25-03-09

I was 28m down beneath the surface surrounded by deep blue sea, with a 600m sea wall to my right, as the gentle current pushed me along. The light darkened. I assumed it was clouds in the distant sky above. I was wrong. I looked up and into the tornado. Giant Barracuda, over five hundred, gather in the sea above us. They school together and swim in a circle around the currents, creating a clear centre where the light still remains. This was the barracuda tornado at Sipadan, one of the most famous sights in the world of diving. Here I was on Dive number 8 looking up at what most divers only dream of seeing. An amazing moment within my diving adventures and one I do not think I will forget.

The day had began with a 7am wake up call, I was out of bed in a flash. The day to dive Sipadan was finally here. To say I was excited and smiling at the shear thought was an understatement. I showered and changed. Practically skipped to breakfast and set off to the Dive Shop. Sipadan Scuba. I met my dive master Awang who has over 12years experience diving Sipadan, and Roelof one of the Sipadan Scuba instructors. We collected our gear and made our way down to the boat. Martjin and Roelof both had there cameras on them so we could get photos of the day.

An hours cruise with a breifing from Roelof. We landed at the island and signed in at the check in. Sipadan is now highly protected, as of 2005 all of the resorts were knocked down and now only a military base remains to protect the area and reef below the waters. The Island of Sipadan is tiny but it rises 600m from the sea bed below making it a haven for coral and fish in the whipping currents that can brush past the island. Our first dive site would be barracuda point and with everything being in our favour we would see some pretty impressive sights.

We geared up in a flash, Siggi a german guy mentioned that it was his 100th dive so a big round of applause was provided and Roelof being the likeable comic that he was said its PADI law that you have to do your 100th dive naked. Siggi laughed and said I thought you had to fill your goggles with Liquor and drink through your nose during the dive. It got us thinking whether that was possible?? Ha ha.

Backwards into the water and the white bubbles and dark blues of the sea filled my vision. This was it Sipadan Barracuda Point here we come. Deflating the BCD’s we all dropped beneath the ocean waves and entered the amazing world of Jacque Cousteau, whom made this very site world renowned all those years ago. At around 5m deep we were above the coral reef and beginning to make our way over to the drop off of the wall. Looking to our left we could see a huge school of Jack Fish, tightly packed into a swirling ball. I have never seen this many fish together. An amazing sight. Every now and then the ball would disperse as giant, big eyed and Blue fin travelley dart into the school, only to reform immediately after the predator had passed through. Safety in numbers.

The School of Jackfish

Blue Fin Travelley

We reached the wall drop off and proceeded t descend with it on our right hand side. Now at a depth of 18m we continued along the wall. Looking up a large grey reef shark was silhouetted against the dancing light, it cruised on by with not a single skip of my heart beat. Surprisingly my breathing remained calm and it didn’t scare me. What a sight, Scuba diving with a shark in the Celebes Sea. I smiled. The dive had only just begun and already I had seen two amazing sights.

Grey reef shark cruising - not the best photo!

The dive continued along the wall and I realized that my depth gauge was obviously not working as it still read 6m. I looked up at Roelof who was gesturing to all of us open water divers to rise up in the water, turns out we had actually gone down to a depth of 28m with Awang and the Advanced divers. In my defense my gauge was not working. Grey reef and white tip reef sharks passed, by the dozen, some staying still on the coral and sea bed, others cruising along in the search for food. Reef sharks, unlike other types of shark, can remain stationary on the sea floor without the need to have water passing over there gills in order for them to breath. Green turtles gently glide through the waters around us, resting on the corals and in caverns along the wall.

Grey reef shark resting on the sea bed

Green Turtle wedged in the coral

Half way into the dive I almost spat out my regulator, Roelof signaled me to look behind me. I turned hoping to see a great shark but I laughed so hard that I had to bite down to stop the breathing apparatus from flying out of my mouth. This is what I saw…

Siggi the Naked SCUBA Diver - 100th Dive

Yes a naked SCUBA diver. God bless you Siggi you crazy german nutter!! He must have been mad to do this with all of the Titan Trigger Fish, which again tried to attack us, plus the upcoming barracuda. Ha ha, I don’t think many divers have seen this sight at Barracuda point. Just over half way through the dive we arrived at the enigmatic site of five hundred giant barracuda, some almost 2m in size. Hanging in the waters it was mind blowing stuff to see this natural spectacle. One of the girls got to close to them though and spooked them back into a school swimming against the current. We swam on, the wall on the right covered in bright coral and feeding fish and the Silver glimmer of the swimming barracuda on our left. What a place.

