Tag Archives: coral

Leisure Diving at Islands off Kota Kinabalu City

I’m certified as a scuba diver since year 2008, but it’s a shame that I don’t dive quite often. I even stopped once for 2 years. When my friend Dodo invited me to join a diving group last month, I agreed without second thought. One of the best things living in Kota Kinabalu City (KK) is – we have dozens of dive sites located in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (I prefer to call it KK Islands Park), which is only 15 minutes away by boat ride from KK.

Scuba diver friends onboard. At the right is May, my Sifu.

It rained heavily in the morning on our diving day. Luckily it stopped before 7am so we just proceeded with our plan. The diving team gathered at STAR Marina and we departed at 9:30am with Borneo Divers, which has a Dive Centre on Mamutik Island. My Dive Instructor, May, was onboard with us too. I confessed to her that I had given her back everything she taught me (which means I forget everything) LOL.

However, there was no time to bother with the butterflies in my stomach, after suited up and got our dive equipment loaded on-board, we headed to the first dive site at 11am. On the way, I was busy to recall all the steps in my mind.

I was the last one entering the water with my compact camera in underwater case (can stay waterproof up to a depth of 40 Meters). Due to the rain earlier, the water was a bit murky but the visibility is quite ok, about 6 Meters in average. Two Divemasters, Christine and Jonathan were covering our front and back during the dive. The following are summaries of my experience in 3 dive sites.

Dive sites of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. We covered North Sulug Reef, East Sulug Reef and The Rock

1. North Sulug Reef

Depth: 18-22M (Dive Time: 11:14am-12:00pm)
My first dive was quite terrible. It took me 2 minutes to equalize (relieve pressure to eardrums caused by increasing depth). Then sea water leaked into my mask, I couldn’t see things clearly half of time. I also couldn’t control my buoyancy effectively while busy setting my camera. All these are caused by lack of practices.

Anyway, we spotted two green turtles and a school of barracuda! There were school after school of yellowback fusiliers swimming close to reef to catch plankton.

Many table corals, sea whips and feather stars (marine animals that look like plants) were present. Though the variety and density of corals wasn’t impressive and I saw 5 to 7 Crown of Thorns (a cunning and thorny marine creature which preys on corals), this dive site has the most reef fishes compared to my next two dives.

Special thanks to Dodo for sharing her photos in this article. She is a hardcore diver who has done over 200 dives.

Slowly I got used to the water and able to navigate freely around the reef. The dive ended after 45 minutes and we went back to Mamutik Island for lunch.

2. East Sulug Reef

Depth: 9-16M (Dive Time: 1:20pm-2:04pm)
After lunch buffet and a short nap on the island, we started our second dive near Sulug Island again. To focus on polishing my rusted diving skill, I left my camera behind. This dive site is far more interesting than the first one.

The corals here is much more denser and it has become a good hiding place for numerous ocean critters. We saw a pair of mating nudibranch (also known as Orchids of the Ocean) on the coral rubble. In fact, you can find more wildlife underwater than on the land, and some of them are very bright in colors.

That day must be our lucky day. We saw a Hawksbill turtle swimming toward us. It seemed so relax and only a few Meters away from us, probably it thought we were just big fishes. The population of Hawksbill turtle is 10 times less than Green Turtle, so this sighting is really a treat.

I spotted at least two very big and old giant clams. If this park is not protected, there wouldn’t be any of them left due to overfishing. However, if a giant clam grows really huge, like over a Meter wide, many local fishermen would not dare to touch it because they believe there is a spirit dwells inside.

We dived along a long stretch of underwater coral garden. I noticed a coral was “flashing”. A closer look showed that it’s a big cuttlefish camouflaged as a coral. We would have missed it if it didn’t change colors. Divers have to be very observant or they would miss many cool stuffs. I believe we only spotted a few percent of the wildlife lurking in this reef.

East Sulug Reef has a lot of lettuce corals, mushroom corals and barrel sponges. Among them, I saw two Christmas tree worms retreated into their burrows, and orange-spotted grouper, angelfish, etc. Without a camera, I could dive more freely. Most of the time, I hovered between between a depth of 10 to 14 Meters, where visibility is better and beautiful corals concentrated.

3. The Rock

Depth: 12-13M (Dive Time: 3:25pm-4pm)
For the last dive, we explored The Rock just behind Mamutik Island. The corals at The Rock is as fabulous as East Sulug Reef but with more variety of soft corals. Too bad I don’t know most of their names. I will buy a guide book and learn to identify the marine lives so I will enjoy diving more.

