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with anna
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A.nna
 anna // singaporean. my dream is to some day live in a countryside and have a lot of dogs. reach me on
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Sunday, August 20, 2017
Solo Diving in Phuket No buddy, no problem! 
<me, by me>
My 2nd time traveling alone and this time I dived! Picked Phuket because I dove in Racha Yai before & the visibility was unforgettable. Back then I only did one dive, it was an impromptu plan as my uncle decided to try an introductory dive when we were out at sea so.. There I was, a week ago, back in Phuket after close to 2 years.
Chose to dive with Sea Bees Phuket this time, think they're one of the oldest and most popular dive centre around in Phuket. Quite different from the usual dive trips where we stayed with the dive resort & the dive centre is in the resort itself. This time we were given the option of staying in Patong/Kata/Karon and they'll pick you up for free every morning! I'm a little more familiar with Patong so I stayed in Best Western Patong, 5 mins walk away from Jungceylon & Bangla Walking Street so dive allll day, shopping allll night!
Based on the weather forecast for the past years, it shouldn't be the monsoon season but it was raining every day. On the first day of diving, it was raining the whole day & the water was got really choppy. Thank god for big ass boats so I didn't get too seasick to the extend of puking. Was out in the sea from 9am to 4pm and it was raining heavily throughout. I was thinking shittt at this rate I don't think I'd get to tan already :(
Most importantly the water was relatively calm though the weather was not. Mild current but everything was pretty much under control. Two dives for first day was at Shark Point. Not sure how I felt about that - shark point. I've heard from many experienced divers that sharks are the best, they're not aggressive bla bla bla but problem is I don't know how to differentiate the types of sharks so a great white can be in front of me and I might mistake it for some friendly nurse shark or something. A bit exagerrated but you get the gist. Disclaimer: I'm not saying that great white would definitely attack but I'm not sure if I'm ready for this..
That aside, nope, we didn't see any sharks. Can't say I'm not disappointed at all but it was at least an easy dive, just to get back into the water and familiarize myself again. Pardon the low quality photos, I was struggling & juggling between green & blue water, switching between magenta & red filter. Side note, someone has to tell me how do you identify and confirm if it's green/blue water? I was so sure for one that it was green water so I had magenta filter on and the whole dive's photos were horrid. I tried, here you go.
<when
    
The highlight of day one has gotta be the huge school of fish. I'm certain there were at least a thousand around us. It was not only a school, it was a queue as well, covering the whole stretch of wall. While diving forward, they were just beneath us the whole time. Amazing.
Second day of diving was back at Racha Yai. The visibility and state of sites were so much worst than before. Not sure if the artificial reefs and marine life were further ruined by the increase in c****** divers or it just wasn't my luck..
 
And a change to green water for 2nd dive :/
<I didn't even know this was pufferfish, it was HUGE>
   