Barracuda Tornado at Barracuda Point. WOW!

From here we entered the gulley with a quickening current it glided us down and to the next interesting sight. Swimming against the strong current you hold your hand out almost touching the coral and cleaner shrimp jump on and clean away. A surreal feeling as there little spindly legs get to work, almost like a tiny pinch as it works its way along eating the dead skin! Manicure anyone? The first dive was over and we were back on board the boat, ecstatic at the dive and laughing at Siggi and his underwater celebrations. We sat on the island just chatting and getting to know each other, I was speaking with Roelof about his life back in South Africa, he painted a great picture and it was interesting talking to him.

My Sipadan diving gang

An hour or so later we were back on the boat gearing up for dive two. South Point, where the larger stuff can be seen and if the conditions are perfect and luck is on your side its possible to see hammer head sharks. Starting the dive we looked down before descending, a shark cruised by and a turtle lay on the shallow reef below. We had not even got underneath the waves yet things were already looking impressive. This time we swam with the vertical wall on our left into a slight head current. Awang would produce magic light shows amongst the coral, as he approached the smaller reef fish, he would open out his fingers quickly which made the colourful fish dart into the protection of the coral.

While we swam sharks cruised all around us, we watched five white tips below in the murky depths three of them sitting there and two smaller ones cruising above them. Reaching one part Roelof turned and pointed out turtles lying in the coral relaxing and having a sleep. Roelof held up 4 fingers to indicate how many there were, he then turned back and showed five fingers, then six. Once we were right next to them we counted eight green turtles in one small area of reef. Watching this many turtles was brilliant we all had a photo taken next to one and whilst I watched the others get there photo taken a green turtle swam right up to me. I held my hand out to my left and the turtle swam past as my hand brushed the back of his shell. He could not have been alarmed as he continued at his slow pace past me. A truly magical moment.

White Tip Reef Shark cruises on by

Reef shark turns infront of us

Me and Crush from finding Nemo

A green turtle just chilling

The wall dropped again into the deep below us and Roelof pointed just above my head, I turned and looked up, one huge 2m plus Giant Barracuda swam solo looking for food not six feet from my mask. This fish was huge and has he shifted past me, with minimal effort, the light danced over his silvery body and glinted against the hundreds razor sharp teeth. Tom one of the other open water divers was yet again running low on air and so Roelof indicated to me and the two dutch girls to buddy up together and swim in a straight line along the wall to Awang and the advanced divers. He would then take Tom and his girlfriend Jenny to the surface. The dutch girls looked at me so I repeated what Roelof had signaled and pointed in the direction of Awang, they nodded and I turned to lead the way.

A few kicks of the fins and I was over one part of the coral reef, I could not see Awang as the visibility in this part was not excellent. I turned to make sure the girls were ok and I saw only blue water and coral. I turned 360, looked up and down yet my eyes did not see anyone. Awang was nowhere to be seen and the girls had not followed me. I was in the sea on my own with no dive buddy and I have to admit it was not a nice feeling.  Automatically my brain recalled my training back in Kho Tao, if you can not find your Dive buddy after a minute or so then safely surface. Knowing where I had come from I turned and kicked my fins back over the coral reef and the girls were still floating around like muppets and Roelof had surfaced with the other two. Siggi, fully clothed on this dive, had caught up and I indicated that we should buddy up and carry on as instructed. We did so meeting Awang and the other guys a few minuted along heading back towards us. The current was much stronger here so Awang had decided to swim with it and save some air and energy.