The seascape here is a gradual sloping ridge. Ten of us dived gently along its side full with fringing reef.

Hard corals grow an average of 1 to 2 cm per year. Many corals in the marine parks of Sabah are estimated 3,000 to 6,000 years old. But they can be totally destroyed in a matter of minutes by destructive fishing method such as blast fishing (or fish bombing).

False Clown Anemone fish in Ritteri anemone

We saw two Magnificent Anemones with Anemonefishes (Nemo) living in them. Magnificent Anemone is very hard to survive in aquarium, so you have to see them in the wild.

Pink Anemonefish in purple Magnificent Anemone (Heteractis magnifica)

Even though KK Islands Park isn’t a world-class diving spot, it’s still a great playground, even experienced divers find pleasant surprises in every dive.

Everyone was really happy. The sighting of sea turtles and barracuda is already worth the trip. My interest on diving is reignited. I’ll do more dives regularly to perfect my skill and take more underwater photos in future.

Recommended Dive Operators

Sabah has so many high-quality diving spots all over the state. The nearest dive site could be less than 20 KM away from our home. If you don’t know how to dive, it’s like living next to a snowy mountain but don’t know how to ski.

You can find more about how to get certified as a scuba diver in my blog. To get certified or arrange a diving trip, I highly recommend the dive operators below:

1. Borneo Divers

Borneo Divers is the most established PADI 5-star dive operator in Sabah and has dive centres on Mamutik and Mabul Islands.
Tel: +60 88-222226, +60 88-221340
E-mail: information@borneodivers.info
Website: www.borneodivers.net
Facebook: BorneoDiversMabulResort
Office Address: 9th Floor, Menara Jubili, 53, Jalan Gaya, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

2. Downbelow Marine & Wildlife Adventures

Downbelow is run by a nice couple, Richard and Joanne from UK. They are very passionate about the nature of Sabah, and their service is highly rated in TripAdvisor. Downbelow has a PADI 5-star dive centre on Gaya Island Base Camp and a Dive Shop in KK Times Square.

E-mail: info@divedownbelow.com
Website: www.divedownbelow.com
Tel: +60 88-488997, +60 12-8661935
Office Address: KK Times Square, Lot 33-G, Block F, Kota Kinabalu, 88100 Sabah, Malaysia
Facebook: DiveDownBelow
Google+: +Divedownbelow
Twitter: @divedownbelow
Youtube: divedownbelow
Instagram: adventures_borneo

3. Asia Diving Vacation

Asia Diving Vacation was started by my old buddy, Jacob, who is an avid diver who loves to introduce divers to the best dive sites in Asia, for example, Layang Layang, Lankayan, Sipadan and even Maratua (Indonesia). You can join him stalking whale shark around the islands of KK.

E-mail: customercare@asiadivingvacation.com
Website: www.asiadivingvacation.com
Office Address: Duis Dive, 23, 3rd Floor, Block C, Damai Plaza IV, 88300 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Facebook: AsiaDivingVacation
Twitter: @advonline

The fee of leisure diving (fun diving) day trip ranges from RM320 to RM360 (?US$90-103), which normally includes boat transfer, 3 guided boat dives, rental of scuba equipment, diving permit and lunch. Please visit their websites for detail on dive packages.

Dive map of Sabah and Labuan. You can download the pamphlet here.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Scuba Diving at Mabul and Sipadan Island of Semporna

Our world is beautiful and more than half of it is in the sea, where divers can enjoy zero gravity and swim freely among the fishes. Last year I was bogged down by a project and got it over after half a year. Life was stressful, and I really deserved a break. When my friend Dodo was calling divers for a 5-day diving trip in Semporna. Without hesitation, I joined.

After months of waiting, finally, 10 divers met at Tawau Airport. Even though we are from different background and places, and I met most of them the first time, we had so much fun together in the next few days, and it was so hard to say goodbye at the end. I always recall the wonderful moment. Miss them all. ♥♥♥

Poisoned by Scuba Diving.. I always dream about this scene after I left Mabul.

The resort picked us up at Tawau airport, after one hour of land transfer and one hour of boat ride, we reached Mabul Island.

