Here's a video clip looking back on our year end trip in Anilao ...

The Emergency First Response (EFR) course is a Basic life support course being taught by EFR instructors internationally. The course is structured into primary & secondary care for both adult & children.

Emergency First Response Primary Care (CPR) teaches participants how to respond to life-threatening emergencies. The course focuses on primary care through a combination of knowledge development, skill development and realistic scenario practice to make sure participants have the confidence in their ability to provide care when emergency situations arise.

Primary Care skills include: Scene Safety Assessment, Communicable Disease Protection, Primary Assessment, Rescue Breathing, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Conscious and Unconscious Obstructed Airway Management, Serious Bleeding, Shock & Spinal Injury management

Emergency First Response Secondary Care (first aid) covers injuries or illnesses that are not immediately life threatening which include secondary assessment and first aid. Examples of skills taught include injury on scene assessment, illness assessment, bandaging of wounds & splinting of dislocation & fractures. Other common scenarios which would be addressed including: Allergic reaction, burns, choking (for both adult & infant), marine life injuries, electrical injury, diabetic problems, heat exhaustion & heat stroke, heart attack, etc.

Care for Children course which includes primary & secondary care as well teaches participants how to provide emergency care for injured or ill children (ages one to eight) and infants less than one year old. Participants learn about the types of medical emergencies that children face, and how they differ from adult conditions. The curriculum also includes the importance of attending to basic emergency situations with children, the emotional aspects of caring for children, secondary care for children, and preventing common injuries and illnesses in children.

"Audio & visual aid" in DVD format provided to participant to ease learning throughout the course

Original Little Anne & Baby Anne use as Manikin during the course

Below are some pictures of our EFR instructors conducting the course over the weekend

I have been itching to dive at Sipadan as it has been more than a year since my last trip there. After the dive trip to Lembeh, my yearning to dive again became stronger and stronger. Planned for a trip for 3-4 people but due to spread of word, my group grew larger to a 10 member crew. But alls good. As they say, the more, the merrier. The day we left for Tawau came closer and I was SO excited that I couldn't sleep for 2 days!

Met Alli, Josie and baby Allison at Tawau and got acquainted with my new dive com. The weather was good (although it did rain a bit but that did not stop us from diving). The company was great! Stayed at SWV. Had a beautiful view from my chalet :) Amazing place.

Did a total of 15 dives in 4 days including 2 dawn dives, 2 sunset dives and 1 night dives.

Day 1:
Dive sites: Paradise 1 (check dive), Ribbon Valley 2, Paradise 1 (sunset dive)

Day 2:
Dive sites:  Beach 3 (Si Amil), Danawan Reef, Kapalai HouseReef,  Paradise 2 (night dive)

Day 3:
Dive sites: Barracuda Point, Turtle's Patch, South Point, Barracuda Point (2nd trip coz we couldn't get enough of 'em barracudas), Paradise 1 (sunset dive)

Day 4:
Dive sites: Paradise 2 (dawn dive), Seaventures HouseReef, Old Lobster Wall

Highlights:

• Turtles galore (so many HUGE ones!)
• Schools of barracudas and jacks
• Schools of Giant Bumphead Parrotfish
• Saw this lone Great Barracuda that scared the shit out of me...
• Pygmy seahorse (omg! so cute!!!)
• Flamboyant cuttlefish (too excited to see this!)
• Juvenile Papuan cuttlefish (so cute!)
• Juvenile yellow boxfish (i like this one)
• Juvenile bicoloured parrotfish (just like in my ReefLife book)
• Juvenile common lionfish (beautiful!)
• Juvenile giant frogfish
• Zebra lionfish
• Napoleon wrasse
• Helfrich's dart goby
• Red and Purple fire goby (i like)
• Morrison's dragonet
• Ornate ghostpipefish
• Gold spec jawfish (i like!!!)
• Ring eyed jawfish
• Yellow shrimp goby
• Dancing shrimp goby (i like!)

Between Lembeh and my weekend at uncle chang's in april, no dive so far and no new pictures to share. I've meaning to share some coloured pictures of my last Lembeh trip for some time but have been some what busy. So here are two that I've managed to upload.

Regatta Lepar : an annual festival of the Bajau sea gypsies here in Semporna, Sabah. "Lepar" which is use to name after these traditional hand crafted Bajau styled water crafts. Lepar boats have traditionally been a pride of the Bajau sea gypsies people. These water crafts are normally constructed with precision a month before being paraded around the coastal waters of Semporna town on the big day. Each contestant who owned a Lepar will try to outclass each other in a battle of the most beautiful Lepar flying the graceful multi-colored "Sembulayang" flag.

Sembulayang flags on Lepar boats during the regatta

Regatta Lepar : join the festival, come see the boats & the people

Lepar from local university (University Malaysia Sabah)
which was categorized as the Top 10 most beautiful Lepar for 2010




Traditional Bajau dancers performing on their Lepars


As the sun comes down at Semporna during Regatta Lepar.

As a newbie in scuba diving years ago, muck diving is like a pandora pox & has always kept me curios about. Lots of divers who I have met told me they prefer diving with the big fishes, pristine & colorful reefs. I kept wondering at some point is muck diving interesting at all ? What is that to see when in true muck diving there is no reef neither there is any corals around. Its just plain sandy bottom & in fact I could have just synonymously called it "Mud diving".

By looking at another perspective, big fish action is undoubtedly interesting & it comes with some challenging current & drift dive. However, for a change; I did try out muck diving & have since fell in-love with the vast variety of colorful little critters in our ocean. Now, in contrast to big fish action where your sightings could mostly base on your luck. If "they" happened to swim pass than you have an awesome dive. Muck diving depends much on your knowledge of the local reef, the habitat the critters are & those razor sharp eyes of yours to detect them. It's another type of challenge I would put it minus the strong currents (which is not always though). So, the next time; big fish action or little critters ??? both are equally interesting.

An ever graceful lionfish swimming pass a background of pinkish red anemone
providing a photography opportunity which would otherwise be just another ordinary shot.

Pontohi seahorse which was first sighted in Lembeh Straits. This tiny subject is one of several pygmy seahorses that is not specific host dependent, so it doesn't need a sea fan as a host.
To read more click on Pontohi Seahorse

Frogfish are rather common sightings for muck diving but a hairy frogfish is more than unique.

Mix of fortune for me in Jahir dive point, visibility was poor, lost my fellow divers. But buddied by my cam & this lonely Coleman shrimp hiding on his/her colorful playground

Mimic octopus shown to us by our guides. Usually nestling in the sandy bottom with only their eyes popping out looking for prey. A total of 6 mimic octopuses was sighted at Batu Sandar.

"Critter hunt" just as the dive point sounded. Undoubtedly this Blue ring octopus was totally amazed just as more than 20 divers who took turn looking at him/her.