Hurray I'm gonna be in the Maldives today!!! Unreal Babyseal

Sweet! In approximate 24 hours I'll be swimming in the silken seas of Maldives. Its makes being alive more alive!!

Its going to be one sweet of a trip. 26 dives. Nine days of sailing and hopefully eating FRESH FISH every day!!! Hahaha!!

I'm so wired that I can't sleep!!!

There will be a good chance for us to see whale sharks, manta rays, hammerhead sharks, and a good number of big and wonderful sea creatures.

Awesome.

Excuse me you're having a heart attack

I went for the gym this morning as usual half-cocked. There were two mortgage bankers I had to talk before. Then I was trying to clean the flat up before my family friends showed up. The light fitting in the bathroom had a meltdown. And I ran out of the house without having my breakfast.

Did five minutes in the gym - and my trainer noticed my lower lips turning pale. So he sent me home and told me to go see a doctor.

I did have a bout of flu and my stomach wasn't feeling top notched either. I think I caught something over the weekend. But its most likely due to my poor diet and sleep. Apart from some fatigue I felt ok.

I went over to my old doctor - a senior physician - and expected to get the usual blah - go get some rest- take two panadols, call me in the morning and btw take some antibiotics for your stomach. However, he found my heart rate a little too high - and got me to go take a ECG for my heart. Cost $35.

The results according to the tech was ok - normal. But the doctor freaked out. There was a dip in the rate and he interpreted that as bad news ... very bad news... so f@#king bad that he told me to cancel my Maldives diving trip. See that glitch, you've got a serious problem mate. But first pay me my bill of $50 before you die... I mean leave.

Waaaaaaaaaa??? What did you just say???

Apparently, according to the test results - there's a fucking abnormality in my heart. So no more scuba diving for you.

Oh no. No more Maldives diving trip. And I didn't even sign for the insurance yet.

He referred me to a cardio specialist at Mt. E. Apparently the Prime Minister also sees the cardio too.

When I got there, I was half expecting him to confirm the old doctor's confirmation. And to eyeball me and say I've got 6 months to live or something. For some strange reason I approached the news of my imminent death with a vague sense of relief. Great, I'm going to be free of my problems and I'm going to get to see God. Boy, I'm gonna tell him off for slacking off his job. And so I bid my time at the cardio's waiting room, rehearsing what I was going to say to the Almighty. But boy was I disappointed I was going to miss this diving trip to the Maldives!

The cardio's staff seemed amused by my presence for some reason. I went through the barrage of tests, ECG again, treadmill exercise and the ultrasound.

I gotta tell you seeing your heart on the ultrasound monitor is quite scary initially. Hearing its beat on the speakers blows your mind away. Its freaky. There it is. Your heart. On TV. There's a little thing thats flapping about. That's your valve. What happens me I stop breathing? Can I make it stop??? Will it get self-conscious and get camera-shy???

Anyways, the good news is that I'm ok. Top notch in fact. Well, maybe a bit over-weight. But nothing that some extra running and good dieting won't cure. The bad news is the tests and consultation cost me another $680.

Now excuse me whilst I go and kick the arse of a senile doctor.

Are you scared of the Titan Triggerfish

Actually, no. Cos I don't seem to notice them when I dive and they don't look all that fearsome to me - unlike sharks. But ignorance is bliss I suppose.

They are reputed to be extremely fierce and have a sharp bite - look at that teeth. It bites thru ROCK CORAL!!! Imagine that teeth sinking through your 3mm wetsut!!

Anyways: click on the link to check out the poll.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/234090-how-afraid-you-titan-triggers.html#post3563034

(Photo is taken by "The Flying Kiwi - click on the photo to enter his site)
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/234090-how-afraid-you-titan-triggers.html#post3563034

Shoot the lawyers first

Don't read this if you are not feeling well - or if you can't stand gory details.

http://thethinmanreturns.blogspot.com/2008/05/changing-perceptions-about-lawyers.html

In my honest opinion, the Yorkshire rapist ought to have been hung ages ago. No public money should have been allocated at all to his well-being. A civil society has no place for such monsters. If someone does something that henious- the punishment should fit the crime. Otherwise, why bother having a justice system at all? Its a spit in the face for good, honest, upright people.

