Save Tanjung Aru beach now! Sabah Borneo please help!

CO2 Global warming what they have not told us!

So Mr bright spark hits the nail again on CO2 in the air.

You can only work out estimated content of the amount of CO2 in a can or bottled drink.

Due to the temperature and container, the density of the liquid. maths is quite complicated.

however! CO2 drinks put out more CO2 than any cattle or animal. Billions of soda drinks opened every day.

By billions of people.

Co2 is also used as inert gas for welding. It has many other uses.

This the global warming experts think of this? When I put the question to them, with the facts of deforestation. I think a few heads hit the desk. The reply was. We have not thought about this and will look into it.

Think about it. Go back to your days at school.

Think about science lessons. Photosynthesis, and that chemistry or physics. Pressure and our environment!

Simply. we need an estimated quantity of rain forest or jungle that is 50,000 square miles in size for the planet to start righting its self.

once 14% covered the earth. now less than 4% that is not allot to absorb all the pollutants and CO2 put out before man threw the spanner in.

Not only losing the rain forest is killing the planet. we will soon start to feel tired, run down as we lack Oxygen.

us divers well know that the makeup of air in basic physics. is Approximately 21% 78% nitrogen . 1% argon so what is the percentage of CO2 now. As it increases, and there are not enough trees to absorb it.

As the forests get cut down. the land cultivated for development and PAlm. That they cote in insecticide. Killing everything. Then after harvest Burnt , left for 4 years, The dust carried away to the oceans from rainfall.

This chokes up the sea bed and reefs that the sea plants give us 80% of the air that we breathe.

Hay! have you summed it up yet? Do we have a future within 10 years from now? Are you going to sit there and let this continue? Or are you going to act. Say No More. We want action! Oh Co2 output. no more trees. less Oxygen. We are ......

Surface carp using the surface bait presenter

My Borneo adventure.

Diving world and a strange adventure.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The diving dream is gone.
The Promise.

As from when I was a young, Like many, dream of diving the Oceans of the world, Just to gaze into the running water of a river. Or standing on a jetty. Letting the slow reflective blue movement of the sea, Pull your thoughts, imagination deep into the abyss.
Jacques Cousteau was my idol in the early 70s, diving from the Callipso His ship that Marine Biologists sailed to explore uncharted and undiscovered boundaries of the Big Blue.
It was not until other influences from Martial arts combined with my photography, in the early 80s .some how pulled me into what I always dreamt of. Scuba Diving.
here I was photographing on a holiday camp Doing some martial arts with some of the local BSAC team. British Sub Aqua Club.

For doing some photography for there prospectus. They said they would teach me how to dive. Um well, it was a try dive like you would never imagine. In a test tank 11 ft holes in the ground. Not much room, About 6ft wide and a ladder. I was given the exercise to do and don off. That is put on and take off the equipment. on land than underwater to do the same. I had a go in a swimming pool and love it. After snorkelling for so long, It was strange the be able to breathe underwater. Later I dived the Tank. So cold and using the old BLJ buoyancy life jacket, Wow I felt like a scuba diver at last.

My task was to get in the tank. Pull my self down, As I was in an 8mm wet suit, That made me incredibly Buoyant, To locate the weight belt that was about 10 to12 LB in weight. put it on Locate the regulator. (the mouth bit you breathe from). And then at the time calming my self, Put my mask on. Exhale out my Knows and expel all the water from within the mask. (clear the mask) Then come back to the surface. Funny and shock to them I did all this first time. And at that time another man, who was into kung fu was also having a go. Could he get the mask clear right? The divers gave up, But a little time and I had got him clearing his mask, By a little explaining and mind control exercise.
It was so much fun. My diving was mostly in a river. It was not much longer and the season came to an end. I never got the qualification. Other matters pulled me away. Then off to Malta For a Holiday with the Martial arts club. Here again, Pulled by that beautiful clear sea.
The water was so hypnotizing watching the fish and all the colours,
When I got back home to the UK. It was toucher watching the BBS undersea word.

