Fatal Incident At Pulau Hantu

Body of missing diver found in waters off Pulau Hantu
By S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 20 February 2007 1820 hrs


SINGAPORE : The body of a missing diver was found in the waters off Pulau Hantu at around 9.40 am on Tuesday.

Singaporean Sue Qing Wen, who is in his 20s and who had just finished his National Service, was reported missing on Saturday, the eve of the Lunar New Year.

He and several others has gone for their first dive in open waters off Pulau Hantu - as part of their diving certification - but did not make it back.

Pulau Hantu is 15 minutes away from Sentosa by speedboat. Police said they received a call from a member of the public about the body. A diving wet suit and an oxygen tank were also found with the body.

No one responded to Channel NewsAsia's queries when our crew visited his house in Chua Chu Kang. - CNA/ms


S'porean Learner Diver lost Near Pulau Hantu

How did he vanish?

By Arul John (The Electric New paper)

It was Chinese New Year's Eve but he was excited for another reason. Singaporean Sue Qing Wen was going for his first dive in open waters. If he passed, he would soon be certified fit to dive in local and international waters. Everything was planned ahead for the training dive involving 14 divers and nothing was out of place.

But Mr Sue didn't come back on Saturday, like the other divers. He remains missing at press time.

At Mr Sue's home, preparations for the Chinese New Year's Eve reunion dinner was in full swing when the phone rang on Saturday evening. It was the police informing his parents that the eldest son was lost in the waters around Pulau Hantu, a 15-minute speedboat ride from Sentosa.

One of the divers in the group, who declined to be named, said that all 14 divers had assembled at Keppel Marina near VivoCity shopping mall at 7.30am that day. They then boarded a boat to the island for the dive. The group included two dive masters, the boatman, four experienced divers and six student divers, one of whom was Mr Sue. Another diver looked after the other divers' equipment on the boat.

The student divers had taken lessons at a local dive school and were now deemed to be ready for an open sea dive. This would determine if they are ready to be certified capable of diving in local and international waters, said the diver.

'On the way to the dive site, the dive masters reviewed all the lessons we had learnt. They asked us if anyone was unwell or afraid and we even went over the sign language to use to communicate with our fellow divers when in the water. Everyone was well and had no problems,' said the diver.

By 8am, the boat had arrived at the dive site about 40m to 50m off Pulau Hantu. The student divers were paired up and put into two groups, each led by a dive master. Mr Sue was in one group together with another student diver. The other four student divers were in the other group.

At about 8.30am, both groups headed for their first dive - lasting about 30 minutes - to test their oxygen tanks. The divers then rested and did another training exercise.

'We were in the water for about 20 minutes and practised putting on and taking off our diving masks and regulators quickly without panicking. The missing diver - we called him Sue - performed well during both dives and he looked well,' said the diver. At about noon, the larger group went into the water and dived in single file along the anchor line - the chain leading from the boat to its anchoring point about 10m below the surface.

'We were going to practise what to do if our air supply was cut off or disrupted. The smaller group dived in about a minute after the first group went in and they followed down the anchor line too. The dive master was moving around and supervising what was happening. Suddenly, he went to Sue's partner and asked him using sign language where he was. Sue's partner pointed up, indicating that he might have gone to the surface. The dive master went up to the surface but didn't find Sue there,' said the diver.

What could have happened to Mr Sue?

COMBINATION OF FACTORS?

A diver with over 20 years' experience diving in Singapore and overseas waters said that a combination of high tides, strong currents and poor visibility might have contributed to Mr Sue's disappearance.

'The visibility of the water off Pulau Hantu is about 3m and the currents there can be quite strong, even up to three hours after high tide.

'At about 11am to noon on Saturday, high tide was about 3m,' he said.

Around noon, after discovering that one of the divers was missing, the dive master told the divers to return to the boat and then asked for a back-up boat to join them at the scene.

He also asked that Police Coast Guard (PCG) be informed, said the diver.

Police told The New Paper yesterday that they were informed at about 1.30pm and a search was conducted by the PCG boats when they arrived at the scene.

The divers also helped in the search.

Said the diver: 'We circled around the dive site to see if we could detect any bubbles on the surface or debris that could help locate the missing diver but we were unsuccessful.'

