Whale Sharks, Leopard Sharks, Silvertip Sharks... and much more!

The past month has been Shark-Tastic here at the Scuba Junkie. We’ve had some incredible sightings of an array of shark and ray species. These sightings prove just how diverse the marine life in this area can be. In just one week, we had 6 different species of shark seen in the waters around Sipadan and Mabul, whilst Whale Sharks, Devil Rays and Eagle Rays have been seen around the Tun Sakuran Marine park – which we dive out of Semporna.

Whale sharks seen from below....
(Photo taken on Pulau Mabul)

Possibly the most exciting sightings we had last month were of the majestic Whale Shark – the biggest fish in the ocean. In the space of one month we had 5 sightings of Whale Sharks, all around the Sipadan, Sipadan Barrier Reef, Mabul and Tun Sakuran Marine Park area! Whale sharks are not residential to this area, we see them sporadically throughout the year as they pass through on their mystical journey. Never before have we seen so many in such a short amount of time. What’s more exciting is that the sightings were not just a fleeting glance. At Sipadan the whale shark cruised passed the divers and was visible for several minutes.  Around Mabul our divers spent over 40minutes with a whale shark, having it swim around above them. It was not just divers that had such an incredible experience. At Sibuan, one of the stunning islands that make up the Tun Sakaran Marine Park, it was the snorkelers who were lucky enough to see this incredible shark. It’s possible for everyone to see this stunning and elusive creature.

 

And Whale Sharks seen from above!
(Photo taken in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park)

 Other species of shark we have seen include the shy Hammerhead shark. Spotted at Sipadan, this incredibly endangered species of shark became intrigued of our divers. The behaviour of these sharks is interesting, the sightings always a magical experience. Hammerheads tend to be a deep living schooling shark. Although they are incredibly shy, they also seem to be very curious. Whilst diving at Sipadan, it is possible for divers to look behind them and see a Hammerhead shark checking them out. Once the Hammerhead establishes you are just a boring diver, they swim back down to their school – reporting to the school that you are nothing of interest. This month we had divers who were lucky enough to encounter the entire school, according to the dive group there were too many to count!

Leopard Shark!
(Photo taken at Sipadan Island)

Leopard sharks have also been spotted in recent weeks. In just one day there were three sightings! This beautiful shark is one of the few species of shark that can actually stop swimming and can be seen resting on corals or rocky areas. When resting these sharks will allow you to get pretty close, as you can see from the photos! Seeing them swim is also a treat, as the Leopard shark is one of the most graceful sharks in the ocean. Their tail is almost the same length as its body, and the stunning shapes and colours of this shark means it is beautiful to watch swim.

Black Tip Reef sharks and Silver tip sharks have also been seen in the last few weeks around Sipadan island. These sightings are important, as it demonstrates just how crucial it is that Sipadan remains protected. Divers have also seen White Tip Reef sharks off the back of Kapalai Island! It is clear that not just Sipadan that needs protecting, it is this whole area. The Semporna Shark Sanctuary is a proposal that Scuba Junkie hugely supports. The projects seeks to have this entire area protected. Not only does it aim to protect the incredible diversity of marine species that we see in this area, but also to protect the local community. A decline in these species will have a detrimental effect to the tourism in Sabah, which is turn will affect the security of many people’s jobs. For more information please visit the Semporna Shark Sanctuary Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Semporna-Shark-Sanctuary/292053650838545?sk=timeline 

New Project on Pulau Mabul

When thinking of endangered species it is animals such as pandas, leopards and sharks that come to mind. However, these are not the only species facing threats, many varieties of corals are also facing population troubles. Staghorn coral, Mushroom Coral,  Bubble Coral, along with many others are actually listed as near threatened on the IUCN list, and without our help it could come into real danger. As divers we will always have an impact on the reefs that we love, so we try to do a little to give back. With this in mind, we have just started an exciting new project on the island. Although the coral population is healthy around this area, we have decided to undertake a Coral Transplant Project, to aid the population growth.  

