We {dive} Heart Scuba!

If there is one thing that takes the sport of scuba diving from a great sport to an exciting and engaging life experience, it’s the people. The scuba diving community is filled with many interesting people who have a genuine passion for the sport and a desire to share their experiences with others. One of the Scuba Dive Advisor team missions is to shine a light on these amazing people and assist scuba inspired ventures attract more people to our great sport by providing a venue where deserving businesses and people can get the exposure they are entitled to. Because, after all, what makes this sport amazing? Possibility thinkers and people who are willing to take the road less traveled! These are the people who have blazed the trail over the decades since recreational scuba was made possible by the adventurous Émile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves Cousteau when they started Aqua Lung and all of the countless others who have made it possible for everyone to experience things many of us never dreamed of.

There are always individuals who stand out as pioneers, but none has moved our team the way that Jim Elliott and the Diveheart team has. Jim’s passion and story made all four of us stop and take stock of what’s truly important in our own lives. In the face of adversity, promise is always nearby and Jim opened our hearts to remind us of this important fact. You see, Diveheart focuses on “making possibilities for disabilities” by building “confidence and independence in children, adults, and veterans with disabilities using SCUBA diving as a tool.”

Here is Jim’s story…

When Jim’s eldest daughter was born with impaired vision that made her legally blind, Jim was faced with the challenge to keep her motivated and encouraged to excel throughout her life and have the courage to try new things. This is when Jim taught his daughter how to snow ski. What happened next was incredible! After a weekend on the slopes, Jim’s daughter returned to school with a brand new confidence and more importantly, hope! Telling her friends that she went skiing over the weekend, they did not fully believe it until she showed them pictures. Jim and his wife, almost immediately, began to see a transformation within their daughter as she began to succeed in school and extra-curricular activities.

After witnessing the effect skiing had on his daughter, Jim got excited and began to consider how he could do something similar to help children, adults and veterans, with both physical and cognitive disabilities, to find the most important thing in the world. HOPE!

Throughout his life, Jim was a recreational scuba diver who would get out and dive whenever he could. As he began to think about the things he could do to help others, he looked to his own passion for scuba diving.

It was at this point in 1996 that Jim made the difficult decision to walk away from a successful career in advertising to “become a volunteer.” Jim became immersed in his new life and for the next five years used using scuba diving as a conduit to help people with disabilities and to achieve his ultimate goal of establishing Diveheart.

Diveheart was founded in 2001 by Jim Elliott. He took the giant leap to give people the gift of hope, and what he and his team have been able to do in just over ten years is nothing short of amazing. Diveheart has trained people around the world with the skills necessary to become dive buddies to many people with disabilities that would have otherwise never allowed them to scuba dive. To make things even more rewarding, and discovered in large part because of Jim’s commitment, scuba diving is proving to be therapeutic to people who are paraplegic and quadriplegic. Since it has been discovered that scuba therapy is effective in helping reduce pain and in many cases increase mobility, much research has been devoted to the subject.

People with disabilities, who are victimized by the natural effects of gravity on land, experience something different once they are submersed under water. The properties of water are magical to a scuba diver and it is best evidenced and understood with individuals who are paraplegic or quadriplegic. “Thanks to the wonder of the water column, the oceans and lakes of the world become the forgiving weightless environment of outer space, giving perfect buoyancy to a child or adult who would otherwise struggle on land.”

After being introduced to diving, many of Jim’s students began to report that their constant pain would disappear for weeks at a time after a dive session. Miraculously, other students who were told they would never walk again, are now on the verge of throwing away their walking cane to walk on their own. Better yet, one of Jim’s diving participants is hoping to run a 5K race in the next couple of years. With the hope and love that Diveheart is able to give to people, we have no doubt that these dreams will become reality.

This past weekend we met Jim and THIS GUY IS IT! He is just like you and me; he has a story. His ability to build a relationship one person at a time builds hope. It is difficult to leave a conversation with anyone on the Diveheart team without a smile on your face or a tear in your eye. Jim is passionate about his cause, sincere in his approach and inspiring to us. Thank you Jim and Diveheart!

From L to R : Dan, Esther, Jim, Lana & Tim

So what can you do?

