NEWS - Emirates Diving Association

Standing in my hallway looking at my luggage all packed and I know
that at that moment that the rest of the EDA team are well and truly
on their way to Malaysia. On my way to the airport four hours earlier I
received an urgent call reporting a problem that needed my immediate
attention. With no other choice I had to turn around, put plans on hold
and take care of the problem that I was faced with. Three hours later
and with the problem resolved, I called the EDA team to find them
checking in and only minutes away from boarding the plane. I had been
watching the clock as my problem had slowly resolved itself, but by the
time I had made this last call to the team, I had resigned myself to the
fact that there was no way I was getting on a plane and flying to Malaysia.
With confirmation that the flight had been especially arranged for this
trip and that there was no way that it could be extended I picked up my
luggage and headed upstairs to unpack. Minutes later and unexpectedly
my phone rang and upon answering I was pleasantly surprised when
Mr “A” from Malaysia Airlines introduced himself informing me that he
could help me. Hanging up after a brief conversation I started to smile –
“be at the airport for 3.30pm tomorrow with all of your documentation
and I will see if we can’t get you on that flight”.
Sitting in a small fibreglass speedboat, skimming across a pond like sea
heading towards Perhentian Islands (pronounced Perhen-TEE-AHN) I
cannot believe that I am finally in Malaysia when the odds were so
heavily stacked against me. I had done exactly what Mr “A” had said and
as a result, he (Malaysian Airlines) had done everything possible to get
me on that flight the next day. Not only that, he had personally made it
his mission to ensure that I got on that plane. As the boat drew closer to
A pair of Blue Ringed Angelfish
MY TRIP TO DIVE MALAYSIA WITH EDA
REDANG! REDANG! REDANG!
Feature AND PHOTOGRAPHY WARREN BAVERSTOCK – WWW.VERSTODIGITAL.com
the coral fringed islands I could see the dense forestation leading down
to the shoreline where gigantic boulder like rock structures separated
the forest from the shoreline. Finally, pulling up to our resort where the
team had already spent one night I exited the boat and walked up the
jetty toward the resort. Within 30 minutes I was in a basic but well air
conditioned room and with my housing assembled, strobe batteries
charged, I settled down to catch up on some much needed sleep.
The next morning and after a quick briefing at the resorts dive centre,
we set off for our first of three dives, ‘Sugar Wreck’ – a ninety metre
long cargo vessel which sank in 2000 and lying on her side in eighteen
metres of water. As the team and I began to descend an impressive
shoal of Yellowtail barracuda followed us down the side of the wreck.
Unfortunately arriving at this site quite late in the morning meant that
we were not the only divers to have dived this site that day and so
with visibility at around 8 metres, capturing the impressive shoals of fish
that inhabit this wreck was not going to be possible. Back at the resort
and with a new cylinder ready on the boat, I re-hydrated and while we
completed our surface interval I wondered when I would get to see the
amazing rich diving environments that I had read so much about. The
next dive site was to give me a taste of just what I was looking for.
Standing on the bow of the boat, peering down into the turquoise
water and while looking at the large coral structures surrounded by
a collage of movement I do my final kit checks and I’m ready to dive
Tanjung Besi. With just a rash-vest and shorts, the water is a perfect
temperature and as I descend I take in the impressive view of healthy
Shoal of cave sweepers darting amongst an array of different coloured fan corals
56 EMIRATES DIVING ASSOCIATION, SEPTEMBER 2010 SEPTEMBER 2010, EMIRATES DIVING ASSOCIATION 57