After a day of endless driving and adrenaline-filled rafting, we needed a bit of quiet and relaxation. Our waterproof camera housing had also proved to be a champ, so we wanted to test her out more. And with the boat jetty near our hotel, snorkeling in the sea off Kota Kinabalu seemed a perfect solution.
Just a half-hour ride over the dark blue water past small tree-covered islands brought us to another small jungle-covered island, Sapi. The main beach was pretty crowded with families and swimmers, so we ducked off to the side and settled onto a shady stretch of sand. A dad getting buried by his kids to the left, a 3-foot-long monitor lizard in his pile of brush to our right.
In front of us lay a protected area for snorkeling. The marine life was in surprisingly good shape, considering the number of people who must swim and snorkel there every week. And the water was pretty clean, although the current between Sapi and a neighboring island kicked up quite a lot of particles. The diverse population of fish, corals, sponges and mollusks made it feel like a big fish tank.
Safe in its waterproof housing, the camera again performed very well. The Canon s95 comes with several built-in settings, one of which corrects for underwater conditions. So reds are bumped up and contrast is increased. The shallow water also helped keep the shutter speed fast so most of our photos were clear and sharp, not blurry.
Of course user skill makes a huge difference :) We were excited to see some of our favorite sea creatures, the giant clam (the one pictured here must have been 18 inches across with striking purple and lime green flesh) and the porcupine puffer (unfortunately un-puffed) among them. 
The volume of visitors to the area has made some of the fish very protective of their small kingdoms. This pair of clownfish were particularly territorial, channeling their oversized attitudes into fierce aggression toward the camera case. It was surprising to watch comical little Nemo fish dart and snap at the floating case, as if it were competition.
In front of us lay a protected area for snorkeling. The marine life was in surprisingly good shape, considering the number of people who must swim and snorkel there every week. And the water was pretty clean, although the current between Sapi and a neighboring island kicked up quite a lot of particles. The diverse population of fish, corals, sponges and mollusks made it feel like a big fish tank.
Comments
Post a Comment