Seaventures Dive Rig Resort

There are dozens of accommodations available on Mabul Island. We stayed in Seaventures Dive Rig Resort, which is an oil rig being converted to a PADI 5-Star dive resort and ranked as one of the most unique hotels in the world by TripAdvisor.

The dive resort is about 700 Meters in the sea off Mabul Island. This fortress-like structure is so cool that I had been wondering how it’s like staying there. The setup is basic. The room is small. The food is great. Their staffs are friendly and helpful. If you don’t expect 5-star service & facilities and particular about small things, you will be quite happy.

One of the awesome features of Seaventures is its elevator for entry and exit (I got this recorded on a video). Some crazy guests can’t resist to jump into the sea from the deck for fun. However, the resort discourages this because you can hurt yourselves.

I was staying in dormitory room (air conditioning available). They also have twin-sharing and VIP rooms. A 4-day dive + accommodation package starts from RM2,730 (about US$700). You may visit the website of Seaventures for more details.

Upper deck of Seaventures Dive Rig. Some are nut enough to jump into the sea from here. It’s about 20 Meters high!

Someone calls the islands of Semporna the Maldives of the East. Though Semporna has over 1,000 dive sites in Celebes Sea, the best dive sites are concentrated in the “Top Three Triangle”, namely, Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai, which are only 30 minute from one another by boat.

Mabul Island (Pulau Mabul)

If divers talk about diving in Sabah, Sipadan is always No.1 choice, and Mabul is nothing close. The most likely reason divers stay on Mabul Island is due to its proximity to Sipadan Island, but they would find that Mabul is the most memorable part of their trip with friends.

Mabul Island is famous for its world-class muck diving. Many dive sites have artificial reefs made up of rubble, ship wrecks, planks and various junk that you can imagine. This might be an eyesore to divers, but for most marine creatures, it’s a perfect shelter.

Therefore, with observant eyes and guiding by good divemaster, you will spot many little gems, some are rare or colorful, hidden among the rubbish and corals.

I saw nudibranch, flatworm, frogfish, pygmy seahorse, flamboyant cuttlefish, whip coral shrimp, eel, barracuda, lobster, stingray, lion fish, sweet lip, skeleton shrimp, robust ghost pipe fish, stone fish, and many other critters.

In fact, Mabul has become a paradise for underwater photographers who search for bizarre and exotic macro sea lives. Just check out the videos of Borneo From Below, most of their footages were shot in Mabul.

The visibility of most dive sites in Mabul is only 5 to 6 Meters, and it’s quite dim after 17 Meters deep. Inexperienced divers can have panic attack sometimes, so you better stick with your buddy and group all the time.

If you dive with large group which has divers with poor buoyancy skill, it would be quite irritating if someone keeps stirring up the sediment of sandy bottom and make the water more murky. Hehe I did that too by accident because being pushed by the strong current.

We wanted to enter this recompression chamber for fun but the hole is too small.

Not every life in Mabul is tiny. Turtles and giant groupers are quite common here. Sometimes divers are delighted by surprises such as leopard shark, dolphin, and devil ray in the water of Mabul.

This eel didn’t expect a photograph I guess

Some dive sites such as Lobster Wall has astounding density and variety of corals. The current is quite strong, and we had some fun with drift diving.

If you love nudibranch, you will love Mabul. So many of them there.

One of the benefits of staying at Seaventures is – you can enjoy unlimited dive in their House Reef under the rig, which is an excellent muck diving site too. We spotted long snout pipefish, snake eel, cleaner shrimp, cockatoo (wasp fish), lion fish, small barracuda, flatworm, big eye fish, etc.

Sipadan Island (Pulau Sipadan)

Sipadan Island is one of the top 10 dive sites in the world, so it needs no introduction. Everyone wants to go to Sipadan, but the maximum number of visitors is limited to 120 people (snorkellers and divers) per day, to minimize the impact to the environment.

Therefore, if you plan to dive in Sipadan, you better book with your dive operator a few months before the trip. Do at least 3 dives per day if you get the permit.

In contrast to Mabul, the visibility in Sipadan is superb and can reach more than 20 Meters.

This is my third visit to Sipadan, and it is still another amazing journey. Turtles are everywhere, and they only mind their own business and oblivious about our presence. Early morning is the best time to dive when the marine creatures are most active.

For first timer to Sipadan, dive sites like Coral Garden (wall diving), South Point (large pelagics), and Barracuda Point (sharks and barracuda tornado) are highly recommended. But I didn’t see school of barracuda this time.