Coral fragments

Over Turtle Week one of our extremely talented members of staff, Sha, constructed a model of a  turtle. This structure shall be used as a frame for our new Coral Nursery. Coral Transplanting involves taking fragments of live coral and relocating them to a protected area, where it is possible for them to thrive. The coral fragments that were used for this project were gained naturally. Staff and interns visited dive sites and located live corals that had recently broken off of the reef. The species that are used for the transplant project must be carefully selected. Of course, we use species that occur naturally in the area and tried our best to get a variety of soft and hard corals. Our team researched which of the corals in the area would benefit and grow in such a program. Fast growing branching corals, such as Staghorn Coral, were collected. As well as slower growing corals to provide variety. 

                                                                                                               

How it works: 

Corals reproduce through asexual means; this means that each individual polyp has the means to create a new colony. Once secured, we hope that they will thrive in their reproduction, and ultimately end up with a new and healthy area of reef. Of course, the conditions must be conductive to their health, which is why we must be careful in selecting the species of coral and the area in which we choose to locate the coral nursery. To secure the fragments to the structure we used cable ties - a cheap and simple method. The coral has no problem growing over the cable tie and there is no detrimental effect to the corals. Not only does this project aim to be beneficial to coral populations, but will also provide a protected area that provides food and shelter for the array of fish and invertebrate species we see around Mabul, Kapalai and the Tun Sakaran Marine Park. With Staghorn corals growing nearly 12cm in just one year, we hope that this reef will be look gorgeous in no time at all. 

We are already seeing signs of life on the structure!

It is not just diving that threatens this beautiful and fragile ecosystem. Over fishing, rising levels of pollution and rising sea temperatures are just a few of the issues that are having a negative impact on the reefs.  Although coral transplanting is not a solution to these unfortunate issues, we hope that it will be extremely beneficial to this area. 

Thinking about doing your Divemaster Training?

With so much going on, there’s barely been a chance for everyone to recover from the festivities of Turtle Week. The diving around the Mabul and Sipadan area has continued to prove itself as one of the best, and most diverse, areas to dive in the world. Whilst on land we’ve been working hard with Dive Master Trainees (DMTs), relocating Turtles nests, releasing hatchlings and reef and beach cleans. It feels like we have had non-stop action in the last few weeks.

A few weeks ago we had a group of 5 DMTs ‘graduate’ from their Eco Divemaster Course. Over the past 6 weeks these dedicated people have worked hard to prove themselves as capable and professional members of the diving community. The Divemaster course can be undertaken in either 4 or 6 weeks, and it one of the most intense courses you will go through in your diving career. The weeks are spent bringing your skills up to demonstration quality, assisting with courses, practising briefings and helping set up boats with equipment and tanks – gaining a true insight into the workings of our dive shop.

Assisting courses and shadowing Divemasters and instructors is a truly eye-opening experience. Of course, the Rescue course teaches skills that make you more aware of those around you in the water, but assisting courses brings in a whole new level of understanding. Shadowing and assisting allows people to see the problems that divers face, and how you as a dive leader can overcome these difficulties – ultimately helping someone become a better diver.  Whilst assisting an open water course you watch, and aid, someone in progressing from knowing nothing of the underwater world and how to control yourself in it, to someone who can choose a buddy and dive independently. Helping people overcome difficulties during these courses is one of the most rewarding things you can do as a Divemaster trainee. And of course, let’s not forget the look on someone’s face when they see their first ever turtle!

Everyone who took part in last month’s DMT course also signed up for the Reef Check course. This fascinating course teaches students about how to identify the health level of a coral reef system. They look at the ways to identify various families of fish, and learn which of these fish are indicative to the health status of the coral reef. The course teaches you about various substrates and how to identify hard corals from soft corals. All the information culminates in learning how to conduct a Reef Check survey. This process involves laying down a 100m transect lines. Divers swim along this line and record the level of indicator species, invertebrates, corals and substrates. This information, once gathered and analysed, provides an idea of how healthy the reef system in that area is. We have had several Reef Check surveys in the area in the past year, and are planning more.

If you are interested in taking on the challenge of the Eco Divemaster Training course then just drop us as email at info@scuba-junkie.com, and we'll get back to you with all the information you need. 