They returned to Singapore at 5pm that day, said the diver.

At Mr Sue's flat in Chua Chu Kang, the family was too distraught to speak but a relative, who declined to be named, said that the missing man was an outgoing person who loved the outdoors and diving.

He said Mr Sue had just completed full-time National Service and had not yet found a job.

'This is a sad day for us. We have not heard anything so far, since the news of his disappearance,' he said yesterday.

Celebrate 3 years of Local Diving with the Hantu Bloggers

The Hantu Blog celebrates its third birthday! To commemorate three years of great diving, we'll be doing 4 dives for our next trip, which includes a night dive. As such, you'll require at least Advanced Open Water Certification (or its equivalent). The anniversary dive is as scheduled:

Sunday, 25 March, 2007

For reservations and enquiries, email Debby Ng at hantublog@gmail.com
RSVP with the following:
1. Your name,
2. IC/Passport number,
3. Your email address,
4. Your handphone number, and
5. Any rental equipment required incl number of weights.

The itinerary is as mentioned below.

Let's see what's waiting for us out there this time!

Warm regards,

The Hantu Blog Team

=====
Hantu Blog Dive Itinerary

Cost: S$95.00 (excl gear rental)
Venue: Keppel Marina, Bt. Chermin Rd
Time (Departure): 0900 hrs
[Dive 1]
1st Surface Interval + Lunch
[Dive 2]
2nd Surface Interval
[Dive 3]
3rd Surface Interval + Dinner
[Night Dive]
Departure
ETA: 2100 hrs

Please also bring your own lunch, dinner, water and torches for the
trip.

Your passport or NRIC will be required in the event of coastguard checks.

* Cancellation fee $70.00

=====
Gear Rental Rates

Regulator $5.00
BCD $5.00
Mask $5.00
Fins $5.00
Wetsuit $6.00
Weight belt $0.50
Additional weights @ $0.50

All rental equipment is arranged by Solution Scuba.

Find out more about diving Singapore's very own backyard on the Hantu Blog. Or look in here to find out what you can expect to see on our local reefs.

First Sipadan, Now Lembeh Straits???

Gold Mine Threatens Lembeh Straits, North Sulawesi

A gold mine is being opened in Rinondoran Bay by a British-based company just north of Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi. The mine plans to dump it’s cyanide waste - estimated to amount to 6-8 MILLION tons over 5 years - out to sea. The company says the waste will be dumped at 150 meters below the surface & settle in 800-1200 meters.
Source: Leslie Harris, Wetpixels.com Read more...

Destruction of a Marine Sanctuary

16 May 2006, Tuesday

An enormous steel barge carrying thousands of tonnes of coarse gravel, sand, steel tubes, iron mesh, prime movers, a large bulldozer and a gigantic crane — which had incredibly been allowed to anchor right in front of Sipadan’s legendary dropoff before unloading its cargo on the supposedly protected island — was pushed against the reef by wind, ending up beached on the island like some monstrous whale. In the process of being beached, the barge scraped clean thousands of years of nature’s delicate work between the old pier and Barracuda Point. The barge’s flat steel hull wiped corals away like a giant knife slicing through butter, leaving in its wake hundreds of square metres of unnaturally flat limestone, and a veritable wall of coral and debris piled up against the beach.

The damage is incalculable — one of Sipadan’s most precious and beloved spots, well-known the world over, is no more, transformed by a single inexplicable act of human carelessness into a grisly mass of broken and pulverised corals, shredded turtles and mounds of grey gravel suffocating what little is left of the legendary dropoff.

Source: FiNS Blog
Read more...

Apparently, the sand barge was allowed to anchor right in front of the jetty at the dropoff area. A project, with an economic drive to 'so call' improve divers' facilities on Sipadan, was gazetted to commence with much contradiction. It is incredibly ironic that dive resorts were pushed off the island in an attempt to preserve Sipadan’s amazing marine life, only to result in the destruction of the very resource they were trying to protect. It now seems oblivious that the authorities are seriously concerned about marine perservation...it reflected more so about the economic value of Sipadan as there's a good opportunity of making a potentially huge revenue out of it. The good publicities by many that renowned Sipadan caused an influx of tourists to the area every day. This has helped contribute to the improvement of the infrastructure( like Tawau Airport, Semporna roads and etc) and made travelling to Sipadan even easier. Arguably, the proposed Resthouse, complete with restaurants and dive souvenier shops, is a directive to provide better services and comfort to the visitors but it seemed more so at aiming to exploit the surge of tourists for monetary reasons.

