Blog Log June 11, 2006

The days leading up to the dive were wrought by heavy and relentless downpours. Even on the morning of the dive, the sky was overcast with a teasing drizzle. As the bumboat pulled out of West Coast Pier however, things started to look a bit more promising - skies cleared up and the sun began to warm us up. It's almost as if we truly had luck on our side, and everyone was going to have an enjoyable day of diving with bright sun-shiny skies. The first critter we ran into that morning (though we probably past several critters without spotting them!) was this shy filefish hiding against one of Jani's angle irons.

Then this Pseudoceros flatworm, seemingly asleep, lay on the edge of the coral, unfettered by our camera flashes and stares.

Then Chay Hoon spotted something amazing - A tiny, baby Rubble pipefish. Don't let this macroshot fool you, it was hardly noticable. When she first spotted it, it was in a spot of silt, which made it even more camouflaged!

Then Kang Ngee caught on and pointed out this larger pipefish of the same species. It was much more shy, and I only managed one shot before it wriggled off into a crevice.

Here, a tube worm commonly known as the Feather duster worm, builts its home in a gorgeous field of Goniopora tentacles. The other divers sighted razor fishes in this area before we got there..

A sample of stunning architecture, I believe this is Platygyra coral (correct me if I'm wrong!). What impressive beauty!

Another tube worm, oblivious to my presence.

Right through lunch and our surface interval, sunny skies kept the day looking promising. But luck ran out just as we were about to make our entry into the second dive! Storm clouds rolled out, and here, Joseph checks out the wakes stirred up by the strong winds. As surface currents picked up, we decided to wait out abit and see if the storm would clear.

It'd been a long time since we were caught out in a rain like this. After about half an hour, the rain began to subside. The divers who'd been huddling on the boat from wind and rain were very eager to hop into the warmer waters..

But then the second wave arrived, and with greater gusto! Surface visibility was greatly reduced and lighting led us to consider waiting the storm out a little longer.

But as the rain continued and the wind relented, divers turned to conversation about marine encounters and memorable dives. Not to mention, techno-pop music blaring through our skipper's new MP4 player!

Heading back to the pier, we came along the RSYC, where a distinct and concerning plume of silt was staining up the water. This silt probably arrives from nearby land activities such as construction or from areas where trees have been cleared. All drains lead to the sea eventually, so it's important never to litter whether on land or at sea. Not to mention, for companies responsible for construction activities to take proactive mesures to prevent such occourances.

For memory's sake: (from left) Divers Joseph, Andrea, Xiangyi, Wai Ming (Xplore guide), Wyatt, Hui Bing (Xplore guide), Bill (a visitor from Hawaii), Chay Hoon, Kang Ngee, and Reef guides Gina and myself, Debby.