Mabul, Sabah, Borneo for the third time

Nice to come back to places I’ve been before, know faces and my way around.
The Scuba Junkie Divers Lodge in Semporna doesn’t exist anymore, so I had to find another accommodation for three days.
One of my last year’s dive buddies, Richard Ricardo Avantiquattro, doesn’t work for Scuba Junkie on Mabul anymore, so I took some three days staying in Semporna, on the mainland of Borneo, to dive with him again.
He works in a big company now, Chinese owned, 99 percent Chinese clients, about 200 every day...
At least we have some three dives together, Pom Pom Bottles, Mataking Kecil, and Tumba Tumba Pistol Paradise. We have a 71 year old Chinese diver with us, side mount, sculling with his hands all the time. His daughter took this picture of me:

Next day he has too many Chinese DSD’s, so he joins me with Mala, a very nice Malay guy, and we’re going to. drumroll, tadaaa, Mabul and Kapalai.
The second diver in our group hits deco on the second dive, so Mala and me have a chilled third one at cleaning station Kapalai.

I return to my “hotel”, the Mermaid Inn in Semporna, this is a hostel, close to the Jetty, next time I’ll take the hotel next door. Everything is full of Chinese customers anyway, they are feasting on frog fish, painted spiny lobster bred in a plastic bottle, parrotfish Filets and the like.

I booked the best room at the Mermaid Inn, adjacent to the central common room and with almost direct access to the balcony.
I meet Richard and his local friends for a couple beers downstairs, then retire for the 8am morning boat to Mabul. Morning boat means you start diving on arrival, I know the drill.

5. April, 08:00 Boat to Pulau Mabul, arrive, big Hellos on the Jetty, put on the dive gear, in the water at D-Wall at 09:37

more dive videos here: https://vimeo.com/user55401320"

See you under water

Early start into the year: Special Manta Trip on the Junk, January 12 - 20, 2019

This trip was on top of the others, normally I go to SEA in March/April for 3 weeks. This year it is two trips.
The Junk published a special trip back in July last year, and the dive crew and owner of the Junk persuaded me to not miss this one. So I booked this extra trip, hoping to see Mantas in the Similans again.
We didn't see any, but we had a great time anyway. Alexandra and Christian from Bavaria, who I met last year on the Junk, took part as well, finishing a 4 weeks holiday with that trip.
Pickup at the airport Phuket was easy, I was following the route of the van in MotionX GPS, wondering where we went. Obviously it was not Patong as scheduled, but Chalong on the other side of the island.
At the pier Jerome and Tiger were waiting to transfer the bags and passengers, Eak took the first load to the Junk, so I had time to smoke a cigarette with Jerome and Tiger.
On board the Junk warm welcomes from the entire crew, Marco as Tour leader. Then the usual drill, cabin number, tank number, fire drill, boat briefing etc.
With us is Jamie from Manta Trust Thailand, she will be giving some lectures on Manta Rays during the trip.
I got cabin number 5 and tank number 12, just as last year ;-)
My roommates are Ben Jubert from Britain, Warren O'Neill from Canada, Bill D'Amico from the USA. Warren will also be my dive buddy for this trip.

I have a new dive computer, since my original Zoop freaked out last year in Borneo, going on and off by itself. I take it with me as a backup on the inflator hose, some times it will just turn on and beep. "Hey Volker, your computer has gone diving without you again!" But under water it records fine. Upgraded to a Suunto Vyper Novo, that records somehow more data than the entry level Zoop. Maybe I get myself an air transmitter for it later on.

Diving starts on Sunday, 13. Jan at Koh Haa Lagoon, then down to Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, and back to Koh Haa Lagoon for the Nightdive. Koh Haa is a beautiful dive site with soft corals in some spots, a chimney and a cavern with an air pocket., the Cathedral.

Next day we do three dives at Koh Haa, with the Cathedral, then off to Phi Phi, Nightdive at Palong Wall.
I get used to my new dive Computer, the Suunto Vyper Novo.

