Lazing off to Tioman!

Have been very lazy lately, haven't blog about my P. Hantu trip a fortnight ago(haven't been updating my dive log since my last trip to dayang too..ops) and i'm going to Tioman Today! Ha ha happy like a fish... looking forward to go into the water tmr.

There have been some hiccups with this upcoming trip over money issues and training schedules... My friends and I have caused inconveniences to the NTU dive club and the dive center... But the price is really ridiculously ... I have to pay $350 for a leisure trip and Ace must fork out another $100(total $520) for her PADI Basic Open Water Course due to our non full time Student Status. Seriously, this is so much more than the public market rate. Ace and some others have been very dissappointed with the services the dive center rendered. They told me they were treated badly with flauting attitudes(which I sort of expected). Their mindset is, if they are paying the public rate, they should receive better customer services. Despite some personnel in the dive center have got personal defective attitudes towards customer service, I have to point out that they are one of the best instructors around.

I received such premier instructions from them during my BOWC which until today still etched firmly in my mind. No doubt diving with them may be a bit steeper than usual but you'll feel comfortable diving with them 'cos they are really safety oriented(which i think is the most important aspect of diving as it could be a matter of life and death underwater).

Sigh.. hopefully my friends' opinion will change after the trip.... Good luck on my trip( keeping my fingers crossed that there will be good weather)!

Pulau Dayang 26 - 29 May 2006

Diving Pulau Dayang With The NTU Dive Team

Been really busy with work with practically no off days so there's a bit of delay for posting the trip report this late. The trip was a good one with good company, nice diving and great time having beer! The trip was organised by the NTU Dive Team and operated by Big Bubble Centre. We left Singapore on the 26th May, Friday at approximately 7pm and arrived at Mersing Jetty at 1am 27th May, Saturday. The tide was at its lowest so we had to be ferried from the jetty to our dive boats further out in the sea. We arrived dayang later than i had expected @ 5 am! We had some briefing and by the time we got to settle down in our allocated rooms, it was almost 6 am. That left us with little time for sleep as we had to prepare for our 1st dive 4 hours later!! Anyway the room was a nice little semi detached hut, quad shared with Yijie, Alex and Lingjun.

27th May 2006, Saturday Day 1
In the morning, I went leisure whereas Lingjun, Alex and Yijie went for their Advanced OWC though we were on the same boat. The check out dive was done at Telok Teluran @10.40. Dive Master was Mr Ericko(or that's what i called him) -- a very nice, friendly and experienced guy. I paired up with Yu Lan as my buddy who was very patient with me cos i was often trailing behind taking my sweet time to find and photograph subjects.

I did 8 dives(4 dives each day 27th, 28th) logging a total of 52 dives under my belt now. The dives on the 1st day was pretty smooth except the last dive which was a night dive. I buddied up with Issac and together with Jimmy as our DM we went night hunting for critters. Halfway through the dive, when Issac and i was checking out a rare and beautiful Saron sp reef shrimp which was so hard to photograph, we lost Jimmy! Best part was my dive torch died on me. We went searching for Jimmy for a while to our futile efforts. We decided to continue on our own relying solely on Issac's lights after we checked our air(which left quite a fair sum to discontinue the dive prematurely). Afterwards, we found some more interesting stuffs from macro shrimps, crabs to giant eels. Issac deployed his SMB and we surfaced after clocking an actual bottom time of 1hr 16mins! We surfaced near MV Black Manta and waited a while before we spotted our Dive boat. It was too dark for them to see us so i had to use my camera flash at them. Thank god we were noticed and were picked up. Well, i felt so bad because our bold misadventure had caused panic to Jimmy, Ericko and the rest as we the last ones to surface. I think Issac got a harsher rundown... Shit what were we thinking? The protocol was to abort the dive and surface after we lost Jimmy especially when my lights went out. Looks like i have to get a back up light.

Highlights of Day 1:

Name: Broadclub Cuttlefish
Genus, Species: Sepia Latimanus
Family: Sepidiidae
Dive Site: Telok Teluran
Time: 1100hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/3.2
Focal Length: 9.6mm
Flash: No

This little guy felt threatened and started to change colour from pale to bright yellowish brown. Displaying its aggressiveness, it raised its pair of frontal tentacles to ward us off.

Name: Bayer's Thuridilla

Genus, Species: Thuridilla bayeri
Family: Plakobranchidae
Order: Sacoglossa (Sap-sucking Ophistobranch)
Dive Site: Telok Teluran
Time: 1100hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/3.2
Focal Length: 9.6mm
Flash: No
This type of slug is often misidentified as a 'Nudibranch'. It is of the same Subclass(Ophistobranchia) but of different Order. It is not a Nudibranch but a Sacoglossa.