Continuing in the group we reached Roelof and the others floating at the surface. Martjin was close to the surface taking pictures when he drifted 8m above a Titan Trigger fish nest, the Titan shot up at him while we watched, it wasn’t until it was right next to him that he realised what it was and panicked, the titan shot around his head and bit into his fin. The fish shot back down towards the sea bed. Awang distracted it with his fins and it came for him this time, he managed to fend it off and it went back to its territory. I could not believe my eyes, we had just watched it attack Martjin and Awang, we had been talking about Trigger fish incidents all day on the boat yet one of the Dutch girls still got close to it, forcing Roelof to come back down and move her away.

Back on land and eating our lunch, Roelof informed everybody again about the Titan Triggerfish and that we should not purposely go near it as they do attack people. Something Martjin did not need telling. Whilst we relaxed and rested from the dive we watched a giant monitor lizard cruise around the picnic area looking for scraps. This prehistoric beast plodded around the sand smelling with the flicker of his tongue, honing in on the leftovers. Its scaly skin peeling around its leg revealing a brighter layer beneath. We watched as another large monitor encroached on its territory, the fight commenced and rather than rear up and attack the newcomer had realised the size difference and ran into the trees as the he was hotly pursued. The Victor returned and I could have quit happily sat and watched him all day but I had dive number 3 at hanging gardens in my diary so I was up and back on the boat with the others.

Monitor Land Lizard

The Monitor lizard was weary of us but not scared.

Yet another amazing wall dive, more grey reef and white tip sharks along with many more turtles. I was not bored of seeing these magnificent creatures under the waves, the more I saw the better it made the dive to be honest. One of the highlights of the dive for me was when Awang signaled me over to a large piece of fan coral that hung parallel to the sea bed, controlling my buoyancy I gently approached and hovered inches from the sea bed. Peering under the coral canopy my eyes adjusted to the dark and lying still in the ocean was a juvenile white tip shark. Around 2 feet in size it was perfectly still in the current, with just its gills slowly moving in and out as it breathed. I could not decide whether this shark was hiding for protection or waiting in ambush for its prey to come along. Perhaps it was both.

Roelof had spotted a beautiful Moray eel with its head poking out of a hole in the coral wall, he showed me and Benjamin and then pointed it out to Jenny. Jenny could not see it, even though he was pointing with his metal stick directly at it. Jenny got closer and closer, I could not help laugh in my regulator when she finally focused on the moray only feet away from here face. The wall jutted in and out, we swam along peering round each bend with anticipation as we looked along the new sections of wall. Roelof and Awang guided us through 2 small caverns which was an certainly a new experience under the water. One point my tank got stuck on the exit to the first small cavern and I have to admit it made me feel pretty claustrophobic. Towards the end of the dive a large White tip reef shark, around six foot in size, cruised out of the deep and came close by us. I decided that it was definitely more eerie to see one appear out of the deep blue than to notice one close up. Fortunately on all three of the dives I did not here Cellos once.

Moray Eel

The White Tip Reef Shark cruised close by

Awang the Dive masters air ring

What a truly amazing days diving. Im smiling just writing about all of this. Lucky that ive had the chance to dive at Sipadan and in good conditions as well. If  you are into your diving then you simply have to go to Sipadan as this place rocks your SCUBA socks off! It still baffles me to think how many sharks and turtles I dived with on the three dives, not to mention the whirling school of Giant barracuda. Happy days.

Well ive posted this just as im about to head into my 10th country, Indonesia. What an exciting prospect. I have so many things running through my head at the moment. Im really looking forward to getting to Oz soon but Indonesia fills me with intrigue. When I left the UK Indonesia had never been on the cards, even though komodo island was one place I wanted to go it was something I had said I could as a holiday from Oz one year. The tales that people have told me on my trail to Australia has made me decide to head here first and spend two months really exploring it. I’ve managed to save a bit of time along the way and with money still looking good I know it’s going to be a great adventure.

Knowing so little about the country really excites me and my eyes have grown ever wider in the last few weeks as ive read the guide book. Volcanoes, lakes, mountains, Culture, Orangutans, Prehistoric Dragons, Paradise beaches and more amazing diving are all on offer in Indonesia, so stay tuned and let Bruce and myself guide you along through our next set of adventures.