19th December 2006

weather: sunny
sea condition: calm vis: 15 -20 m

Guides: Bobby, Ron

Our apologies to everyone out there for such a long absence with no updates for Paradise Log. Hope all Paradise-Loggers out there are still loyal to Paradise Log and check for updates from time to time.

It is now considered a low season for us now here at Sipadan Water Village. Maybe it is now nearing to Christmas and New Year so many people are not taking holidays now so that they can take holiday during Christmas and New Year.

Eventhough there are not so many people here now, but we are kept busy around here preparing for the Christmas and New Year Party. For your information, we will be having performances for Christmas Eve by the staff here at Sipadan Water Village and countdown after the performances and for New Year's celebration we will be having games with all people who come here to celebrate New Year with us here and we will have Costume Party on that night!!! So for all of you who have booked to celebrate New Year with us here, remember to bring along your costumes!!! If you don't have one yet, it's time for you to go and get a costume for yourelf now before you come!!

Well, for today's log, 2 boats went to Sipadan today. They saw a leopard shark, a school of barracudas going in circles forming the famous 'barracuda tornado', other than that, they also saw some big grey reefs and lots of jack fish with giant trevallies. And for macro, there was only one boat dived in Mabul today while the other boat went to Sipadan in the afternoon. For macro today, we saw black sail fin goby, squat lobsters, giant mantis shrimp, yellow shrimp goby and crab eye goby.

Cheers,
Dive Team

10th December 2006

weather: sunny
sea condition: calm vis: 15 m

Guides: Jay, Ron, Allan, Lee

If anyone of you Paradise-Loggers out there are expecting to see hammerhead sharks again for this update of Paradise-Log, we're sorry to say that our luck was not as good as this Tuesday ( 5th Dec). But Sipadan has not been disappointing to us, we still have the school of barracudas and grey reefs.

Well, as for macro, Mabul has been very rewarding this last couple of days with pygmy seahorse, pygmy pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish, jawfish with eggs and frogfish. But we still cant find back the harlequin shrimp that we found last week. Too bad!!!!

The pictures for today was provided by Songpol from Thailand. All of them are just awesome pictures!! To see more of his pictures you can go to his website www.nice12.net

Rayed shrimp goby

Hairy squat lobster

Gold-spec jawfish with eggs in the mouth

Pygmy seahorse

Pygmy pipehorse

5th December 2006 - Hammer Madness!!!!

weather: sunny
sea condition: calm vis: 20m

Guide: Bobby, Ron, Jimmy

It's a crazy crazy day today for us here in SWV!!! Bobby's group saw a big school of hammerhead sharks in the morning at about 35m. Other than the school of hammerheads as the highlight of the day, the 2 groups who went to Sipadan in the morning also saw 3 leopard sharks, big school of barracudas, and others. And Jimmy's group saw a single hammerhead in the afternoon in Sipadan.
School of hammerheads!!! Picture by Igor Yanovych

So by now many people here (including the divemasters) are very much anticipating to go Sipadan to try out our luck to see the school of hammerheads! Fingers cross that we will see them again!!!

3rd December 2006 - Lucky Lucky Days!!!!!! And Happy Birthday Jimmy!!!!

weather: sunny
sea condition: calm vis: 20m

Guides: Bobby, Jay, Lee

Happy birthday to you,
You were born in the zoo,
With monkeys and elephants,
And smell like one too!!!!

Happy Birthday Jimmy!!!!!!



Jimmy's birthday dinner with all divemasters and Yuki and Asako-san.

Kampaii!!!

Crazy crazy day today!!!! It was one of the most evenful day today for our divers here at SWV today. This morning, Bobby's group saw a hammerhead and a manta ray during the first dive in Sipadan and in the second dive the same group saw a manta ray again and a devil ray!! Other than that, they also saw the school of barracudas. While Jay's group saw a school of bumphead parrotfish feeding in the first dive. To add to that, Lee's group saw a leopard shark during the third dive in Sipadan. Cool right??!!

Manta Ray. Picture by Asako


Manta ray. Picture by Noda Kazunori

Hammerhead shark. Picture by Neil Atterbury

For macros, today has been interesting as well with frogfish, pymgy, pink squat lobster, baby clown sweetlips and gobies. But that's not all, the most interesting find today for macro are a pair of harlequin shrimp and a blue ring octopus!!!! Unbelievable!!! It's like the gems of both the macro and the big stuff are all here today!!!

Harlequin shrimp. Picture by Noda Kazunori

Harlequin shrimp. Picture by Noda Kazunori

30th November 2006

weather: sunny
sea condition: calm vis: 15 m

Guides: Lee, Bobby, Ron

On today, our divers were being entertained by the usual marine creatures that anyone can expect from the diving in Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai islands. Among others, turtles, barracudas, lots of different types of gobies, and shrimps, pygmy seahorse, nudibranches frogfish.

The weather has been very hot this last few days making everyone here can't wait to get in the water as soon as possible to enjoy the cool of the water and to look at the many types of marine creatures in the water! Which is a good thing, because that means we will have more pictures from our divers to be posted here on Paradise-Log for all Paradise Loggers out there to view. No matter where you are now.

So here are some of the great pictures taken by our divers from the last 2 days to be shared to all Paradise-Loggers out there. Hope you all enjoy!

Cheers!!

Pink eye gobies. Picture by Akitaya Nobuhiro

Periclemenes tenuipes. Picture by Akitaya Nobuhiro

Many host goby. Picture by Akitaya Nobuhiro

Black sail fin goby with commensal snapping shrimp. Picture by Polpat Vongmasa

Green turtle. Picture by Polpat Vongmasa