Respecting the island and ocean

There’s a superstition amongst islanders that you do not disrespect the sea nor the island, as we mere mortals, are simply visiting. Late this week, I will be making my way to the Celebes Sea for some diving around Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai for the 3rd time this year. I was rather quiet about my last trip to this paradise area as that turned out to be quite a lesson in humility and respect. I had hyped that trip (telling anyone who’d listen) about it being a photography trip and how I was going to be taking some awesome photos. I did manage to take some shots, but it came at a cost.

Back in early July, I planned a photography trip to Sipadan and as such, I went packed with 2 underwater digital cameras. To cut a long story short, within 5 minutes of my 1st dive, I had 2 cameras well and truly fucked.

By the end of the trip, I had:

• 2 cameras out of commission
• 1 well and truly flooded
• 1 with a blank display screen.
• 1 underwater housing busted
• 1 underwater strobe fiber optic cable snapped
• 1 underwater strobe o-ring snapped
• 1 rental camera fiber optic cable detached
• 1 underwater torch flooded

As far as this trip is concerned, I am looking forward to it, but with greater respect and humility. I will take the trip as it comes and accept the grace of the ocean and the island, with hopes that it would welcome my visit and allow me to take photographs of its beauty and the wondrous marine life that thrives in it.

I’m a borderline superstitious and there is no reason to disbelief as it certainly put its case forward to me. Circumstances? Perhaps. Regardless, it is always best to respect nature. The moral of the story, don’t ever blow your horn. Murphy’s just waiting to have some fun with you. I hope that won’t be the case this time.

It’s time to visit paradise again. I will be here.