Pulau Tenggol, Terengganu, Malaysia (PADI Open Water Course)

25th May 2006,
Nothing much..we departed to Dungun at 10.30 pm

26th May 2007,

We arrived Dungun and relaxed at D Molek Inn and had breakfast there. We met out instructor, Mr. Bryan Knight...like Bryan McKnight ehh...then, at 10.30, we hoped in to a boat to Tenggol Island. It took 1 1/2 hour to arrive. I got that so-called 'tanning' while on the boat..sat at the deck along the trip and exposed myself under the UV light just to avoid inhaling excessive carbon monoxide from the boat exhaust.
At noon, we arrived and checked-in at Tenggol Aqua Resort. We changed to swimming attire. We were given a briefing about SCUBA by Bryan and learnt to setup the SCUBA equipment. Then we got into the water and dive to a depth of 3 meters...Wow...I love those corals and fishes...with the sunlight penetrating and everything looks lively. We dived 2 times and the problem with me was, difficult to establish neutral buoyancy..Luckily I didn't really damage the corals though I landed on the coral beds twice or thrice.


27th May 2007,

We went to the turtle point but couldn't find any turtle. But it didn't matter so much because the beauty underneath has unshaded the disappointment of not being able to observe a turtle. Fishes were so beautiful. I found several anemone with Nemos at several spots. The Nemos are just like the clowns..ahakkss...looked friendly but actually they were saying 'Go away..don't disturb us'..I just loved to see the colorful of the corals, tubeworms, nudibranch and other rarely seen coral fishes. And definitely I didn't expect to see any shark.
28th May 2007,
Today, I improved my diving skills and I was in the water for almost 45 minutes..and then my tank was running out of air. This time was the real diving where the beauty of Tenggol underwater was much much more revealed.We dived at the turtle point again. This time, we got the chance to touch the 'touchable' marine life such as a species of sea-cucumber, tube worms, soft corals, anemones, again...Nemos..and others. There were even purple corals...damn i didn't bring my digicam along to get a few snaps of pictures. Nevermind, Tenggol is a worth place to go and dive again. And we planned to go to Tenggol again, next month.
29th May 2007,
We woke up, had our breakfast and exam. We planned to dive one more before we check-out but time didn't permit us to do so and it was quite disappointing.Thought of extending another night but it was not a good option because somewhat expensive. Well, about the exam, we passed the exam and we were given temporary license. At 12.45, we went off and it was very unpleasant to leave Tenggol island. Gonna miss Bryan, pakcik Jamil, Salim, Vaza and the rest.

Pulau Pangkor, Perak, Malaysia

Tadaaa....this was my 2nd time 2 Pangkor. The 1st time was like 3 years back. The difference was, I camped at Pangkor instead of staying in the hotel. I went with him. Only for 2 days 1 night because the holiday was damn short..during Labor Day and Wesak Day.
I have not been for camping for years...too long. The last when I was in my 1st degree year...And last few days, I managed to go camping. It was quite funny when we didn't bring all the essential equipments such as insect repellant, blades, mugs and sunscreen...pheww...just look at me!!I'm tooo dark...not tan..but dark...huhu...I need to consult the beautician and do the facial thingy...arrgghhh...We asked the taxi cum van driver to take us to the camping site. Then we set up the tent and unloaded our stuff. I cooked Maggi for lunch because we haven't had anything since morning..Damn..the pan iss too small...and I forgot to buy eggs..Taste would be better when you cook Maggi with eggs. Then we went for bathing..no such thing as sunbathing for both of us because we are 'tan' enough for that...ahakkss...Then, at 4.30 pm, we hired a motorcycle and around the Pangkor island we went. To the Dutch Fort, Historical Rock and other places. The main purpose hiring that motorcycle was too find the gas oil as fuel for our lamp but we couldn't find any. I decided to sit and have 'power' laksa while viewing the sunset but unfortunately, it was sold out...huhu..unlucky me. At night, I cooked 'jemput-jemput express ADABI'..ehehehe....obbviously...masakan org malas nk masak..what to expect more when things are not planned properly? But as long as we can eat...it should be ok.
The next day, we went for snorkeling. At first, I almost give-up with the water condition in the 1st snorkel area but then we went to another place and found that the 2nd place is much better. Muahahaaha....bye bye to those who snorkel at the crowded people. Nothing they could see and the fishes are 'reluctantly' feed their breads. As compared to Perhentian island, the corals in Pangkor are more beautiful and bigger even less than 2 metres from the shore but the the clarity of water is tenfold times clearer and more beautiful in Perhentian. And compared to Mamutik island, corals in Pangkor a bit 'alive', however in Mamutik, the fishes are more friendly :p and and the water is clearer...minimal turbidity. I didn't go to the deeper snorkel area but he went and he told me he can see many soft corals...and he even said there are purple corals as well...huwaaaa...
I can feel the stinging sensation and I wonder why. Then I realize this one Mat Salleh was telling her friend she got stung by jellyfishes..not the adult jellyfish but the 'baby' jellyfishes. I can see baby jellyfishes...they are transparent that you can barely see them. Suddenly I recalled what was said by Dory (Finding Nemo)...lil squishy..ahakkss...I couldn't stand the stinging so I went off to the shallow area and fed the fishes again. After snorkeling, we returned to the main shore. Wihout bathing 1st, we had laksa which was not so delicious as compared to the place that I initially wanted to have laksa. Just to suppress hunger, we just eat. Again, we went around Pangkor island, riding our 'bike' and this time we went south. Returned to campsite and we rest before having freshwater bath and packed our stuff. At about 3.30..we returned to Pangkor Jetty and went back to Lumut.Sadly, the environment in Pangkor is no longer preserved because it is not the same like the past 3 years. However, there are certain things that affect the environment. 1st, there were toooo many people coming to Pangkor...2nd,the beaches and snorkeling area became too crowded. I went snorkeling and I was too upset with the cloudy water and some filth. People are allowed to feed the fishies with bread but these 'sort of jerks' people fed them excessively where the pieces of breads 'scattered' and floating. I bet most people would feel uncomfortable to swim at that area and play with the fishes. 3rdly, about the safety in the snorkeling area. It is too dangerous when this area is the port for the boats to drop the passengers. Some people would prefer to snorkel without life jacket. What would happen if the boat operators do not realize there were snorkellers along their way? It is not a wise thing to allow boats to pass through the snorkeling area if they want to preserve the corals under and lives under it. Well, it's up to the locals to think what is the best for the island.