Soon my friends from the RAF asked if I would like to take up scuba diving. PADI was at the time doing a promo with the UK government. I had enough money from the Malta holiday to do it.

Wow so much to learn. not as much as in the BSAC manual. However. I got through it. the practical side and the funny part was. To start I was at the old dive centre back in Seaton Devon. in that old tank again. Like the sea, there is not always clear and calm.

When we managed to get a window to dave in the sea. I felt so much at home. Like I had always been there. Trying to keep still with the bumping of the surge Listening to the bubbles and watching what was going on, Being distracted by all the wonders that were going through my mind and eager to seek what was there.
After the dives and back in the class. The bay was calling me. Soon as I had my last dive from the boat, Was so much fun. The dive does not last that long 20 min from cold and heavy breathing, My air soon found its way to 50 bar, Time to come home.
I soon without thinking of finances booked up to do my advanced.
That to was an amazing experience, A little crazy with eight drivers all trying to do the same thing. The night dive was fun. Not much time to relax concentrating for the first time on the dive instructor. Where he was. I learnt one thing. Never ask divers to stay on one side at night with coloured lights. They go everywhere.
the deep dive. We went to 26 mts on the Bago Tanna An old sunken steamboat, that was torpedoed 1 mile off Lyme Regis.
The ascent went a bit wrong as I was on my own and no guideline. Confused I got through it. not knowing up or down. my ears popping and wondering when I will get to the surface looking at my gage. I'm sure that needle was stuck. When I reached the surface. My dive master came swimming like hell towards me asking if I was OK. "Fine as I Know" WOW!

That was It i was hooked. But the diving was a challenge in the UK Unlike out here in Borneo where I am now sat wondering (WHAT THE HELL IS THE DIVE INDUSTRY ABOUT?) As I will explain later.
I then took up my rescue. Was not impressed by stinky breath smokers trying to give me CPR. That mixed with sea water. Not a good cocktail.

I soon gave rescue much thought. And took the DVD and practised in my mind what I wrote later. The what if In diving.
Divemaster.
Will This is one bitter time in my life.
not much money. I took out a Bank loan. 1500 to do my dive master and get my own kit Bit more than that, As My kit grew.
However with much hardship and frustration. With a little Dyslexia. Even My father had struggle understanding the mathematics and converting salt to fresh, pressure and temperature. Physics I like but was never my best subject. However. I drummed it in.
Took all my test but for one. And heart breaking. On the day, I drove home from work. knowing i had to take my test. And that I had to be at the dive centre for 6.30 When I arrived it was all closed UP.
Only to find that ANDY SLOWMAN if you ever meet him Tell him he owes me £1500. had gone broke. Took our money and run.

First Broken promise.

I actually Blame Devon Council and money grabbing rogues in the industry for making life hell Rent for a place like that was far too much for the use of it. But MR Slowman and PADY still owe me my money. I never got my certification for dive master. only 1 examination to do.

thanks to a nice man who picked up on the sadness and being so good at heart. Who was soon to become a friend. Tim took over and introduced us to SSI For a low cost almost to his loss he got us through. But I was Not PADI SSI dive controller. Many dive and some bad ones I learnt from. I brushed up my skill. As the so-called UK government put prices up. Diving insurance for boats and council tax for moorings and jetty fees made diving expensive, So beach diving it was. There were others who tried. Sadly the cost out way each time the running of the boats.

It became unbearable, as weather changes and having to work weekends,  just to make ends meet.
So After working 12 years in butchery and photography. Doing other jobs too. Enough was enough. The Butchery closed down. due to influences from the EU Foot and mouth.
So may days of good money and my house looked dim.
My dive controller qualification took me to Greece Nanna beach hotel, Where I worked in diving for Scuba Create. Again some friction from other instructors. younger then my self and full of ego. Where I met up with Richard who came from the UK. to whom, soon became head of SSI UK.
After the season I decided after working with Richard Chemsley. Richard encouraged me to take my instructor course.

