Nine of us left Singapore’s Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal Friday night and then cruised overnight south heading towards Buaya Island near Pulau Lingga, Indonesia.
Blessed with clear skies, we had our first two dives at Pulau Buaya, which translates as Crocodile Island. We had visibility of 3-5 metres and mild current. The first dive was a check-out dive, ensuring everyone was comfortable in the water with their equipment. Half way though the second dive, I actually found the GoPro that one of our divers had dropped.
Our 3rd dive was at SS Kung Wo Wreck. When I dived down to tie off, I was blessed with 6 metre visibility and I could see the various pieces of the wreck. However, when our divers decended the visibility had dropped and we were met with a strong current with impeding storm clouds. Due to the conditions, we did a short dive and headed up. With better conditions the SS Kung Wo Wreck has the potential to be explored further.
Due to rain which started once we finished our previous dive, we searched for a dive site which provided us with some shelter. We finally settled for Pulau Pengelap for our 4th dive. Although the rain had stopped, we were faced with strong winds and a strong current. I also deemed the conditions too hazardous for a night dive.
The Captain of The Seaborne found a place where we were sheltered away from the winds and we had our fill by our GS-Diving Seaborne specialty Aussie BBQ and celebrated Janet’s birthday. Everyone had lots of fun that night.
Overnight we transited back to Batam and wanted to anchor at Kerang Gerang. However, the sea was too choppy and the captain sailed back to Nongsa Point Marina to allow everyone to have a good rest. In the morning, we cruised approximately 1 hour to the dive site called The Lighthouse and did two dives there.
The reef at the The Lighthouse was endless and we saw a variety of marine life. Naming a few; blue spotted rays, seahorses and various species of nudibranchs. The 2nd dive was cut shorter as we met with rain and a choppy sea again.
With everyone happy and back onboard, we headed to Nongsa Point Marina then made our way to Singapore.
A really nice weekend with awesome people.
Cheers,
GS-Diving PADI Instructor Yvonne