Nevermind that there is no barracuda tornado. We had fun entering Jackfish Storm anyway.

Bumphead Parrot Fish? I didn’t even need to dive deep to see them. Other seafood, no, I mean sea lives I saw included white tip reef shark, bat fish, leopard shark, ghost pipe fish, octopus, grey reef shark, and moray eel.

Being so excited, some divers would be tempted to “interact” with charismatic sea creatures, for example, chasing or touching the turtle. Do keep in mind that divers are not allowed to harass any aquatic animals. You, or your group, could be banned from diving, if divemaster finds that you got itchy hand. They are very serious about this, so it’s not a joking matter.

Kapalai Island (Pulau Kapalai)

At Kapalai Island, we only did only one dive at Mandarin Valley, where we saw octopus, school of baby barracuda, nudibranch, cuttlefish, ornate ghost pipefish, gobby, etc.

They build some “fish chalets” (House Reef) with artificial reef (racks) to house the fishes and to promote the growth of corals. This site is popular for its colorful Mandarinfish (like fish wearing a Cheongsam), but too bad it’s not our day.

Walking around Mabul Island

Seaventures Dive Rig Resort is on the sea, but they have boat transfer to Mabul Island at 5pm (return time: 6:30pm) every day, for you to shop for some supplies or just to explore around.

Mabul Island has become an Accommodation Center for divers who want to dive at Sipadan (which has no resort). You can find resorts and lodges range from budget to luxury type on the island.

Most of the villagers on Mabul Island are living in poverty. I felt sad seeing those shabby houses and ragamuffin children who asked tourists for money. The islanders are very friendly, and it’s definitely ok to explore around. Most residents are conservative Muslims. To be courteous, please don’t walk around with “overly exposed” swimsuit in their village (though they are used to it). Wearing at least a T-shirt and short.

You will find dozen of small shops that sell souvenirs, seashells, cigarettes, diving stuffs and many other items. Personally I won’t buy any seashell, coral or shark products because I don’t want to encourage them to harvest these, sorry..

Besides, you can buy fresh seafood from the locals. On the island, there is a turtle hatchery maintained by Scuba Junkies and Sabah Wildlife Department. The tour operators have been educating the villagers on sustainable fishing, turtle and corals conservation, and garbage management. The progress is slow, but we see positive changes gradually.

Dive ❤ Party ❤ Friends

Diving and Drinking with Friends were what we did on Mabul most of the time. We had 3 to 4 dives per day, and at night we partied hard, it’s a dream vacation ~~to get wasted for 4 night~~. We had so much fun and already talked about the next trip.

I’m not a good drinker. After some shots, I would doze off with glass held in my hand. When I was awake hour later, they refilled my glass then I got K.O. again. This went on until late night lol.

Great dive buddies and divemasters = Happy Moment

As alcohol is one of the highlight, you can buy beer and hard liquor in Semporna town. One of such shops is located between Restoran AR Rahman and Crystal Coffee Shop, and opposite to Agro Bank. You can call Mr Lim (+60 14-6743069) or Ms Lim (+60 16-8121169) for info. I tell you this because many foreigners think it’s difficult to find alcohol in Sabah. You are welcome.

Though my dive buddies rocked, this diving trip would be less fun without the company of Suki, one of the best Divemasters I’ve ever met. She is very professional, serious but playful.

Adding 12 awesome dives into our log book with stamps from Suki.

While diving with her, I was so impressed by her perfect buoyancy skill. OMG, is she a mermaid? Her enthusiasm was contagious and all of us got excited diving next to her. Thanks to Suki, she taught me a lot to improve my diving skill.

Is Semporna Safe?

I’ve been asked this question by readers many times. Tourists concern about their safety in islands of Semporna because of the abduction in the past. I would say Semporna is relatively safer than most places on earth, so don’t worry too much about it. Nowadays, no place is 100% safe due to threat by IS. Some countries make hoo-ha about kidnapping cases in Sabah and forget that more of their citizens were dead in terrorist attack. As a local, I can tell you that Sabah is safer than London, Paris, and Sydney.

I have visited Semporna many times and won’t hesitate to travel there again. Most tourist destinations in Semporna have garrison. I’ve seen how the armed force works. They are serious and vigilant day and night, to keep the tourists safe. They are not sitting there drinking and gambling. With curfew and more proactive defense mechanism in place, hopefully Semporna will be totally safe.