Diving in the Celebes Sea

Diving ... holidaying... is all about good experiences and living in different conditions, meeting people, having a good time.

One thing I love about this trip was staying at the Bunaken Cha Cha resort on the Island of Bunaken. Its similar to Sipadan. Swim out 30m from the shore and you're at the drop off point, overlooking a blue sea abysse. Great for snokellers and free divers. They say its what Sipadan was like 20 years ago.

The weather and sea conditions were a bit choppy at times. Overcast conditions mostly. We had to forfeit one day diving due to a storm; no charge. On two of the wall dives - there were swarms of thousands of baby trigger and yellow angel fishes. It looked like a Windows Computer Screen Saver.

Had trouble breathing for some reason. I just couldn't relax. Turns out that there was a setting for my breathing regulator- it may have been turned down to low.

The Bunaken Cha Cha resort has a lot of rustic charm going for it. The chalets are built into the side of a tropical jungle forest. The buildings are well made- and use plenty of concrete for their foundation and flooring. Teak is used for the bedroom and verandas. It feels so idyll lying on the hammock by the veranda and looking into the sea. Surprisingly very few mosquitoes. I don't have any bite marks at all.

Its also very exclusive- the resort only had about 10 guests when we were there; it could fit 20 guests in total. We had 2 - 3 senior dive guides on all the dives.

The resort also has broadband internet connection and mobile phone reception.

The Crown of Thorns - Coral Reef Killer

I sadly noticed that the coral reefs in Dayang are dying. Quite a bit of the damage is being caused by these evil looking things: the Crown of Thorns starfish. I saw plenty of them at Dayang - together with the sea urchin. The Crown of Thorns looks like a durian with super spikes. See it in Photo 2. Watch out though. The highly toxic spikes are crystal tipped and will pierce through gloves and flesh like a hot knife through butter.

This starfish will curl around a coral and eat it alive - a few of them can destroy an entire reef in a short space of time. The only creature that preys on it - is a beautiful looking sea snail: the Triton - which is apparently immune to its toxic needles.

Unfortunately, the snail's beauty shell is its undoing. People love to collect its very pretty shells - its highly prized in Japan. Consequently the indiscriminate mass collection has caused the tritons to get wiped out. And you've guessed it - there is nothing to check the Crown of Thorns growth and their fatal impact on coral reefs.

I hope that our governments and relevant university departments will try and do something about this. For starters:

1. Place a ban on Triton collection with hefty fines.
2. Institute a breeding program for the various types of Triton seasnails - which are common to this area.
3. Have a culling program for the Crown of Thorns and sea urchin.

I think most good divers wouldn't help helping on this culling program. Make it easy- have collection baskets with an attached rope and buoy. Using a long spear and a stick - you could place the Crown of Thorns into the baskets - and the dive boats could pick them up - and drop them off on a safety zone on the beach to get fried by the sun - or into a vat filled with baby Triton sea snails. What do other divers think about this?

Seems like a win-win situation.

Bora Bora: Most Beautiful Pacific Island

Its reputed to be one of the most beautiful pacific islands in the world.

Check out the full photos here

http://www.imagestation.com/album/review.html?id=2087119443

Good Scuba Diving Camera and shop

Hi scuba friends,

u know who u are. just need to ask a quick question. I'm thinking of getting an underwater camera - digital of course. I've been recommended the Fuji F50. It takes great photos underwater in poor light.

Click here for the review of the Fuji F50

What do you reckon? I just want something small and compact to begin with.

As for buying it - I'll probably go to MScolor in Ang Mo Kio. I heard that they are honest and know what they talking about and give good service - but that's heresay. Anyone want to share their experiences?