I have time to make plans, at D-87... It will be mostly a "diving and relaxing" trip. Hence my choice...
Info found on Plongeur.com. Read the full description here on Wetpixel. To summarize, a barge loaded with materials...
I revised my Malaysia itinerary for July 2006. It is necessary to make choices... Here is a new map of the route that I will take...
Malaysia : Peninsula and Borneo - July 2006 I went back to Jansom Bay, in the...
I leave Kota Bahru, his stuffed women and his concrete for the Perhentian Islands. Perhentian Besar the Great, and Perhentian Kecil the Small, renowned for their crystal clear waters and coral reefs ...
Here I am at Perhentian Kecil, in the south of Peninsular Malaysia. I explore the island, rather touristy, but very friendly ...
I take you under the surface, discover the underwater world of the Perhentian Islands, Peninsular Malaysia ...
I had a very nice dive expedition to Redang, about an hour and a half from the Perhentian boat. There, the visibility is exceptional and the three dives that we chained in real decors of postcards are a treat.
I was wrong when I arrived in Perhentian Kecil (Malaysia) to underestimate the attraction and seductive power of this tiny island ...
At the approach of Tioman Island, I feel that the place will please me. It's big, huge! In the maritime haze of the early morning, a steep profile, covered with a dense and humid vegetation, arises, still clinging with shreds of clouds.
Maz and Alex are a couple of English eco-lovers and diving enthusiasts, whom I had the pleasure to meet again in Tioman. They are on a humanitarian trip (18 months, 65,000 km and 26 countries) for the Care organization.
The Tioman jungle in southeastern Peninsular Malaysia is a protected nature park. Dense, almost impenetrable, it covers most of the island.
The way to Tekek, on the island of Tioman, is punctuated by small houses, which range from the rickety hut to the dapper chalet. Cafés-restaurants-grocery stores sell bags of instant noodles, fishing line and laundry packs, serve plates of fried rice and coffee ...
Last day of diving in Tioman, peninsular Malaysia side. A day dedicated to the dreaded acanthaster, coral starfish ...
The coral-eating acanthaster starfish is called "crown of thorns" in English ... or COT. This Sunday, it's COT's party!
In Borneo, Malaysia, the Sepilok Orangutan Centre is trying to reintroduce these endangered great apes into the jungle. A short visit...
Diving to Sipadan and the bottoms of nearby islands (Mabul, Kapalai, Sibuan), you have to travel to Semporna, the southeastern port of Malaysian territory in Borneo.
I am finally arrived at Semporna, the gateway to Sipadan in Borneo, with my companions Helena and Paul, a couple from Guernsey.
The islands around Sipadan are unknown and yet they are worth seeing. I dive there almost every day until the end of the week, waiting for my turn to go to Sipadan.
The big day is here. Today, finally, I plunge to Sipadan. The site does not usurp its reputation. It's spectacular. Sharks and turtles galore. Fish everywhere. All along a vertiginous "wall" where the corals abound, which sinks into the blue.
Thailand: Southern Islands - January 2007 Koh Phi Phi has been transformed since my last visit in July 2005 (about a year ago), and I've...
Thailand: Southern Islands - January 2007 My first dives in Koh Phi Phi far exceed my expectations....
Did you see the movie The Beach with Leonardo Di Caprio and Virginie Ledoyen? Yes, it's there ... Maya Beach, on Koh Phi Phi Leh, in the south of Thailand.
I continue my journey in the south of Thailand. After the very pretty, but very crowded and very expensive Koh Phi Phi, here I am in Koh Lanta, much more peaceful.
Koh Haa, off Koh Lanta (Thailand) offers a dive full of atmosphere, with this strange greenish light at the exit of the cave.
Thailand : Southern islands - January 2007 Grrr... Two days in a row that I dive, hoping to see the...
Thailand : Southern islands - January 2007 Today, mini-expedition in the jungle to go to the waterfall, in the...
After my malaise trip from summer 2006 to the northeastern tip of Borneo (Sipadan Island), I feel the urge to return to soak my palms in the sea of Celebes. A little further east, this time: on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
Through the porthole of the plane, I discover Sulawesi, and the island of Bunaken, where I will spend the first five days. Arriving a creepy hair: it is nice over the bay, but a big rainy cloud settled on the airport of Manado.
These first two days in Bunaken have been going at full speed. The dives are up to my expectations: drop-offs covered with a variety of incredible coral. Side fauna, all the tropical panoply colorful is there.
