Not for the first time the excesses of the previous evening impacted on my plans. I had set my alarm clock for 4:30. I would be picking Andrew up at his hostel at 5:00am for the onward journey to KK airport Terminal 2 and the 6:50 flight to Tawau.
I opened my eyes at 4:47 so it was a bit of a rush, a quick wash and down to the reception. The taxi actually didn't tip up till after 5:00.
I arranged for the cab to stop off at Borneo Global Backpackers, even showing the taxi driver the map. After 15 minutes of driving around an industrial estate, clearly lost, asked me if I knew where the hostel was. Who's the bloody local here? And a taxi driver to boot! By look more than judgement we eventually found the right place and picked up a rather anxious Andrew. We eventually got to the airport. The taxi fare to the airport is usually a standard 30RM. I handed over 50RM which the driver promptly put in his pocket, 'change?' I asked, the driver expected us to pay an additional 20RM for the small detour despite the fact he had tipped up 20 mins late and had got lost. I disputed this and agreed on 10RM more. Robbing gypsy bastard!
We checked in for our 50 minute flight to Tawau. The late night and excess of the previous evening caught up on me and I slept till we touched down.
We were to be picked up at the airport and taken the 75km or so, to the town of Semporna. The minibus was waiting on another flight so we had time for a much needed coffee.
The road from Tawau airport to Semporna was straight and fast. Each side of the road were plantations of palm trees and for almost the whole journey this plantation was on either side of the road. It is disappointing in some respects to think that this was once tropical rainforest and over recent years had been logged and cleared to provide palm oil plantation.
Once in Semporna we were taken to the Seaventures office, paid our money and then went for a wander in the town in search of some local rum. (will I ever learn?)
While Malaysia is largely a Muslim country, most of the places have a mix of Chinese, Malay and Indian. Semporna seemed much more Muslim and consequently a shortage of alcohol outlets, we did eventually find a supermarket that sold it and purchased a couple of half bottles each, a relative bargain at 5RM each. Back to the Seaventures office and a 45 minute ride by speedboat to our home for the next three nights, a decommissioned oil rig, just off Mabul island.
The rig is a massive structure. It was operational in Panama but in 1999 it began it's journey via Singapore to Malaysia. It is a little quirky, given the approach to conservation around Sipidan that this huge chunk of metal had been allowed in the area. That said, it is a very novel dive centre.
As we arrived at the rig we disembarked the speedboat onto the lift that would take us up to the main deck. Once the formalities of checking dive cards, registering and having the guide of the main areas we were taken to our rooms. Given some of the accommodation I had stayed at during the past 6 months, it was more than adequate. Complete with en-suite and hot water.
The package we had bought included accommodation, four days and three nights. Andrew had negotiated two days diving on Sipidan. The rest of the dives would be on the two other islands . There was also unlimited diving on the house reef underneath the rig.
The first dive was to be a navigation dive under the rig. Our dive master was a young Filipino girl. Once kitted up we got on the lift and descended into the water. There was a bit of a swell and current as we jumped in.
Prior to arriving there had been a nasty cold going around and I had picked it up. One of the problems this can cause is the inability to equalise your ears. This is very important as a equilibrium of pressure is needed to avoid bursting ones eardrums. Unfortunately my ears were having none of it and firmly refused to equalise. The result was I had to abort the dive. The dive shop on the rig did sell ear drops which can often help. I decided that I would leave the diving for the day, use the ear drops and some decongestion tablets I had brought and have an early night.
The food on the rig was great. After weeks of rice and noodles it was a perfect opportunity. However, another disadvantage of the cold was a lack of appetite. I retired early for the night hoping a good nights sleep may help.
The rig had accommodation for around 100 people plus 40 staff. It was net peak season in January and at any one time which were were there the total number of guests must have been around 20.