The most obvious way you can help Diveheart is through donations. Second, when you change your gear, donate your scuba equipment. Your old gear can help Jim’s team to teach people how to dive. However, the most valuable investment you can make into the success of this heartwarming organization is your time. Become a dive buddy! Attend one of Jim’s training sessions and you will certainly become part of something amazing. Learning to assist divers with disabilities takes certified scuba divers three evenings of training. Once you are trained, you will have the opportunity to participate in the dive trips that Diveheart organizes each year.

Thank you Jim and thank you to everyone at Diveheart for giving us inspiration and hope. We admire everything you stand for and look forward to our first dive buddy training with you in January.

Until then keep on diving and inspiring!

Dan, Esther, Lana and Tim

Guest Blog Post // Poor Knights Islands : New Zealand

I laid in darkness floating just below the surface of the water, as the cool water of the sub-tropical Pacific Ocean compressed my dry suit around my body. I did what I could to slow my heart rate and control my breathing, but it was no use. The excitement of my location and the chill of the water impeded my success.

Only days before, I was over 5,000 miles away going about my daily rituals. A last-minute issue prevented the planned guide from running this trip; and even though it meant being away from my family for Thanksgiving, I was quick to take on the task. Now here I sat at a location Jacque Cousteau rated as one of the best dives in the world. My day dreaming was interrupted by the splash of another diver entering the water. With a light inhale, the cold air from my scuba tank inflated my lungs and brought me back to the surface. As I opened my eyes I was greeted not by the bright sun, but instead a rock ceiling over 100’ above me. Laying on the surface of the ocean inside of the largest sea caves in the world, I could not help but feel as though I had finally found the perfect location to spend the rest of my life.

Riko Riko Cave, the largest sea cave in the world, is tucked away in the secluded Poor Knights Islands just off the Northeast coast of the North Island, near the small town of Tutukaka! Our group had arrived in New Zealand just after sunrise the morning before and much of our day was spent traveling to the town of Tutukaka. Even before we entered the water for our first dive in the Poor Knights Islands I knew the next two weeks would be an amazing experience I would never forget. We would be spending the next week exploring the Poor Knights with one of the best dive operations I have ever had the pleasure of diving with, Dive! Tutukaka. The shop manager knew of my passion for caves and was clearly making an effort to start our trip off on the right track.

Our trip to the Poor Knights Islands took only about 45 minutes on board the Calypso (a 55’ custom dive boat). The Calypso is just one of the operations five vessels and features two onboard heads, a kitchen, hot showers and everything a recreational diver could ever desire. As we approached Riko Riko Cave the boat slowed and slipped directly into the mouth of the massive cave. The cave could have easily engulfed another vessel or two, with a surface volume of over 7.8 million cubic feet, it is nearly twice as large as the next largest sea cave in the world.

As a dive site, Riko Riko Cave provides an amazing opportunity for divers. Divers can experience multiple marine environments all during a single dive, because of the nature of the cave. At the back of the cave divers encounter a stark and moon-like environment of boulders and rocky bottoms that light never reaches. Here you will encounter marine life that you would normally only find in the dark depths hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface. By the time you reach the entrance area of the cave, divers will find themselves in a massive kelp forest rich with life. As you travel through the cave you can witness a changing of aquatic life you would normal only be able to experience on TV or by venturing hundreds of feet down an ocean wall.

During my 75 minute dive at this amazing location I encountered countless species of nudibranch, eels, eagle rays, countless types of stunning fish, an amazing assortment of sea urchins and even a carpet shark. At the back of the cave the long forgotten bones of a whale who selected the cave as his final resting place can be seen. All of this in less than 60’ of water and over 100’ of visibility.

As I broke the surface of the water at the end of my dive I could not help but think there was no way to top this dive, but I would quickly be proven wrong. After getting back on the boat we enjoyed an onboard lunch the shop had packed for us of sandwiches, hot soups, fruit and hot drinks. With our stomachs full, the engines started back up and motored only a few tenths of a mile from the entrance to the cave to a dive site called Trevor’s Rocks. Even though we had traveled only a short distance outside of the cave when we entered the water, we encountered a kelp forest so dense that it made the forest outside of the Riko Riko Cave look like a barren waste land devoid of life. Sponges, anemones, nudibranchs, cucumbers, sea stars, and eels covered the rocky floor of the area. To top of the experience, hidden throughout the kelp jungle were countless eagle rays.

