Rattan Bay

That afternoon we headed out to Rattan Bay, a deep snorkeling site reaching down to 15 to 25 feet. Harry had told me in the morning that there would be sea turtles at that site and I looked forward to being brought to see the sea turtles eagerly.

Sea turtles had once been a famous annual spectacle on the coasts of Terengganu, whereby hundreds of them climbed ashore to lay eggs from May to September. Their numbers have dwindled greatly in the past 30 years and at least one species, the giant Leatherback, the largest turtle in the world, are sadly reported to be heading towards extinction since the year 2000. Being the only turtle without a hard shell, they were easy targets and were poached relentlessly for their well-known superior leather back, black in colour with white, grey or pink patches. By now their total nesting population has been reduced to only 1% of the original number.

The other sea turtles did not fare much better, the Green Turtles that previously were plentiful on the eastern coasts of Malaysia has declined by more than 65% of its population, their eggs being a favorite delicacy of the locals and also enjoyed tremendously as an exotic flavor overseas even up to today.

Knowing that these magnificent sea creatures were on the verge of extinction, I couldn’t pass up the chance to see them in their homeland once I was in Terengganu. I was asked by the guide what I would like to see most, and without hesitation I had replied, “Turtles!” or ‘Penyu’ as they are known in Malay, most firmly. I didn’t want to be a Malaysian who didn’t know our very own exotic species. If I was lucky enough, perhaps I could even see the now extremely rare Leatherback turtles.

As I mused over my heart-break, rolling with the gentle sway of the boats, I was roused out of my reverie by a familiar voice from outside the boat. It was Eddie calling out to me. I was surprised to see him unexpectedly.

“Come out here, join Mi and I.” He shouted to Cherlyn and I against the loud roaring of the motorboat.

We stood up and carefully picked our way to the front of the boat where Mi had just jumped over from a speedboat as it sped near and our boats slowed down to receive it. Another Malay man named Sham, jumped into the speedboat to replace Mi, revved up the engine and sped away as quickly as it had appeared.

Our boat picked up speed again and continued on its way to Rattan bay, another 15 minutes away. As the day was extremely hot, being now seared by the naked sun for more than half a day since its ascent, we were all only glad to sit in the shade of the extended roof quietly, looking forward to jumping into the cooler waters of the ocean.

The four boats that set out anchored in the shade of a larger islet, entirely rocky with only a tiny beach that was itself strewn with huge boulders of orange rock. Instead of descending the ladder in a queue like everybody else, Eddie urged Cherlyn and I to jump right into the ocean.

A European lady who was more impatient than any of us overheard and without any hesitation plunged into the sea, creating a huge fountain that wet all of us and uplifting the mood immediately. Cherlyn and I followed suit, albeit more cautiously and avoiding a large plume of water from being displaced.

Eddie and Mi jumped silently into the water after us and Eddie immediately swam over to guide me while Mi swam over to Cherlyn.

“Harry said there are sea turtles here and he promised to bring me to see them.” I informed Eddie, wondering whether I should stick around and wait for Harry.


“Turtles?” Eddie asked, puzzled. “There are no turtles here, I have never seen any.”

I was thwarted, but was still very hopeful, since Harry came to these areas more often and if he promised to show me, I was sure I’d see them. I had hoped for too long to see sea turtles to be discouraged so easily.
 
Following Eddie further and further away from the crowd, the four of us were left alone once again. The corals over this side were not as attractive as those that we saw the day before. According to Eddie, the sunblock lotion that we put on, multiplied by hundreds of tourists a day, eventually turned the corals into a monotonous pale yellow brown color.
 
As we ventured out further, the seabed also lingered further and further away. I estimated that it must be more than 30feet deep. Here, large stones with flat platforms of fungi-like purple corals were sparsely scattered and the sea-bed only had fire-branching corals and mossy rocks. As we were floating very far above, I only managed to sneak glances at the various types of marine fishes that I could not identify from so far away, as they picked on the algae growing on the coral branches.
 
As we swam away from the coasts to deeper seas, the temperature began to drop as the deeper body of water heated much more slowly out in the ocean. The ocean currents had started to sweep upon the remaining shelf of corals that we swam above. I could see that not far off, the reefs suddenly dropped away into deep and bare sand, and further away, even the sun’s blaze could not reach its depth casting the large fishes lurking there into murky shadows. I shivered, not only from the cold but also from the frightful images that suddenly appeared in my mind’s eye.
 
I turned to Eddie and signaled for him to turn back.


We then swam back a little to less cold waters and followed the drop-off in parallel. My passing fear was suppressed as I was once again absorbed in searching for those sea turtles.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my left eye, a smaller rock separated from a large black rock and floated away. I turned and watched in fascination as I had found a sea turtle. It was about 35metres away from me, and I pulled Eddie to follow it. It swam right to the edge of the reef which was only another rock’s distance away and turned back inwards, further ahead.

Eddie surfaced and stopped me, shouting to Cherlyn and Mi that we had found a sea turtle. I was too excited to wait and urged Eddie to make a move and chase the turtle, which had undoubtedly detected our movements and were picking up speed with every graceful flap of its two powerful front paws.

By the time Cherlyn and Mi swam over to us, the turtle had disappeared, almost certainly camouflaging itself against the multitude of rocks that was scattered on the sea bed. I was frustrated and was even slightly angry for not being allowed to swim nearer the magnificent creature. I felt sure that I had missed my last chance to see it, since this was to be my last snorkeling trip of the vacation.

From that distance I could not even see the color of the turtle as the water was too deep and colored everything a bluish shade, hence everything far away was Prussian. Apart from being able to describe it as a flat rock with five smaller pebbles at graded intervals in the unmistakable shape of a childhood drawing of terrapin with no tail, I felt stranded.

Consoling myself, I thought, ‘At least I have seen the glory of its flight. It swims like a bird flies in the sky; weightless, powerful, swift and graceful.’ It was beautiful even from so far away.

The four of us headed back towards the boat, for by now, we’ve rounded a ledge off the edge of the islet and had lost sight of everyone else. Eddie and Mi kicked their flippers and swiftly brought us back to the boats. Along the way, I took a last look at the multicolor marine garden, the even more colorful fishes, being multicolor each, and enjoyed for the last time, swimming in such clear aquamarine waters.

We climbed up on the boats and were invited upon the roofs once again as it sped off towards Laguna.


As we arranged ourselves to sit in a row facing the portside of the boat, Eddie turned to me and seeing my miserable expression, said, “Don’t worry. I can bring you to see turtles later in the evening.”

I immediately lighted up with glee and said unbelievingly, “Really? Where? Do we have to go very far from the resort?”

“No. There are families of them right at the back of the resort, where the jetty is.” Eddie explained.


“Gosh! You mean all this time I was looking for turtles, that they were less than 500 meters from where I slept?” I exclaimed, disgusted at my own lack of knowledge, eyes wide with even more incredulity.

“I won’t bluff you. But you’d have to wait until I’ve finished my duties. That would be 530pm, shall I meet you at the jetty?”

“Definitely! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” I exclaimed happily. Once again, my spirits were light and joyful. I was delighted. I had just been given another chance!