Other than the wrong filter, you can pretty much tell the visibility. It was so poor that when we descended, we were told the seabed was around 10m and as we descend, we couldn't see shit. Only when I was around 8m+ then I saw the seabed. And that was the vis through the dive, 2m to 5m max.
But the artificial reefs at Racha Yai really has a lot to see. Every box has so much to see if you look closely. I gave up snapping any more photos before I lose my guide. Found quite a big nudibranch by myself with the nest beside, super cute. I think nudi is becoming one of my fav to find & see underwater.
Last day of diving was awesome. Had super Sunday with Seabees, meaning it's 4 dives a day at Phi Phi Island. But because I was flying off the next day, I did 3 dives only. That being said, I stayed on the boat throughout from 8am to 9pm, no joke. I guess sea god kept all the best stuff for me till the last day.
Sunday was when I clock my 50th dive for my 1st dive and I was blessed with 10+ blacktip reef sharks, bamboo sharks and I had my best dive moment. No photos but let me try to describe my best dive moment yo.
It was when I was diving at Viking Cave in Phi Phi & my guide held my hand and we dove into the cave which was literally pitch black. I was quite scared because fuck we had no torch! He then turn us around and told me to look out & around - it was that moment - like looking out of a tunnel and at the end of it all we could see was the endless blue ocean. It was prettier than any coral/fishes/wrecks I've ever seen. The serenity I sought through diving was taken to a whole other level, my heart was full and at peace, words just can't articulate whatever I've experienced, truly out of this world.
While I skipped my night dive and had the boat to myself and the crews (trying not to emphasize my fomo feels for not joining everyone for the last dive), I was looking through my dive logs which I also managed to fully fill during the trip (yes I brought a new logbook along, this is what a good student does - in Jan's words lol). This is definitely one of the best sport I've picked up and I thoroughly enjoy every moment underwater, except when I see triggerfish.
There was this site which I think is Bida Nok (?), we were told to descend where the triggerfish normally nest at. I was like whutttttttt?! OF ALL PLACES?! But yes, I didn't have any much peace during the whole dive. I was looking around and being very cautious not to trespass any triggerfish's nest. And then there's this funny moment (well at least to the others) when I was right in front and suddenly I u-turned and started swimming towards the other direction from where we came from and everyone was just looking at me like this
... the next moment they saw a huge triggerfish in front of them and the guide started laughing knowing my fear. Boy, you don't joke with such stuff. Every man for themselves, I'm abandoning anyone if an aggressive triggerfish is around. I said it.
Haha right gif at the right time. I was that 👆, 200%.
Well, all in all, the dives were great. I had Nelson as my guide and he made sure that every dive was safe and fun. I have no complaints be it their safety or service. Except that the dive sites are really far from Chalong Bay (where all boats take off). Easily 1.5 to 2.5 hours, Phi Phi was the furthest - and when the water is choppy, it's just plain dreadful. Other than that, they made this trip really easy and fun for me. Also to the new friends who made surface interval less boring ❤️
Solo dive trip isn't as scary as I thought it'd be. Well, not as scary as this one guy we saw underwater who was legit ALONE by himself, no buddy no guide??? And here we have me some fun land stuff I did..
<not becoming an alcoholic, just starting to really like gin>
<thai food>
<and more thai food>
<work from home Monday situation>
 
<see one time, drool one time - finally having it.>
<last day so a mandatory selfie, no?>
Because I spent most of the time on the boat, my meals were well taken care of by the impressive cook who was onboard with us as well. So whenever I get to eat out, I ordered 2 portions each time so I can eat as much as I want. Sadly with the increment of Chinese tourists, you can barely find authentic Thai food around. The only legit one I had was this street stall outside Banzaan Fresh Market. Other than that, I don't recall tomyum or phad thai to be sweet. Even outside Banzaan Fresh Market where there's lots of street stalls, more than half were serving Chinese food. C'mon!
Anywho, so now I've tried solo diving and am here to confirm & report that no buddy, no problem. Though I still miss the ever-lame jokes and companion of the people I normally dive with but sometimes it's just that hard to get everyone's schedules to come together, so till we can do so, I'm happy this is something I can finally and able to do by myself.
Still gotta learn how to be braver to sleep by myself but other than having to fully cover myself in blanket and build a fort with pillows, traveling alone is something I want to do more. This is quite a fulfilling year with a lot to look forward, though it's August, I still have 2 more trips coming up (one of it will be yet another solo trip + a place I've never been to, so double yay!) and till then, adios for now xx
Labels: activities, annainphuket, annateng, beach, bida nok, dive, dive spot, dives, diving, fishes, island, marine life, phi phi island, phulet, racha yai, shark point, solo dive, solo diving, thailand Saturday, April 29, 2017
Diving in Anilao 3rd post this year, I'm on fire. Not sure if people still read blogs, hello ghost readers.. I finally was able to enjoy diving the way it is. Backtrack a little to 2 months back, I quitted smoking. Not sure if it was related to the fact that nicotine probably has already left my body entirely and the oxygen level in my body is higher now but I wasn't feeling sea sick at all during any of the dives, even when most of the dive sites are easily 20 minutes boat ride away. Anywho, on top of that, I started diving without my wet suit - just a dive jacket & Nike dri-fit pants :P The whole diving journey from boat ride to gearing up and the actual dive, I was feeling 100%. I thought I wouldn't be able to enjoy diving more, couldn't be more wrong. Anilao is widely known for macro diving. You know they say small things but I was like how small, pygmy seahorse small? That's super cute, I totes don't mind. But nope, it's smaller than pygmy seahorses. I did see a lot of pygmy seahorses though, a pregnant one which everyone was debating it was fat but I googled, it's definitely the one I saw, pregnant af you cute lil thang: 
You've no idea, they're really v v v v v v cute. They range in length from 1.4 - 2.7 cm between the tip of the tail to the end of the snout. Do you know how small that is? Like superrrr small ❤❤❤
That aside, here are some photos taken by yours truly. By the by, I started using red filter so the photos are much better now.
Snorkelling on the first day we arrived :D
This is the trip I fell in love w Nudibranch! Too pretty!
 