Schooling Bumphead Parrotfish

Genus, Species: Bolbometopon muricatum
Family: Scaridae
Dive Site: Telok Teluran
Time: 1114hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/3.5
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: No

A family of Bumphead parrotfishs(about 15 of them!) that were foraging the reef for coral polyps. This residential school can be commonly found at Pulau Aur's(Atlantis bay resort) house reef in the wee hours of the morning.

Name: Bumphead Parrotfish

Genus, Species: Bolbometopon muricatum
Family: Scaridae
Dive Site: Telok Teluran
Time: 1116hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/3.5
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: No

Name: Giant Moray
Genus, Species: Gymnothorax javanicus
Family: Muraenidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1407hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: No

Name: Sea-Star Partner Shrimp
Genus, Species: Periclimenes soror
Family: Periclimenidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1419hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: No

These tiny guys are often found underneath Sea stars esp Cushion stars... will adapt and change its colour according to their Hosts' colouration. They will appear blue if found on blue sea stars.

Name: Polycad Flatworm

Genus, Species: Thysanozoan nigropapillosum
Family: Pseudocerotidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1423hrs
Shutter speed: 1/50 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: No

Name: Zebra Lionfish
Genus, Species: Dendrochirus zebra
Family: Scorpaenidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1425hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired

Name: Black-rayed Fryeria

Genus, Species: Fryeria picta
Family: Phyllidiidae
Order: Nudibranchia
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1430hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired

Name: Hawksbill Turtle
Genus, Species: Eretmochelys imbricata
Family: Cheloniidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1432hrs
Shutter speed: 1/160 sec
F-Stop: f/4.0
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: No

Name: White-lined whip Goby
Genus, Species: Bryaninops amplus
Family: Gobiidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1446hrs
Shutter speed: 1/100 sec
F-Stop: f/4.1
Focal Length: 29.2mm
Flash: No

Name: Blotched Porcupinefish
Genus, Species: Diodon liturosus
Family: Diodontidae
Dive Site: Crocodile's Rock
Time: 1655hrs
Shutter speed: 1/80 sec
F-Stop: f/4.0
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: No

Ericko and some others went chasing this poor thing and cornered it until it had to suck in water to bloat itself up like a ball of spikes... Each use of its unique defense may punture its liver and gonads(where high concentrations of toxins are contained from its dietary funga) such that it may get poisoned and die from over inflating(ironic??). Defensive mechanism at the expense of its lifespan. It won't inflated unless totally cornered and highly threatened. So guys pls don't try this again...

Name: Ocellate Phyllidia
Genus, Species: Phyllidia ocellata
Family: Phyllidiidae
Order: Nudibranchia
Dive Site: Crocodile's Rock
Time: 1709hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired

The Ocellate Phyllidia is sometimes white with yellow tubercles and sometimes yellow with white tubercles(this case), but always with a mantle decorated with black rings and patches. This nudibranch secretes digestive enzymes into sponges then sucks up the tenderised tissue.

Name: Red Lined Flabellina

Genus, Species: Flabellina rubrolineata
Family: Flabellinidae
Order: Nudibranchia
Dive Site: Crocodile's Rock
Time: 1712hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired

Name: Phyllidiid Mimic

Genus, Species: Chromodoris geometrica
Family: Chromodorididae
Order: Nudibranchia
Dive Site: Crocodile's Rock
Time: 1714hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired

Name: Jellyfish (Medusa form)
Genus, Species: Drymonema dalmatinum
Order: Semaeostomeae
Dive Site: Crocodile's Rock
Time: 1730hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/4.0
Focal Length: 9.6mm
Flash: No

Did I forget to mention it was Jellyfish season? The sea was swarming with them, stinging many of my friends with their long flowing tentacles. Lingjun had a first 'hand' bad experience with these soft menacing blobbers.

Name: Bigfin Reef Squid
Genus, Species: Sepioteuthis lessoniana
Family: Loliginidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 2001hrs
Shutter speed: 1/8 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: No, compulsory mode

Name: Reticulated Hinged-beak Shrimp
Genus, Species: Cinetorhynchus reticulatus
Family: Rhynchocinetidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 2015hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired, Red eyed reduction mode

Accidentally came across this one when its eye glowed with a distinct bright silver glare when my lights shoned at it.



Name: Blue-spotted Stingray

Genus, Species: Taeniura lymma
Family: Dasyatidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 2019hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired

Name: Blotchfin Scorpionfish
Genus, Species: Scorpaenodes varipinnis
Family: Scorpaenidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 2021hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired
This unfortunate fish was infested with sea lice. Click to see an enlarged view of the louse on its eye.

