Uncle Chua

Uncle Chua or Ah Chua is the Hantu Bloggers' preferred bum boat driver. The bum boat he currently operates was purchased in 1983. That's 21 years so far. And it's still in good running condition. Though slower than some more expensive and snazzier-looking vessels, Ah Chua's boat being well maintained means it's more efficient, allowing our dives be cleaner ones, environmentally.


Uncle Ah Chua with his former homeland and present oil refineries in the background.

Ah Chua used to live in a kelong on Pulau Brani. He tells of how days in the kelong were fun filled and carefree. They were also more beautiful. He could watch huge stingrays, nurse sharks and other pleagics swimming beneath and around the kelong in the clear waters that were then. He was evicted from his home and relocated on the mainland around the mid 70s. Life become more boring for Ah Chua, the pace of life quickened and became more stressful. He'll relate how he misses those kampung days.

During his days by the sea, he's witnessed pods of whales and dolphins grazing our Southern Islands. Those sights have become more rare, he says. But in his eyes you can read, he believes they're still out there somewhere.

Ah Chua was relocated yet again, from Jardine Steps to West Coast Pier. Since the shift, business has gotten harder. With fewer people visiting the Southern Islands nowadays, his vessel is seldom in use. He says since the coastal development intensified, the condition of the sea worsened and people were discouraged from spending time out either diving, fishing or at the islands' beaches. He adds that more and more islands are being closed to visitors which adds to the decline of passengers.

A warm, friendly fellow who loves the sea and sharing it, there's really no other other company we'd rather have for a boatman.