The End of the Season 2013. Last Staff Dive.

The last adventure dive of the season was a wreck dive to Sugar Wreck, a 80m long cargo ship, lying on its side at 18m. As you descend, you can see the side of the ship and a multitude of fish. It looks like something out of a documentary. It is so beautiful, and the sheer variety and number of beautiful tropical fish seen there is awesome. So after returning from that dive, i was sure that nothing could top my wreck dive. Then came our staff dive…

We closed the shop and took the boat to Batu Nisan (Tombstone) to start our staff dive (my first), combined with a Discover Scuba Dive lesson for our boatman, Peja. We started off really shallow and while Peja practiced some safety skills, we swam around looking for fish. Batu Nisan is just at the end of Long Beach, and is easily accessible for snorkelers as well as divers. We swam around for 80 minutes and saw lots of cool stuff. A school of huge Bumphead Parrot fish, a huge Indian Ocean Walkman, lots of Scorpion fish and a cute friendly Bat fish that followed us. Here are a few pictures of the final dive of 2013 for Matahari Divers.

Schools of fish.

A beautiful clam.

Baby fish hiding in the coral.

I never get tired of these beautiful Blue Ringed Angelfish.

Nemos!

Another pretty anemone fish.

Spiny Urchin.

Huge Pufferfish!

Me watching a ball of tiny baby catfish swirling around!

The friendly Bat fish that accompanied us along the dive.

Handsome Kram!

Peja, posing during his first time underwater, and getting photo-bombed by a clown fish!

Rick, and that huge Indian Ocean Walkman!

Having a great time underwater together. Although now i know why i got water in my mask!

A Day in the Life of a Dive Shop Girl.

It had been a while since i had had a job. Work to get up for and earn some money. It had been just over two and a half years since i had retired from my old life and embarked on a life of travel. When Rick and I arrived at Perhentian Island, we had decided that we would spend a week or so on the beach, doing some snorkeling, diving and lots of chilling out. After doing just that, we were offered work in a dive shop as it was the end of the season and some people were leaving, resulting in some positions being open, and the one i got offered was as a “Dive Shop Girl” for the duration of a month.

It had been so long since we had committed to something, that it took us a while until we finally made the decision to stay and work. My duties involved being at the Dive Shop from 9.30am to 6pm, attending to people who walked in asking for information. My priority was to ensure that there was always enough tea, coffee and hot water for people to help themselves to, and to arrange for either the instructor or Dive Master to discuss their dives with. I also handled the paperwork and the daily payments and forms. Most of the job, however, was just talking to people. In the end, that was the part that i really enjoyed more than anything. We met some really nice people and developed a bond with each and every one.

The Matahari Dive Shop.

Temple of the sea, a pinnacle, and one of the most popular dive sites around these islands.

Some of the beautiful tropical fish found in these waters.

Playing “Rescue” at the Dive Shop.

Staff dinner on the beach in Chill Out Cafe.

During busy times, i helped set up the tanks and equipment and assisted in filling up the whiteboard. During slow times, i sat at the counter with my macrame and beads, and enjoyed making bracelets. On top of that, i also got to dive. From a nervous refresher, i learned how to relax and concentrate on my breathing, so that i could let go and really focus on the beauty that lies beneath the clear blue waters around these islands.

Last dive of the season. And what a beautiful one it was.

Me, underwater, checking out a Bat fish.

When i started work, we were living in Moonlight, in a small “emergency” room and i had to walk half way down the beach early in the morning to get to work. I really enjoyed walking barefoot along the beach while it was relatively quiet. Then later we moved to a windowless room on top of the dive shop, which is where we are still staying, so the office is just downstairs. I can’t complain. Either way, it’s a good deal. We have had a happy month. We have met some great people, whose paths we will surely cross again, now that we are in touch. And now we are on holiday again, back to our “normal life”, and enjoying this beautiful island.

Our home for the past few weeks.

The view of Matahari Chalets from our balcony.

One of the best views on Long Beach, from our old Balcony at Moonlight.

Low tide on Long Beach.

The jetty.

Catching up with Emma.

Bonfire on the beach at Moonlight.

Perhentian Kecil Island, Malaysia.

It was 2009 when Rick and i first met. And it was on Long Beach, Perhentian Kecil Island on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Rick was working as a Divemaster and i was on a short holiday with my close girlfriends. It has been over 4 years now since that chance meeting and we have been together, almost 24 hours a day, ever since.

So, as soon as we arrived back in Malaysia, after an absence of over one and a half years, we had decided that it would be nice to return to this beautiful tropical island. We arrived back in Malaysia at the beginning of September and after acclimatising in Kuala Lumpur and catching up with family and friends for 2 weeks, we decided it was time to leave the concrete jungle and get back to our roots! We took a bus from Kuala Lumpur, which in itself was a bit confusing as there are several main bus stations located in various places in and around Kuala Lumpur that buses heading to different areas in the peninsular leave from. The buses bound for the East Coast leave from Hentian Putra, and we had chosen to take the night bus, leaving at 10pm and arriving at Kuala Besut (where the jetty departs from) at around 5am the next day. It cost us RM45 each, and had huge seats.

The original plan was to spend a week in Perhentian Kecil Island, then ‘island-hop’ to Redang, Kapas and Tioman (other islands on the East Coast of Malaysia) before the monsoon season arrived. We arrived on the island, and although we noticed that it was a bit dirtier, a bit more ‘party-ish’, and there were a few more hotels/restaurants, the island still had its charm. Initially i was really disappointed with the rudeness and the low hygiene standard in most of the budget accommodation on offer. People were extremely rude and judgmental towards us, and after backpacking half way around the world, i felt so disappointed that my own country gave me such a bad feeling. Luckily for us, this all changed as soon as we rented a basic room in Moonlight, a hostel on the far side of the beach. We met genuine, nice, local people who didn’t judge us by the way we looked, and were a pleasure to be around.

Posing on the jetty on the far side of Long Beach.

Long Beach, Perhentian Kecil Island, known for its white sand and clear water.

Catching up with old friends.

The view of the whole beach from moonlight, our first home on Long Beach.

Partying at monkey Bar.

After only a week, got offered jobs. Me in a dive shop doing a bit of admin work, and Rick as a Divemaster, a sort of underwater guide. Pay was extremely low, but we both had the opportunity to go diving and enjoy the pretty underwater landscapes that lie beneath these turquoise waters. It was nearing the end of the season and some people were leaving, so it was pure chance that we had arrived at an opportune time to be able to find work. All our plans to island hop flew out of the window, but as always, things worked out good for us in the end. We had met some really nice people, we had a place to stay and were working doing something we enjoyed, meeting more lovely people. And our home was now on a beautiful beach. What more could we ask for?

Working in paradise!