A new frontier in discovery and exploration, Cambodia offers wonderful vistas both in and out of the water. text sol Foo Photography Paul Ferber, Kua Kay yaw & birKan Tanis

charms

cambodian

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Photo Kua Kay yaw

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Photo Paul Ferber

hen I was invited to dive in Cambodia, I was more than sceptical. I’d never heard of anything like that there. then Paul Ferber, manager of the Dive Shop Cambodia, set the bait: he sent me pictures. I booked the next possible flight out. After all, even if the diving were average, I knew I’d still have a good time exploring this place that is more known for Angkor Wat, the Mekong river and the killing fields. three-and-a-half-hours south-west of Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville is a whole different world. on the gulf of thailand, this place has transformed into a holiday destination, much like Phuket 20 years ago, with a similar laidback feeling and guesthouses, cafes and restaurants lining the main road. the beaches can rival some of the best in Asia. Checking into the Dive Shop Cambodia (DSC), I meet the rest of the
Photo Kua Kay yaw

W

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sihanouKville
New perspectives
Explore a different part of Cambodia, away from its historical sites and enjoy what its waters can offer — you’ll be quite impressed!

CAMBODIA

crew, and we set out for the island of Koh Rung. on the way there, Ferber tells me of his plans to create more awareness of the marine environment by educating the locals. he’s also proactive in working with the government bodies to create a Marine Park where eco-tourism can flourish. together with WWF consultant

marine biologist Bart Kluskens and researcher Nev Brodis, DSC has been working closely with the fisheries and conservation ministries to start Reef Watch programmes, set up oonjams (intricate set-ups of long bamboo poles stuck into the water so fish can lay their eggs and take refuge among them) to stop trawling, and recruit and train local rangers to police their own waters and prevent illegal fishing and harvesting. All these concepts are still in their infancy but the first steps have been taken; in the meantime, Ferber is trying to protect the dive sites by keeping them a secret until everything is official. of the three dive centres in Sihanoukville, DSC has been most actively charting and discovering new sites. Ferber has found reefs so pristine and untouched, it is unbelievable: Barrel sponges my size, shoals of fish — unafraid and curious, colours in every hue carpeting the reefs, and a rich variety of marine life living on the

top: rowland's bornella is a common sight at Koh rung. left: sunset over mai Pai village in Koh rung. a picture of peace and tranquility.

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Photo Kua Kay yaw

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a solitary banded sole trying to blend in.

This minuscule squid seemed to have gotten itself tangled and was struggling to get away. 72 Issue 98 • asian Diver

very edge of Cambodia. Just off the reef you’ll find a sandy bottom with a different population of crustaceans, cephalopods, seahorses and mollusks. With a maximum depth of 18m on most dives, it is very easy to stay down there for a long, long time. on one of my reef dives, I came across acres of anemones, waving with the currents, dotted with barrel sponges, sea whips, finger and stag-horn corals, and there were parrots, angels, butterflies and damsels everywhere. Many of the anemones were unoccupied by clownfish, which made me think this would be the next prime site when word gets around! on another dive at Secret Reef, schools of fusiliers, sergeant majors and soldiers swam in the hundreds. I found six Rowland’s Bornella — a rare nudibranch — within feet of each other, xeno crabs on sea whips, and mysterious cleaner pipefish under rock ledges. tuskfish swam about carelessly, and were not too bothered when I tried to get up close to them.

I found six Rowland’s Bornella — a rare nudibranch — within feet of each other, xeno crabs on sea whips, and mysterious cleaner pipefish under rock ledges.
But the highlight of the trip was the muck diving. Sand dollars the size of dinner plates, five to six species of seahorses, octopuses hiding in every nook and cranny, comical sponge crabs, decorator crabs, feisty sea mice, flounders and jagged mollusks were just waiting for me to swim around. Quite a distance from the reef, Ferber and I found this huge barrel sponge on the sand. It had left a trail, like something was dragging it away from the reef. Curious, we went to it and found this comparatively tiny (palm-sized) sponge crab under it. this little guy must have thought he struck gold with the barrel

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Photo Paul Ferber

a yet unnamed squat lobster on a gorgonian fan.

This little Flabellina was only 3mm long!

i had the amazing experience of observing the wondrous melibe, a rare creature, feeding.

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Photo birKan Tanis

Photo Kua Kay yaw

Photo Kua Kay yaw

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This saw blade shrimp was nearly three inches long, but it was still difficult to spot! These shy little seahorses can be found everywhere in the muck. Dendrodoris nudibranch, another rare find.

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Just off the reef you’ll find a sandy bottom with a different population of crustaceans, cephalopods, seahorses and mollusks.
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Photo Kua Kay yaw

sponge, trying to hoist it up with his hind legs. he even got defensive when we tried to lift it. It was the funniest thing I ever saw. At one site called the Corral, seahorses of every size were visible, most of them clinging onto sea urchins and were very shy. Ferber spotted a white one with a brown band around its body lying on the sand. I thought it was dead and scooped it up in my palm to have a closer look. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever held in my hands. It was perfectly formed in every detail. then, it stood up and wound its tail around my little finger. My heart melted. We quickly found a piece of rock for it to cling to, but it simply refused to let go of my finger. Eventually, Ferber managed to coax it onto an urchin. In another site off Koh tui, the sand had been dredged by illegal fishing. Everything was in ruins and nothing was spared. It was heartbreaking. there was debris everywhere. We persisted and found a very rare species of the Melibe nudibranch — it was an aweinspiring moment, watching what looked like a moving venus flytrap with fine hairs along the edge of its oral hood extend its hood, grazing on the otherwise deserted sand. Every site, except the one that was dredged, yielded a treasure trove of beautiful corals, an abundance of fish and strange creatures you would otherwise only find in the reference books. And to top off the whole experience, my buddy and I stayed two nights at Mai Pai village, in a typical Khmer house. the villagers live very simply. there is one well in the village of 200 people, children create toys to amuse themselves and they go out fishing in makeshift Styrofoam floats tied to plastic chairs that had their legs sawn off and cutout plastic flaps for hand paddles. Squid is the main staple of the village and it is the children — from as young as five years old — who go out and catch them. the generators only come on for four hours and are shut off by 10pm. the whole village goes quiet by midnight and all you hear are the lapping waves and