While the underwater world is absolutely stunning, the surface provides for many amazing opportunities as well. The beauty of islands were so tempting I even elected to skip a dive to take advantage of the kayaks onboard, so I could get a closer look at the amazing life found on the shores of the Poor Knights Islands. Even though I was not able to get on the shore of these amazing islands, the kayaks allowed you to get close enough to enjoy the coast. If that wasn’t enough to make the surface experience exciting, the Poor Knights islands are covered with sea arches large enough to drive boats through.

During our five days of diving the Poor Knights, not only did I get a chance to visit the largest sea cave in the world, pass through two large sea arches, but we also got a chance to visit a number of amazing dive sites including the world-famous Northern Arch featured in the BBC documentary “Planet Earth”. With the bottom of the arch sitting at around 160’, those qualified can proceed to the base of the arch and enjoy an amazing view of hundreds of rays stacked during the migration season.

The stories I could tell you about what you will encounter in the Poor Knights Islands, and for that matter New Zealand as a whole, are simply endless. No amount of reading stories or seeing pictures will ever prepare you for just how amazing this location is. Where ever your dive adventures have taken you in the past, the Poor Knights Islands and Dive! Tutukaka will surely be at the top of your experience list just as it was for me.

Avery Z. Chipka : @azchipka

 

Sipidan Island : Lobster Lair

The wall on the west side of Sipadan Island generally has more soft corals and Lobster Lair is without exception here. Lobster Lair is a wall dive with a pretty sharp drop to the unseen depths surrounding Sipadan Island and it is a continuance of its’ more popular cousin to the North, Hanging Gardens. While similar, it gained its name many years ago from a divemaster who dropped in the water and saw many lobsters in a lair underneath some hard corals. It is said you are lucky if you can find a lobster now. Our divemaster, Eljer, was so confident that all the lobsters were gone that he promised to buy a beer for anyone in our group who would spot a lobster. In fact, the divemasters have renamed it “Lobster Liar” because of the absence of our crustaceous critters!

We start our dive near the top coral and white tip sharks find a perfect spot to lounge about. Various fish species cram together under table corals, such as the featured bat fish and puffer fish, and more activity always appears around us in an organized frenzy. But more is yet to be seen as we descend into our dive.

This is a pretty dive and is generally done as a last dive, or under cloud cover at any time of the day. The dive site is exquisite but the hard corals and rock contours around this part of the island cast many shadows over fantastic sea life below. This is a relatively easy dive for most divers, but presented challenges for our own amateur photographer, Tim. You will definitely benefit by investing in strobes, as Esther did. They certainly illuminate many of these macro-caves and get rid of annoying shadows.

Lobster Lair is somewhat less popular than other dive sites at Sipadan because it focuses on the smaller critters found in the many crevices around this dive site. It may not be a thrill ride like South Point or Barracuda Point, but we think it is filled with equal (and sometimes more) surprises because we are focused on macro. And then, out of nowhere, we come face to face with a swimming turtle here, a resting shark there and we even locate the elusive lobsters at Lobster Lair… One beer for our own eagle eye, Lana!

We spotted the normally camera-shy gobies around Christmas tree coral and we discovered many more species of scorpion fish in various hideouts as they seek shelter from the currents around Sipadan. Turtles are EVERYWHERE at Sipadan, but they appeared out of the most unusual crevices, finding any place to rest along the wall.

As we near the end of our multi-level dive, our safety stop is filled with the colorful beauty of blue chromis and multi-colored anthias. We are greeted with a final surprise as the wall of barracuda seem to quickly announce their presence and then move on to the next dive site.

Lobster Lair is filled with surprises at every turn and if you are less-experienced but still want the Sipadan experience, we suggest this dive for you.

Happy diving!

Dan, Esther, Lana & Tim

Sipadan Island : Staghorn Crest

With the sun beaming directly over your head, or slightly to the West of you, Staghorn Crest is usually a dive reserved for the afternoon. As we made our entry at this site, we observed it is much like the rest of the island. The top reef is simply beautiful and teeming with life. So beautiful, it’s hard to leave as you make your descent. The topography at Staghorn Crest is a bit different from most of the island as there is a slope that offers views of many beautiful soft corals. On the slope we noticed many white tip reef sharks resting before their next hunt. Hovering out over the depths we observed even more resting white tips at depths far out of reach for recreational dive limits where you can quickly find yourself at 30+ meters.

