Blame Gan

Yeah! back to Malaysia = home; but leaving again tomorrow to Banda Acheh, Sumatra, Indonesia - Pulau Weh

OK. We always talk about bad, good, great dive master; it’s like talking about bad, good n great diver - who plays the judge? Who set all those diciplines? …to be continue, busy la whenever I’m back to KL. I actually try to write it yesterday when I’m in Hatyai, but blog.com server down…

Got part of the work done - and it’s 22:31, diver just sms me about earthquake in Sumatra…

If you are a very experienced diver, u wish your dive master look more for marine life;
If you are an inexperienced diver, u wish your dive master look more at you;
If you love giant creature, u wish your dive master covers more area;
If you love tiny macro, u wish your dive master slow down n goes into detail;
If you are a ‘pro supporter’; u wish your dive master do things accordingly (such as detailed briefing)
If you are a ‘let’s-go supporter’; u wish your dive master save all the words and go into water asap…
If you are not confident in buoyancy control, u wish your dive master keeps on swimming;
If you are an underwater photographer, u wish your dive master to be very slow;
If you are leisure diver, u wish your dive master to be in comfortable speed which certainly faster than underwater photographer;
If you are a underwater videographer, #@#$! ‘leave me alone, can’t you see I’m shooting something?’!!!

A great dive master always as u wish - u set the dicipline to judge, but that may require a 1 on 1 situation;
When a mixed group of divers come to A dive master - I don’t know, actually. Sometimes, I wish all leisure diver can be dive master of their own.

We traveled to Koh Similan next day, n dived East of Eden, Deep Six, Elephant Head Rock n Breakfast Bend. The drift dive and giant sea fans still nice, the giant frogfish is still at the same spot n we were lacked of luck this time with Breakfast Bend as only 1 porcupines ray at the sandy bottom. Dive in Deep Six were great on the spotting of pikachu nudibranch n seamoth.

Last day dive in Koh Bon, we didn’t see any manta ray… but 2 leopard (zebra) sharks as the consolation at the 2nd dive, well, at least something bigger than 2m… Now I’m, at Trang office and going back to Malaysia tomorrow! Preparing to visit Pulau Weh in Indonesia (Banda Acheh) n let see if it’ll be another great new spot of diving in this area!!! Will certainly write a report about the place.

All images posted in this blog taken by Mr. Lee Wen Tze from Dive Channel (Klang), to view his images, do click on: amatuer underwater photographer

This trip we tried something new - 1st morning dive (2nd day) in Tachai Pinnacle, then 3 dives in Richellieu Rock (it require calm sea n predictable good weather in order to do that). Evening dive in Richellieu Rock is good with less traffic underwater as many divers left the site by 3pm.

Now I’m at Trang office, headache on November Raja Ampat trip… Searched Silk Air on Singapore - Manado, Lion / Wing’s Air on Manado - Sorong, Merpati Air on Manado - Sorong, Air Asia on Kuala Lumpur - Surabaya, Merpati Air on Surabaya - Sorong… I think the flight ticket alone from Malaysia / Singapore to Sorong will be over RM1K+, and the logistic… Will the dive there worth the planning, the answer from many divers who have been there is a certain YES (unlike fellow diver friends who came back from Palau or Maldive, claimed that their dive is only so-so, so as my experience in Maldive, 5 years ago).

I met Yanni in Hatyai this morning. She told me (n she had told me on board) that Pulau Weh is really good. I’ll be visiting the place on 26th March anyway, let see - then we talked about diver’s dicipline… who to set the diciplines? Think I’ll write about it on my next blog when I’m off board again…
 

Food is one of the things that keeps me going holiday there. If you are in a group n you love Thai food, try to visit Sawei or Kan Ying, good price with tasty cooking. Seafood - Tha Lay Thai or the Market near night hawker (ask the tour agency, they are willing to help, unless they are busy!), personally I don’t prefer shark fin n bird nest so no information If you are traveling in 2 persons and looking for what is not/better than in Malaysia, then try Fuji (Japanese food inside Lee Garden Plaza) or MK Restaurant (hot pot inside Robinson). If you are looking for best pork, then Ching Chie at Niphat Uthit 1 Road (serve only morning). Good n cheap Fish blader can be found at a shop opposite Sakol hotel. Of couse, there are still many small shops which I can’t read their sign offering good home cooked Thai food. Do have a walk around Lee Garden Plaza at mid night, where you can just sit down and have some light drink or ’snack’ for your stomach or eyes.