Name: Coral banded Boxer Shrimp
Genus, Species: Stenopus hispidus
Family: Stenopodidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 2034hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired

Name: Spotted Marbled Shrimp
Genus, Species: Saron sp.
Family: Hippolytidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 2036hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/3.5
Focal Length: 21.7mm
Flash: Fired

All Saron shrimps are very difficult even to see properly, let alone be photographed. Their distinct gaudy poka-dotted thorax and spectacularly marked livery offers exceptional camouflage at night, among coral rubble moving deeper to hide in small narrow crevices when disturbed. Thanks to Issac's sharp eagle eyes... but I wasn't able to capture its full still. Took along time to photograph this subject... that's when we lost Jimmy....oopss....


Name: Swimming Crab

Genus, Species: Thalamita prymna
Family: Portunidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 2046hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/3.5
Focal Length: 21.7mm
Flash: Fired

Had a hard time photograhing this chap as it ran around too much... Issac had it cornered such that I'm able to obtain this frame... thanks for the hard work.

Name: Anemone Hermit Crab
Genus, Species: Dardanus pedunculatus
Family: Diogenidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 2048hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/3.5
Focal Length: 21.7mm
Flash: Fired

After the night dive, we tucked into a sumptous BBQ spread! OMG I simply loved the lamb chop dipped in olive oil and the chilli crab! Yummy! Alex and I had a Beer each( we are not supposed to drink but heck!) and afterwards we went about logging our dives for the day... We did not mingle around too much cos we were tired after 4 hours of wink from the previous night and a full day of diving. Dawn dive was scheduled at 7am it means we had to wake up before 6.30am! So we had an early night.

^--My adorable bed mate...ha ha now we know pigs can dive too...joking..


28th May 2006, Sunday Day 2

Dawn dive was done at the infamous Rayner's Rock @ 0715hrs. My Dive buddy Yulan decided it was too early for a dip so she decided to continue diving her bed instead. So I followed Enricko, Vincent and his buddy. This was our first deep dive of the day, hoping to catch some pelagics which this site is well known for.. ocassionally. Well, tough luck. We didn't managed to catch any pelagics but instead got caught in some thermocline... woo chilly even with a 3mm suit... I wonder how some others with only rash guards managed. The deep offered nothing but poor visibility but improved when we did multilevel to shallower depths.

Dawn Dive: Jimmy, Alda and Issac @ Rayner's Rock--^

Second dive was my 50th logged dive and also the shortest dive profile with an ABT of only 11mins. I was behind the whole group with Yulan shortly after descend taking some pics when my tank free flowed from a burst O ring. So I signalled my buddy to catch up with Ericko and inform him while I CESA from a depth of 10m. My pressure gauge plunged at an exponientially alarming rate so I figured there's no time to do a 3min safety stop. Anyway, I wasn't in deep waters long enough so the SStop wasn't really necessary. Some others surfaced after me and Ericko suggested that I abort the dive. So I went onboard while they continued. I changed tanks and what bad luck I'm having, the O Ring burst on me 3 times in a row. Fed up I asked the boat crew to fix it for me while I went to the Bow for a really good tan! Nice weather and scenery to enjoy while I waited for the rest.

It was a good game of beach volleyball during the long surface interval in which we got ourselves sweaty and sandy. We went to The Pinnacles(II) for the third dive. Some of guys had already left Dayang for Singapore including Yulan and Enricko. So all the leisure divers and those newly certified advanced OW guys(about 19 of us left) head out in 2 separate groups. Myself and other leisure divers followed DM Albert and the AOW newbies went under the wings of the extremely experienced Stanley. I lost my buddy and the whole group near the end of the dive while taking some pictures. But I stumbled upon Stanley and his followers. I informed Stanley I'm ascending, supervenient the lost buddy procedure. I was doing my safety stop while following a school of Yellowtail Barracudas when I saw Lingjun and her buddy struggling to do safety stop as well... They both floated up to the surface when Authur was deploying his SMB. We surfaced to strong gales, thrashing surf and surging swells following a changing weather. The ingressing storm looked bad so we tried to get on the boat as quickly as possible but Auther somehow got swept away after he refused my help? So I left him to struggle to the boat on his own..(sorry).

^--LJ and Authur doing Safety stop......


The last dive was also done amist bad weather at Pulau Lang. But it was the most spectacular among all the dives done this trip. The visibility was not bad despite the rainy weather, water was warm and lots of big fish action. We saw stingray, moray eel, schools of travellies, giant batfishs, swarms of Barracudas and I spotted a shark! Though was quite a distance away but it was unmistakably the shape of a shark from above when it casted a distinct shadow from the sun rays. I kept pointing at it but no one seemed to have shared my line of vision.