On the 15th we do three dives at King Cruiser, Shark Point and Koh Dok Mai, slowly approaching Chalong, where we refuel and get groceries. Tiger is so kind to bring me some Menthol cigarettes.

We travel to the Similans during the night, and on the 16th we can do our morning dive at the Tuna Wreck, near Hideaway Bay and Monuments. Up north through the Similans with two dives at Elephant Head and Snapper Alley, we reach Koh Bon in time for the nightdive at the Bay at 20:05h
We stay there for the night.

On 17th we try Koh Bon West Ridge with two dives, no Mantas, so we continue up north to Koh Tachai, for a dive in the afternoon.
Weather gets bad, rain sets in, the wind becomes chilly, everybody skips the nightdive ;-)

In the early morning of the 18th the boat starts to go to Richelieu Rock, where we have two beautiful dives, then on to Torinla, the southernmost island of Surin. Torinla Pinnacle is home to some very beautiful Pikachu Nudibranchs and rays.

19th is the last diving day with Torinla Pinnacle again, two more times Richelieu Rock and cruising back to Tab Lamu, where we disembark on Sunday, the 20th, around 11 am.

Made some new friends, met interesting people.

My plan was to spend the afternoon in Nai Yang on the beach, my flight goes at 21:30. Christian, Alexandra and their friend Mira join me and leave an hour before me.
I say Hello to Miaow of Beach Hotel TT Nai Yang, she offers me to put my bag in her reception, kind. But as we are four now, I don't do it.
The others leave a good hour before me, so I go for an Aloe Vera Massage and then back to the airport. Dreadful flight back home in a middle seat


25 Dives on this trip,
Average dive time 54 minutes,
Average depth 14.55 meters, average max. depth 23.83
overall RMV rate 13.77 L/min.
OK for me, I'm almost 61 and smoke....



more dive videos here: https://vimeo.com/user55401320"

See you under water

The usual September program

As all the last years, my diving schedule looks like this:
In late winter, that is March, April, I cannot take the grey cold in Berlin anymore and have to leave for something warmer and lighter, in Souteast Asia or any other tropics.
In September I go to Italy and Spain with my wife, in a car, because she doesn't like flying at all. Sure I have my dive gear with me, even with a 5.5 mm Semidry wetsuit for the mediterranean sea.

For the last 3 years we stayed in an area  called Liguria Ponente, the Riviera dei fiori, Flower Riviera, in a small town called Diano Marina. Hanging out on the beach, unwinding, reading, enjoying good food. I discovered a SSI Dive Center close by, in Imperia Porto Maurizio, run by Alessandro Ballaré and Chiara Soriente. Borgo Marina Diving, you can find them here on the side bar or under "recommended companies". I go diving with them every time I am in that area. I know most of the dive sites already, notably Saraghi, where there are more Barracudas every year, Frati with a giant anchor and Bell, the Secca di San Stefano (Saint Stefan shoal) and some wrecks.
Around the corner from their harbour is the site Ratthege, 6 meters deep with sandy bottom, where they do most of their skills training during courses. Given the modest depth I sometimes join them and separate under water, doing my own equipment checks, playing around with navigation, breathing patterns etc among the Posidonia meadows close by. It's nice training to be on your own and explore.
This year we went to Saraghi a couple of times, Frati again, and the last dive was right in front of my camping site in Diano Marina. The site is called Ferro da Stiro, the ironing iron. It's just a yacht sunk here some 20 years ago, and the concrete wastewater tubes coming from land. But interesting.
Last year my last dive was another wreck, a WW II bomb fighter plane, Biat BR-20, max. depth 46 meters, my deepest dive til now.
Every two years, in the even year numbers, there is an event called the Vele d'Epoca, Vintage Sails, with sailboats more than a hundred years old. We spent one afternoon out at sea on Chiara's sail boat, enjoying the vintage boats from a close perspective.
Here is the video for our Italy september:

Bella Liguria con Borgo Marina Diving from Vo Sta on Vimeo.