Already my last day in Bunaken! I'm a little sad at the idea of leaving tomorrow ... I'm already starting to take my little habits here. To do with mosquitoes (nyamouk), the fresh and salty shower of mandi, grilled fish-rice of the evening, the fabulous lunch buffet at Froggies, the inexhaustible kindness of the locals.
In the Lembeh Strait (Sulawesi, Indonesia), live underwater monsters that delight divers-photographers!
Last day in Lembeh. Time definitely goes too fast! With its rusty freighters and its black sand bottom littered with sediment and rubbish, this strait is really a singular dive spot, far from clichés.
Today I am back in Manado, where I find the civilization and comfort of the modern world: air conditioning and hot water, shopping malls and club-sandwiches, mobile phone that captures and high-speed internet connections ...
The Philippines, do you see where it is ? That's where I'll be soon, very soon... In 23 days ! ...
First stage of my Philippine journey: the southern tip of the island of Leyte. For some dives in Sogod Bay, in the hope of crossing the path of a whale shark .
Philippines : Visayas - February 2008 The good thing about the Philippines is that you can find a lot of...
Turquoise water and white sand. The beach of Alona, in the Philippines, is certainly very beautiful. But upon arrival, I have only one desire: to flee as soon as possible.
I did a good job of leaving for Siquijor without waiting. On arrival, I find an almost deserted beach, the beautiful Sandugan Beach.
For lack of whale shark, in Sogod Bay (Leyte), I turned to the little people of the reef... And there's plenty to do and observe!
Come on, a little article just to help you see the tiny and very shy seahorse-pygmy that I had photographed in Sogod Bay, since many of you didn't manage to find it.
Filipinos have a way of greeting you. To point out that they have seen you, noticed, seen, to say hello fast by the way, instead of a small nod, or a smile like in Thailand, they raise their eyebrows.
I am under the spell of the island of Siquijor, in the Philippines ... I continue to discover it, a little random, according to my walks after the dives.
Philippines : Visayas - February 2008 Since I'm in Siquijor, I dive and dive again every day. Yesterday,...
It was in Siquijor, Philippines, that I had the pleasure of photographing my first Mandarin fish. What good memories, on this island!
In the Philippines, cockfighting is very popular. Neal, our dive guide in Siquijor, and Raul, who manages the Kiwi Resort, suggested us to go and see these bloody bird fights, at the nearest cockfighting arena, in the village of Enrique Villanueva.
Philippines : Visayas - February 2008 Since my arrival in Dumaguete-Dauin on Monday, the weather remains sad, between light gray and dark grey...
Spectacular dives at Dauin and Apo Island! The corner is teeming with life and sites allow you to alternate dive-muck, drop offs, reefs ...
Cebu City is a big city not very beautiful, of which I saw only a few streets and malls ... The kind of city where we just pass.
The wealth of submarine sites in Dauin (Negros) and Apo made a strong impression. Life abounds there and the beauty of the coral, hard and soft, farting with health, is properly stunning.
What is convenient when traveling to the Philippines is that everyone speaks English. Fishermen and peasants, villagers and townspeople, children and adults ...
Continuation of my trip to Sulawesi (Indonesia) in July 2007. Lemo is one of the most famous sites in Toraja country, for its tombs in the cliffs, guarded by the tau-tau, wooden statues representing the deceased.
I'll take you back to Sulawesi, in the Toraja country, where I spent a few days in the summer of 2007. On the program: a scooter ride from Rantepao, to discover the sites of Ket'e Kesu, Londa and Tilanga.
I continue the story of my trip to Sulawesi, a trip in July 2007. I will take you back to the Toraja country for a motorcycle ride in the beautiful rice paddies around the village of Batutumonga, north of Rantepao.
Atmosphere of madness, in an arena of cockfighting, in the Philippines! This video was shot in 2008 on the small island of Siquijor, in the Visayas. Sensitive souls refrain.
The rest of my trip to Sulawesi !!! We are Saturday, July 14, 2007. Departure from Rantepao, in the heart of the country Toraja at 7am, under a bright sun. Arriving twelve hours later, at night, in heavy rain, at Siuri Beach Cottages, on the west bank of the huge Poso Lake.
The huge island of Sulawesi (Indonesia) amazed me. I take you to cool off at the Saluopa waterfall buried in the jungle, near Tentena and Lake Poso.
The rest of my trip to Sulawesi (Indonesia) during the summer of 2007 ... On the program: the Togian Islands. A little paradise at the end of the world!