Mazel tov!
Hello you, from Bali to Anilao.
My favourite, taken from a wreck dive.
    
Not sure why my blue spotted ray doesn't have a tail :(
And the highlight of everything is this, a pregnant male seahorse. No words could describe how wonderful it felt to watch something so beautiful. I gave up trying to get a good shot & just started staring at it. He was just laying there, probably waiting to give birth. So peaceful, I just wanted to watch it while only hearing my bubbles - truly a moment to live in, to feel so alive.
Well, that is 10 dives for me - also my 45th dive, my 35th hour underwater. Comparing Anilao to Bali, most of the corals in Anilao are much livelier. I mean in Bali, certain sites we get a seabed of dead corals & there's that. While in Anilao you get a lot of pretty, colorful corals around and if you're patient enough to look into every corner, you might find some small macro stuff.
Most of the photographers on this trip took much better photos. I mean they're there to shoot for an underwater competition so my photos definitely don't do justice to the actual sites.
BUT, here comes the but. After my first dive, I was checking with the resort on why the dive guides are so touchy underwater. Not to me of course but they were just flipping the corals around, picking up every other stones to see if they can find something under.. I get it. You're my guide, you're supposed to find stuff for me to see. But I very much rather it not be at the expense of destroying nature. Well that's for me.
I can't speak for the rest of the people who allowed it for their own selfish reasons but it wasn't acceptable to me. To a certain extend, I can forgive people for not protecting/saving things they don't understand. In this case, non-divers. But for divers, if we love what we do and yet at the same time we destroy the things we love, then what does that make us?
Practice what you preach. If you love diving, you love the ocean & the sea, learn how to protect it.
Back to me checking with the resort.. Apparently all the dive boats & guides in Anilao are not tied to any resorts. In another words, they can't be fired. So what we can do on our end is we can stop the guide, we can choose not to tip them or change the guide even. Since they are freelance and not tied to the resort, we have the option of not using the same guide which was what I did.
All in all, was this a good trip? Yea sure, I enjoyed my short stay in Manila. It was a good break. Though it was muck dives for macros, I thought it was a good opportunity to work on my buoyancy skills & to visit a new place for a change. Would I go back or recommend diving in Anilao? Nah. Not that the sites are exceptionally great, not that the guides have morals so.. No thank you.
But of course feel free to look up other reviews based on other dive centres & guide. Since they are not tied to any resort / dive centres, whatever I've said are based on my experience with Jun & Aladdin (both my guides during my dives in Anilao).
RESORT & DIVE PACKAGE
I stayed in Acacia Resort and the place is great. Everything you need for a beach getaway is there. Managed by Oliver & Cat who are very hospitable as well. This dive trip was a kinda a package deal via Scuba Institute. The package is USD1200 which includes 10 dives (excluding equipment), food & beverages (served in buffet style for all 3 meals), accommodation.
Not sure if the price is considered ex or no, but it was worth it.
Adios!
Labels: anilao, dive, diving, diving in anilao, diving in phillipines, philippines, scuba diving, travel, travelbyanna, travels Thursday, November 3, 2016
Diving in Nusa Penida
Oh well well well, of course we gotta start this with my face. Yes.
So Inez and I went back to Bali for diving. Yup, Bali again. There's just something about Bali that I really love. The place, the vibe, the people, and of course, diving. It didn't matter to me if I was seeing the same stuff or how most would react, wa buay sian ah? (not sick of it yet?). Nope. I figured everyone love their hobbies for different reasons, and I love diving for the serenity. It didn't really mattered to me what I see during the dives.
BUT.. Guess what we saw this time? Manta Rays! Here's a video proof :P
During the briefing before we descended, Jan was telling us what to expect bla bla bla (I really need to start listening to the briefs). And he mentioned that reef mantas are commonly seen, they're around 3m long and the rarer ones would be the oceanic mantas which are around 5m long. The key words he said were, if you're lucky, you get to see the oceanic mantas.
And we did, we got lucky! We saw a few of the oceanic mantas. They were gracefully swimming above and below us. If I said it took my breath away, I would be lying because I was so nauseous from the current and I had to forced myself to endure a good 30 minutes before I ascended to puke.. But minus the nauseous drama, I guess it took my breath away.
They are really gentle and graceful with each movement. So far manta rays are the biggest sealife creature I've seen and I must say it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. In fact it made me feel really small. As in this <---> small. Not just literally but the thought of how big the ocean was, me being in it, with creatures that are 3 times my length - simply amazing.
And of course, the usuals which we normally see in Bali. A few highlights must be the turtles (seen them many times but they're still as cute as always!), octopus, squid and jellyfish! We saw quite a few jellyfishes during our last dive and after the dive, I got some rash across my chest. Not sure if it's from the jellyfish (didn't get stung, I wore a 3mm full wetsuit) or if the water was just particularly dirty at that site.
I really enjoyed this trip. Though it's a short 5 days, but 5 days in Bali is never enough. We were so close to
Anyway, enough of my rants. Here are the video and photos from this trip:
    