One of the weekends in September, I drive from Italy to northern Spain for a meeting of vintage aircooled Volkswagens in Tossa de Mar, around 90 km north of Barcelona. Have bee doing that for the fifth time in a row now. And of course I take my dive gear with me...
I tried a dive shop in Tossa, Andreas Diving, but I didn't like the shore diving too much, it is hard to get out of the water on the sandy beach with my prosthetic leg.A good hour's drive north, towards the border with France, there is another wellknown dive site, The Iles Medes, or Medas Islands, facing a town called L'Estartit. I had been diving there two years ago, and I wanted to try it again.
So I started one day early, arrived in L'Estartit on thursday evening, did all the paperwork at the dive shop, they were the first in two years to ask for my medical statement by my doctor, and checked in at the hotel for one night.
I got two dives at Iles Medes, with a group of 16 French, and during the second one I saw my first Mola Mola, very untypical for this season. Very happy I continued my trip to Tossa de Mar and the crazy VW bunch.
Here is the video for these two dives at Iles Medes:

Diving Iles Medes 21-09-18_720p from Vo Sta on Vimeo.

Now it's only three and a half months until I get back to Thailand, for the Special Manta Cruise on my favorite liveaboard with my favorite crew and dive professionals...

more dive videos here: https://vimeo.com/user55401320"

See you under water

Diving Mabul again. Umbrella underwater

Apart from Sipadan, what does staying at Scuba Junkies Mabul offer, anyway?
I return to a place, where I have been a year ago. My dive companions, or should I say, comrades; are different to last year.
Others, who I met last year, are the same.
Others, who I met last year, have developed, like Richard and Azrul.
And Mabul delivers, Dionne is as sweet as last year, among all the dive days in Mabul, this one will always be unforgotten, The Umbrella Dive:

Muckdiving with Dionne_540 from Vo Sta on Vimeo.

more dive videos here: https://vimeo.com/user55401320"

See you under water

April 6-7, 2018, Diving Sipadan with Scuba Junkie

Arrived yesterday morning at the Scuba Junkie Mabul Beach Resort (MBR) after a day of traveling from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur, then domestic flight to Tawau, Sabah, and a 65 minutes taxi ride to Semporna, where I checked in at the Scuba Junkie Divers Lodge for the night. Next morning another short boat ride to the island of Mabul, and we went diving straight away at the Jetty, before even checking in.
Camera was in my other bag, so no footage of the first day. Had my dive gear ready, though.
Very warm welcome by the staff at the jetty and the resort, it feels very much home when you return and know your way around, look into smiling, familiar faces and exchange hugs after a year of absence. My heart was jumping with joy meeting my friend Dionne again and having a long and warm hug with her. I requested her for one of my two Sipadan days. Did not get that one, but we had a hilarious muckdive from Awas to Jetty (more on that in a later post).

Next day is Sipadan day already, four dives, though not getting Dionne as guide I was happy to be diving with Richard and Azrul, had been to Sipadan with Richard last year.
Pretty tough current at Barracuda Point on the first dive, but once we got off the top reef and went down the wall, it was ok. That dive day had all you could wish for at Sipadan, and as pictures can tell more than a thousand words, here is the VDO of that dive day.


Just a Day at Sipadan... from Vo Sta on Vimeo.

