Hantu protecting its citizens from 'capture and kill'

What a day! The very first time I am organizing a dive to Pulau Hantu.

Having been on many dives organized by my friends. I have decided to organize one this month because the organized dives fell on dates that were bad for me. Took some effort, but helpful friends took most of my concerns away.

When we arrived at RSYC, our hopes were high, the water was clear in the marina. Reliable Mr Yeo had decided to give his nephew the responsibility of driving our boat. It was nice to know that there will be a successor to Mr Yeo when he retires.

As we arrived on our first dive, the 'capture and kill' team from Nparks also arrived to collect samples of marine life. This project gives me mixed feelings. I was a student (we sometimes called ourselves slaves) working in the Reef Ecology Study Lab in the days of 1986 to 1989, we collected fragments of every coral along the transect line for identification. There were no other way at that time as coral were only identified by their skeletons. So, although I understand that our national marine life collection is so badly in need of an update (pictures and videos can only do so much), I cannot help but feel sad to see so many marine animals martyred for the progress (or even just maintaining) the status of local marine science.

We descended into a murky waters of 2 metres. Needless to say, not many marine critters were spotted and there were people loosing buddies :P

Time of entry 10:57
Temperature 30 Deg C
Depth 11.3 metres
Dive Time 46 Minutes
Air at entry 3000 psi
Air remaining 900 psi


For our second dive, we went to the jetty of Pulau Hantu Kechil. Visibility was slightly better by about half a metre. The abandonment of 3-some buddies were a great help in the problems of lost buddies.

Time of entry 12:57
Temperature- 30 Deg C
Depth 9.5 metres
Dive Time 68 Minutes
Air at entry 3000 psi
Air remaining 1200 psi

We were greeted by a large File Fish on arriving at the bottom.



A slight current helped to carry us on the direction we were traveling. It was nice to just maintain posture and float along. There were tube worms, big Phyllidia nudibranchs and Blue Dragons.



Phyllidia pustulosa


Phyllidia varicosa


Flabellina rubrolineata


It was sad to see some bleached coral. This Goniopora polyp seemed to have lost its ability to retract.



On the bright side, for the first time, I saw 2 synaptid sea cucumber in our waters.



To cap the day's dives off, a cushion star were there beside the pillar of the Hantu jetty.



Other divers reported 3 seahorses, a flounder and an octopus.

Although it will be really great if we could see lots of animals and took lots of pictures, I like to think that the marine life collection team will see as little as us and therefore, collect and kill less of these wonderful citizens of Pulau Hantu.

4 May, Into the Jaws of Dairy farm

Arrived in Dairy Farm with a few drops of rain as company all the way from Sembawang Road. Reliable Hee had gone chasing the wind, sailing. Most of the walls are wet and QX is conducting a course in Trad Climbing on the Direct. In such weather, it is usual that we will proceed to one of the few dry walls available. For me it is American Pie wall. The others tend to be the over-hanging ones which the rain could not get too but over-hanging walls climbs are too hard.

We took turns to lead the American Pie, 5c, with our own equipment because i want to give my carabiners some exercise. Otherwise they become stiff! Adrian top-roped the Rainmaker, 7a+. I tried but have to bypass the crux. It was still an enjoyable climb :) Adrian wanted to lead A, 6a on ABCD. It was damp but he did it nonetheless.

We then proceed to Boring wall to lead Desperado, 5.7. It was taken up by some JB climbers. I suggested that we trad on the Jaws, 5.5. This route had not been done for so long that Adrian don't even know its a route. Short route, 7m, but gave the pros a good work-out.

With encouragement from the drizzle, we decided to call it a day and head for late lunch.

1 May, Labour Day, my IQ went to 70

Labour Day! From Whatapps, only 1 of the regular buddies, Mr Hee, had confirmed climbing in Dairy Farm Quarry, so I was expecting a quite day. There was a big smile from above as i drove from Yishun to DF. As i turned from Mandai into the BKE,Noooo! A huge dark cloud have gathered where it matters, at DF :'(



As I walked in, Anthony, a one-time regular DF climber, was ahead of me. Doc and Spencer, current regulars and old time DF climbers, drove up in Doc's car. Then three young climbers, Willard, Eugene and Guoshu, sometime DF climbers, from Onsight gym joined us. We were jokingly pushing the blame around about who brought the dark clouds. It is now a crowd, as far as DF goes.

As we entered the climbing area, we realized that we were just half of the crowd today. Tong, Sing, Sharon, Meng Kuan, Yourui, QX and more people I do not know were already climbing. Our favorite DF regular, Logan, was there too. Logan is a golden retriever who have a climbing route named after him, Flying Logan, 6a+. Just then, Kim Chuan, another excellent climber and DF regular, came.

To get away from the crowd, Kim Chuan and Hee decided to climb at nose with. I suggested going to ABCD and Anthony agreed. Anthony is a excellent climbing with a climbing grade I could only dream of. Just when Anthony geared up and stepped on the rocks, the drops came from above. "Its raining, I said" He stepped off, we waited a while, I took off my belay and harness. Then the drops disappeared! Ok! I put my harness back on and we climbed. We climbed C, 6b+ followed by B, 5c and then A, 6a. The birds were all around us, reassuring us of the good weather. A Greater Racquet-Tailed Drongo, Dicrucrus paradiseus, came upsetting the Striped Tit Babblers, Macronus gularis who were hunting around. An Olive-Winged Bulbul, Pycnonotus plumosus, also came by.

We then proceed to Rockstar section of DF. Anthony did not have enough fun with these easy peasies. Anthony climbed IQ70, 5b, set up the top ropes and wanted to try a direct overhang route up the IQ, an unknown grade. Just then, Weiquan, Joe and soon after Andy, one of the DF angels, and Angeline join us. Anthony succeed pulling down some big bread loaf size rocks but was spared injuries. They top-roped some of the new routes which i decided were too difficult for me fingers. While enjoying the spectacle put up by these guys, I got hungry and decided to lead IQ70, 5b just to quieten my stomach.