Remember: during my stay on the island of Bunaken (north-Sulawesi) in July 2007, I had dive with the Froggies center, directed by the amazing Christiane Muller, who had been there for about fifteen years .
The Togian dives seemed less spectacular than those of Bunaken or Lembeh, during this July 2007 trip: coral more damaged, life less abundant. Yet, taking his time, we discover a lot of treasures.
At the moment when you discover this message, I will be in the clouds, towards Asia ... The trip will be a bit long, since I had to juggle the specials of air fares, connections , availability and companies, to fly to Bali at a lower cost.
Kuta Beach, finally! First and short stage of my Balinese journey. But I run fast on a scooter a little further north, where it's quieter ...
I had not been back in Bali for a few years. And here there are a lot of little details that I have great pleasure to find.
Lovina Beach ... The name is nice, but I'm a little mixed about the place. Here, the tourist pressure is certainly less than in Kuta-Legian-Seminyak. Yet I feel to have been more solicited than elsewhere by the indefatigable sellers of sarongs and other trinkets!
I'm reconciled with Lovina Beach! Thanks to two very nice dives, a traditional ceremony facing the sea and a splendid sunset.
This tiny sea horse is hidden in the branches of the sea fans. In Pemuteran (Bali), we see each dive! I do not get tired of photographing them.
I arrived on Tuesday in Pemuteran, a village on the north coast, just west of Bali. In this area of arid mountains, bordered by black sand beaches, all the activity of the village is turned towards the protection of the coral reef.
I have been in Pemuteran, a small village in western Bali, since Tuesday. I love it! Here, the entire population is focused on the conservation of the coral reef.
I remain under the spell of Pemuteran, in northwestern Bali. Between two dives, I even attended dance rehearsals and preparations for a wedding ceremony.
Here I am in Amed, all east of Bali. The coast is hemmed in by a series of cute coves of sand and black pebbles, where the bright colors of the junkungs, the small fishing boats with pendulums of the corner, line up.
The Liberty wreck in Tulamben (about 15 km west of Amed) is Bali's most popular dive site in Indonesia. I returned with happiness ... Here are new pictures (photos and video).
Let's go for a little motorcycle tour in the Amed region, in the north-east of Bali. On the program: rice fields, temples, markets and... cockfighting!
My stay in Amed, in north-east Bali, ends (sigh). I like this place !!! Here are two souvenir images: a sunset over the Agung volcano and a toad fish photographed in Tulamben.
Oh dear ! Not yet had the time to tell all my dives in Amed, that already, I attack those of Nusa Lembongan. And no half measure: I take you directly to Manta Point !!!
Four days already, I'm in Nusa Lembongan, a small island southeast of Bali. Atmosphere very peaceful, as I like, not too crowded with tourists ...
That's it !!! Finally ! I met him! Today in Crystal Bay. I'm happy, happy, happy! My new friend is called mola-mola, or moon fish.
Eh yes ! I am a little lucky. I saw a mola-mola today at Crystal Bay again. One time is not customary this morning: excellent visibility and little current, both for this beautiful first dive, and for the second, Toyah Pakeh Bay.
Yes, yes, I swear! It's exhausting to walk up and down this beach. From the losmen (small hotel) to the dive-shop (dive shop), then the dive-shop to the restaurant, the restaurant to the bar, then the bar to the losmen ... Crevant, I tell you!
I'm in a melancholy mood tonight. I leave Nusa Lembongan to return to Kuta, Bali. The return is approaching. I console myself with a beautiful sunset on the bay of Jungut Batu ...
To fight the spleen of the return, I walk on the beach again. The one in Kuta-Legian-Seminyak, known as Kuta Beach. An immense and splendid tongue of grey sand, well packed as it should be, which I love to walk in one direction, then in the other, until the time of the fabulous sunset.
Among my most beautiful memories of Bali: the sunsets on the Agung volcano in Amed and the molas-molas, gigantic moon-fishes crossed off Nusa Penida ...
I'm taking you back to Bali, Indonesia. Amed, exactly, on the northeast coast of the island. Despite the development of tourism in the region, there are still some salt marshes and saunas here.
I can not resist the pleasure of showing you on video the dance of the mola-mola (and, of course, the mola-mola), after having (finally) met this big moon fish in the waters of Nusa Penida.