See you under water

Nai Yang stopover, a week on Mabul

Back from the Junk "June Hong Chian Lee", I have a shared minivan to Nai Yang, close to the airport, because I will fly out the next day at 8:15 am.
I arrive more or less at noon, check in at the TT Nai Yang Beach Hotel and look for an express laundry, but they all need at least a day to wash and dry. So I do some laudry myself again and hang it on the roof terrace, together with my dive equipment, that I want dry for the flights tomorrow. Later in the afternoon TJ from Lofoten, Norway, arrives at a bungalow hotel next door, we meet in a beach restaurant next to my hotel and chat a while, sipping white wine on the rocks. She is on her way to a liveaboard trip in Komodo. After that we have a far better white at a pizzeria on the walking street, completed with pizza that doesn't need to shy the comparison with italian ones. Regular stone oven, you know.
After dinner I say goodbye, have to pack some stuff, and diving 6 days in a row makes me tired.
See you again, TJ, and eventually we will manage to dive together once again!

Mabul did not disappoint, Mabul delivered.
Three dives a day, with super visibility most of the time. On The Junk liveaboard, Oliver Fitch asked me, what the diving is like at Mabul. It's mostly muck diving, but on white sand, thus pretty different to the Lembeh Strait, for example. Apart from muck and many artificial structures, you can also have beautiful walls with awesome top reefs to hang around for a safety stop.
Some of the dive sites are so close to the jetty, you swim back to the resort after dropping in from the boat.



more dive videos here: https://vimeo.com/user55401320

See you under water

March 28 - April 3, a week on The Junk

Similans and Surin with the Junk

(If you don't like reading, there is a short video at the bottom of this page)

Breakfast at Hotel Khao Lak Golden Place, nothing special, then meet Mam Hugs Khao Lak across the street, she is as fresh and smiling as last year.
Took a massage at Coconuts, the Beach Bar at Suwan Palms, some lunch, and start editing the Pawara video. Pickup is supposed to be at 5, but the van is 30 minutes early, so I don’t manage to complete the upload to Vimeo.
We pick up Tasha from Canada, she just had some Yoga in India and is a vegetarian now for three weeks. Next is Tim from Australia, with asian roots obviously, and off we go to Tab Lamu Pier. Or Taplamu, or, as it is written on the road signs: Taph Lamu. Anyway, we get there at around 6, the parking lot is full of vans, a lot of dive boats wait for their passengers, it’s Embarkation time at Taph Lamu…
We wait at the Navy „Café“, other passengers from other vans join us, until we are 16 guests for the cruise.
Brian pickes us up, I didn’t meet him for two years now, happy to see him face to face again, he hasn’t changed a bit.
But oh, yes, something does have changed in the life of Brian: He is daddy now, he has a daughter, a beautiful cutie with incredible eyes.

The Zodiac takes us to the Junk itself, Marco greets us at the dive platform, then I can make out Oliver, Jerome, Tiger.
Man, this feels like coming home, very good. Next I see Bee, she had sent me a FB friend request, I introduce myself and tell her I can now accept her request.  I don’t accept anyone who I haven’t seen face to face in real life. She seems to find it funny, with her vivid eyes, a cheerful person, always good for a smile.
Same procedure as last year, after a short boat briefing you get a tank number and a cabin number, set up your equipment, then the fire drill kicks in and everybody meets at the muster station at the bow.
Dinner on the way out to the Andaman Sea, and here comes Marco’s and the Junk’s first trick: All boats go out tonight to Similan Islands, mostly Island #4 for check dives at Monuments or somewhere close (since Anita's Reef is closed by now), but we head directly to Koh Bon, thus always a day ahead of the crowd. Hehehe

Day 1, March 29, Koh Bon and Koh Tachai
We are on a far more relaxed schedule than on the other boats, start the day later and finish with real nightdives instead of sunset dives.
There is only two other boats at Koh Bon Bay, we don’t run into any other divers.
Marco put me in Brian’s group, together with four friends from Switzerland. They will show some hilarious dive skills later on...
It’s actually the first time I dive in a group guided by Brian, two years ago we were on the same boat, but I was in Marco’s group as I was the year before, on my first liveaboard trip to the Similans. I am the air hog on the group, but just 10-20 bar more than the others, so this will play out fine.


Dive 2 at Koh Bon Ridge, super chilled, going up north...