We can’t discuss the events of the last few weeks without mentioning some of the incredible diving we have been having. Around Sipadan we have been seeing Schooling Hammerheads – the video of which can be seen on our facebook page. It was the third dive of the day, and the divers dropped down at the famous ‘Southpoint’. Just a few moments into the dive, they turned to see at least eight Scalloped Hammerheads cruising past them, with several more dark shapes below them. So many people dream of seeing just one Hammerhead, many would be happy with just a glimpse. These lucky divers saw a school, and it was not just a fleeting glance! It’s not just Sipadan where we have incredible diving, the Sipadan Barrier Reef also provided some incredible underwater encounters. In just one day our divers saw a School of Spine Tail Devil Rays – over 80 of them! And on the last dive the were luck enough to see the rare and beautiful Hairy Frogfish. From graceful pelagics to intriguing macro, there is diving here to satisfy everyone’s needs!

Turtle Week: The Grand Finale

The final day of Turtle Week was action packed, with all our fundraising activities culminating in a 5 hour continuous reef clean.The time of 5 hours was chosen because that is how long a Green turtle can remain underwater whilst resting. A dedicated team of staff, interns and guests took out a boat and worked hard to  make the reef a safer place for turtles.  For five hours we had at least four people in the water. It was a tremendous effort, with 15 people taking part, taking in turns it to get underwater and clean the reef.  Not only was this a great fundraising activity, but it is also extremely important work. Removing plastic from the reefs needs to be done, not just to preserve the reef, but also to prevent turtles from ingesting it - which ultimately will be fatal for them. 

The evening saw the closing ceremony and a big party on the beach. A bar was set up and our Scuba Junkie band made the trip over from Semporna. We also set up a barbecue, selling delicious steak sandwiches, burgers and veggie kebabs, with all the money raised going straight into the Turtle Week fund. As the festivities were getting under way, Rohan took to the stage and announced our final total. We raised over 7500RM this week, an amazing effort from everyone involved, and we are truly grateful to everyone who contributed. We also announced the winner for our raffle, and the lucky Nadia won a 3 day 2 night stay with us at Scuba Junkie. The evenings activities went down a treat, as staff, interns and guests celebrated the fantastic amount of money raised. It was a great party and great way to end a week in which everyone had worked so hard. Everyone danced around in the sand as the band played a selection of covers. It was an incredible week, and we look forward to the next one. 

Turtle Week: Day Six

Day 6 of Turtle Week was no less fun and action packed than the previous days. The morning began with the arrival of the Community College, who are based in Semporna. The Community College promotes possible job futures for children aged 14-16, and gives them a healthy introduction to skills in tourism and customer service that can be very beneficial in finding employment in Sabah. Nora, their teacher, has been a huge collaborator with Scuba Junkie for a number of years now, and has been incredibly instrumental in pushing for conservation to be a part of the Community College’s curriculum.

It wasn't just the kids enjoying Arts and Crafts!

The morning began with the 11 Community College students giving a presentation on turtles to the children of Project Sha (Sharing Help Awareness), an initiative set up to provide  the 4-16 year old children on Mabul with education to which they may otherwise have been denied. The presentation provided an introduction to the 4 species of turtle we encounter in Sabah; the leatherback, the green, the hawksbill and the olive’s ridley. They then gave the eager young children a healthy list of reasons why conservation is so important in protecting these species and why relatively easy methods such as proper waste disposal can have such a dramatic impact. It was a brilliant effort from the Community College, and the young children of Project Sha absolutely ate it up!

Things start getting messy 

Next up, time to get a little messy with some arts and crafts! With our Scuba Junkie staff having provided a giant turtle mural for the kids to decorate, they all got stuck in with some finger painting to add their own personalized touch. As well as this, our staff had made a number of turtles using discarded plastic bottles for the kids to decorate; another way to demonstrate how recycling can be put to good effect! With that amount of paint and excitable children around, face painting was inevitable, and soon enough everyone from Nora to the Project Sha kids, to even Rohan the resort manager, had their faces adorned with turtle patterns.

After a few more games with the kids, it was time for the Community College students to hand out goody bags as a thank you for everyone who got involved. We are incredibly grateful for the effort put in yesterday, and really hope that sessions like these can inspire the future generations to be more aware and therefore proactive about conversation and the environment. Thanks again guys!