I'll take you back a few weeks in July 2008. Not quite in Bali, but right next door. A little further southeast, on the small island of Nusa Lembongan. A place I loved, where almost all the inhabitants are seaweed growers.
The Liberty is Bali's best-known (and most popular) wreck. It is located in Tulamben, near Amed, on the northeastern coast of the island.
Yes, I bring you (again) under the surface ... To finish with the wreck of the Liberty in Bali, I propose below a small series of underwater photos.
The globe-trotters of Lagrandeaventure.fr, Benoît Bringer and Alexandre Franceschi, are in Thailand. Four years after the tsunami, they ...
This is one of the strangest dives I've done. Feel the earth tremble ... under water, it's really a funny thing. It was in Indonesia, in Sulawesi, in July 2007. In the Togian Islands, exactly.
In Bali, all people seem to have the same name. You cross three Nyoman and five Wayan during the day. Bizarre. A joke made to tourists? But no !
Indonesia : Bali - July 2008 Some more pictures brought back from my last stay in Bali. Unusual images,...
I'm tired of the Breton winter dreariness. I want to go back to Thailand! Bathing in the translucent blue of the Andaman....
Island is called "koh" in Thai. As I'm currently doing on the web a lot of...
I'm a lucky girl. I'm going on another trip soon! Not to Asia this time. I'm flying to the West,...
This press trip to the Dominican Republic starts strong. The days are so dense, that I haven't found yet...
I do not know which end to start this new ticket. We were made to do so many things in ...
Thailand: Islands - February 2009 Are you the kind of person who plans everything before you leave, or who improvises at the...
In the heart of Thailand's Phang Nga Bay, Koh Yao Noi is an unknown, peaceful island. Remains authentic despite the proximity of Phuket an hour by boat.
Here are new pictures of the peaceful little island of Koh Yao Noi, in the bay of Phang Nga, Thailand. Authentic atmosphere, nothing to do with Phuket.
I have just returned from a four-day dive cruise to the fabulous Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea, Thailand. Here are some pictures, above and underwater.
Thailand : islands - February 2009 Just for fun, a first picture of Koh Lipe...
Thailand : islands - February 2009 Three days I've been in Koh Lipe, a tiny island in the south...
Farewell Koh Lipe! I left the island and my bamboo bungalow on Sunrise Beach this morning, reluctantly. Despite a few disappointing dives, Koh Lipe is really pretty and deserves a relaxing stay of a few days.
I do not like Patong. But it is still there that I chose to ask for this final night in Phuket.
It has been more than a week since I came back from Thailand. But I propose to return to the fabulous bay of Phang Nga, with this small video. A long-tail boat ride from island to island, what do you think?
Thailand : islands - February 2009 I don't have much time to myself, since I'm back home......
Thailand: Islands - February 2009 To forget the grey sky, the crisis and the conflicts, here is a small...
Thailand : islands - February 2009 Here I am, sorting out the pictures...
Thailand : islands - February 2009 It was during this so beautiful dive-cruise in Similan. Our meeting with a woman who was...
Thailand : islands - February 2009 No camera, no underwater pictures... Back to my photographic setbacks with...
I will leave again. At the end of June, I fly again towards the Orient. It was enough for me to receive the e-ticket on my mail to feel wings.
I'm leaving for Malaysia in July, and I still do not know what my route will be. Only certainty: I go back to Borneo, dive to Sipadan.
I dream of it, I want to see them, the mantas of Sangalaki. Will they be there? Will I have the chance to meet them, to admire the graceful underwater ballet of these harmless giant?
I finally decided the stages for my Malaysian-Indonesian trip of July: Perhentian, Mabul (Sipadan), Derawan. Nothing but islands! These holidays will be insular and aquatic.
Reef Seen Dive Center in Pemuteran hosts children's dance classes. Adorable little girls Balinese dancers ...
If, like me, you love islands, here or elsewhere, dive into this book: Besoin d'îles, by the geographer Louis...
And here I am, on my island in Malaysia! Perhentian Besar, "the big one". Which faces Perhentian Kecil,...
Excellent choice, the Perhentian, for a gentle "return to fins". Shallow dives, generally without too much current. And...
Last evening on Perhentian Besar. I am not the only "geekette" to take a computer... Around me, some...
The Perhentian, it's over. Heading for Sipadan! I take two flights on Air Asia, this Monday, to reach Borneo. Finally !
I had a dazzling memory of my dives in Sipadan three years ago. Today's ones amaze me just as much. Turtles, sharks and barracudas are still there. It's spectacular!