All assembling on the Black Manta for a club trip up to the waters round Pulau Tioman
What a nice way to end a working week and start a weekend – arrive at Keppel Marina at 1830 – hand your bag to the crew, your passport to the cruise director, change out of the work clothes, grab a beer and meet friends old and new to catch up and plan the weekend diving!
Then cast off and sail into the Singapore sunset en route to Tioman. Immigration formalities dealt with at sea by the captain, while the relative merits of Heineken versus Tiger, G&T versus white wine are discussed.
This was the first club trip on the Black Manta. Many of us are well familiar with her sister ship the White Manta, and Vincent Chew, his fellow directors and staff have been friends and sponsors of Free Flow Divers for some time. Their generosity in supporting the club, and our fund raising is superb – our thanks to them for all they have done.
Dinner at sea prepared by our Thai chefs – superb real Thai cooking and as much as you can eat. Then modest drinks until one by one we slope off to bed.
Overnight the boat cruises up to the dive areas, while we are oblivious to the passage tucked up in the beautiful cabins on the Black Manta. This is the newest of the two boats operated by White Manta and is superbly equipped – diving deck with Nitrox capability, safety equipment, navigation equipment, and all fitted out beautifully throughout. All cabins but 2 have en-suite facilities, so no lurching across wet decks in the middle of the night when nature calls.
Ah the gentle tinkling of the BM wake up bell – it’s 0800 and time for the first dive. Never seems quite the same as you drag yourself out of bed with the prospect of jumping into the sea strapped to a heavy metal tank first thing in the morning.
But it’s a lovely morning so in we go!
Some current so for the first half of the dive working against this to return with the current at the end. Initially working to conserve air in the current. Visibility not wonderful at less than 10m. but a lot to see.
Large blue spotted ray, and other smaller ones were seen. Nudibranchs abound. Lot co Chromodoris, a Phylidia Elegans and two Risbecia Trayoni. Giant clams, tiger cowrie, sweetlips, giant and white eyed morays, and porcupine fish of note.
Delays at Tioman now to obtain entry into Malaysia. However, just relax and let the nitrogen leak out of your body ready for the next dive.
A murky dive – visibility less than 5m – but interesting. Concentrating on small things – nudibranchs Nembrotha Kubaryana and a pair of Chelidonura Amoena. A few small blue spotted rays hiding around, and a small green spotted moray.
Back on to the boat for lunch – again our chefs have done us proud. Less weight needed for the next dive!
A nice calm dive with reasonable visibility. Schools of small fish abound, and two large blue spotted rays uncovered hiding in the rocks. Turtle swam by, and two bright nudibranchs discovered. Ceratosoma Tenue & a White striated Glosodoris. Usual Giant Moray .
A stunning night dive! Cuttlefish squid, and a myriad of Nudibranchs. A large Tiger Cowrie spotted, cone shells, and many small blue spotted rays moving around in the dark.
But climax was the arrival of two large marble rays. Swam round, over and under us – coming g back to check us out three times. What delightful creatures, but a little scary as they loom large out of the black!
Then back on to the boat for a hot shower, get dressed, and dinner. Out with the wine and beer and tuck in. A veritable feast with barbeque, seafood, Tom Yam, and curry.
Boast about the day’s exploits, exchange ideas for the next day’s diving, suggest ideas for future dive trips and then tumble into bed for a well earned sleep.
Up again before 0800 for the morning dive – some bleary looking faces this morning – must be something I ate – yeah right – nothing to do with the wine and the late night!
Good visibility of the reef with a mild but steady current running but moving us down into deeper water. Triggerfish are getting frisky, so moved sharply away from the very large titan that we come across. Discovered a nice Glosodoris Nudibranch. Quite a bit of bombed coral – not good. Schools of Angel fish swimming around on the ascent, and a very large Moray basking in a cave.
A nice calm dive to finish the expedition.
Good visibility – Morays, Emperor Angels, lots of Giant Clams – both Blue and Brown, and again a swelter of Nudibranchs.
Then back on to the boat to wash the gear, and calm down for the long trip home.
Drinking, chatting, reading, massage, films, and a few crashed out asleep. Just before arrival in Singapore a final meal from our Thai chefs, then into Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to fight our way through the hordes returning from weekend trips to Batam and Bintan.
A lovely weekend, and the comforts on the Black Manta are just superb. We were pampered by the staff througout the trip. Getting in and out of the water couldn't have been easier - help at hand whenever you need it.
Will we do it again – oh yes – watch out for the announcements.
Alternatively you can sign up individually for a weekend trip – venues vary according to weather conditions and season – check latest details and book online below.
