How to improve your air consumption while diving

Diving Pictures

Meet Mr. Hawkbill Turtle

It is very common to find turtles here in Tioman Island. Do you know that turtles commit suicide if they are feeling stress? ... Stay tune for more info and pictures.. Maybe I will tell you more about Mr. HawkBill Turtles to you guys :)

Picture taken with GoPro Camera by me. I have GoPro 4 and GroPro 7, I can't actually remember which camera I take with me for this shot.. ( I love GoPro because it is meant to be for the adventurer like me!! Very durable , yet do all the job I need it to be... ) I dont like bulky camera with strobe, all that... totally NOT me. I'm a light traveller, I take my backpack everywhere I go so I like to have things that are compact... 

Get to know me :)

Name :
Melissa Ziegler

Date of Birth :
February 1st. I'm Aquarius baybeh... :)

Profession:
PADI Scuba Instructor
Emergency First Responder Instructor
Reef Check Eco Diver
Boat Captain Mate Domestic 500gt

Education:
Sunway College, Malaysia year 2000
Cenfad College, Malaysia  year 2001
Savannah College of Art and Design, USA year 2002-2005

Language:
English
Bahasa Malaysia
Bahasa Indonesia

I like to live at minimal, simple person. Love nature and animals A LOTT !!
I will be their voice if I need too, so you better watch out :)

Would I rather have a mansion house or a 4x4 truck with tiny house at the back?
My answer would be......  TINY HOUSE !!! Freedom is life for me, and able to explore? What who wouldn't want that? I guess it depends huh.. I'm not a lady who likes to have a lot of handbags, high heels.. A sport shoe, A waterproof beg, and A high heel will make me happy enough. Gotta have at least a high heel shoe, I'm still a lady and I like to wear nice dress for candlelight dinner under the sky in the tiny house.. lol I'm dreaming... yes I'm a dreamer and I will make my dream come true, ONE fine day...

and oh yah...I don't know if I like Jerry Springer show or Nat Geo documentary better.. :)


If you want to know more about me, you can ...
Facebook me : https://www.facebook.com/ziegler.melissa
Instagram me: https://www.instagram.com/ziegler_melissa/
YouTube me: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLem-UZGW2dnZ07Ekh11J0g
I will let the pictures and videos do the talking for me to get to know me better... :)

Till then
Learn, Laugh, Live, Love
I also still holding on my dad's advice since I was maybe like 10 years old?
Always TREAT people like you want to be TREATED
I LOVE YOU DAD


LOVE, MEL

How Do I get into Scuba Diving...

Im sure you all want to know the real story behind this right?

You can take this like you are lucky if you read this blog...  want to know why? because for once mel will tell the truth and only the truth....

There it goes... i want you to feel the moment with me..

Once a upon a time , when i had to leave The Great "United State of America", on the plane, alone... feeling scared,  tears running down on my cheek .. having butterflies in my stomach and feel vulnerable more like useless... I have to come back to Malaysia after living in USA for 10 years.

Don't get me wrong.. I love malaysia, because this place is where my loved ones live. My parents, my siblings.. They are my heartbeats. I love them so much that i feel when i get back home i will be a burden... so let me start with you my adventure here in Malaysia.

Ive known malaysia not like on tip of my fingers anymore. There are a lot of highways. layers and layers of roads on top of each other. Many intersections, OMG .. only God knows how difficult for me to just get back home, missing turns, intersections and signboards.. It was outrages and dad decided to get me a PAPAGO. this is before the time we have Waze, google maps...

To cut the story short, I knew i wasn't a city girl anymore... I live in Savannah Georgia for so long, the city is so laid back and they called it  "Paris of America". It is so rich with architecture buildings, beautiful monuments and  churches.  The city is just so romantic with many parks and fountains.... It is just like a heaven on earth. Thats how much i love Savannah....

After a year in Malaysia, try to build a construction business, get injured then again i feel vulnerable and down. It is when everything just went down. I had to leave my family house, i start to go on trips with friends. I go to Tioman Island to start my first scuba diving course. I was scared too death, i didn't want to continue. I slept the whole day on the day i suppose to start my day 2 of the course.. i gave up, i dint want to continue. but i know deep down i love water.. Im like a duck! There is no way i don't like this.. So anyway the story end here about that course.

I met a divemaster guy who i felt comfortable with. learn with him.. and at the end i got hooked! I know i LOVE it.... 

I've start hanging out with my steward and stewardess friends, i travel, i go scuba dive with them, i continue my education in diving and take Advance Course... i travel, i explore, i dive, dive and dive... and one day i decided to go on my own trip and ended up in Mabul Island. I've decided to take Rescue Course after diving so much and i have love my best friend that time who always depends on me and omg all the responsibility to take care of her, it is beyond your imagination. I felt i have to take Rescue ... and i did... i stayed in mabul for 6 months...

Supposed to finish my dive master there but i didn't because i get into trouble there that i feel its time i have to leave... So advice for you all, don't get involve so much with the locals when you go to the island. its nothing bad about them, i wanted to help the ones in need but other people around it dont like when i want to help. For my best interest, i leave the island...

