and we were free to choose all of our dive sites in our own convenient time with our dive operator, Devocean divers.

Monad shoal is always the top priority. Monad is the only place in the world where the elusive Thresher sharks are reliably spotted on a daily basis. Typically, the dive starts very early in the morning as this is the time the Thresher sharks gather at Monad Shoal for their daily clean. There are also strict regulations for Thresher shark dives and strobes or artificial lights are forbidden. That is why we opted to gamble on our 1st day and dove at 9AM, to have some ambient light. We were lucky to see them at shallower depths, at 15 meters. Cleaning stations are usually at 25-30 meters depth.

Another famous dive site in Malapascua is Gato Island. The cavern is Gato’s signature feature, which involves exploring the underwater tunnel traversing the island’s east to west side. White-tip reef sharks are resident to Gato and they show no signs of aggression, you can even approach them closely.

Just when we thought we have ticked off all of the sharks we should see in Malapascua, we unexpectedly saw this Brownbanded bamboo shark while diving the house reef. It is our first time to see this shark.

Malapascua is much more than just the pelagic sharks, macro lovers will also enjoy the diverse critters especially at night. This squid was very photogenic, it felt like shooting in black water even if it was just less than 10 meters deep.

Another favorite dive site in Malaspascua is the Lighthouse, to see the sunset courtship and one of nature’s most enchanting love-making rituals of the Mandarin fishes.

Everyday, just after sunset, females gather to watch males perform a flashy dance and if the female likes a male, she will join him by resting on his pelvic fin and as they float above the reef, they will spawn, releasing a cloud of eggs and sperm. If you look closely on the next photo, you will see some eggs.

It takes a lot of patience to shoot these beautiful fishes as they are very skittish with light and the ritual lasts for a few seconds. Otherwise, they are inside the small finger coral colony and very difficult to shoot. This dive site is usually packed with so many divers around their colony, which gives you little chance for a good photo. We really felt lucky to have the dive sites all to ourselves as we experienced Malapascua in a different light.

We feel so fortunate to be able to dive safely and somehow help the island, which has suffered economically for the past 10 months. As we are still uncertain when we could safely travel overseas again, we will continue to revisit our neighboring dive destinations and capture more of the beautiful gems each place has to offer.

Raja Ampat, Indonesia 2019

(For those who cannot view the vimeo link above use this from youtube instead)
Youtube: Raja Ampat Video

Raja Ampat, which means “four kings” in Bahasa, is not an easy place to access in Indonesia. It is located in West Papua and for us to reach Raja Ampat, we flew from Cebu to Singapore-Jakarta-Sorong via Silk Air and Garuda Indonesia. Garuda Indonesia was amazing as it offered free 23-kg dive luggage per person which was very helpful with all our gear. The travel may seem like a short distance, but getting to Sorong was challenging as there were limited flights to the remote area. Upon reaching Sorong airport, we also noticed that there were no money changers, good thing we had small US dollar bills to give a tip to the porter who helped us with our huge bags. We boarded our Phinisi liveaboard- Tiare cruise in Sorong, which was our home for 8 days. We have always wanted to try the traditional Indonesian sailing ship called Phinisi and we are so pleased we finally did.

FullSizeRender 2

IMG_1827

Our 1st stop was the southernmost part of Raja Ampat called Misool, which took us 12 hours to get there. The island landscapes are as stunning as the underwater reefs. It was in this area where we dove one of our favorite dive sites, Magic Mountain (aka Shadow reef or Karang Bayangan). This site really lives up to its name as we saw 4 manta rays and one was very close to both of us.

manta1manta2manta3

For the most part of our dives in Raja Ampat, we had some decent current as it was close to the full moon. Our reef hook skills came in handy.

reef hook- brian.jpg

Aside from the mantas, the magic lies in the blue with traversing giant trevallies and reef sharks, a lot of schooling fishes and numerous turtles cruising right beside you.