As we dropped down to our cruising depth of 23 meters, an eagle ray gracefully passed by about 10 meters below us and wowed us with its beauty as it effortlessly swam against the current to greet other groups of lucky divers. Swinging our heads directly above us, 3 giant barracuda were methodically circling hoping to grab an easy meal. We kept on floating along the wall and were delighted with the scene of multiple turtles swimming above and below us looking for a great perch on the reef.

Along this wall, we begin to progressively see more soft corals. The West side of the wall at Sipadan reminds us of our trip to Taveuni, Fiji 3 years ago where we spent a week in the Somosomo Strait diving amidst colorful soft corals on the Rainbow Reef. Carnation corals in varying colors create a colorful painters palate backdrop for an army of blue fusiliers screaming past us into the depths, while a docile maori wrasse remains unfazed by this frenzy of activity.

Continuing our dive up to 15 meters, we close in on a cleaning station and see a few grey reef sharks gently floating in the current with small reef fish picking off their parasites. Sharks aren’t the only big creatures you can find at the cleaning station, at times Tim has referred to the cleaning station at Staghorn Crest as a turtle timeshare with one turtle leaving and another coming in to take its place.

One could seriously contest that the top reef at the end of the dive at Staghorn Crest boasts the most beautiful scenery on the island. It is truly explosive with color as you look as far as you can see over massive Staghorn Coral with thousands of tiny reef fish darting in and out of it. Swimming along the top of the reef there are many turtles to see with other large reef fish and on one dive, a rare treat of a leopard shark with its massive tail pushing it through the water. As gracefully as the leopard shark appeared, it swam away silently disappeared into the depths.

Like other dive sites at Sipadan, Staghorn Crest has the potential to develop a sudden current along the wall. Prudent diving should always be exercised as you stay close to your buddy and be aware of the divemasters signals to possibly switch directions. Staghorn Crest is definitely a site to put on the short list of dives at Sipadan.

Keep on equalizing!
Dan, Esther, Lana and Tim

Sipadan Island : South Point

On the Southernmost tip of Sipadan Island you will find the aptly named site, South Point. Exposed to the prevailing currents, this is an excellent dive where you have the greatest possibility of observing schools of hammerhead sharks. Given the fact that the schools of hammerheads are normally found in stronger currents at depths in the 40 meter (130 foot) range, you will be most comfortable here if you have two things:

1. Advanced Open Water Certification
2. Experience diving with current

Not to say that newer divers shouldn’t dive this site, but if you do, you should have a great sense of adventure and stick close to your Dive Master as depths descend straight down to 600+ meters and currents can be strong. The reason that you want to stick close to your Dive Master and buddy at South Point is because most times at this site, if you are lucky enough to see the hammerheads, (Lana and Tim have not seen them in 5 trips to Sipadan) they are close to 40 meters (130 Feet) and that’s after you swim far enough into the blue that the wall behind you nearly disappears.

So, if you are after excitement, then ditch the Nitrox. This is a dive you do not want to be restricted by depth limits if you see big creatures beyond your Nitrox Maximum Operating Depth. If you typically dive Nitrox, it is good to know when planning your trip that the first two dives of the day at Sipadan are usually deep and air may give you more flexibility. Given the depths that most groups usually descend to at South Point, it is commonly your first and deepest dive of the day in hopes of seeing the schooling hammerheads and other “big stuff” like grey reef sharks, thresher sharks, eagle rays, tuna, barracuda and jacks, to name a few. If your timing and the currents are just right, South Point becomes a happy hunting ground where you can observe many of the larger pelagics.

As we back-rolled and dropped down during our three times at South Point, the sharks were definitely there. Albeit, they were smaller white tips and some medium-sized grey reefs, but they were present in large numbers. We did spot one eagle ray gracefully swimming by and the SDA Team all agreed it felt like we gave ourselves concussions by the end of the dive. This was a result of flinging our hands to our heads as we signaled the shark sign so many times. Shark! Hopefully on one of our future trips to Sipadan, we will time it right and see the majestic schools of hammerheads that Sipadan is famous for.