After knowing a lot of divers and travel, I've become very protective about myself who i come across in diving.. i don't trust people, i have issues with people. I like to be alone and i stay being alone....

I do a lot of research before who and where i want to continue my education in Diving, until this one time i think i found a place and a paradise... small secluded island called Redang. The resort has it owns private beach. I knew i wanted to stay and learn there. There is only one dive centre there, and i fall in love with the hut concept. I was a bit skeptical who will teach me for my dive master because i want to learn diving and really learn. no hanky panky... there is a lot of divers out there you have to watch out for girls... I'm telling yah... I've seen them all.. lol...

so anyway... i managed to graduate as a dive master... love it.. help with many projects even the biggest banner underwater project for Guinness World Record... I was happy because my name in it but believe it or not i didn't really care.. the experiences was awesome thats all i care about... :)

After in diving for few months, since Im in a muslim country, A lot of female divers want me to always be their guardian angels.. at the time I've started working in diving industry... One of my boss name Amin asked me if i want to be an instructor, to teach to take higher responsibility.. i told him i need time, but he insisted. He said I'm a teacher type because I'm like a mother.. my motherhood really show he said to be exact.... He trusts me more than i trust myself at the time... He is really a Great boss.

One day, after ignoring him many times during my work hours, which is.. it is kind of impossible .. he said mel... there is one Course Director i like you to know,, and he introduced me to him... he said we have divemaster divers enquiry about instructor course, so if we have the class,, you will be joining it... at the moment my heart just drop because i know its expensive and i don't want to spend the money just yet... and the days goes by... day by day ..  day by day i see the course director in our office more oftenly.. Then my boss called me in ..into his office and say mel... i want you to be our instructor, we need one female instructor, i will pay for your instructor course and you will be tied in into contract this and that... i didn't want to disappoint a man who trust in me and he is not my dad. i was surprised and at the same time so happy... i was damn happy.. !!! there is such kind person in this world.. so i take the deal.. and wait for the contract...

December come... one class start for the instructor course, introduction day, i work as usually didnt attend the class, because my boss wasnt around. but the books, teaching materials are been hand out to me.. i didnt want to attend the class because my boss didnt come in.. 2nd day come,, i didnt want to go to work, i call in sick.. day 3 and 4 .. finally i think day 5, the course director said mel .. why dont you join the class, at that time i wasnt that busy, so i did... day 6 i think my boss come in, and i was in the class.. kind of my 2nd day, and say mel where is your study materials? i said in the car...and he say what? why?? why dont you bring the stuff out and attend class like a other?... in my mind, i didnt want to open the box because to be honest i know i cant afford to take this class and i dont want to touch or even think to open in case he changes his mind.. i was wrong... he didnt. so i went to the car, i took the box out... he took the box from my hand and say mel.. here , this is your christmas gift!! i was like WHATTTTTT?? but yes contract is still needed as he explained.. it was a crazyyy moment.. guess what i did after that.....?? OPEN The box and get my own book out instead of sharing with the other student.. heheheh... omg it was one of the best feeling i ever had in my life.

Why me...? why am i so special? alot of questions in my head...

That is how my diving career starts till today... it is still not the end of it even with this COVID 19

You never know who will come across your path in this life. stay positive, everything will be Alright... :)

LOVE, MEL

Living the life of Lockdown In Tioman Island :)

Hi Everyone.. Are you still alive? hehehe OMG that's a bad joke during this hard time..

I'm so sorry i don't mean any harm.

Currently I'm in Tioman Island, Malaysia. Stuck here for Lockdown. There is no ferry to go in and out from the Island and I haven't been able to go diving nor to the dive centre to work :(

I'm missing the ocean very very much.. but due to saving people lives, we cant complain yah... I hope you all are doing great in other part of the world.

As for me... now on phase 3 of lockdown. That means we have done 4 weeks in total of lockdown. We are just entering the 5th week. I've been working out at home having my routine. Check out my video I've made to share with you during the lockdown. Hope it inspires some of you... :)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLem-UZGW2dnZ07Ekh11J0g

During this hard time, I also want to try and expand my knowledge social media skills as I'm a person who are handling that besides Rosie Cotton who is the owner of the dive centre Im working at currently. Well due to lockdown, we are only allow to work at home "remotely". So Social media is everything. At this same time.. always thinking about ideas how to teach virtually.

We have two dive master in training here that we have been conducting through varies app like WhatsApp, Zoom, Skype. Thank God the internet here at the island is not too bad.

The island is more likely empty. From live youtube local new channel that I've been watching, there are about 200++ tourists stuck here. The government has been great! They given out different kind of help to the citizen and not to forget the foreign workers and business owner to help them financially during this COVID 19 lockdown. The police have been great too and check on the tourist here to ask if they need help financially or need help to arrange Flight back home... :) Which is.. i think it is sooooooo amazing!

Tioman Island is so beautiful. You must come and visit me here and dive at Tioman Dive Centre. Don't forget to hola at me!!!

Remember, even at the darkest night, you will see the light of the moon. We are on the same boat! Be kind to one another. Till then. LOVE, MEL