The Sabah Park Authorities have always been on a good direction(at least on the surface) to protect their natural heritage. It is comforting to know that they seemingly value Sipadan as a place of hold for divers and marine conservationists alike. But this incident has revealed underlying agenda and shown their otherwise intention of developing Sipadan into a fund collecting Tourism Hub. It is puzzling to ponder upon, when on one hand, the Nparks issued orders to reduce traffic, activities and development on Sipadan, the other hand, they quietly commenced extensive work to the small island. They were thought to have said to leave the island as untouched as possible... to let it regenerate on its own. It is simply paradoxically not right to have made such sensational claims and yet allow the clearing of trees, filling of gravels, piling works to even begin and the beaching of a humongous Sand Barge on Sipadan! This act of neglience should not have even happened... The frequent strong gale and running currents has always been anticipated in an oceanic island like Sipadan. The human stupidity allows the anchorage at the dropoff.

Their recent development that was scheduled on Sipadan wasn't even made public until the barge beached itself. Whereas, news of Sipadan dive operators to vacate the island in 2004, denouncing the Australian claims of terrorist infestation in the area, limitation of people visiting per daily basis and the increment of the Levy fee to a horrendous ripoff sum per day was propogating in an outcry.... in the name and cause of conservation.
Putting together, they seem to have plans to develop this Island into a world acclaimed site with a higher priorty at feeding their pockets rather than in the name of protecting their natural environment. So much for "an untouched piece of jewel" that Jacques Cousteau remarked. Now Sipadan is scarred by human neglience. It will take decades to repair what was lost. If the authorities continue its exploitation of the island rather than genuinely conserve and protect life, Sipadan would someday see itself deteriorated into a commericalised Island with dead corals and barren seascapes. The rampant illegal fish bombings together with the 'avid interests' of the authorities would somehow guarantee the demise of a once beautifully created piece of art in the heart of the Celebes Sea.

This incident has greatly sadden me and has fueled anguish in conservationists and divers concerned all over the world. I just returned from Sipadan two months ago and it is really disheartening to hear such news. Now the authorities are considering to close Sipadan until works on the island are accomplished. This would definitely add to the damage already caused. Yes, it will lift some pressure from the public and they can, wihout interference, carry on with the building project. But without much of the human presence, illegal fishing may well become out of hand. What a mess they created out of a supposed Sanctuary.....

(P.S the abstract above is of my personal opinon and part speculation formed with the information available to me as of this time. I do not commit to indeminfy that the information I provide is factual. No references shall be made in relation to the materials therein this blog. I will not be held liable for any claims, slander and twisted facts formed by others from reading this blog.)

A Conservationist's Blue plan to create an Underwater Marine Sanctuary at Pulau Hantu

PROJECT NOAH: Nurturing Our Aquatic Heritage
A concept plan for Pulau Hantu and our Southern Islands

A clear water domain in Singapore
A marine biodiversity census

"Singapore Underwater Federation(SUF) ... aims to build a coral reef in the lagoon enclosed by Pulau Hantu"

Their publicised plans include the following:

Census of Hantu and our reefs
SUF will "conduct the largest census of marine biodiversity undertaken here"
Project NOAH Phase 1 Census: Plans to map Hantu's reefs and inhabitats. A timeline was presented that began February 2006 for a period of 6 months. Objectives for the census were not clear.

How will this reef be 'built'?
"They are also planning to move corals from other reefs to the island."
There are plans to dredge Hantu lagoon and filter sediment from sea water to create a "clear-water sanctuary" that will house corals from outside of Hantu.

Press conference: Plans to create a "natural barrier" that will house corals relocated from other sites in Singapore "ear-marked for destruction by land reclamation activities" was announced. The media was informed that "Hantu has been chosen for its popularity amongst divers as well as for its familarity" however, it was added that "if [the public] has any recommendations, the project team is open to consider other sites for the implementation."

