MALAYSIA: Mabul Island and Sipadan Diving

I hopped on a boat for Mabul at 8:30 am and an hour later disembarked onto Scuba Junkie’s pier. I wandered the island to kill some time until my room was ready for me. Having visited here five years ago, I stopped by the tiny dive resort I stayed at previously. Suffering through the intense heat at Spheredivers in 2014, I opted for an air-conditioned more luxurious situation on this visit.

SEAVENTURES DIVE RIG – This converted oil rig is now a dive resort. I am glad that I skipped staying there. It’s better to be on the island rather than being stuck on that rig. It can easily be seen from the Dive Junkie jetty on our approach.

SCUBA JUNKIE DIVE BOAT – Frankly these dive boats are rubbish. Small and cramped, these annoying crafts force a backward roll entry which can cause you to get water deep in your ears. Getting back on the boat is an ordeal since the ladder is like a medieval torture device. The bottom rung is almost even with the water line and the rest of them are so narrow that they hurt your feet. After a day of diving, I already want to return to Labuan Bajo and my beloved Paradise Divers Komodo. Twice the comfort at half the price!

LOCAL VILLAGE NEXT TO THE RESORT

The houses overhanging the water on stilts are occupied by sea gypsies, a phenomenon that I was just enlightened about.

JETTY TO THE RESORT

A sea gypsy child arrives at her overwater home.

TOURISTS CHILLAXING ON THE BEACH

BOAT BUILDERS

POLICE COMPOUND – There were tourists who had been kidnapped for ransom in the past so they maintain a permanent police presence on the island. They patrol the perimeter of the island 24/7.

RAMSHACKLE JETTY LEADING TO SPHEREDIVERS RESORT

This is what most of the wooden pathway looks like. It sways from side to side as you make your way to your destination wondering whether your next step will be the one that sends you over the side or worse.

SPHEREDIVERS – The decking is firm and sturdy here, but getting here is preceded by that rickety nightmare. I stayed here back in 2014.

Some of the ramshackle construction form a kind of involuntarily, competent, abstract art.

Sign pointing the way to my favorite seafood vendor.

THE KIDS PRETTY MUCH RUN WILD ON THE ISLAND

LUXURY FLAT – Featuring quality landscaping, a mixture of building materials, and a satellite dish.

A nice abstract is integrated into the exterior of the dwelling.

SCUBA JUNKIE RESORT ENTRANCE

VIEW FROM MY TERRACE – I got the end room closest to the beach.

NONE TOO SHABBY

A Great place to curl up, read a book, and gaze at the ocean.

I made the mistake of sitting in this chair before my afternoon dive and fell asleep. Fortunately, someone rousted me and I jsut made it to the boat.

HOME SWEET HOME – A bathroom separates me from my neighbor so noise isn’t a problem.

DIVE JUNKIE RESORT SENTRY

                                             DIVING DAY #1

The first dive was called Lobster Wall and was truly rubbish, featuring dead and dying coral and shitty visibility. If I’d have wanted more diving like this, I would have gone back to Fiji. Just kidding, I’ll never go back there. This is the second dive that started with some sad wrecks, but I did manage to take some decent photos.

TRUMPETFISH

A SCORPIONFISH BLENDS IN

A WRECK BEREFT OF CORAL GROWTH

HOW I YEARN FOR THE USS LIBERTY IN BALI

TITANIC – Seeing the prow of this vessel makes me think of one of my most hated films. I thought Dicaprio looked too young for the part, and I despised Kate Winslet as that selfish wench, Rose. There was plenty of room for Jack on that piece of wood at the end! Nevertheless, I was overjoyed when popsicle boy sank into the abyss.

The only thing that could have redeemed the film would been for Rose to have jumped overboard after tossing the priceless gemstone into the drink. Better yet just hand over the necklace to the salvage guy, and then jump into the ocean. But no, she was a narcissistic cow to the very end.

