Malaysia dive1

Then in the afternoon the dive shop organised us a snorkeling boat trip further around the island (as part of our Ping Anchorage package), using their larger white dive-boat with a dive platform - old, but with powerful twin inboard engines that started reliably. There were about ten of us, including three kids.

The first stop was onto the house reef at the next resort. A wide range of interesting corals including branching corals, all in easy surface-dive range.
The second stop was nearer the point of the island, with some really large table coral, on a sloping rock-boulder margin. A number of clams with electric-blue lips - closed up as I swum closer.

The following day, the dive-master organised me a one-to-one dive late morning.

KIF 9570 bay dCoconut Lang-Tengah

The dive plan was to be dropped off the end of Shark Point, on the far-side of the bay.

KIF 9575 dive-shop Lang-Tengah

The simple but well-equipped dive-shop was right on the beach. I said no to a wet-suit, (as I would be warm enough), which meant I only had a 5 kg weight, not my usual 19 kg - wonderful !

KIF 9594 dive-start dCoconut Lang-Tengah

As there were just the two of us we used one of the single-outboard boats used for in-shore work. After the short trip across the bay, it was a roll into the water. We then followed the boulder slope, with many coral, down to the plain at 18m depth. Brief sighting of possibly a shark - large, but did not look quite right for a shark. Visibility had been excellent at about 20m, but down on the plain it now dropped to about 12 to 15m. Numerous pitcher corals.

We then turned and followed the base of the boulder slope for a while, and then set off across the mouth of the bay, visibility improving again. Slowly back up to 5m. Numerous interesting coral.

KIF 9596 dive-surface Lang-Tengah

Surfaced off the mouth of the bay (larger white dive-boat in the background, mountain on the mainland in far distance) and snorkeled in.
50 minutes dive-time, 80 bar remaining - pleased still economical on air on first dive in a while. Was quite warm enough - a really enjoyable dive.

Back up for a late but individually served Malaysian lunch which had been prepared for us.

In the afternoon the dive-shop organised us another snorkel (again as part of our Ping Anchorage package) - this time nearer the point of the island, a bit beyond our second snorkel of the day before. This time there were about half-a-dozen of us in the large white dive boat, towing the smaller single-outboard boat. Here we were more exposed to (possibly two different) currents, so this was a drift-snorkel. The smaller boat remained with us, as did the dive-master and an assistant. Currents were as predicted, and not strong at all, just made traveling the distance to where the larger boat was waiting an easy fin, of something over an hour. A wide range of coral, including some seriously large table coral, and a good number of clams of a size you could believe the stories I read as a child.

The dive-boat then continued all the way around the island so we had a complete view of it.