Topside attractions

If you can spare a day or two in Phnom Penh after some diving, Jetstar Asia’s Al Nawaz Sajwani, the Phnom Penh flight operations manager, recommends these sights. Your best bet for transport is the tuk tuk. Catch one on the streets, haggle for the best price and let him take you around for the day.

cenTral marKeT

A great place to find a wide range of local products like cloth, wood carvings and jewellery. There are many stalls selling the same products, so if you really like something, haggling is the way to go. But be reasonable, these people have to make a living too.

naTional museum

For those not versed in the subtleties of Cambodian culture, take advantage of the guided tours offered in English and French. The collection includes statues of deities, pre-Angkorian pottery and Brahminist stone phalluses called lingas. Take an evening stroll along Tonle Sap riverfront. A bustling promenade beautified in 1997 with funds from the Asian Development Bank. A central place for celebrating the Khmer New Year in April and Water Festival in November.

PhotoS Paul Ferber

riverFronT

Photo Kua Kay yaw

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royal Palace

Surrounded by a high wall and built using traditional Khmer architecture, the royal palace is a peaceful oasis within the noisy busy city. The gallery is filled with paintings of palace life and legendary battles, while the gardens exhibit a French influence. You’ll need to cover up, out of respect for the King and Queen who still reside there.

waT Phnom

Legend has it that Phnom Penh was named after this hill (phnom is “hill” in Khmer). At 27m, it is the highest point in the city. Although it is not the biggest or grandest, Wat Phnom is the focal point for the city when thousands gather to celebrate the Khmer New Year.

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Photo Kua Kay yaw

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Top to bottom from left: a Philinopsis nudibranch just crawling along. Tailgating risbecia. This sand dollar was the size of a dinner plate! The village children use these homemade styrofoam floats to fish for squid. an octopus keeping watch over her eggs.

Photo Kua Kay yaw

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crickets. It was one of the most calming experiences I’ve ever had. Plus, if you spend a night in the village, you get to do a night dive and an early morning dive. Rudy Schmittland, owner of DSC, aims to improve that experience by creating homestay experiences with the villagers. he hopes that by convincing them to build annexes to their homes and allowing guests to live with them, the villagers will get to interact more with the outside world and earn a bit of extra income. this would lead to mutual understanding and, hopefully, the children will learn to respect and protect the waters around them. Ferber has recruited Bora, the only Cambodian divemaster, who knows the eco-systems and villages intimately. he speaks Khmer and English fluently and

will be instrumental in strengthening these relationships with the locals and the government. he will also help with educational programmes, and teach the locals about fish identification so they will know what can be caught and what should be protected to turn this into a sustainable business. Ferber is very keen to explore the outer islands of Koh Prins and Koh tang, and only the logistics of the trip are keeping him back. he has heard tales of hammerhead sharks passing through, dolphins and even a whale or two and wants to check them out himself. he’s planning a trip later in the year, if anyone is keen to join him. Safaris are always the best way to go, in discovering new sites and I’m just as excited to find out what is out there! AD

this trip was made possible by Jetstar Asia and the Dive Shop Cambodia.
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Photo Paul Ferber

Photo Paul Ferber

Photo Kua Kay yaw

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ChINA Bhu tA N BANglADESh MyANM AR
Photo Kua Kay yaw

bearings sihanouKville Koh Mano Koh Ta Team

BAy oF KAMPoNg SoM

Koh Rung

tA IWA N lAoS hAINAN
Koh Koun Koh Dek Koul Koh Pos Koh Tas

BuRMA thAIlAND •

Sihanoukville

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Koh Rung Samloem

Koh Kteah Koh Preus

• sihanouKville
SOUTH CHINA SEA

WESt M Al AySIA •

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Photo Paul Ferber

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getting there
Jetstar Asia flies direct to Phnom Penh three times weekly — Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. www. jetstarasia.com The flights arrive in the evening, so you have the option of going straight to Sihanoukville (my preference) and arriving at midnight, or spending the night in Phnom Penh and travelling in the morning. The place is full of guesthouses costing as little as US$3 a night. If you plan ahead and let The Dive Shop Cambodia know you are coming, they can make reservations for you.
Photo Paul Ferber

electricity
220 (two-pin plugs)

currency
1 usD = 4,032 Khr (riels) In Sihanoukville, everything is transacted in US currency and small change is given in Riels. So for example, if your meal is US$2.50 and you give a US$5 bill, you’ll get US$2 and 2,000 Riels back in change. The Riels is largely used in Phnom Penh. You can still pay in US currency, but be prepared to receive Riels in change.

best time to dive
The best season for diving runs from October through to April. Rainy season starts from May to October.

language
The official language is Khmer, although the locals know a spattering of English, enough to get by.

diveoperator
The Dive shoP camboDia E-mail: info@diveshopcambodia.com Web: www.diveshopcambodia.com

entry requirement getting there

Singaporeans can enter without visa for up to 30 days. A visitor’s visa can be obtained online at http://www. recambodia.net/visa-requirements.php for S$36 or US$20. Bring two passport photos for the visa, which gives you three months in the country.

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