We were up and out, championing the early start, at 9 and went for a leisurely breakfast. The sea was looking a good deal calmer but we hadn't [previously] been here before 10:30. Helen went off to check on the diving prospects whilst I looked for a refill of my coffee (as advertised) and was charged for a second. At RM3 (US$0.75) and the general language difficulties I just signed the chitty. We're pencilled in for diving tomorrow.
I rent a mask and snorkel again and head out in search of the turtle. From "our" side of the bay coral stretches out to a rotten white float, then there's a sandy floored gap, then there's and area ringed by bouys with the float, around which the turtle allegedly lives. I set off into the gap which was now obviously the main boat trafficking route which as I rather ponderously made my way across seemed unhealthily busy. Keeping my eyes on the boat traffic -- largely divers and snorkellers being ferried about -- meant I saw little of the bottom though what I did appeared to be through a thickening haze. Very silty water. Reaching with[in] a yard or so of the bouys I looked down and could just make out a rock or something. Fancying I might go down and see some fish I turned to it and it turned to me. There's a bit of luck, it's the turtle. There are a couple of boatloads of snorkellers, clearly on a turtle hunt, about twenty yards away and he's just here underneath me. I have to stick close, though, as visibility would be arguably 4m and (subsequent experimentation reveals) it's 2.5m deep. I went down for a photo A turtle. after which he rather quickly made his getaway.
I swam to the nearer shore and walked back round [considerably easier!]. After some largely fruitless searching for "exotic" speciments I found myself in the shallows being beseiged by sargeant major fish of whom I took a lot of pictures of them being general inquisitive but mostly elusive. Sargeant major fish.
After lunch I headed out again and fell victim to the lure of the anemonefish. A different breed, the dusky anemonefish, this one I'd like to maintain was in a difficult position but I suspect my snorkelling technique requires some refinement with me heading to the surface feet first after a few momentary glimpses of this shyer cousin of the common clownfish. Another hour or two and an ice cream later I had failed to find anything either exotic or slow enough for me to catch on camera and so resorted to the easy option -- certainly round here -- of the common anemonefish. Anemonefish
We were last off the beach at 6:15 -- funny how it empties as soon as the sun dips below Kecil -- and read a bit before dinner. Tonight we made sure of things by sitting directly behind where the waitress was absently standing and, lo!, perfect service. More reading and editing of rotten photos once the battery had recharged. It was on the way to lunch today that it clicked why charging the battery was taking so long. Of course, everytime you leave the hut and pull the key out of the hotel-style "lights on" key slot by the door all the electricity to the hut stops. D'oh!
Coral View Island Resort, Pulau Perhentian Besar N5.90228 E102.74043 Elev. 20m Deluxe air-con (being cleaned -- I was too slow taking the photo on the last morning), Coral View Island Resort, Pulau Perhentian Besar
Copyright 2003 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.