A NICE SIZED GROUPER

RIDING AN UNDERWATER MOTORCYCLE WITH CART

BUTTERFLYFISH

MOORISH IDOL IN SOFT CORAL

One of the rubbishy local dive boats finds an appropriate resting place. It should make a better reef than dive boat.

LONG BEAKED CORALFISH

THIS THING IS SHOWING SOME GROWTH

PAIR OF LONG BEAKED CORALFISH

FALSE CLOWN ANEMONEFISH

GIANT CLAM

RAZORFISH & BRAIN CORAL

RAZORFISH

RAZORFISH

TOPSIDE BETWEEN DIVES

BARREL SPONGE

SPONGE

SEAFAN

Don’t let the pictures deceive you. The diving was dreadful in that most of the marinescape was dead or dying. Hopefully, tomorrows dive sites will prove more impressive. Today’s dive sites were all within five minutes of our dock. Tomorrow’s are in another area entirely.

                                   DIVE DAY #2

SPECKLED MORAY EEL

GROUPER

SEAHORSE

MY PICTURES TEND TO PAINT A DIFFERENT PICTURE THAN THE PREDOMINANTLY DAMAGED REEF THAT COMPRISES THE DIVE SITES AROUND MABUL ISLAND

ANOTHER SHOT OF SOME OF THE DISAPPOINTING UNDERWATER LANDSCAPE

SEA CUCUMBER

PURPLE PLEASURE

BIG GROUPER, PILOTFISH, AND REMORA – QUITE AN ENTOURAGE

DIVEBOAT WITH MABUL ISLAND IN THE BACKGROUND

BUBBLE CORAL

TUBE SPONGE

SOFT CORAL

CLOWNFISH

STARFISH

BLUE SEA STAR

PINK TUBE SPONGE

AQUATIC ABSTRACT

AQUATIC ABSTRACT – RECLINING FIGURE

SHY PORCUPINEFISH

FISH BLIZZARD

TURTLE NESTLED IN CORAL

SPECKLED MORAY EEL

DIVEMASTER REMAINS AT SAFETY STOP BEFORE SURFACING

NUDIBRANCH

LARGE SOFT CORAL

CORAL WITHIN A CORAL – TOP RIGHT

SEA CUCUMBER FEEDING

ARTIFICIAL REEFS – Although I do appreciate their utility, I much prefer natural reef systems.

BUBBLE CORAL

SCHOOL OF JACKS

COWFISH

DERELICT DIVE BOAT

TRUMPETFISH

SCHOOLING GRUNTS

A WELL CAMOUFLAGED FLOUNDER

                                GIANT TURTLE EMPORIUM

When I was on Mabul Island five years ago, I visited this same structure and was shocked to see so many large turtles. Thankfully, today was no different. Mabul has the largest sea turtles I’ve seen any where in the world and they are all around the island in great numbers.

THIS ONE IS PLAYING HOST TO A REMORA THAT IS ADHERED TO HIS BACK

THESE TURTLES AVERAGE 300-400 LBS.

THIS ONE’S A LITTLE SMALLER, BUT HE’S GOT PERSONALITY

HE’S GOT A FEW NICE BARNACLES ON HIS BACK AND HAS A GOOD YAWN BEFORE HIS AFTERNOON NAP

PUFFERFISH

CROCODILEFISH

CLOWNFISH

                        SIPADAN ISLAND

BLACK TIPPED REEF SHARK

GEORGIA O’KEEFE BARREL SPONGE

WHITE-TIPPED REEF SHARK – He’s got a small remora on his back.

I had another 80 Sipadan photos which my GoPro erased without permission including rare footage of a whale shark as well as numerous videos of reef sharks and turtles. I hope to be able to reclaim the photos with software designed for such a purpose. I just found out that it’s not uncommon for GoPros to inadvertantly lose photos and videos. You bastards!

At least I got to dive off of Sipidan which is rated among the world’s top ten dive sites. I missed it on my first visit to Mabul because I was unaware that you have to make advanced reservations.