big thrill diving!

i haven't been able to post for a while due to internet restrictions and lack of programs on hotel computers, but i had a great experience while still in borneo. the reason we went to this area is because our dive masters in thailand told us if they had our budget and time they would make their way to this place. who can argue with the dive instructors?! we made our way across the peninsulas which turned out to be a lot farther than we realized...the map never looks that big...and finally arrived in semporna, which is the base for diving a world famous site called sipadan. people flock here all year round for the copious sharks and turtles along with fantastic muck (macro) diving. they only allow 100 permits (divers and snorkelers combined) onto the site a day and those are gobbled up by the 4 or 5 scuba centers pretty quickly. it used to be open and there were even a couple rudimentary resorts there, but the government stopped that due to over use and destruction that was happening. the coral reef is such a fragile environment and with all the boats and people, sipadan was beginning to show significant damage and wear. however, typical to many developing country's governments, they saw an opportunity to monopolize the place and after sending the 2 small resorts off the island, came in with a huuuge barge, ready to build thier own resort and have sole rights. well, the barge wound up getting stuck on the reef and they couldn't unload anything for several days...yes, tons of damage was done to the coral and it made headlines (complete with photos of stranded barge) in the malaysian papers forcing the pre fabbed resort back to the mainland for good with a lot of bad press. geesh. in any case, we were on a waiting list and were very lucky to 'get the call' the night before. we had dived mabul island and kapalaii, which are nearby and were ready. sipadan is like a huge monolith coming up from the depths. so many big sharks and turtles come to this location because of the depths and food sources. also, this is where jacques cousteau filmed "turtle tomb" a long time ago. we got into the 29 degrees celsius (super warm!) water and descended into stunning azure water. since it was a more special experience and we would dive 3 times that day, i decided to try my hand at an underwater camera. it was quite challenging, but i'm happy to have had it. i got a lot of good tips before diving, but still there are just so many variables! as soon as we went down, there were white tip sharks swimming below us and green and hawksbill turtles off in the distance. it was so amazing and surreal! on one dive we went to the giant cave that is 'turtle tomb' and hung around the massive entrance for a few minutes just watching the activity. apparently, there is no light inside and it's easy to get disoriented even with a torch, so we didn't go in...and didn't want to... but there are hundreds of turtle skeletons inside. after 3 dives we were exhilerated and exhausted, but feeling very fortunate to have been granted the opportunity to dive this place. truly amazing. take a look at my photos below. at one point i got up reeeally close to a 'sleeping' turtle and then it came out of its nook right up under me! it was all i could do to get out of its path! crazy. hope you're all well. love, j

my sipadan photos

orang utans in borneo

orang utans are cool...plain and simple. they are not in a rush to get anywhere, do anything...they just hang out and enjoy kickin it. with such expressive faces though, at times, it's hard to look into their soft sweet eyes. these guys are, as the pictures show, much more used to humans than their long nosed relatives in my previous post. they've either been abandoned, born in captivity, orphaned or whatever other usually human based offense against them has occurred...but the sepilok rehabilitation center is true to its word and has re-introduced many of the primates back into the wild. some return regularly, some never again and some never want to leave the comforting platforms stocked with food! but, they are all well cared for and given their own space and time to do what they want. it's a great place. there are two feeding viewings per day the public can attend and loads of people show up, but the orang utans don't mind and even one came onto "our" platform as if it was no big thing. of course, we were all maintaining the posted silence requested, and even as the gentle beast jumped up on the platform and began walking on two legs...like a drunk man...across and hopped up the other side, people slowly moved out of its way and respected its space while only letting out a few gasps while broadening many eyes! it was great, but at no moment did we feel threatened or did the orang utan...it just casually walked off into the distance wondering why we were all looking at it! we are, once again, so fortunate to see these animals as they near extinction in the wild. beautiful...truly lovely animals. they climb through the branches and ropes so gracefully and quietly, often times clutching a baby or piece of fruit in one or two of their hands or feet. one not so delicious trait about them is that they vomit up their food and then re-eat it...that part was gross, but even with that, they were generous and let the others eat, too!! lol! i loved watching them and can imagine why some people would want them as pets with their pensive gazes and calm nature. unfortunately, most of them wind up mistreated, however unintentionally, and the lucky ones wind up at places like this. hope you're all well and enjoy the photos! drop me a comment when you can. lots of love, j

orang utan photos