Pub n Band - ..mm.. live performing band in Hatyai is quite ok. Garden Home - oldies, and some pub nearby Lee Garden Plaza. Alcoholic drink is cheap in Thailand. Hatyai disco is not really interesting (for experience, just go - Paragon, unless some festive season? I would say noisy than happening… or the local Thai disco - Sotas.

Massage is the must-to-do in Hatyai. I always recommend people to Sakura for foot, full body or oil massage - from my 300+ times massage experience in 4 years. There are always pretty ladies asking if you want their foot massage on the street, that most probably ended up other guy who will be doing massage - don’t get dissapointed, OK? hehehehehe… Buying massage voucher from tour agency is, again, cheaper than walk-in to the shop.

Other activities? day visit to Songkhla or Thale Ban; watching a sexy or Hansa Plaza show; shopping, go to shooting range (0.38, 0.44… is it legal?), Spa (I actually never go for the Spa before…), watch movie in Lee Garden Plaza Cinema (remember to stand up and stay still till the King song completed)… If you have time, you may travel to Satun for the Island around Tarutao National Park, the magnificient lake of Tha Le Noi in Phattalung, or the famous Trang Sea.

eee…. how come it sound like a travel webpage already - whatever is it, I love Hatyai because it’s relaxing n that’s what I can affort during the November - April liveaboard season… will next be Bali (because of the Bali - Komodo thing)?

I’m a Malaysian - Chinese. Gan is my family name, but as it’s easy to remember, so all the ‘Gan’ families will try to introduce them self as ‘ah Gan’ in Malaysia (e.g. last X’mas Liveaboard to Hin Daeng, I have 3 ‘ah Gan’ on board… not related at all). Why start this topic about my own story? b’cos too many people who met me ask about it, so I just put it in my blog, n I can refer them here to save my time on repeat the explanation.

 
It’s still Chinese New Year, I’m in Hatyai, Thailand. Yesterday there are many many people on this Malaysia-Thailand border city - dragon n lion dance up to a 5 metre pole, fire work n fire cracker everywhere, food stalls + it’s already shopping heaven. Now I know to start a good blog, I must bring along my digital camera all the time ; I’ve stopped taking photo long ago, both underwater n on land.

Just completed a liveaboard trip in Thailand, and going on another one 3 days later, and another one 2 days after that. I’m actually thinking of going back to Malaysia for 1 night, but all the buses were full. Is it fun to worked as dive operator, especially those always on-travel type? It used to be my dream. I’ve stayed on Perhentian Island, Malaysia for 4 years - listened to those stories told by diver from all over the world, fascinated me to become a traveling dive pro - plan, do research, connect to resources, organize, marketing, handle booking, manage logistic, PR, safety supervising, risk management… see? where is diving?

Think traveling is only fun for leisure. Friend told me that I’m taking for granted of what I have. The fact is, I AM. Taking away the pressure of ‘low income’, ’some’ perfectionist diver customers or operators, ‘yet’ to be more experienced me, lost of contact to the norms in city-life; it’s actually very nice to meet happy holiday people - Yup, what keeps me going is people that I’ve met, I dived with.

- Non-swimmer became great diver, and swim or handle the sea confidently is a reward to his/her instructor
- Diver who knows they pay for holiday rather than pay for critic conference, knows their $ value
- if you are lucky, you’ll meet whale shark; if you are experienced, you’ll meet wonders; if you are happy, you’ll meet angel - a diver told me about her perception about diving; she dive because she likes wonders, best if she see whale shark, but it’s unexpected that she met an angel there.
- Every holiday, we only plan for dive destination - from a lot of diver customers.
… etc

I don’t think I understand the passion they have. I never started off diving as a leisure diver - I graduated from forestry n nature recreation, and directly involved in dive professional, my 1st leisure dive trip is after my 3000 dives. But as a dive pro (since 2000, not long ago), I got to know their expectation - the difficult part is, the expectation that is not set by the diver customer themself, but by stories they heard, marketing statement their agency told, documentary show… from the best of the best picked from, may be, days of shooting, hundreds of dive, luckiest trip? The worst is, the diver customer’s dive experience and skill, versus their expectation to perfect open sea condition… don’t ask me why they don’t know their standard, I only in-charge of making sure they are safe as the P-R-I-O-R-I-T-Y.

