Pulau Hantu

Human faces0

Everytime I blog or take a photo, it’s often of an animal or a group of animals, or of life underwater. But there’s a very important aspect to diving at Hantu and the Hantu Blog, and that’s it’s people. The Hantu Blog is run entirely by volunteers who are more committed than you can imagine, to ensuring our dives run smoothly and that we manage to even organise a dive every month!

Take MingSheng for example, the photographer of the pictures in this post. For our late October dive, MingSheng, who’s a Malaysian, shuttled all the way back to his home in JB after we were done with the dive, and spent the night at a relative’s place just to help us out during the weekend. Of course, not all our volunteers have the need to do that. But making sure they are there for the public and for the education of our reefs once a month, for 12 months a year, is an effort that’s far beyond  being just enough.

Diving at Hantu is just one aspect of the Hantu Blog, and ensuring a safe, enjoyable, and educational dive for all onboard (including the crew! we’re always learning!) is just a small regular milestone for us.

Thanks to MingSheng for compiling these quirky photographs to show the other side of the Hantu Blog!

Posted: Blogs, Blog Dives

Up close and personal1

Hantu’s reefs have alot of potential for photographers, especially if they are looking out for macro stuff. A suitably rigged up camera and a keen set of eyes can leave the photographer gasping for more air as there’s hardly ever enough time to finish shooting everything.

Here’s a close up peak into the hidden lives amidst Hantu’s reef, as photographed by Ivan Choong who joined the Hantu Blog for its dive in late October. Ivan has been photographing underwater wildlife for several years and returns to Hantu often to rekindle the spirit of local diving.

Posted: Blogs, Blog Dives

Videos from October’s Dive! Barnacles and Unique fish!0

Believe it or not, the feathery appendages that stick out of Barnacles and filter particles from the passing water aren’t the arms or its mouth but its feet! Barnacles evolved from shrimp or prawns, and eventually turned to use their feet for feeding instead of swimming! Here a tiny barnacle, only as big as the coral polyp next to it, feeds as it remains embedded within a Galaxea coral.

These Razorfish, aka. Shrimpfish, swim with their heads facing downward and tails pointing to the sun! They are so thin that they can easily disappear from view if you’re looking from the wrong angle. They drift in schools just above the coral reef, picking out bits of food. You could be fooled into thinking they’re just mere blades of seagrass drifting in the ocean with their effortless floating motion.

This is the first time we have shot a video of the Juvenile Painted Sweetlips. The Harlequin Sweetlips is a more common encounter on Hantu’s reef. What an unusual fella! And it can’t keep itself still! Similar to the Juvenile Harlequin Sweetlips, this young fella flicks its body all over the place as it swims to possibly mimic the behaviour of a poisonous sea slug as a defense against predators.

The Hantu Blog isn’t the only place where people Blog about Hantu! Check out some amazing pictures that I didn’t manage to see at the sites of our divers!

Posted: Blog Dives, Videos