Jewel in the Crown

Big John Scuba is run by a cuddly local (no points for guessing his name). And John was one of those guys who knew everyone and could get things done, as he had demonstrated after my transfer debacle. He generously waited back until my taxi eventually arrived at 7pm that evening to sort out my paperwork, after which he dropped me at my hotel (which he also arranged for me, at a discount). The next morning he picked me up again and gave me a lift to his boat which would take us out to Mabul Island. The town of Semporna was a dump (literally, as there was rubbish lying in the streets) and I was hoping that it was no reflection of what lay offshore. Thankfully, it wasn't.

The next morning we boarded one of Big John's dive boats for the one hour trip out to Mabul Island. Mabul is the largest island of the archipelago, and accommodates the most tourists. It also hosts a small colony of "sea gypsies", who build their houses out over the sea to apparently avoid paying tax. Depending on your budget you can spend anything from $40 to over $600 per night for lodging in this part of the world. Naturally, I was at the $40 end of the scale, and I had been told to expect a "homestay". To my pleasant surprise it was more like a budget hotel, suspended over the Cerebes Sea and run by a local family. I even had my own room! But realising that our plumbing dropped straight into the water below I quickly made a note not to swim in the lagoon. Other than that, it was excellent!

Without wasting a moment, I was told to join the local Divemaster to do a quick refresher. Osmund wasn't much of a talker but informed me that our first dive would be in a spot called Coral Garden, and that I was to perform a series of drills to ensure that I wouldn't be a danger to myself or others. With those out of the way we used the rest of our air to have a bit of a look around. We saw turtles, eels, puffer fish, and an octopus, and there was even a small wreck. With only a small gesture Osmund asked if I wanted to go inside and check it out...absolutely! I hadn't been inside a wreck before, and it was like being in your own documentary. Because the water inside is so still, and the walls are so close, everything looks very clear. When I surfaced I was smiling ear to ear, which made a pleasant change from the bleeding lungs last time. We rounded off day one with dives at Eel Garden and the Seaventures Oil Rig (now converted into a hotel). Yet amazingly this wonderland wasn't even the big drawcard.

Divers all over the world come to this archipelago with one island in mind: Sipadan! In fact, Sipadan Island was at the top of Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine Gold List for 'The Top Dive Destination in the World', shared only with the Galapagos Islands and Truk in Micronesia. Unfortunately for me, this popularity meant that it usually sold out weeks or months in advance, and given that I was now in peak season I assumed the latter. Sadly I hadn't made a booking, and I knew that Big John wasn't among the limited number of dive operators who held any of the 120 permits allowed each day. But, as I chatted with Mark, Big John's Dive Instructor, he told me he'd see what he could do. To my absolute delight he returned after a few phone calls and advised me that he could score me a permit in 2 days time due to a cancellation. It would cost a small fortune, and I had to pretend to be Peter Schrelechner (no joke), but I was in!! And so my 3day/9dive trip turned into 4 day/12dive epic, including Sipadan! For those who may be familiar with the local diving, I also dived Lobster Wall twice, the Navy Marker, Ray Point as well as Mid Reef & House Reef around Kapalai Island. The sealife was extraordinary, how could Sipadan possibly be so much better?

It started with the scenery. Unlike the other islands, no one was allowed to stay on Sipadan (except for the World's luckiest deployment of Malaysian troops, who had a small camp there!!). So Sipidan was a well preserved atoll, jutting up 600m vertically from the sea floor below. This unique geography made it a haven for sea creatures of all types, as I was about to find out. Taking advantage of the 15m visibility, our first dive dropped us straight to 22m depth where we ran right into a school of reef sharks. Over the next 45 minutes we slowly ascended passing numerous turtles in what felt more like a giant aquarium than the ocean. To top it off we spent our 5m safety stop hovering over the reef, watching every colour of fish. On our second dive we went to the famous Barracuda Point and hadn't even descended before the show started. Within moments we became enveloped by a massive shoal of Jackfish. As we dived it was like diving through a sea of silver, so thick they actually blocked out the light as they swam around us. And we finished with a dive into Turtle Cave, a sea cave about 20m down, before ascending while drifting along the precipitous wall that the island sits on. On the boat ride home we could barely contain our excitement, the reputation of Sipadan was well deserved!! But Mother Nature wasn't done yet, and swam a massive pod of Pilot Whales right across our bow.

And with that, my time was up and it was sadly time to return to Australia. But what a way to end! Thank you Malaysia, and thank you Peter Schrelechner!!Read more