As with most of the dive sites at Sipadan, entry and exit at South Point are normally planned near the shallow reefs where massive schools of smaller reef fish dart in and out of the corals. You are almost guaranteed to see at least one turtle in the shallows and many times they are accompanied by giant trevally, white tips, and many other larger fish. On any of your entries or safety stops over the shallow reefs, it is normal to see many varieties of boxfish, trigger fish, surgeon fish (aka tangs), grouper and eels among the endless list you will see. We have never been to a place where you see so many varieties of hard to find fish in huge numbers as Sipadan and South Point is certainly no exception.

Speaking of “safety stops,” we have a funny story to share from one of our dives at South Point: While the SDA Team were enjoying the peaceful reef scenery on our safety stop at South Point, Tim tapped his tank to get everyone’s attention, pointing to a fish asking what kind it was. Using underwater hand signals, Lana motioned the signal for a trigger fish but then shrugged in uncertainty. Everyone watched as Tim agreed but Tim needed confirmation (this trigger was huge) and called Eljer, our dive master. Before Tim even knew what was happening, Eljer had latched onto his arm and fin kicked 15 meters towards this massive titan triggerfish. Little did any of us know (except Eljer, who was buckled over with laughter) that the titan trigger fish was nesting and did not take kindly to Tim’s invasion. The protective trigger wasted no time in squaring off against Tim. As for Eljer? He’s gone. Buddies and dive mates? All were laughing hysterically. Why? Tim was dancing around, spinning in circles as this infuriated fish charged at him over and over while Tim used his pointer to keep the fish at bay and avoid being bitten. This dance went on for about 30 seconds and the battle finally ended when Tim retreated to the surface. The trigger won this battle with a couple last nips at Tim’s fins and then returned to its young. If you ever encounter the titan trigger, which is a beautiful fish to observe, be cognizant of its nesting “cone” extending up to the surface and maintain your distance. They may be quite aggressive and have been known to injure unsuspecting divers.

South Point is a dive site that can present many surprises throughout the dive. Be sure to ask your dive master if hammerheads have been sighted as you plan your dives each day. If the hammerheads have been spotted, then mark down South Point. It is one dive site you must put on your list and get ready for a thrilling ride!

Happy diving!
Dan, Esther, Lana and Tim

Sipadan Island : Turtle Patch

The very name Sipadan tends to conjure up excitement in a divers imagination as the once only spoken tales from the Celebes Sea begin to be shared in cyber-space. Most readers, including the SDA Team until recently, did not know that Sipadan is Malay for “turtle.” Sipadan’s namesake comes as no surprise as this tiny oceanic island is home to more green and hawksbill turtles that call its’ reefs home than any other dive location we’ve ever visited.

Sipadan has many impressive stories of conservation underwater, but the turtle sanctuary is not only underwater. The local military and a team of biologists have made huge efforts to create a small turtle hatchery that raises turtles from eggs to just large enough to set free in the waters of Turtle Beach. These biologists provide a safe land environment for the turtles to hatch and gain strength in an isolated beach location, secure from the opportunistic monitor lizards above ground, curious divers on the island, as well as the oceanic predators who will snap up any opportunity for an easy meal. This inaccessible area, turtle beach, extends straight out towards the reef along the east wall and has aptly provided the name for this next dive site, Turtle Patch.

A favorite place for Sipidan’s resident turtles to lounge about, the underwater topography at turtle patch boasts incredible crevices and large coral heads which are home to the turtles’ food source of algae and sponges. The top reef is prominently covered with staghorn and acropora corals, but patches of fox, cabbage and colt coral also attract the turtles in massive numbers. Looking at this picture of a green sea turtle resting on a bed of colt coral and several pieces of crushed staghorn and acropora coral, it becomes evident that the turtles crush more coral than some of the less coordinated divers who descend into the water with poor buoyancy. There are literally hundreds of places for these turtles to rest along this dive site and even the white tips venture up to this area to lounge about.

Another curious fact is that the turtles are not trying to eat the coral but they use their serrated beaks to clean the algae, sea grass (green turtles) and sponges (hawksbill turtles) off the coral. This is what provides them with their nutrition and it also helps sustain Sipidan’s pristine reef system.