"Plans are under way to create a simple sand filtration system to eliminate most of the sediment from the water flowing into the lagoon, creating a clear water habitat." Does this mean the 'built reef' will be isolated from the surroundings? (in effect, a giant aquarium). What is the impact of the filtration system on the surroundings?

In principle, it can work, however in practice the flow rates are
rarely high enough to sustain coral reefs and nutrients (in the form of
Plankton) are lost unless some of the water is bypassed from the filter.
Thanks,
Todd Barber
Chairman Reef Ball Foundation, Inc.


Where will this reef be located on Pulau Hantu?
Location of 'built reef' is as indicated below...

Graphic Courtesy of WildSingapore

Pulau Hantu is made up of two smaller islands: Hantu Besar and Hantu Kecil.

The map above suggests there these two islands are well separated and that there are corals around each of the smaller islands.

In reality, there is a shallow lagoon between the two islands. At low tide, this lagoon is exposed out of water. At high tide, the water reaches about 1.5-2m in height on average. This allows comfortable and safe swimming. While snorkelling is possible, diving is not practical in the lagoon as it currently is.

Graphic Courtesy of WildSingapore

Coral reefs have regenerated outside the man-made seawalls. There are several submerged reefs near Pulau Hantu. These are called 'terumbus'.This lagoon and the reef flats are already teeming with marine life.

To 'build' the reef in this lagoon will probably involve extensive changes to the depth of the lagoon. What will impact be on existing marine life there and in the surrounding reef flats and terumbus?

Other issues...
"The divers, however, face a difficult task because of poor visibility caused by silt suspended in the water. It can be so bad that 'you have to bump into coral to notice them', said Project Noah manager Spencer Lewis." Will SUF divers involved in the census be properly trained so as not to damage our reefs as they do their census?

Professionals, scientists and regular divers in our waters generally know how to manage underwater activities without damaging our reefs. They would certainly not 'bump' into corals to find them ).

Project NOAH Presentation Minutes:
-Mr Howard Shaw (HS) informed that the 'end objective' for the NOAH 'programme' was to strive for a marine reserve in Singapore. 'Programme' is a more accurate term as it encompasses several 'projects' rather than a single effort.
-Another end objective was to have a 'clear water diving area in Singapore'
-The ideas were 'literally toyed with' and various consultants including engineers were approached
-It was concluded that no 'artificial environment' would be created
-These measures were explored:
--> Biological and mechanical means
--> Create barriers
-However, this 'natural' measures were deemed to be phenomenally expensive with other issues such as ownership, maintenance and whether it is actually possible
-HS stated that 'not even I know how it'll work' with regards to artificial barriered reef
-As such, project objective was realigned and clear water area deemed 'not such a feasible idea'
-Instead, SEC wants an area to be protected and will seek a conservative stance, with the support of the private sector, to conduct an extensive marine census, to determine what's there.
-With the results, a report will be put together for the planning authorities to push for protection.
-HS understands that a lot of survey work is already done, and wishes to 'open our arms to other groups to contribute information'.
-SEC will act as a facilitator, and has coordinated efforts and presentations for this project.
-The census will be conducted over 6 months, with 300+ dives.
-As of now, there's no idea of what to do in Phase II, the barriered reef plan is 'just talk' and there are 'no concrete plans'.
-As for dredging of the lagoon and coral transplantation, SEC has no intention of carrying those out, and wishes to understand what's out there instead.
-HS shared that he's a diver himself, and has dived in 'brown waters' like the Johor Straits. He noted clear water areas around mussel beds, which could be looked into in the future, but stated that SEC is 'not expert' in this area.
-HS concluded by stating that SEC's doors are open at all times.

