Kota Kinabalu Dive, Photos, Nov-06

[malaysia-islands]

Dive #1: Sulug West http://www.malaysia-islands.com/html/tar-marine-park/dive/sulug-west.shtml

Overall, an average dive with average visibility. Not many varieties of fish. Decent displays of soft corals, sponges and nudibranch. Occasional encounter with large sea fans. Dive depth up to 25 metres with bottom time of 45 minutes.

Photo highlights:

- Euplexaura sp. sea fan coral
- "pretty" star feather (Cenometra bella)
- Magnificent nudibranch (Chromodoris magnifica)
- Pale blue tube sponges (Kallypilidion fascigera)
- Sea fan Annella mollis
- Echinomuricea sp. sea fan corals
- Barrel sponge (Xestospongia testudinaria)

Overall dive rating: 3.5/5.0

 

[malaysia-islands]

Dive #2: Hanging Garden http://www.malaysia-islands.com/html/tar-marine-park/dive/hanging-garden.shtml

This dive site occasionally referred to as Clement Reef on the western portion of Pulau Gaya (close to Pulau Sapi ). This was a much better dive than my first one - great viz, more stuff to see. Dive depth was about 20 metres with total bottom time of nearly 1 hour. Highlights include 1-1/2 metre sea fan coral (sadly, my photo did not manage to prove to humongous size), harp sea fans, rarely-seen bubble corals, tube sponges, hundreds of star feathers, some star fish, about 10 sightings of nudibranch, and porcelain crab (VERY small, had to stretch my camera to the limit, haha!)

Photo highlights:

- Massive Melithaea sp. fan coral
- Melithaea sp. fan coral, super-size
- Colourful soft + hard corals
- Harp gorgonian (Ctenocella pectinata)
- Bubble corals (Plerogyra flexuosa)
- Porcelain crab (Neopetrolisthes maculatus) on carpet anemone (Stichodactyla mertensii)
- Shireen's phyllidiopsis nudibranch (Phyllidiopsis shireenae)
- Celestial phyllidia nudibranch (Phyllidia coelestis)
- Painted thecacera (Thecacera picta)

My dive rating: 4.0/5.0

 

[Diver Dennis]

Hanging Garden has some of the best corals I've ever seen on one dive site.

 

[malaysia-islands]

Dennis, so you have been to Hanging Garden a.k.a Clement Reef? When was this?

 

[Diver Dennis]

Sorry, I just re-read that and I was talking about Sipidan...:geek:

 

[malaysia-islands]

Ouch + LOL. Yes, there's a Hanging Garden in Sipadan too. Hmmm. I bet there are more Hanging Gardens around the world.

Anyway, Merry Christmas!

 

[Diver Dennis]

Same to you. I was very impressed by your countries diving. Sorry for the mix up...