How to get there?

To go to Mabul and Sipadan Island, you can take a 40-minute flight, operated by Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia, to fly from Kota Kinabalu City (Code: BKI) to Tawau City (Code: TWU). You can use Google Flights to check the schedules and prices.

12 is the number of tanks I used in 4 days

At the Airport of Tawau, you can hire a taxi to go to Semporna Town, which takes an hour. You also can request your dive operator or resort to fetch you at the airport. I advise you to book the tour or accommodation before you come to Sabah. You can walk-in to enquire, but the resort or tour could be fully booked during peak season.

It’s also possible to travel from Kota Kinabalu City to Semporna Town by long distance bus.

Special Thanks to Dodo and Dora for contributing most of the photos and videos to this article.

Photos taken in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Bawang Jamal Beach: Sunset, Longhouse, Milky Way

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Need a break? Hearing someone says, “let’s go to the beach!” will definitely cheer you up. Everyone loves going to the beach. However, it stinks for beachgoers to get only a few meters of space at a popular but crowded beach. Personally I dislike sharing a beach with hundred of people.

Bawang Jamal Beach (Pantai Bawang Jamal in local language)

A crowded beach in USA (photo by Michael Candelori)

Luckily, with about 1,300 Kilometers of coastline, Sabah has so many nice beaches that are enough for everyone to get over 10,000 Sq. Meters of space.

Bawang Jamal Beach is about 1 KM long

I’m not exaggerating. Bawang Jamal Beach (Pantai Bawang Jamal in local language), in north of Sabah, is one of them, and most of the time you would see less than 10 people on this 1-Kilometer long beach.

Water-filled trough (Runnel)

Promoting the beaches of Sabah to foreigners can be challenging sometimes, because my marketing managers would comment, “The photos are nice but hey.. the beach is so empty. Tourists would think that our beach ain’t fun or got shark!”

Panoramic view of Bawang Jamal Beach

Located in Kudat, Bawang Jamal Beach is really hidden well behind a village and dense casuarina trees (GPS: 6.993149, 116.727974, see Location Map).

End of Bawang Jamal Beach

During my visit, I saw an Australian couple spending their vacation at this beach, and they say Bawang Jamal Beach is probably the best beach in Borneo. I had seen the seething mass of meat (people) in Bondi Beach of Sydney, so I understand why they love this secluded beach so much.

Tourist walking on the beach

This beach is unspoiled and turtles also come to nest occasionally, and a turtle hatchery was built around here. Street and house light can drive turtles away, so no development could mean a good thing to wildlife.

White sandy beach of Bawang Jamal Beach

Local children beachcombing for shells and seaweed

The blue sea and snowy beach here are something that tourists willing to pay high dollar for staying in such an untouched beach. It’s a small bay flanked by rocky shores. The intertidal zone and sandy beach are wide, which is very suitable for kids who can’t stop running around.

The island far behind is Kelambu Island

Edible seaweed found on the beach

Sometimes group of village kids would walk along the shore to collect edible stuffs such as shellfish and seaweed. In tourist beach we can’t do this because usually there is nothing left.

Crawl marks left by seashells

Rocky shore of Bawang Jamal Beach

Rocky beach at the end of Bawang Jamal Beach

The rocky shore at the edge of the beach is fun to explore. You would see many small marine animals trapped in the tide pools. I can sit there whole day watching them crawling or swimming.

Starfish in tide pool

Rocky beach covered by yellow seaweed

The most interesting feature of Bawang Jamal Beach is big area of rocky shore covered by yellow seaweed. It looks like a golden carpet when lighted by warm colors of sunset.

Beautiful sunset at Bawang Jamal Beach

Rocks along the beach

Actually I want to photograph the luminous sea (“glowing sea” caused by bioluminescent phytoplankton) of Bawang Jamal Beach, but it wasn’t in peak condition during my visit. Anyway, I saw many fishes swam near to the shore to lay eggs, and a fisherman showed me his caught after night fishing, it’s kind of fun.

Fishes caught by villager at night

Mossy rocks and seaweed on the beach

No matter what, this beach is quite unique that I’m sure many photographers would thank me for introducing them another nice spot for landscape shots.

Milky Way at Bawang Jamal Beach

As this beach is free from light and dust pollution, you can see thousands of stars clearly in crystal clear sky. I shot a few photos of Milk Way. Later I found that some of my friends have no idea what is Milky Way because they never see one in the city.