turtleyellow snapper

Raja Ampat is mostly known for its rich biomass of marine creatures and corals being in the coral triangle it was a great place to take some wide-angle photography, as well as a plethora of critters perfect for our macro lens. As most of our day dives were big schools of fishes, we switch to our macro set-up prior to our night dives. The hassle of switching was very much worth it when we saw this rare but beautiful blue-ringed octopus, which we have seen only for the 2nd time in all our diving history.

blue ring2blue ring

Another creature that we have only seen once before, but is fairly common in Raja Ampat, seen almost in every dive is the tasselled Wobbegong shark. It is referred to as a carpet shark for its bottom dwelling nature, flattened bodies and patterned skin perfect for camouflaging against the coral reefs. It takes a keen eye to spot them, usually under table corals.

wobbegong

We had multiple jetty dives during our trip but my favourite was in Sawandarek jetty. Probably the most beautiful jetty I have ever been in terms of underwater biodiversity. It was also our 1st time to see schooling fishes of 4 or more different species, with beautiful hard and soft corals in between.

school in jettyfish in jettyAnother beautiful observation in most of our dive sites are the vibrant colors of the soft corals. It can serve as the main focus or can make an attractive backdrop even to the simplest moray eel.

soft coralsoft corals2

moray eel

The sheer volume of fishes in Raja Ampat is difficult to match, you see just about any type of schooling fishes. From the tiny Fusiliers to barracudas and sweet lips.

school of barracudasweet lips

The diversity of nature is very apparent not just underwater, but also on land, with multiple mangrove coastlines and lush green rainforest all around. The landscape above the surface is equally breathtaking.

over-under shot

The land excursion and hiking to the peaks of the islands were very enjoyable as we get to see this paradise in a different perspective. Both the heart lagoon and Piaynemo viewpoint were worth the hike. We get to interact with the locals, although there is a large language barrier, their smiles were more than enough.

 

On our last dive day of the trip, we visited a pristine white sand bar. Another place to bond with fellow divers and snorkelers in our liveaboard, just enjoying each others’ company.

Our hearts were full just as our stomachs are, with all the sumptuous meals prepared to us by the hard working crew.

It was indeed a successful 4th year wedding anniversary for me and Brian, coinciding with my 300th dive made festive by the thoughtful crew of Tiare cruise.

As we always say, we will be back Indonesia. There is still so much more to explore and we are already looking forward for our next trip to the world’s largest chain of islands, Indonesia.

Bali, Indonesia 2018

Being a part of the coral triangle, Indonesia has always been one of our ‘diving bucket list’ destinations and we chose Bali because of the good mix of land and underwater tour. Bali however has so many dive sites and planning it alone with the logistics in mind may be a headache. Thanks to our friends from Oceanshutter, dive safari was well recommended. We booked with Underwater Tribe and true enough, we were never disappointed with their service and the tailored schedule suited for our convenience.

We took a plane from Cebu-Manila-Denpasar Bali via Philippine airlines. It was 4 hours in total flying time but we arrived at midnight and waited for another 2 hours for immigration and customs. Because of our late arrival, we wanted to have a relaxed land tour before starting our dive safari. We stayed in Seminyak but drove to Ubud, which is an hour away to experience a couple of things.

Elephant ride in Bali zoo:

Kopi luwak or civet coffee straight from its plantations:

Monkey forest and Goa Gajah:

DSC04977 copy

Our dive safari started in Nusa Penida. To get to Nusa Penida, we have a 45-minute boat ride from Sanur. Sanur is 30 minutes away from Seminyak, where we stayed. If you visit mainly for diving, Sanur also has nice hotels but because we wanted to celebrate our 3rd year anniversary with a good variety of restaurants, we opted to stay in Seminyak.

Nusa Penida dive is mostly pelagics or the big animals. Our 1st stop on both days of diving there was Manta Point. The visibility was not great but it is always the case as Manta rays stay there for the very reason why it has poor visibility — the planktons.

