Snorkeling as a happiness drug

Both Phil and I LOVE snorkeling. The feeling of slipping into that blue water where a whole new underwater world opens up, it's just amazing. I really think it could work as a happiness medicine, it sure works for me every time. And we have truly missed it all along Borneo's coast, the last good snorkeling we had was in Philippines, way too long ago.

Getting to Tioman was therefore something we were really looking forward to. And it was so worth it, because the snorkeling was really good. OK, it wasn't Palau-good, but there were turtles and sharks and the water was pretty OK clear. The only downside to Tioman was that all four different anchorages we stayed at, were rolly. Not gunwale to gunwale rolly, but still pretty annoying rolly which means poor sleep. There is a little marina where of course it's perfectly still, but it has no breeze, so it's hot. We only stayed there when we left Sophia to go to Singapore.

We have now day-hopped our way down towards Singapore and are now only one or two days away from crossing over to the west coast of Malaysia, just one crazy hub of busy harbour has to be nagivated safely through first.

My all time favourites: clown fish. They are just co cute and courageous the way they swim out to defend their home

Two Star Puffer fish. Their size is hard to judge in this photo, but they are both well over 50 cm long

Spot the cuddle fish, master of disguise! Right in the middle, this guy is also pretty big, maybe 60 cm long

pretty coral, these look like roses

I can't stop taking photos of them, but they always move, so are hard to get in focus

another puffer fish hiding under a coral

happiness drug

lots of turtles at Tioman, yay

and black tip reef shark, a sign of a healthy reef (Tioman is a marine sanctuary)

a mooray eel weawing across the botom to another hiding hole