With the Community College kids taking a break for lunch, our staff and interns, along with some customers keen to get involved, managed to find time for another successful reef clean. Whilst these reef cleans will not stop the litter problems at the course, they are a great way to maintain an aesthetically pleasing and healthy coral reef system. In just one hour our team was able to collect a number of cans, bottles, plastics and clothes that had been discarded into the water and which prove to be daily hazards to the turtles that frequent our reefs.

After lunch, our resort manager Rohan gave the Community College kids a slightly truncated version of his Turtle presentation, to provide them with conservation information about turtles just as they had done for the Project Sha kids. After that, it was time to go snorkeling! Our experienced staff and intern team first provided the kids with a detailed snorkeling briefing, informing them of proper kicking techniques, how to clear their snorkels and for the more experienced amongst them, how to duck dive. We also stressed the importance of responsible snorkeling techniques, such as not touching the coral or interacting with the marine life. With many of the children being inexperienced swimmers, it was a fulfilling reward for the scuba junkie team to be able to help them overcome their fears of water, and a great thank you for their efforts earlier on in the day.

Snorkel Time!!

Finally, in the evening we welcomed our 
guest speaker Nattalee Lim from Reef 
Check to give a presentation the 
importance of protecting the coral reef 
system, and what we can do to get 
involved. This fascinating talk illuminated the complexities of 
conducting a reef check analysis. Part of which involves laying down a 100m transect line, and noting the number of 
various indicator species and substrates 
to analyse the health of the reef system. 
She also touched upon how the changing health of the reef will affect us.
We are incredibly grateful to Natalee 
for making the journey down from Kota Kinabalu to Mabul. 


It's the final day now, but remember, you can still donate online at https://www.justgiving.com/scuba-junkie-turtles
Every little counts, and it's not too late! 

Facts about Kemps Ridely Turtles

• Kemp’s ridley turtle is the most severely endangered marine turtle in the world; in the 1980s only a few hundred females were observed nesting, although the population is now showing signs of recovery
• Along with the olive ridley, Kemp’s ridley turtle used to exhibit mass synchronised nestings known as ‘arribadas’ (Spanish for ‘mass arrivals’), where thousands of females came ashore on the same beach to nest at the same time
• The nesting season peaks in May and June and unusually amongst turtles, nesting occurs during the day
• Adults are carnivorous bottom-feeders, eating a wide range of prey including fish, jellyfish, although crabs are the mainstay of their diet
• Kemp’s ridley turtles have an extremely restricted range; found mainly in the Gulf of Mexico and some way up the eastern seaboard of the United States 
• They are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List 

Turtle Week: Day Five

Gearing up for the Reef Clean

It’s hard to believe that it is already day five of Turtle Week! The time has flown by with a flurry of activities. Once again we had a team of beach and reef cleaners out in full force yesterday. Everyone involved put in a phenomenal effort, and we collected many bags of plastic, food wrappers, bottles and even discarded clothes! This work is integral to Turtle conservation, and over the next few days we will be working with children again, educating them in the importance of what we are doing, and what they can do to help.

Settling down and watching 'Turtle: An Incredible Journey'

It was a peaceful evening in the resort, as everybody settled down in the bar to watch the documentary 'Turtle: The Incredible Journey'. This fascinating short film follows the almost unbelievable journey of a loggerhead turtle, from when she first hatches on a beach in Florida, to over 20 years later when she lays her first nest – on the same beach that she was born. It follows her as she travels from the Gulf Stream and ultimately around the entire North Atlantic to Africa, only to return many years later to the Florida beach where she was born. The imagery is absolutely stunning, and the audience were treated to some beautiful shots of an array of marine life. From Humpback whales, to Blue Sharks, to dolphins, to Sperm Whales, the footage is truly amazing. The film shows the tiny loggerhead hatchling clinging to a raft of sargassum weed that sits at the surface. This provides a protected area for the turtle to sleep, eat and gain strength. The sargassum weed follows the Gulf Stream. This is a journey that many loggerhead turtles will take. Of course, as with any journey there are obstacles to face. The raft of sargassum is taken off it’s course, and the hatchling ends up in the stagnant Sargasso sea. With no winds, and no tides, the turtle is stuck. She feeds and grows stronger, and after gaining enough strength eventually returns to her path to the Gulf Stream. The story continues, and we see that other obstacles that young turtles face are not all natural. From choking on oil that has been spilled into the ocean, to being caught on longlines, the journey this turtle undertakes, along with all others, is a treacherous one. The ending of this tale was a happy one, with her successfully returning to her beach to lay nests. But it is important that people understand that this is not always the case; just one in one thousand hatchlings are expected to survive. The documentary opened many people’s eyes to the threats turtles face, and the dangers that we have created for these beautiful and graceful creatures.