DSC05205

DSC05358 copy

Nusa Penida can have rough waves and swells so it might also be worth while to take sea sickness medications beforehand. Also a tip from our dive guide was to put half of our wetsuits on before leaving Sanur just to minimize movements and aggravate sea sickness. I learned it the hard way but made sure I did both precautions on our 2nd day there. Another good dive site is Crystal bay. During the sunfish (molamola) season, this is a great place to spot them. But the season usually runs from July to September, we were here on March so no molamola for us in this site BUT we were still so lucky to see one in Ped (another dive site in the northern part of Nusa Penida). We saw it at 25 meters and it was very skittish, probably because I literally screamed underwater. This picture is an “evidence shot”, not really the most ideal photo but atleast I can say, I really saw a molamola for the 1st time.

DSC05462 copy1

Also another gem that we saw for the first time was this Wobbegong shark. It was staying relatively shallow at around 11 meters.

 

DSC05204 copy

After 2 diving days in Nusa Penida, we headed to the north east of Bali called Tulamben. Before switching to our macro lenses, we dove the famous Liberty wreck. The liberty wreck was hit by a Japanese torpedo then was beached near Tulamben however, the eruption of Mount Agung caused the vessel to slip off the beach in 1963. The best time to dive here is in the early morning for lesser crowd and more opportunity to see the schooling bumphead parrotfishes.

Tulamben is known for its macro diving. This place is comparable to Dauin Dumaguete when it comes to critters and opportunity for macro photography. Dive sites are also very close, usually around 10-15 minute drive from the hotels. Sidem was our 1st stop and I was so happy to see these boxer crab also known as pompom crab with eggs. DSC05768 copyDSC05861 copy

Seraya was our favorite dive site in Tulamben, we even did a night dive there. We saw a tiger shrimp for the 1st time and of course, the beautiful harlequin shrimps were everywhere.

DSC06135 copy

DSC06132 copy

DSC06198 copyDSC06219 copy

Shaun the sheep nudibranch (Costasiella) has always been my personal favorite, and I was happy to see them in most, if not all, green algae in Tulamben, as well as in Puri Jati (2 hour and 15 min drive from Tulamben).

DSC06342 copyDSC06584 copy

What I love about underwater photography is the challenge to get better shots each time. To get to that ideal shot, new techniques should also be learned. I dedicated 1 (or 2) whole dives to learn about ‘snooting’. A snoot is a creative lighting tool to narrow the beam of light. This way, you will be able to highlight a small critter subject among its camouflaged home. I used an INON-Z240 snoot set. I was lucky enough to have the most supportive guide, Parman from Underwater Tribe, to help me find the greatest subject for it- Hairy shrimp and to help me with my snooting.

DSC06654 copyDSC06693 copy

Another interesting, but very hard to shoot was this skeleton shrimp with babies.

DSC06754 copy

Our last stop for the dive safari was Padang bai, a 2-hour drive south of Tulamben. It was quite different from Tulamben because we have to use an outrigger boat (called Jukung) as oppose to shore entries in Tulamben, and mostly white sand (black in Tulamben). It is still mainly macro diving in Padang Bai but some mid-sized creatures like this leaf scorpionfish are also pretty common.

DSC06865 copy

We stayed in an eco-resort in Padang Bai called Bloo lagoon. It was very relaxing as our room was overlooking the bay area. Here’s an early morning drone shot by Brian of our beautiful resort.

DCIM100MEDIADJI_0072.JPG

To conclude our cultural Bali experience, we went to Uluwatu temple to see the Kecak fire dance before catching our midnight flight back to Manila. Several men chant while the performance takes place. The show happens every 6PM, as the sun sets.

DSC07075

 

Our over all experience in Bali, both underwater and land, was great. It was a good variety of gastronomic and cultural enrichment, the same is true with the big and small underwater creatures. It was a great way to spend our 3rd year wedding anniversary.

We will definitely be back for the molamola season next time and get better shots and footage of that!