I must have slept for a good 10 hours, unfortunately on waking I felt absolutely crap. The cold appeared to have taken a turn for the worse and I was now suffering from a streaming nose as well as a thick head. Our diving today was on Sipidan. My original intention was to go there and perhaps do a bit of snorkelling. After a cup of coffee I did feel a little better so opted to take my gear to Sipidan and give it another go. The island was about 35 minutes from the rig. There are very limited permits issued for diving off the island. The agenda was to arrive on the island, register and then go straight out to a dive site for dive #1.
Once again the ears let me down. That said, I did snorkel the site and saw massive green turtles, a shoal of bump head parrot fish, some the size of a coffee table. At one stage I got a bit of a scare when a juvenile White tip reef shark actually swam between by legs. All was not lost....
Once back to the boat we once again headed to the island and breakfast of noodles, sandwiches and 3 in 1 coffee.
The second dive was about 60 minutes later, this time I had more success and despite some discomfort I managed to do a 50 minute shallow dive hanging at between 8 and 14 metres. The visibility was so good I actually got a great helicopter view and probably saw more than most. I didn't see anything I hadn't seen before, there was just a lot more of it. Sharks, White and Black tips, turtles, a huge shoal of barracuda and the smaller fish. A great dive.
Back to the island again, another coffee and a short break. The island of Sipidan is actually guarded by the armed forces. I'm not sure if this is against the Philippines, the Indonesians (the island has had disputed sovereignty in the past) or the illegal fishing. Whatever the reason it seemed to necessitate a mounted AK49 and about 20 armed soldiers.
The final dive of the morning was a little disappointing in that I could only get to 5-8 metres. Once again though, the helicopter view gave me a good opportunity to see loads of wildlife. This included a shoal of jack fish.
After the third dive we headed back to the rig for lunch. No more diving for me, three more for Andrew. The new nickname of 'marine boy ' is well justified.
The local band, 'the sea gypsies' played over the evening. Nick and Pauline, a couple from Surrey had arrived during the day. They had been on the road for around three months and as keen divers had decided to spend a few days on the rig. We all exchanged experiences over dinner but once again I decided to get an early night in the hope that I could shake this damn cold off and get in the water again.
Later in the afternoon a few of us ventured to Mabul. This was a small island, part taken up by resorts and part taken up my a local village. It was fascinating. Extreme opulence only yards from extreme poverty. In interesting contrast. I could certainly think of worse places to be..
Our third day was also on Sipidan. At 5 in the morning I felt much better. Unfortunately, this did not translate into a good days diving. On the first dive I could only descend to about 4 metres. Because the dive was planned for 28 metres, I decided it would be best to abort the dive. I attracted Andrew and DM then went up. I felt that rough I didn't even snorkel.
We left the rig on the fourth day at lunchtime. I Must have been unwell, I never even opened the brandy!
Andrew had 27 hours 'no fly' on his dive computer so we were planning to stay in Tawau. We got a transfer from Semporna to Tawau and the driver kindly dropped us off at the cheap hotel. 38RM for the room. I visited the local pharmacy and got some medication for the cold which was now streaming. Yet another early night!
Our flight to KK left at 1.35 the next day. Ironically, the taxi ride to the airport cost the same as the accommodation. It was a good 30k away from the town.
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We arrived at KK at 2.00pm and hopped in another 30RM cab fir the short journey to Global Backpackers. This is the one big disadvantage of Malaysia. The taxis are quite expensive and there is no alternative (like the tuktuk in Thailand or the Tricycle in the Philippines)
Jono was still at the same place he'd been feeling a bit off colour for the last couple of days so had spent his time sorting out the itinerary for the next few month. The cost of a bed in Global Backpackers was just 12RM. The only disadvantage was that it was some distance from the main part of town. A great Indian was just a few hundred yards away. I delicious Roti, Nasi Penang which was fried chicken rice in an omelette and a couple of cokes.
My flight back to Miri was at 9.00 the following morning so I was not too late in bed. Yet another alcohol free night.
All in all, despite not being able to dive it was a great few days. A bit above budget but great experience nevertheless......
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Location:Adjacent to Mabul Island, Celebes Sea, Borneo, Malaysia
