HAPPY HARVEST FESTIVAL 2007

May is a celebration month for Sabahans, Kadazan Harvest Festival also known locally as " Tadau Ka'amatan". The celebration throughout the whole month, but the peak of the celebration on the 30th and 31st of May(public holiday for Sabahans). Kadazans is the major indigenous tribe in Sabah, they believe in worship of ancient Gods and the existence of spirit. Hence, they worship to the spirit of paddy plant and also thanksgiving for the harvest of paddy throughout the year. During this festival, Sabah native wear traditional costumes and enjoy carnival from daybreak till dawn served with rice wine called 'Tapai'. Special greetings to all "Kopivosian Tadau Ka'amatan" or "Happy Harvest Festival"!!!

During the last week of May, our resort is full of non-divers because of the public holiday and the school term holiday. However, we have small group of divers.

Above: Ornate Ghostpipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus)

Our guests : Matsuyama Takashi, Matsuyama Ristusko, Naka Kazuaki, Naka Daisuke, Jules Hinves, Jennifer Sarah Gran.


Sunset dive still be the attractive dive for the divers to observe the mating behaviour of the Mandarin fish (Synchiropus spendidus). Small in size, extremely shy but locally common and covered with beautiful flourescent orange, green, black and blue colour. They are the most fabulous macro fish for underwater macrophotography in the world. To get a good photo of the mating behaviour is very difficult because they only mating for a precious few seconds suspended in mid-water column and soon hiding back to coral rubble. Try your best!





Heron Ardeadoris nudibranch (Ardeadoris egretta) about 8cm length with flower like body and bright yellow line around the body.

Dawn dive in Sipadan to see the school of Bumphead Parrotfish (Bulbometopon muricatum) wake up from sleep and start the daily journey around the Sipadan island. Cleaning, feeding or sometimes displaying or mating behaviour can be observe in Sipadan.

We would like to say Good Bye to Lee, one of our divemaster who been here for about 1 year and 7 months ........We all going to miss you! Take care and All the BEST in your future journey!

YO! Guys....Hard Dive!

GOOD BYE! SAYUNARA! CIAO BELLA! ZAI JIAN!

SWV RESORT, MABUL

Mabul Macro Fest!

MABUL and KAPALAI well known as famous muck diving site in the world. Most of the diving site in Mabul and Kapalai is shallow with depth from 10 feet to 60 feet. Macro life here variable from fishes to invertebrate which makes photographers crazy. Come and dive with us in the "macro heaven on earth"!

Its very rare to see Ribbon Eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita) swimming

with beutiful body just like ribbon.

Nudibranch (Nembrotha kubaryana)



Solar Nudibranch (Phyllodesmium longicirrum) by Poosak who own a

dive shop in Thailand. (www.mrdumnam.com)

Beautiful Flamboyant Cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi).

Nudibranch (Discodoris sp.) - Maichoko umiushi

Sweet couple - Yamada Koji and Yamada Satoko

Thank you so much for the photo of hana ika and umiushi!

See you again soon!

Last week's recap!

Greetings to all Paradise Loggers! A quick recap on what's been happening to the dive center last week.

It has been an exciting week for us here. Diving was great with sighting of a baby whale shark by Jay's group.



And two sightings of blue ring octopus by Nina's group and Ron's group.



Other than that, we said goodbye to DM Nick and Sam Scubazoo. Nick will pursuing a new career back in KK and Sam will be transferred to Layang-Layang Island. We here at the dive center wishing all the best to both of them!!

Guess what we saw ???

On the 5 May 2007, afternoon dive only one boat from SWV Resort went to Sipadan with 4 divers and 2 snorkellers. On the way back to Mabul, with the flat sea surface, can clearly see there are one flaoting things on the sea surface........ wonder what is the flaoting creature? Whale shark? Manta? Get closser...........

Its a fish with very big body size and big eyes...........its SUNFISH (Mola mola)!! Unbelieveable!

Then everyone jumped into the open ocean snorkeling to see the most rare creature that can be see here compare to whale shark or dolphin. The body length of the Ocean Sunfish its about 3 m. Its known as the largest bony fish in the world (whale sharks are cartilaginous) in the family of Molidae belongs to the order of Tetraodoniformes. Sunfishes found in all ocean in tropical and temperate water, but prefer open ocean.

The charecteristic of the body is unique, large and flattened body with scaleless but tough and leathery thick skin. They seem like no caudal fin at all, but with a long anal and doral fin look like paddles. Body color silvery to brownish grey.

The behaviour of the Sunfish surface its known to clean the parasite on the body. They often drift on the surface while lying on side or swimming upright close to the surface. Then we can see them at the shallow water, because after that they will swim down to deep water more than 300 m.