Palau Adventures 2018

Even though we reside in one of the countries closest to Palau, we’ve only heard of this pristine paradise when we started getting into (serious) diving last 2016. We had wanted to visit last January 2017 but we heard the iconic jelly fish lake was closed due to a drought in 2016. Until recently we were invited by our new found friends from Ocean Shutter who also happen to be a couple that does photo and video, we were thrilled to come back on board our favorite liveaboard, the Solitude One.
solitude one
Palau is an archipelago of over 500 islands, part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean. It is a trust territory under the United States, rich in history specially during the major battles in World War 2. It is also commonly referred to as one of the seven underwater wonders of the world. The banning of commercial fishing in 80% of its territories and only allowing a small portion for domestic fishing resulted to the creation of the largest marine sanctuaries.
To reach Palau from Cebu, we took a plane ride to Manila for an hour and from Manila to Koror (the commercial centre of Palau) was a 3-hour direct flight with United airlines. Since we arrived at our hotel in Koror around 4am, we skipped the first day of diving and did a land tour. We went to a traditional Bai where their chiefs and elders meet and also dropped by the stone monoliths which is believed by most Palauans to be built by the gods.
Palau underwater has even greater things to offer. Some of the iconic spots in Palau are the caves/caverns. The blue hole is a huge cavern which offers a perfect backdrop of bright blue water and ambient light.

 

The enchanting Chandelier cave where you can witness the stalactites and stalagmites resembling glittering chandeliers was an interesting taste of cave diving for us.
DSC03260 copy
Siaes tunnel is also very photogenic with its gorgonian sea fans towards the exit and some large groupers, usually being accompanied by its cleaner wrasse which we saw prevalent in almost every dive site.

 

But of course, we have our top 3 favorite dive sites in Palau:
Blue Corner – This is now ranked #1 as our best dive site in the world! There is always something great to see there. We dove there 3 times, all were great, with or without current. There is a friendly resident Napoleon wrasse that visits every single diver.
DSC04478 copy
There are schools of fishes in the blue like this black tail barracudas.
DSC04465 copy
What was really unique and spectacular with our blue corner experience was the Orange-spine unicorn fish aggregation accompanied by hundreds of gray reef and white tip sharks.
DSC04702 copy
DSC04697 copy
German Channel – our second favorite site. This is very well known for its feeding and cleaning Manta rays. This is also the most Mantas we’ve seen, an average of 4 per dive. And we dove this site 3 times as well.

 

 DSC04551 copy
Peleliu Cut – offers spectacular opportunities, but could be a hit or miss. Lucky for us we hit it on the spot, being there on a new moon very early in the morning. We saw a large aggregation (probably around 5000) of spawning Red snappers. But this is a tough site because of its very strong current.
DSC04000 copy
Peleliu is iconic because of the bloody battle between the U.S and Japan during World war II. We were fortunate to be able to tour around Peleliu and witness the remnants of their tanks, man-made cave system, weapons and the old Japanese headquarters.

 

Before leaving Solitude one, we had 1 non-diving day and enjoyed the beautiful rock islands visiting some of the most pristine beaches and the iconic arch. We also went to the Milky way where we had a natural mud bath.

This will definitely be NOT our last visit in Palau and we are looking forward to visit the Jelly fish lake in the future.. This is definitely a world-class and pristine underwater paradise.

Dauin, Dumaguete 2018

This is our 2nd time in Dauin, however we specifically came for macro (muck diving) this trip. Although there is a beautiful Apo island just 30 minutes away from Dauin, we dedicated this trip in shooting the ‘small critters’. To get to Dauin, we drove 3 1/2 hours from Cebu City to Liloan port. We took a ferry for 30 minutes to Sibulan, Dumaguete and another 1 hour drive to Dauin. We stayed in 2 different resorts while we were in Dauin- Mike’s dive resort and Acquadive (in Zamboanguita, which was 20 mins from Dauin).