Turtle Patch is not just a playground for the turtles, it is also a wall dive along the Eastern side of the island, shared by larger pelagics that venture into this southern part of the reef. Watch closely into the deep blue and you’re likely to spot large grey reef sharks or eagle rays gracefully cruising the island’s perimeter. One of Lana’s dive log entries from this site exclaims, “Sharks, Sharks, Sharks! Greys and White tips everywhere!” Are you looking for some excitement? Lana surely recommends this dive site. But venture back up to the shallows to see the islands greatest concentration of turtles.

Like other Sipadan wall dives, the safety stop rests perfectly on the top reef. The way that all of the Sipadan dives end is convenient as you nearly always finish a dive with a safety stop perfectly on the top reef. As you take care of your three-minute stop you can relax and watch as thousands of tiny anthias and other reef fish fill a huge Christmas tree coral formation. Before you know it, your three-minute stop turns into ten or fifteen minutes of off-gassing nitrogen and it’s time to hop back on the boat.

Turtle Patch is a great morning deep dive or an afternoon shallow dive. The current is typically mild and it is a good dive to consider if you haven’t graduated past your open water certification. If you are in question about a certain dive or the conditions that exist it’s always best to consult the dive masters and boat captains. They are experts at reading the currents and assessing if something may be too strong for your skill level.

Until next post,

Dan, Esther, Tim and Lana wishing you happy dives!

Sipadan Island : Mid Reef

If you only have one day to dive Sipadan, Mid Reef would be a great addition to your list of top four dive sites to explore. Mid Reef is an East facing dive site best enjoyed in the morning or early afternoon when the sun illuminates the reef to display its amazing colors. Before you even enter the water, the morning view from the boat presents a beautiful photo opportunity of the tiny island of Sipadan. So, for those of you who have not made the giant stride into purchasing an Ikelite housing for your DSLR, bring your dry bag as you will have some of the best photo ops of Sipadan Island, fit for a postcard. The morning sun bounces perfectly off the island’s natural palm trees enabling you to capture many great pics.

Reviewing our dive log entries, Mid Reef has consistently offered the second best opportunity to spot schooling barracuda at either the start of our dive or at the end during our safety stop. So, if the barracuda have been playing shy at Barracuda Point, mention this feedback to your dive master to see what they think.

Mid Reef may boast an unimaginative name for a dive site but it is far from being that way under water. As its name suggests, it is sandwiched in the middle of the East facing wall between White Tip Avenue and Turtle Patch, generally at the crossroads of your best opportunity to spot the island’s greatest concentration of turtles and white tip sharks. Aside from Turtle Patch, you will most likely see more turtles at Mid Reef than any other site due to its close proximity to Turtle Beach where the young turtles from Sipadan’s hatchery are released. An adrenaline filled dive, similar to White Tip Avenue, drop down to your desired depth and float along with the mild current as the fish life fills your view with huge batfish usually in schools of 10 or more, beautiful black and orange juvenile batfish and loads of nudibranch.

Just like other East facing wall dives, there are great opportunities to view enormous sea fans and gorgonians along with massive barrel sponges. Now that you have been drifting along for a few minutes, flip over and look up toward the surface. What the SDA Team enjoys about this dive is that the diversity of coral gives the dive site, Hanging Gardens, a run for the money on appearance from the depths to the surface. Numerous shapes of massive corals excite the mind and make for a stunning view. Look beyond the corals. It is common for schools of fusiliers, sergeant majors and niger triggers, together with turtles, chromis, anthias and all sorts of other reef fish swimming in harmony above you.

Our experience with Mid Reef has generally provided us with a leisurely mild current allowing us to reach a neutral buoyancy at our desired depth and then follow the wall without even a fin kick. However, Sipadan is an oceanic island and that mild current can quickly gain a couple of knots and present challenges. So be aware and always dive with your buddy. Mid Reef is a 360 degree experience, which will distract you, with beauty at every angle.

All we can say is: Get out there and dive Sipadan!

