Rig Diving in Borneo

Mark Webster · Issue 55, Jul/Aug 2010 · pp. 58–63

Products mentioned: Nikon D200, Nikon D300, Subal ND20 housing, 10-17mm fisheye zoom lens, Subtronic Mini strobes, Olympus 3050, 18-200mm zoom lens, 2X teleconverter

I first became serious about underwater photography when working offshore as a commercial diver in the late 1970’s. In those days being a reliable photographer was a valuable skill that ensured I stayed in regular work, as dive time is very expensive if the images fail to come out and need to be taken again. Life as a commercial diver can be rough on occasions and I can remember some pretty unpleasant living conditions particularly on jack up rigs in various locations. So when the opportunity arose to visit a unique dive operation on Mabul Island, which is based on a former jack up rig, I was more than fascinated by the prospect! The name of Sipadan island has been in the top ten destinations for divers ever since Jaques Cousteau declared it one of the richest reef systems on the planet. I first heard of it more than thirty years ago from a Malaysian friend who used to camp and dive on t…