If you haven't, I urge you to follow my trips on #TravelByAnna. Not that it's interesting but it's the only platform I'm most active on. So.. Till my next trip! I'll definitely write on the go for my next trip because it's Russia and I need to pen everything down before I completely forget about it lol! It's Inez and I again (the only appropriate time to say buay sian ah), and we are heading to St. Petersburg and Moscow! So if you've any recommendations, please feel free to comment below or drop me an email.
Lastly, I've been receiving emails and DMs from readers from both my blog and Instagram - please do so more often! I love it. I love exchanging words with fellow travellers and how we have these platforms to share tips and I even convinced a new "online friend" to take up diving, which he did and I think he's going to pursue a career out of it.
I started this blog as a travel log for myself, but later I found it handy whenever I want to share an itinerary with a friend, I'll be like - check out this post and that post. And now it's becoming a tiny community where I have these platforms to meet travellers and talk about traveling.
xx Labels: annainbali, bali, beach, candidasa, diving, ilovebali, indonesia, kuta, seminyak, travel, travelbyanna, traveling, travels Sunday, December 27, 2015
Tulamben Shore Dives 3 days after I came back from Phuket, I headed to Bali to dive! This time not with my usual Inez, but with trigger-fish magnet, Darren! We headed to Tulamben for our planned dives and stayed at Ocean Sun Resort. It was a dive package he secured with Aquanox Scuba from Singapore. We clocked 6 dives at sites including Liberty Wreck, Coral Garden, Seraya Secrets, Drop Off and one more which I don't remember the name. It was sort of a secret site the DMs found. My first official dive with GoPro I took too many photos which mostly I don't remember which was taken at which site, brilliant. You're still in for a treat though, here you go! 
(Taken at Liberty Ship Wreck)
(Taken at Drop Off, Tulamben)
(Taken at Seraya Secrets)
  
(Taken at Seraya Secrets)
This is my favorite photo of him! Sigh, if only he didn't photobomb all my photos, that would have been great. Not fair that he now has a new DP and yet I'm stuck with him creeping in every solo shot of mine..
That aside, here are some of my
But this has got to be my favourite-favourite, taken by our DM.
I came back wanting to be a fish and I can't wait for next February whereby I'll be back in Bali for two whole weeks worth of diving! This time we are taking our AOWD with Gangga Bali Divers and extending the trip to Nusa Lembongan for more dives. Wheeee! :D
Ending this post with this photo as a thank you to my buddy who took really good care of me underwater. Thanks for laughing at and never taking eyes off this tunnel-visioned girl. This photo because I was laughing out loud when Jan, my Bali instructor, asked sarcastically if he actually dove with no regulator and mask, haha! Oh well, that shows how vain he is when the cam is on him 😂
And oh, here's a compilation for #TravelByAnna, 2015! Thank you for following me through my journey via my platforms, I've gotten a fair bit of enquiries and encouraging comments through this year's travel and I'm thankful for everyone I met on this wanderlust journey, I cannot count my blessings enough. Here's to a splendid 2016, xx
Labels: bali, dive, diving, indonesia, shore dive, travelbyanna, tulamben |
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xx
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