I love the variety of divers I met, and never want to stop talking to them (for those who know me, unfortunately, at least not for now), bringing them dive and explore many many sites n show them many many wonders underwater. I certify less than 10 divers/year nowaday, think will certify more in future, but hates those psople that want to be great diver in the shortest time… well, you need to be a bit talented to be like one. No point talking too much these days, just put those ‘people’ into the water, and OPEN WATER condition, to clarify ‘things’.

After all, it’s not a 9 to 5 office work, staying in front of the computer for hours and dateline is pushing - I appreciate what I’m having, I just sometimes thinking of a change - just like when I decided to leave Perhentian Island and start my traveling dive pro career, I told other

33 years old, still soul searching, who knows what is next…

It’s Chinese New Year, it’s a full 16 pax of Swedish (Malaysian expat) charter - I still got no Ang Pau (must be given by Chinese married couple!!!) - They are very nice family, & 1 of their friend traveled all the way from Sweden to join the trip. The wethere was hot, the sea was a bit wavy at the 1st day, but very calm at the rest of the trip.

We started our dive at Garden Eel (or Eel Garden???) with a 1.5 metre Napoleon! Spotted 2 types of Halgerda, Chromodoris geminus & Reticulidia Halgerda but the photographer Ivan Choong was always not with us… he found him self some too. 2nd dive in East of Eden with good visibility, gigantic sea fan, and nice comfortable drift dive with a 1m white tipped reef shark. 3rd dive with 2 leopard sharks & 2 napoleons (humphead wrasse) at Breakfast Bend. Then we moved to Koh Bon for night dive - lobster, lobster & lobster.

Last day diving, we hope to at least see manta ray at Koh Bon, but dissapointed. The diving condition was great, there were a lot of glass fish & the bigger fish was hunting them in the morning, making great action for movie shooting
. There was a napoleon and a leopard shark spotted too. Completed the last 2 dives, we traveled back to Pier Tablamu - I don’t want to set expectation anymore for big animal next trip (14 - 18 Feb 2008) - I think they just come and go following their personal feeling… or were they in CNY holiday, that’s why they asked the leopard shark & napoleon to replace?

Here is a brief description of what we saw: entrance with a leopard shark, and few black tipped shark… these are not suitable at all in aquarium, unless you have a pool like Okinawa aquarium. then clown triggerfish, sea horse, common lionfish, dwarf lionfish, seamoth, stonefish, comet, waspfish, crocodilefish (not a normal flathead), pyjama cardinalfish, juvenile oriented sweetlips which not swinging anymore, longnose filefish…, I almost missed the scheltz pipefish. As we approaching the aquarium that stores hard coral, my ‘distanced buddy’ (this time I make sure we stay closer), discovered something funny in the plastic container - blue ringed octopus (see image / click image for information provided)… I haven’t see one before, even after mabul, lembeh, bali, komodo… but the sample in the plastic container seems lifeless and not really keen to display the magnificient ‘blue-ringed’ anymore - just like other aquarium marine life; even clownfish orange colour faded after been ‘aquariumed’…

3) Strongly suggest that all dive master trainee should visit the place for Fish ID and marine life behavior study, but don’t burn down people’s place because you are angry about it - being a dive professional, you must be able to practise ‘found out the fact and act correctly according to ‘proper’ procedure… (I actually wish I’m living in a place with less legal restriction, but then I’ll be worry about my own safety )

But I don’t think macro underwater photography can be conducted there… anyway, need to go to bed now and tomorrow - diving time! hopefully I won’t see manta ray in A1 next time I visit again… ya, buddy?

It’s Chinese New Year now, I’m a Malaysian-Chinese, but not having chance to celebrate together with family n friends, at least wish everybody a HAPPY n HEALTHY CNY!!! Wealthy - sorry la, you have to look for it rather than wish… wish usually make no result.

Dive Singapore is never in my list, until recently I visited Chong Pheng (dive instructor friend in Singapore) and talked about his last dive in that area - can’t expect much on the underwater visibility (less than 2m), but the movie they show me… all clips taken within the 2 dives, may change my mind to dive there, once…