We were at the tail end of the ‘Octopus season’ which runs from October to January. The most famous dive site for Octopus in Dauin is the not so secret “Secret corner”. We dove there twice, and in 1 dive we saw 8 Octopi! This site may be tricky, as any other ‘corner’ dive sites because the current can be strong or may change directions at any time and may not be conducive for photos and videos. It was our first time to see the Mimic octopus and we were so amazed as to how it camouflages like this photo:mimicmimic octopus

Another type of octopus, not to be confused with mimic octopus is a Wonderpus. It has small eyes on elongated stalks with a conical papilla over each eye.

wonderpus3Wonderpus1

Another subject I love to photograph was this sheep nudibranch (which was around 3 mm in size). It is so tiny that you could easily miss seeing it with your naked eyes. Thanks to my CMC-2 diopter (A magnifying lens), I could clearly see the beauty of this critter.

sheep nudi

Even though I see this quite often in Cebu, Candy crab is still very nice to photograph especially with its vibrant pink color.

candy crab

However, our ultimate favorite critter in the whole trip to Dauin is the the Flamboyant cuttlefish. It is a color machine that constantly flashes vibrant yellow, maroon, white, brown and red along its body. It is however the only poisonous cuttlefish. Unlike other cuttlefish species, the flamboyant cuttlefish doesn’t dart away when threatened. It remains stationary and flashes its hypnotic color scheme.

flamboyant cuttlefish

flambo feedingflambo feeding2

We can’t wait to go back to Dauin and apply the tips we’ve learn from our friends in Oceanshutter. We would definitely go back for the hairy frogfish season!

Sipadan, Malaysia

Dive trip video made by Brian below: When we heard about Sipadan and the neighboring islands that offer diversity in both big and small underwater creatures to see, we have added it to our “must-go” diving destinations. So when Brian knew he will be going to Penang, Malaysia for a business trip, we both decided […]

Dive trip video made by Brian below:

When we heard about Sipadan and the neighboring islands that offer diversity in both big and small underwater creatures to see, we have added it to our “must-go” diving destinations. So when Brian knew he will be going to Penang, Malaysia for a business trip, we both decided to stop by Sabah to dive.

Since I was already in Manila, I flew for 3 1/2 hours via Malaysian Airlines to Kuala Lumpur where I met Brian, since he had to fly from Penang for an hour via Air Asia. Then we both took the plane to Tawau from KL for 3 hours via Malaysian Airlines. From Tawau airport, we had a bus ride for 1 1/2 hour to Semporna jetty. Kapalai resort was an hour speedboat ride. Boat and land transfers were included in our resort package.

Kapalai resort was recommended by a friend and is known to be one of the best places to stay to dive Sipadan. It is a beautiful water village with all inclusive package for both divers and non divers. For us divers, we also have unlimited dives in their house reef.

fb- land8

There are 2 types of schedule for diving there: Kapalai/Mabul and Sipadan. Kapalai/Mabul is muck or macro diving (you see tiny critters). Occasionally, you can see bumphead parrotfishes and schooling chevron barracuda in the Kapalai housereef while you see giant groupers and turtles in Mabul. Mabul is just a 5 minute boat ride from Kapalai.

blog edited- nudibranch with eggs

blog clownfish with brian

Sipadan is a 20 minute boat ride from Kapalai resort. It is a restricted area with military bases and before diving, you have to register personally with your dive guide. They only allow 120 divers per day for marine protection and you are not allowed to roam around the island except for the designated area for resort guests.

Sipadan on the other hand offers pelagics (big creatures) which include schooling jacks, schooling bumphead parrotfishes, turtles, giant clams and white tip sharks. My personal favorite was the schooling bumphead parrotfishes. I’ve never seen so much ever since. They are commonly seen in barracuda point or the coral garden dive site.

fb edited- school of bumphead

The schooling jacks were a common sight too. We see them in the shallow 5 meters, sometimes escorted by giant trevallies and white tip sharks.

fb edited- school of jacks

In diving, we say luck is being at the right place in the right time. Well, guess what? We were lucky to see both schooling jacks and parrotfishes all in the same time. Isn’t traffic more fun underwater?

blog edited- bumphead jacks

It was indeed an amazing dive, which happened on our last diving day in Sipadan. But we even got some more surprise as we descended. It looks like it is mating season for the turtles here since we’ve seen it twice in our 3-day dive in Sipadan. It was also in Sipadan that Ive seen so much turtles in 1 dive, atleast 30 of them!

blog edited- turtles 3

blog edited- giant clam

After diving Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai, we both feel blessed to be living in the triangle of biodiversity between Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. We look forward to exploring more of this triangle soon!