16

Sixteen experiences that changed your life through and through.

We started off four days ago on an overcast day from the pier. Mantabuan was our goal. The heavily pregnant clouds parted to reveal a ray of sunshine that beckoned something of a golden promise as our boat sped past the water villages. The water reflected sprinkles of white and schools of flying fish jumped sporadically along the way and we knew, just that this would be one of those days that will change how we felt about everything.

The island was beautiful. Like someone took a pot of powder sand and dropped it off there. The marine life was teeming with vigour. There wasn't a dull moment, and exactly here I suddenly felt why I was here, a part of this great big Earth.

We cruised along gardens of corals with fire dartfish checking us out. Red octopus played hide and seek. Giant humphead wrasse balanced off in the deep like floating ballerinas. Green turtles ran with remoras, juvenile black lionfish hovered. White tip sharks in lengths of 2m awoke with a lazy eye to bid us g'day.

Bohayan off South was also covered. These guys at Sipadan Scuba was by far the most professional divers and deserving of their 5-star rating. Everything was on time and on cue. Here, the corals were amazingly diverse and varied. I had never been privileged to such spread until now. A myriad of patterns fired the mind and we floated gently with the current, eyes filled beyond our human capacity to capture everything in memory.

Yet, the most mind blowing episodes were our 2-day dive at Sipadan Island. South Point was the jump-off and here, the green turtles were in abundance. These creatures frolicked freely and you really only appreciate their wild beauty seeing them here. I'm talking about being upfront with them within kissing distance and probably they were as curious about us as we were about them, although I suspected that they were wondering what all the fuss was about. There were high-five's and shrieks of success (lots of bubbles).

Barracuda Point held the best encore before lunch. We were extremely lucky as we saw close to thousands of them forming a cyclone and being in the eye felt like being wrapped by a liquid dark blanket that went on for ages. I felt eerie and at peace in the same moment. In between you see those giant trevally brushing past. Behind me, white tips flowed nonchalantly and at the corner of my eye, more green turtles. They all co-existed in this perfect harmony and we were the visitors. Privileged to witness such marvel of Nature.

Post-lunch was a dive into Turtle Tomb's entrance and we went nothing beyond 5m inside and in the darkness, only our guide's torch illuminated the tiny signs of life. Then we turned around, and it took my breath away. The turquoise world outside the cave's entrance created this silhouette of a giant black mouth swallowing our team. Our exit back into the known world sloped down to close to 30m and we went down and checked out spotted cods, a mix of Gorgonan Fans and millions of other fish such as the Emperor Angelfish, Trigger fish and surprise, green turtles!

Our final Sipadan dive today took us back to the same spots except a new one, Coral Garden. Longfin Lionfish and White Tip again coasted the playground. And one turtle came by to get a closer look at me (smile!) only to gently brushed me aside. When its giant flipper touched my arm, it was like a green floating mermaid told me that the day will always be with me, forever... and I believed.

Gardens of small garden eels popped in and out, and we swam with a school of big-eyed Trevally amongst other Yellowfin Tunas, whilst one Giant Trevally masqueraded between the numbers of hundreds. Our dive up where we did our safety stop, two turtles came above us to take air, and they hovered only to dive back down. One swam above me and the other glided underneath. With the late afternoon sun casting streaks of shimmering lines in the deep blue, I couldn't see the other divers in my team. I was just here, in my own world.

And I understand now, that this was something special that will always be mine. It all became clear on why I was here. The long travel had its ups and downs. You do fight about things to just let off steam (usually it's about closing the bathroom door... when it's just a room without windows, it became a real issue!) but you moved on and conquered new things together. And here I sit, I am just darn glad that I was blessed to experience this with a special person in my life.

How often you can say that? How often you take yourself outside of your perfectly structured cocoon and seize the day? How often you can say that you wake up to a new day of the unknown?

Often, can be not often enough.