There are many names for sunfish (English), Mondfisch (German for moonfish) Manbow or Manbo (Japan), Poisson lune (France), Putol (Philippines - Visaya for "cut off"), Toppled car fish (Taiwan), Bezador or Pez luna (Spain), Makua (Hawaii).

Who is the super lucky Divemaster saw the Mola mola ? ? ? ?

After 12 years working in Mabul this is the 1st time saw Sunfish.

No mistaken.......must be him................

Lets me introduce to you.....

ALLAN SAN

Japanese Golden Week 2007 (29 Apr - 6 May)

Hokkaeri nasai! Welcome back to all Japanese repeaters to SWV Resort. And warm welcome to all first time comer to diving with us especially in this busy golden week. We have 60 Japanese divers and 20 divers from others country diving with us during this Golden week.

Group of repeaters : Saito Toyoko, Shitou Fujiko, Fujiki Yuichi, Onoe Takeshi, Nishino Hirotaka, Miura Ayaka, Ikeda Chie.

Another group of repeaters: Nakashima Michiharu, Nakashima Yukiko, Iwasaki Takeshi, Sakamoto Koji, Sasaki Noriko, Sasaki Satoshi.

Congratulation to Tokura Yuki (50 dives), Yaguchi Nobuyuki (100 dives), Kadowaki Takeshi (150 dives) and Matsutani Masahiro (400 dives) in SWV Resort !!! Ometedoo gozaimashita!! Gambate kudasai!!

Diving in Sipadan and Mabul have a lots of fun with big fishes and macro life here.......
Dawn dive to see the Bumphead Parrotfish wake up from deep sleep and sweet dream....
School of Barracuda and Jack fish, friendly turtles and amazing number of sharks.

Bumphead Parrotfish (Bulbometopon muricatum)

The Japanese favorite nudibranchs and gobies are the highlights of this week, and also the Flambuoyant Cuttlefish ( HANA IKA).

False Clown Anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris)

Yellow Boxfish Juvenile (Ostracion cubicus)

Decorated Reticulidia (Reticuludia halgerda)

Yellow Shrimp Goby (Cryptocentrus sp.)



Flambouyant Cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi)

Lets go diving !!

We never know what we will see next dive..........!!!

HAPPY DIVING!!

Hey guys!! Our apologies to all Paradise Loggers out there for the absence from our side.

Today's entry is hoped to be able to compensate for the absence from us. Cause we can assure you today's entry will blow you guys away!!!

Before we go to the part where we blow you away!!!, let us do some recaps of what's been happening recently at the dive center. The visibility currently has been amazing after a period of bad visibility that we experienced for the last 2-3 weeks before. But that hasn't rendered divers from all around the corners of the globe to come here to dive with us.

13th April is the Songkran festival (Thai New Year), known commonly as the "Water Festival". And we had 70 divers from Thailand celebrated their new year here with us at SWV.
sawatdee bee mai!!!!

People celebrating "Water Festival" in Thai by dousing water to all passersby

Everyone is having a blast!!



Okay guys, now for the big news!! Yesterday's diving was superb! Excellent visibility at Sipadan and Mabul!! But that's not all just yet, the best thing that happened yesterday was the sighting of a baby whale shark when Ron's and Lee's boats were on the way to Sipadan!!

Overhead shot of the baby whale shark by Samuel Lam


The sea was super calm and flat yesterday, so flat that Ron could see the whale shark on the surface even when the boat was moving. Then the divers jumped in with their snorkels to chase the whale shark, and Lee's boat was alerted when the boat got close to Ron's boat. All divers from the 2 boats managed to see and swim with the whale shark for a good 10 minutes.



The baby whale shark was very playful and comfortable being close to people. It got very very close to us all!! So close that some of us have to fin away from the whale shark to avoid touching it.


Glad to say that none of us touched the whale shark. For all of you out there, if you happen to have the pleasure to snorkel or dive with a whale shark, please don't touch it!


Whale sharks have a natural protective layer on their skins to protect the whale shark from any infections and diseases. If we touch it, we may brush away the protective layer on the skin, making the whale shark susceptible to diseases, thus decreasing their chances of survival. So please, don't touch whale sharks and any marine animals!! Please respect the marine animal!!




Other than that, we have 2 new creatures that we would like to introduce to all Paradise Loggers out there. Some of you may have seen the 2 new creatures that we are going to introduce here, but I think most of you may have never seen these two new cute and adorable creatures below. Ok now.....presenting to you guys.........drum rolls pls~~~...........


Mr Froggie!!!


and.........

Little Crappy!!!!

Cute right? They are actually toys made specially to swim underwater and mind you guys, they swim very well underwater! Especially Mr Froggie. If anyone are interested in seeing these two cute creatures, you can request it to your divemasters!!!

p/s: The above 2 pictures were taken by this handsome guy from Thailaand, Wang