Bolkiah Wreck & Oil Rig Wreck - 30th July 2006

It was a beautiful day... not sunny... not raining... not too hot for diving... just perfect...

We headed for Bolkiah Wreck as our first dive. Upon arrival Azli gave a longgggggggggggg detail briefing on wreck penetration specialty for his students. I in particular were very excited as I get to do this as a "refresher" course for my specialty. This time, I get to do wreck penetration using the reel, reference line and even a pony bottle/tank. Upon descent, we were delighted to see hundreds of fishes around the wreck! It was just beautiful...! Visibility was good and no underwater current. What more can I ask for? Thye marked the reference point from the anchor line and then we headed for an entrance point. Elvin took the lead as he was holding the reel, followed by Linda with the pony bottle, Thye, Azli and then me. I was so excited that I spotted a scorpion fish right after I entered the wreck. I just got in for like a minute and Azli signalled me to exit. I was a bit disappointed because I haven't got much time to look around. Azli asked us to exit as the space was small and someone was stirring too much silt up from the sandbed! Hehe.... and.. we practises Last in First out... so.. i was the last person to enter, hence the first to leave. DOH..! We then look around the wreck and spotted lots of fishes... school of yellowtail barracudas, indian lionfish, batfish, groupers, blotched hawkfish, hundreds of small fishes and beautiful soft corals.

After about an hour surface interval, we headed for our 2nd dive. Before we descent, another group of divers (Chegoo, Dk and gang) surfaced and told us about a giant grouper. In my mind, I tot that this must be the giant grouper that Rueben mentioned on our very first dive to Bolkiah. Without any time wasted, we descent to look for the grouper... Thye took the lead with the reel this time after Linda marked the reference point to our entrance. At our entrance point we saw the giant grouper! When i first heard the word "giant", I didnt expect it to be really a GIANT! It was a HUMONGOUS grouper! At least 5 feet in length! Azli said it is definitely more than 100kg! GOSHNESS...! I felt like my jaw has dropped and my regulator almost came out from my mouth! It was totally undescribably the coolest that I've seen so far. I tot it was some kind of sea monster! Haha... I tried to take a pix of the grouper but it was too fast. It went ard inside the wreck and then disappeared in the dark. We turned on our torch and enter the wreck, hoping to spot the grouper inside. Deep inside, we felt a bit scared... what if we came face to face with the giant grouper? Hmm... We enter the wreck, couldnt see much as the silk from our first dive has not settle. I took a good 2 mins look ard and then we headed out. Again, I was the first to exit. I waited outside the wreck near our entrance point to take photos for the rest of the wreck divers. Then, I spotted the giant grouper again! I saw it going ard the wreck really fast, headed towards our entrance point but did not enter. It went down the wreck using another open space. I went up the wreck to see if i can get a good look it from the top view. But it's gone... After a while, Elvin came out really fast and then followed by the other divers. He said he came out slowly but came face to face to the giant grouper! The grouper was hunting for fishes and he saw it ate a fish. He suspects that the giant grouper got a shock seeing him as well and that's why it headed down the wreck so quickly. Elvin on the other hand was shock and stayed in the wreck for a while before he quickly flee out from the wreck. haha... Eric and Chris were outside the wreck and Eric said that he spotted two of the giant groupers! I wonder if the one we saw before and after we penetrate the wreck is the same one; or not? Chris was really disappointed that he only saw the big yellowtail barracudas. When we surfaced, we couldnt help but kept talking about the giant grouper. Simply amazing that we will definitely return, hoping to spot the beautiful giants again...

The weather and visibility was so good that we had decided to do a 3rd dive. This time, at oil rig wreck. I can see the rig wrecks from the top... wonderful! This dive, we spotted a school of yellowtail barracudas (about 2 feet in length), blue-ringed angelfish, starry pufferfish, spiny pufferfish, bartailed goatfish, nudibranch (purple and black in colour), red sea bannerfish, two band anemonefish and beautiful seafans. I spotted an anchor and decided to move it near Azli's anchor. Perhaps, he might want that anchor as a spare? Maybe for his other boats? Upon surface I told Azli about the anchor I spotted. Azli went down to take a look and then came up without the anchor. He said the boat is already too heavy with the tanks and divers. He will return on his next trip to collect the anchor. Hope the anchor will still be there... Hehe...

It was a tiring day... I felt cold when we returned and later at night I dont feel good at all.. I was down with fever. I took two panadol and went to bed... The next day, I had a really bad cough... I guess no diving for me this week... Sobsssss...

But... no worries.. I'll be back...! More dive marathon?

Comments I received:
from zyan
The one I saw two Super Grouper should be different from the one in the wreck. They were swimming away from the wreck and it was the time when you guys penetrate into the wreck. I was chasing them for a while and I wanted to ask chris to come along but he wasn't within my sight distance. It was a bit scary when I was away a little bit from the wreck. I couldn't see anything as the viz was poorer than 1st dive and was alone, so I decided to turn back to the wreck. On top of that this day is the day I lost "my" virgin... hahaha
August 02 11:15 AM (http://zyaneric.spaces.live.com/)

from Elvin Hii
The giant grouper was magnificient. I waited in the wreck on my 2nd dive was because I was too afraid. I think the grouper was about my size, but much more heavier than me. I really dunno what to do at that point of time, what if when I swim out, the grouper confront to me? hehe... next time when I go back to that wreck, I will definitely ask my buddy to carry a baseball bate and ready for the grouper to know him out. He is just too big, big guy..but definitely would like to see him more.
August 02 8:27 AM (http://elvinhii.spaces.live.com/)