-Mr Sydney Chew (SC) shared what was presented at the press conference.
-SC stated that he does not represent SUF, and he also cares for the environment
-NOAH is a concept
-SC informed that land reclamation is not going to stop, and the marine environment is thus 'not ideal for corals'
-Concept was inspired by 'illwinds from Sumatran forest fires'
-SC noticed that restricted areas in Singapore harbour more marine life, and that Hantu is an 'ideal island'.
-SC stated that Singapore has limited dive sites (Pulau Hantu, P. Jong and Sisters' Islands) and the greatest threat faced is silt and sedimentation, thus the plan for a 'clear-water domain'.
-Why conserve? 'Because it is ours'
-The floor then opened for questions

Adapted from: Hantu Blog, Wild Singapore and the Blue Water Volunteers Website.

Increment of the Sipadan Levy Fee

This is a confirmed and reliable abstract from one of the dive operators in P. Mabul:

<<<
Dear Divers,

With much regret I wish to notify that our MD who is currently in Kota Kinabalu had just finish a dialogue session with Taman - Taman Sabah (the local authority overseeing the operation within all Sabah Marine Park). The session was attended by more then 10 Dive Operators through out Sabah and among others which was discuss during the said session was, on Levy Fees for diving in Sipadan. Despite the sole objection from our MD (the rest seemed not to be objecting), Taman - Taman Sabah had conclude to impose A LEVY OF RM40 PER DIVER PER DAY. All divers who plan to dive in Sipadan must register their name, Passport Number/NRIC and country of origin with those dive operators two weeks prior to diving day together with the full payment (based on RM40 per day diving) to be made simultaneously to Taman-Taman Sabah.....>>>

Other than the increased Levy fee per day(used to be RM45 per week), is the unconfirmed report of Sabah parks imposing a limit to the number of visitors to Pulau Sipadan daily. The number of people which includes, divers, snorklers, tourists and etc, is limited to 120 per day. These 120 visitors will have to pay the RM 40 2 weeks prior to their arrival on P.Sipadan as the pass are issued on a first come first served basis. Those who failed to register their details and make due payment fast enough, will be unable to secure their passes to dive or visit Sipadan.

Hantu Bloggers' 2ND ANNIVERSARY DIVE!

The Hantu Bloggers celebrates its second birthday! To commemorate two years of great diving, They'll be doing 4 dives for the anniversary trip, which includes a night dive.

As such, you'll require at least Advanced Open Water Certification (or its equivalent).

The anniversary dive is as scheduled: Saturday 25 (Sat) and 26 (Sun) March, 2006 For reservations and enquiries, email Debby at hantublog@gmail.com
RSVP March 17 with the following:
1. Your name,
2. IC/Passport number,
3. Your email address,
4. Your handphone number, and
5. Any rental equipment required incl number of weights.

The itinerary is as mentioned below.
=====
Hantu Blog Dive Itinerary Cost: S$95.00 (excl gear rental)
Venue: Keppel Marina, Bt. Chermin Rd
Time (Departure): 0900 hrs
[Dive 1]
1st Surface Interval + Lunch
[Dive 2]
2nd Surface Interval
[Dive 3]
3rd Surface Interval + Dinner
[Night Dive]
Departure ETA: 2100 hrs

Please also bring your own lunch, dinner, water and torches for the trip.
=====
Gear Rental Rates
Regulator $5.00
BCD $5.00
Mask $5.00
Fins $5.00
Weight belt (incl 4 weights) $3.00
Wetsuit $6.00
Additional weights @ $0.50
All rental equipment is arranged by Diver Airman.

Project Aware Pulau Hantu Cleanup

Project AWARE 2006 19^th Feb

Divers and Volunteers needed for the cleanup of our Pulau Hantu! Project AWARE, the dive industry’s leading environment organization, organize the underwater clean up events and is urging divers and volunteers to hitch up our wetsuits, pull on our gloves and make a splash for trash!

Divers are the guardian of our underwater environments – we often see first hand the effects of marine debris on our delicate eco-system. This event is a single day volunteer event on behalf of our underwater environment! Its fantastic example how people can work together to take action!

Fees:S$90.00 per session (2 dives)

Inclusive: Light Refreshments onboard MV Seaborne

Project AWARE Certificate

Project AWARE Decal

Tanks and Weights

Excludes: Scuba Equipments

All volunteers will attend a briefing on 17 Feb 2006 at 7:00pm. Divers that travel with MV Seaborne will gather at Seaborne Office on 19 Feb 7:45am for equipment checks and departing from RSYC at 8:00am.