Highlights of Day 2:
Name: Port Jackson's Glassfish
Genus, Species: Ambassis jacksoniensis
Family: Ambassidae
Dive Site: Rayner's Rock
Time: 0727hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired





Name: Slender Roboastra
Genus, Species: Roboastra gracilis
Family: Polyceridae
Order: Nudibranchia
Dive Site: Rayner's Rock
Time: 0739hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired




Name: Black-rayed Fryeria
Genus, Species: Fryeria picta
Family: Phyllidiidae
Order: Nudibranchia
Dive Site: Rayner's Rock
Time: 0744hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired




Name: Blue Dragon
Genus, Species: Pteraeolidia ianthina
Family: Facelinidae
Order: Nudibranchia
Dive Site: Captain's Point
Time: 0925hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired
The Blue Dragon eats hydroids and miscroscopic algae called zooxanthellae. They store undigested stinging nematocysts of the hydroids and the chloroplasmatic cells of the zooxanthellae in its cerata(the hairy tips on the back of the animal). The cerata is actually the gut of the nudibranch where digestion of food and gaseous exchange occurs. The cerata will start branching out as the animal grows. The undigested untriggered nematocysts are used by the dragon as a form of defense. When harrassed, it will release the stinging nematocysts. So never touch a Blue Dragon with bare hands! Adults are blue to brownish purple. Juveniles are white.

Name: Liz's Phyllidiella(Top)
Bullock's Hypselodoris (Bottom)
Genus, Species: Phyllidiella lizae(Top)
Hypselodoris bullockii (Bottom)
Family: Phyllidiidae (Top)
Chromodorididae (Bottom)
Order: Nudibranchia
Dive Site: Pinnacles II
Time: 1425hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired
Was taking pictures of the Liz's Phyllidiella when I chanced upon the tiny baby of the Bullock's Hypselodoris. It was so small that my macro mode wasn't even able to focus it enough.



Name: Pink Anemonefish
Genus, Species: Amphirion perideraion
Family: Pomacentridae
Dive Site: Pinnacles II
Time: 1438hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired




Name: False Clown Anemonefish
Genus, Species: Amphirion ocellaris
Family: Pomacentridae
Dive Site: Pinnacles II
Time: 1439hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired




Name: Blue Dragon
Genus, Species: Pteraeolidia ianthina
Family: Facelinidae
Order: Nudibranchia
Dive Site: Pinnacles II
Time: 1446hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired
The Blue Dragon has evolved ways of harnessing solar energy.While feeding on the solitary hydriod Rapharia
it swallows microscopic plants called zooxanthellae. Within the nudibranch, the plants use the sun's energy to produce sugars, passing on a considerable portion to the nudibranch for its own use.



Name: Yellowtail Barracuda
Genus, Species: Sphyraena obtusata
Family: Sphyraenidae
Dive Site: Pinnacles II
Time: 1452hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/3.5
Focal Length: 14.9mm
Flash: Fired




Name: Blue-spotted Stingray
Genus, Species: Taeniura lymma
Family: Dasyatidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1654hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/3.5
Focal Length: 12.6mm
Flash: Fired




Name: Olive Whelk
Genus, Species: Nassarius olivaceus
Family: Nassariidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1656hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/3.5
Focal Length 12.6mm
Flash: Fired




Name: Tiera Batfish
Genus, Species: Platax teira
Family: Ephippidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1710hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/3.5
Focal Length: 21.7mm
Flash: Fired




Name: Yellow-edged Moray
Genus, Species: Gymnothorax flavimarginatus
Family: Muraenidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1711hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired



Name: Pustulose Phyllidiella
Genus, Species: Phyllidiella pustulosa
Family: Phyllidiidae
Order: Nudibranchia
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1715hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired



Name: Pickhandle Barracuda
Genus, Species: Sphyraena jello
Family: Sphyraenidae
Dive Site: Pulau Lang
Time: 1715hrs
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.3mm
Flash: Fired
There were hundreds to a thousand of them crusing in a directional synchonised mega school!

After dinner it was "Tiger Time" ! We drank beer played games 'talk cock sing song' have fun till the wee hours in the morning. We were playing Bridge and "5 10" when Derrick came over with Jamie to join us and introduced his new game. All of us except the super 'Zai' Derrick kept losing and drinking. Everyone was groggy by then so we excused ourselves to escape Derrick's insanity to make us dead drunk.

29th May 2006, Monday Day 3
It was time to pack up and head home. We left Dayang at about 8am and reached Singapore at 4pm. It is definitely a fun-filled trip with memorable good times.