Dan, Esther, Lana and Tim

Sipadan Island : White Tip Avenue

With a backward roll into the water, you quickly discover that White Tip Avenue will be another exciting Sipadan wall dive as a school of adult batfish confidently greet you near the surface. As you descend a few meters and give a few fin kicks to the wall, White Tip Avenue offers a unique sight of huge canyon like crevices on the fringe of the shallow top reef where you can float over and take a look down into the beautiful formations as you prepare for your descent.

Even though White Tip Avenue is a wall dive, you will find many rocky slopes and ledges where white tip sharks are regularly seen as they rest outside the current preparing to hunt for their next meal. The typical dive depth for White Tip Avenue ranges from 18 to 30 meters, sometimes up to 40 meters if there are reports that larger pelagics have been sighted at depths. But, keep in mind that with all sites at Sipadan, depths plunge well below the 40-meter recreational diving limits to depths exceeding 600+ meters. So, keep your eye on your computer and dive the plan because it is easy to lose yourself in the beauty of the dive.

As you drift along with the current, you will quickly notice that you are not the only large creatures enjoying this dive site. White Tip Avenue is no exception to regular sightings of the large pelagics divers flock to Sipandan to observe. The list includes white tip and grey reef sharks, turtles, Napoleon wrasse, bumphead wrasse and the graceful spotted eagle ray. Look back towards the wall and massive gorgonian sea fans are waving in the current, a unique feature to this site. In the coral formations surrounding the sea fans, you’re likely to see an awkward looking boxfish, the always elusive eels, and camouflaged clams that make their residence here. Continuing on with the current you are likely the resident schools of barracuda and jacks that continuously make their way around the island. White Tip Avenue is one of the places you will see large schools of jacks and barracuda from time to time, which never ceases to excite as we are driven to observe them and join with them in the towering tornadoes the schools create.

As we reach our safety stop, like many of the other dive sites, the top reef is a filled with beautiful scenery of small fish darting in and out of the hard corals. Inside these corals you’ll see parrotfish, anthias, chromis, as well as anemones with clown fish curiously peeking out at you providing an entertaining show. Juvenile batfish remain shy among the coral, while damselfish move about at dizzying speeds.

White Tip Avenue is usually a mild current dive that allows the diver to reach neutral buoyancy at their desired depth and then follow the wall without even a fin kick. However, skillfully using your fin like a rudder to maneuver within a comfortable distance from the wall will allow you to see the beautiful black coral while looking out into the blue to capture frequent glimpses of the pacing sharks. As with most of the sites at Sipadan, experience with current is a plus as you are likely to experience at least a mild current. White Tip Avenue is an East facing dive site that is best in the morning or early afternoon when the sun is illuminating the reef to display its amazing colors.

Until next post! -Dan, Esther, Lana and Tim

Sipadan Island : Coral Gardens

Coral Gardens is a beautiful dive site located on the Northern tip of Sipadan’s East wall. Facing East, this dive site is best experienced in the morning with the sun illuminating the entire reef and showcasing the abundant fish and invertebrate life. This site begins as you descend upon a top reef filled with huge, multi-colored, tabling acropora coral which is teeming with tiny reef fish swimming in and out of their hard coral homes. At this depth, you are also likely to see giant trevally, jackfish, barracuda and an occasional white tip or grey reef shark. The colors of the fish and coral at three to five meters are so mesmerizing that you may not feel like heading for the wall. How can it possibly get any better than this? Spend a few minutes here and then head for the wall to find out for yourself.

Once you crest the wall and begin your descent, you will not be disappointed. We floated down to 25 or 30 meters and began to drift along in the mild current. We saw some of the larger turtles Sipadan has to offer and looking out into the blue, a few white tip and grey reef sharks increased the excitement of an already stellar dive. With a couple of switchbacks along the way as we followed the currents, we observed some of the other critters you are likely to see at Coral Gardens including moray eels, the occasional frogfish, and loads of colorful grouper.

Given that this dive is especially susceptible to changing currents in the morning, it is important that you stay near your Dive Master. The current at Coral Gardens can change more than once in your dive pushing you in either direction toward Barracuda Point or White Tip Avenue. Knowing this, it is imperative to be aware of your surroundings at all times, remain close to your dive buddy, and further, this makes Coral Gardens a recommended dive for Advanced Divers.

