Dive at Miri, Miri

- June 22, 2013

Last year when I visited Miri for the first time, I was surprised that there is a diving site in Miri. Never heard anyone talk about diving in Miri. However due to time and weather issue, I did not managed to dive last year. But this time, I made it and signed up for a 6 dives for 2 days which cost me RM700. Light refreshment, drinks and hotel transfer (town area only) were included. I have been brought to a port with extremely oily river.

I can't imagine villagers living by this oily river. It is so unhealthy! The worst part is people are fishing in that river! I wonder if those fishes can be eaten. I do believe those fishes might be sold in the market too. Ewww....

Why it is so polluted? High rise buildings by the river.

Fishing villages...

Fishing boats...

Larger boats...

And even cargo ships are here too!

Please look at the horrible color of the water. It is so gross and smelly too! I am not going to dive into such a water.

Let's get outta here!

Wow...at last we are out of the oily water. This is the water that I like.

With all these construction, the water is badly polluted. I just hope the pollution is under control and not been brought towards this beautiful sea.

Miri is rich with oils so no doubt that we will see an oil rig here.

My first dive was a wreck dive at an artificial reef, Kenyalang, which is a large piece of redundant oil rig teeming with small fish. 13m to 22m max depth.

At the beginning, the visibility was very poor. I almost got lost. Luckily after a while the milky water drift away by the current.

This kind of visibility is much better.

Not a big rig but we round and round the rig several times. This is a stupid wreck dive for me.

Nothing to see but a lots of small fishes. Actually, I was requesting to go to Atago Maru wreck or Sri Gadong wreck which is a real ship wreck. Better than this...

Hate to join a dive where the dive master is actually having a course with a students. They will barely concentrate on the fun divers. They just want to make sure you are sticking with them at all time.

That's all for the first dive and we proceed to another dive straight after that.

Next is Barracuda Point...but...with fishermen here you would have expecting there is no more barracuda to be seen. We still dive in it somehow.

As expected no barracuda and no other larger fishes around. At the very least, Nemo is still around. Somehow I feel that the organizer should give up diving in this site when you saw a lot of fishermen around! I do not understand why he is still insist to do it which makes me think he is more in completing his job rather than surprising the divers with their awesome reefs.

After that, we move on to Siwa Reef where we started to see fishes with a large Stripped Remora as a starter.

But they are pretty common fishes to be seen.

At last, barracuda can be seen at Eve's Garden. The barracuda here are really small.

I like the Christmas tree worms a lot because of their colorful colors.

Do not get to close because they will hide themselves.

Red is my favorite color underwater because you hardly can see red color under the water. That is the first color will gone in a dive.

The best part of Eve's Garden is the nudibranches. It claims to be easily more than 10 different species in here.

To all nudibranches lovers, this is your paradise.

Sadly, I do not have a microscopic eyes to spot 10 but at least I got 4 easily.

This is the best of all which is rare.

Bluefin Travelly can be seen here too. This is absolutely great!

A closer look on them. Not a lot of them to swim along with them but it is consider great enough. Malaysia government did nothing much to preserve any dive spots from the fishermen. Therefore, big fishes could be hardly seen at Miri coast.

A lizard fish! I wonder if it will drop its tail like a lizard. LOL

Giant pufferfish...sashimi anyone?

Parrotfish because the mouth like a parrot? Really? Hardly connected for me.

What is so amazing about diving at Miri is their natural beautiful coral bed. It is so big where you can hardly see where you can land. A good buoyancy is required to prevent yourself from destroying the beautiful coral.

Anemone Reef is the last dive spot I went and is the best of all.

The water is very clear and the visibility is great.

Doing macro photography is possible here.

Hardly see any fishes around as always but the coral bed here are simply amazing.

In my opinion, it is a great snorkeling place but sadly no one provide any snorkeling trip here. I think it is good because snorkelers whom does not have a diving skill will tend to spoil the corals more.

Furthermore, not much variety of fishes to see if snorkeling. Disappointment is all they are going to get at Miri.

For divers who loves corals, this is a paradise for them.

I am not a real coral fans but once a while watching these amazing underwater forest like, it is simply relaxing.

Very clear huh? Sadly my camera does not have a landscape lens.

All I can do is to capture specific object like this.

With the help of clear water and great sunlight, I can capture great colors of the corals without much help required by my flash.

No flash but super clear scenery. Love to take pictures under such condition.

Look at the huge coral bed which I want to lay on it and sleep.

It was a great maritime lesson at Anemone reef and I would like to bring my kids here one day to make them love the nature.

Last but not least, you might think diving at Miri is expensive but think again not much divers here like any other places which means this place is well preserved and untouched. That's the beauty of it. Do visit before it is stained by other amateur divers. I will definitely be back for more. As for now do enjoy my video but please forgive me with my newbie technique in videography.