Aphanes images and videography

10/01/2026

Pulau Si Amil is famous for devil ray sightings but it is also worth checking out what's on the reef slope. The high abundance of brightly coloured soft corals is unfortunately, a rare sight in the surrounding waters nowadays due to all sorts of human activities. Let's preserve what's left and hope one day the reefs will make a full recovery.

Moray in soft coral

Pulau Si Amil, nr Semporna,
Sabah, Malaysia

07/01/2026

Wake up, holiday is over.

Pulau Mabul, Sabah,
Malaysia

16/12/2025

Festive feelings
Pygmy cuttlefish

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Malaysia

#2025

23/11/2025

Did you know that the famous 'Shaun the Sheep' was once commonly found in the vicinity of KK and the nearby islands? Unfortunately due to factors such as sedimentation, many of the Avrainvillea algae 'leaves' were wiped out as they did not have enough sunlight to photosynthesise hence no food for these sap sucking slug to feed on.

costasiella usagi "Shaun the Sheep"

Sepanggar island, Kota Kinabalu,
Sabah, Malaysia

27/09/2025

Whilst Kota Kinabalu is not known for crystal clear waters, the array of macro critters that can be found along the shore of the city is always impressive.

Sepanggar island, Kota Kinabalu
Sabah, Malaysia

21/09/2025

Formation

Despite the relatively poor visibility compared to the east coast, schooling behaviour of snappers are not uncommon here and often you would find yourself surrounded by them.

Pulau Sapi, Kota Kinabalu
Sabah, Malaysia

13/09/2025

Despite having a venomous barb that could inflict serious injury, the blue spotted ribbontail ray is often very shy and would swim away quickly as divers approach to them.

Pulau Sulug, Kota Kinabalu
Sabah, Malaysia

05/09/2025

The Macro World

Beneath the waves of the bustling Kota Kinabalu, the colourful coral reefs may not always be contrasted against crystal clear blue water but you got to be amazed by the variety of small (and extra small) critters that can be found within a 10 minute swim from shore.

Glossodoris cinta

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Malaysia

23/08/2025

Unexpected Bait Ball

Who would have thought there's that many fish in less than 3m of water! A joyous day to make more new friends and explore the hidden gems around KK.

Sepanggar Island, Kota Kinabalu
Sabah, Malaysia

01/08/2025

I am honored to be part of the latest issue of Paradise - the in-flight magazine of Air Niugini where we are also celebrating the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea's independence.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the staff at Tawali Leisure & Dive Resort and everyone who I met in PNG who are always willing to show kindness and take the extra step to showcase how beautiful this country is.

Please do enjoy the full magazine which is available at:

Paradise: the inflight magazine of Air Niugini August - October 2025. The August - October issue (Vol. 3) of 'Paradise' magazine, the inflight magazine of Air Niugini, the national airline of Papua

18/07/2025

KT 12 - This was a N**i armed cargo ship which was sunk during WW2. The bow of the wreck sits approximatelt 500m away from the stern and bow sections now sit at around 30m in depth. There are still several artifacts than can been seen on the wreck itself.

12/07/2025

Above The Cloud

As surreal as it looks, this cloud is actually a thick layer of hydrogen sulphide from the decomposing organic materials that collapsed into the cenote with the limestone ceiling.

Cenote Angelita, Tulum, Mexico