Our 40-minute multi-level dive goes by quickly and in no time we are back on the top reef for our safety stop while we enjoy the playful fish and amazing corals. Because of the pristine coral life on its top reef, Coral Gardens invites many of the fish species that make Sipadan home, allowing you to see most of the fish (small and large) Sipadan has to offer, all concentrated in one dive site.

If you have only one day to dive at Sipadan, Coral Gardens is definitely one site to add to your list of the four you are allotted for the day.

Until our next post! Dan, Esther, Lana and Tim wishing you happy adventures.

Sipadan Island : Barracuda Point

After experiencing all of the dive sites of Sipadan has to offer (and truth be told, there will always be a million and one variations of the same dive based on depth, current and dive plan), the Scuba Dive Advisor team unanimously agreed that Barracuda Point is our favorite dive site on Sipadan. This is only pure conjecture, but we believe that Jacques Cousteau must have been speaking of Barracuda Point when he coined this now-famous phrase, “I have seen other places like Sipadan, 45 years ago, but now no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art.” There are so many different topographies and species at different parts of the Barracuda Point dive that it feels as if you have four or five dives in one. Barracuda Point is so much a favorite that we dove it three times on this trip, and Tim and Lana, to date, have been at this site TEN times!

After our back roll into the water, we found our normal entry point on the fringe of a shallow reef teeming with coral and fish life. During two of our dives on sunny days, we were greeted by schools of bumphead wrasse numbering in the 30 to 50 range, the smallest of them being 40 to 50kg. When the water is calm, you can actually spot the schools of wrasse from far away and make your entry right beside them. The bumpheads are peaceful to watch, as they munch away on the corals at the top of the reef, as if they are oblivious to your presence and will allow you to get very close.

After five or ten minutes observing the bumpheads, it was off to the wall. Swimming over the shallow reef it is an amazing feeling to reach the edge of the 500+ meter drop off and float out into the blue like a bird. It was at this point during most of our dives at Barracuda Point that we saw the huge schools of jackfish Sipadan is famous for. Swimming under the thousands of schooling jacks, it is as if a cloud rolled in and blocked out the sun. But as you look up through the school, you can see the sun shimmering off of their shiny bodies. The jacks are inviting and let you swim up into the middle of the tornado it appears they have created, and like an infantry in unison, they march around you, never touching you. Many times, the opportunistic giant trevally are mixed right in the middle of the school of jacks. This made for amazing viewing and photos.

Onward we drift (this dive is amazing with current) in a Northeasterly direction as the current sweeps you past amazing walls of soft corals, hard corals and gorgonians that are amazing to see. As you are drifting by keep an eye out in the blue, as sharks are pacing down in the depths and you feel like you are on an adventure ride. As we start to come up the wall, we get to the point of the dive where we typically saw schooling barracuda (for which this site is aptly named) and sharks. This is a great time to find a small rock to get a finger-hold, or use a reef hook, so you can pause for a moment and watch as the white-tip and grey reef sharks come up from the deep to swim in the current. Because of this current, the sea life and activity that you can see at Barracuda Point is abundant and the chance of seeing pelagics is often better than other sites. Keep an eye on your computer because a lot of the big stuff is deep and with all the action, it is easy to go into deco-mode if you get lost in the action that is unfolding before your eyes.

Let go of your finger-hold and begin to ascend to the top of the reef and you enter into another dive all together. Once you crest the top of the reef, you find yourself in a channel where you effortlessly drift over resting green sea turtles and loads of white tip sharks lounging on the bottom. As you drift through this channel, you will quite frequently see giant schools of barracuda hovering in the current, an amazing sight to take in. At the end of the canyon, you will find yourself on a slope near the start of another wall dive. Generally, we found the current on top of the slope to be mild to non-existent at about 5-10 meters in depth, which is a great place to begin your safety stop. Take in all of the sights with hundreds of fish, diverse coral formations dotted anemones and resident clown fish that are always entertaining to observe.

Barracuda point is filled with excitement, diversity and best summarizes Sipadan diving with each dive presenting a new adventure. With depths reaching up to 30m (99 ft), this is best enjoyed by Advanced Open Water divers and those with experience in current. If you have both of these, then add Barracuda Point to your Top 10 list and experience the joy we have burned in our memory!

Take the Plunge! Dan, Esther, Lana and Tim