This was no way as bad as Dive controller dive course. That I  had learnt so much, and cramming the information in with help from a friend. At the time, was shocked in the way some organisations ( dive clubs) that I went to, the way they were teaching rescue. Only later, The club that I am not naming soon fell to a bad fate.  The tragedy made international news of a friend falling victim to such bad practice.
The organisation is no more. And that is when I wrote the what if in diving, and sent it to the HSE, UK when soon after a DVD was most real on diving practice and safety.

Still sadly many practices the cut corner grab the money, I discovered.  Where lives are at risk, The attitudes of some instructors and dive companies Should be investigated. As to conditions of boats Safe practice.  As Much as diving standers are laid down, Some of the better practices published by dive industry are still overlooked.

So 3 years went by, working in the UK.  I felt it was hell. So much stress and so much work for little pay. I could not take much more. So I applied for jobs around the world as a Diving instructor.

Many offered at the time. But one company called me on Skype and sold me the dream. ran be Borneo anchor Sabah Divers. Where I sold my house as I could not see my job giving me any sight of promotion, only more stress. With a build of an overdraft and fear of losing my house. I was told Come to Malaysia. cheaper to live, eat for £1. a day, Earn 300 rm a month.

To only find. Bad news again. I will not go into this any more as It breaks my heart. But here I am 5 years later In Borneo.  Hardly any diving. In the end. it was not worth paying. My annual membership for SSI.

I now am facing my dream to come to an end. Never take things for face value. The Asian promise. Be warned. it's a joke.
My father said. if something sound too good to be true. It's a con.

There are some very good companies out there, And they are Nice friendly people. Do your research and go and take a holiday first to get the feel. But even then Have a backup plan.

 As I am out of work. Sold up in the UK and stuck out here in Borneo. No work.
One back up plan. I have yet to complete. I took a degree with the OCA in digital photography. I now have to return to the UK. As the above company never even applied for my work visa. Got me to go out and U-turn every three months. Costing me money.
We learn by mistake and this was and a relationship I got pulled into as well was just one bad mistake. I would love to get back into diving so much and teach again.
Feb 12th 2012. I leave to return to the UK. Leaving the adventure of Borneo. The wonders of the jungle that seem so reduced. Paradise is so hard to find now.
It was a shock coming here. As much as I like the place and love the photography opportunity. . Resorts, to see the wildlife has become a money making racket.

I will miss my apartment. My girlfriend. Despite the downs, there are many ups. Easy living. Less stress. little crime. But Sabah Malaysia is heading like every other country that wants to be westernized.  Development kills the environment. Overpopulation, the need and agreed to progress. Soon will come to a peak. Already too many cars. Too many people. As all over the planet. Fish stocks are low. And the sea and rivers become more polluted. And du to immigration. laws becoming tight for all. Much talk on the net that Asia is becoming a place to avoid. And that worries. Me. I being in Borneo. Much of my time was spent blogging and talking to locals. To clean up and stop rubbish flowing into the sea. They love throwing it out the window And have no care where is goes. The sea is a rubbish dump. With the overuse of plastics, And the lack of organised refuge disposal. Wild like conservation is just an attraction for tourists.
Without money from them. They rather build or plant plantations in place of the life-giving rain forests. Like the Denam Vally and the Mario Basin That I so wanted to see. But costing hundreds.

Not just Malaysia, Brunei waterways have fallen too, to new roads.
The orang u tangs and Proboscis monkeys,  With so many other diverse indigenous wildlife. Losing habitat to so-called progress.
perhaps my loss at the dive centre as an act of fate, For some reason God put me to hear for that reason. To witness the dissection of man's footprint on the heat of the earth.

Times have changed. And so has the climate financially and environmentally.

As for diving.
 The future of humanity is changing. The attitude of why we do things in the first place.
Why do we do these things?
We do them because of passion and love. But for those who now get wrapped up in business, forget the reason why and what guided them to do what they are doing. And forget the reason that others do want to do the same.

Business passion should be like Yin And yang. And not be divided.So back to the UK with a wealth of photographs and knowledge. Not all is lost.

Just remember where you came from and your roots. That we need to change for a better future.

Happy diving all. I will dive with Dolphins one day. Manta rays and hammerheads one day.

To tell a story .