From the moment we arrived at the spectacular water village resort of Kapalai we knew we were in for a great trip. Beautifully appointed chalets stood suspended on stilts over clear, tropical water. Below on the shallow sandy seafloor, coral outcrops sheltered an amazing variety of marine life. Giant barracuda, Jacks and other predatory pelagic fish hunted through schools of thousands of baitfish sheltering among the pylons, reef herons perched on the stilts under the chalets ready to pounce on any unwary victims. Octopus and squid hunted among the corals while juvenile batfish danced a graceful ballet amount the boardwalk supports. We found we could enjoy a divers perspective during every moment of surface interval.
Our group of 24 commanded two of the fleet of high-speed dive boats that sped to the island reefs of our resort Kapalai, nearby Mabul Island and the legendary island of Sipadan. At days end team one and team two were soon comparing encounters for the day that included hundreds of turtles, pristine corals, huge schools of fish, sharks and very rare species of marine life. It was soon apparent that our divers and snorkelers could get face to face with fish that are very shy elsewhere.
Surface intervals always provided an opportunity for fine dining three times a day but with three boat dives, an afternoon dive and night dive off the resort also on offer, clearly choices had to be made. Some opted for more diving and less food but still put on weight!
Over a cool beer or a glass of wine each night laptops revealed the stunning images that our photographers achieved providing endless entertainment long into the evening. Photo hints and mini lessons with Peter Cave & myself ensured the hit rate of great images continued.
I was rapidly building my current collection of new digital images and concentrating on the rare and the unique marine life and the unusual opportunities to get close to many species that are hard to approach elsewhere. To my delight our excellent dive guides revealed the location of a pair of Flamboyant Cuttlefish. These beautiful little cuttles are a very rare member of the cuttlefish group and in fact after thousands of dives all over the World I have only ever seen one before.
After our team had achieved the photos they wanted, I organized a solo dive so I could spend the entire time observing them with the hope of capturing some images of their behavior. My patience was rewarded when the little female started hunting and I caught the moment when her hunting tentacles where fully extended. I also got images of some never before observed behavior between the pair. I look forward to showing these World First images among my portfolio on our Dive 2000 Presentation Evening August 22.
I was also longing to see and photograph the rare and bizarre Orang Utan crab, yes that’s correct, a long armed crab with orange furry hair! It eluded our dive guide but not the sharp eyes of Cherie Deacon who to my ultimate delight, dragged me away from some other marine animal and guided me to the crab. Its not often you can show me a marine animal I have never seen. Now in terms of crustaceans I just need to see the Harlequin Shrimp, the Worlds most spectacular little shrimp, I am told I can expect to tick that off on our Bali trip next winter along with the Giant Oceanic Sunfish. There’s a bottle of fine wine on offer for the first person to show me a Harlequin Shrimp at Tulamben, Bali.
All too soon it was time to depart for our next adventure, no one wanted to leave, but the jungle lodge in the rainforest of Sepilok beckoned. Once again we found ourselves in excellent chalets in a beautiful setting of forest, flowering plants, ponds, water lilies and exotic birds. Over the next three days we enjoyed encounters with Orang Utan's, Proboscis monkeys, fresh water otter and hornbills.
Our Borneo adventure provided an excellent combination of marine life and wildlife, all in protected marine areas and wildlife reserves. This ensures a great future for all of you who did not make it there with us this time around. We will be back!
Next Borneo holiday is in March 2008...check our Travel Page for details