With just two days left, we have almost reached our goal of 7000RM! We are on the final stretch, and every little counts. Please take a look at our Just Giving page, and read about the sponsored 5 hour underwater clean we will be doing. Every little counts, even just a dollar, a pound, or a euro would be greatly appreciated. 

www.Just-Giving.com/Scuba-Junkie-Turtles

Facts about Loggerhead Turtles:

• The loggerhead is one of the most widespread of all the marine turtles and also the most highly migratory, with individuals known to cross the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
• This turtle's common name comes from its relatively large head, which contains powerful jaws
• Adults are primarily carnivorous, using their powerful jaws to crack open crustaceans such as crabs and even seemingly impenetrable molluscs such as the queen conch
• Nesting occurs in more temperate regions than for other sea turtle species and the largest breeding population is currently found in the southeastern United States from North Carolina throughout Florida
• Classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List

Turtle Week: Day Four

Cleaning up the Reef!

The morning after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle party was a slightly quiet one on Mabul island. Staff were working hard on setting up the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, which we hope to open very soon. The centre will provide an area for us to care for injured and sick turtles. Come lunch time, and with everyone extremely hungry after a mornings diving, Scuba Junkie once again provided delicious pizza. With all the money going straight to Turtle conservation, it's even harder to resist! 

In the evening we had an old friend come by for a presentation. Christian Loader gave a talk on taking photographs of these beautiful animals, and the various situations in which he has seen them. Christian works for Scubazoo, a videography and photograpahy company based in Kota Kinabalu. They regularly film footage for the BBC, recently they worked with David Attenborough in Danum Valley. They have also released several books documenting marine life around the world. For those interested in photography he explained the various setting he used to achieve his beautiful pictures, whilst the rest of us gained some insight into the complexities of achieving such incredible photos. Sadly it was not all about how to make something more aesthetically pleasing; we also got to see the darker side of Christian's work. He showed us photos of turtles that were sick from pollution - where benign tumours begin to grow all over their body, leaving them unable to feed or swim properly. He then show images from areas in Papua New Guinea, where the rare Leatherback turtle is found for just a few months a year. Graphic images showed locals hunting the turtle by harpooning it through it's shell. They cut the flippers of the turtle so it is unable to move, and beat it until it dies. As Christian explained, it was traumatic to witness and to shoot. However, footage of these events in vital in educating people around the world about what is happening. According to Christian, the one saving grace of the experience was that the villagers used every part of the dead turtle - in part for food, and by burning the shell they produced useful oils. 

After the presentation it was time to announced the winner of out daily competition - 'Guess the amount of Turtles seen today'. Once again Roisin won! The second time this week, must be the luck of the Irish! She guessed closest to our count of 104 turtles seen about Mabul, Semporna and Sipadan. Our guests Roisin and Nikki have contributed a lot these last few days; they been entering the competitions, adopting turtles and helping out with beach and reef cleans. Thank you so much guys! 

Congratulations again Roisin!

Facts about Leatherback Turtles: 

• They are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN list
• Its shell is flexible and covered in a thin layer of leathery skin.
• The leatherback turtle is the world's largest turtle; the largest recorded individual weighed a massive 916 kilograms
• With the widest distribution of all the marine turtles, the leatherback turtle is found throughout the world's oceans. It has been recorded as far north as Alaska and as far south as the tip of South Africa
• The leatherback turtle can dive to great depths. Leatherback turtles equipped with depth recorders dove to over 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) deep.