Super Sunset

Not only that, the sunset view at Bawang Jamal Beach is spectacular. No kidding. The nice sunset and beach can be the excellent backdrop for romantic movie scenes.

Dog and cat seem to enjoy the sunset

Sunset walk at Bawang Jamal Beach

Our beaches are really underrated. I’m kind of upset when some travel portals rank some mediocre (but popular) beaches as the best in the world.

Panoramic sunset view

Sunset run on the beach

After seeing so many nice beaches in Sabah, I’m not easily impressed by beaches in other countries. In fact, many Sabahan friends return from overseas trip and say, “heck, you know what? Our beaches are better.”

Secret Place Cafe

By the way, if you stroll around this beach, you would find Secret Place Cafe near the midsection of the beach. Well, it’s not that secret. I saw a number of westerners relaxing there.

Secret Cafe Place

You can buy hot and cold drink such as tea, coffee, soft drink and beer there. They also sell food like fried rice, noodles, toast and omelette. The prices range from RM6.50 to RM8 (≈US$1.60-2.00) and the serving size is quite big. Though the cafe is not certified Halal, they serve no pork.

Beach at Secret Cafe Place

FYI, you also can rent snorkelling gears and camping tents at this cafe. I think they offer sunset BBQ too.

Lupa Masa Longhouse

For those who want to spend more wonderful time at Bawang Jamal Beach, Lupa Masa Longhouse is only 3 minute walk away from the beach. The design of this accommodation is based on traditional bamboo longhouse of Rungus people in Kudat. “Lupa Masa” means “Forget Time” in Malay language, which conveys that it is an enjoyable place where you would forget about time.

Lupa Masa Longhouse

Like how villagers live, the bedroom and amenities of the longhouse are very basic. The room is quite warm during daytime, but quite cooling at night. Electricity for lighting is available. Common toilet and bathroom are just 10 Meters outside the longhouse. The place can accommodate about 12 guests.

Lupa Masa Longhouse has some basic amenities (From left to right, top to bottom: longhouse, bedroom, washroom, verandah)

The accommodation fee per night is RM50 – 75 (≈US$12.50-19), depend on if you want to participate in Homestay (with full meals) or just Bed & Breakfast. They can help you to arrange various activities around Kudat, for example, snorkeling, fishing, sunset tour and river cruise.

Longhouse under the starry sky

Lupa Masa Longhouse is only 7 Km before the Tip of Borneo. Below is their contact:
E-mail: lupamasaborneo@gmail.com
Tel: +60 19-8020549
Website: lupamasa.com
Facebook: Lupa.Masa

Mangrove river behind the beach

Would you prefer a crowded beach or a tranquil beach? Please tell me in comment section below.

Photos taken in Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Tree and Coral Planting in Sabah

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Even children know trees provide oxygen and mitigate global warming. Saving the World is a noble goal but it sounds so ambitious to us. Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you to be the Captain Planet. You only plant tree for yourself and your family. For example, having two mature trees next to your house can provide enough oxygen for a family of four. Plant one more tree and the shade of three trees, if strategically positioned, can reduce the need of air-conditioning by up to 50%. Good deal huh?

Misty rainforest of Borneo. “Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Parents always set aside of their personal desires and give the best to their kids. They accumulate wealth for their offspring so they will enjoy a better living. But how many parents will invest in better environment for future generations, so they can enjoy fresh air and clean water in future? Even fishes need clean water and watergrass in their aquarium to live happily. Ton of money in bank account won’t guarantee our children to have a quality life in an environment without clean air and water.

Malaysians have been taking clean air and water for granted. But these things can go away and it’s happening. The crystal clear stream, where I used to fish during childhood, turns into a smelly drain. I see less and less tree shades around my neighborhood, and people complain about the heat almost every day.

Tree planting by local community. �If every individual should plant a tree in their life time, the world will be full of trees.� ? Lailah Gifty Akita

Mother Nature lets us choose between hell or heaven, depending on how we treat her. Tree always appears in the drawing of your kids about dream home. Let’s materialize it.

“Each generation takes the earth as trustees. We ought to bequeath to posterity as many forests and orchards as we have exhausted and consumed.” -Julius Sterling Morton

59% of Sabah is covered by forest, so Sabahans overseas always miss the greenery here, especially those staying in big cities such as Kuala Lumpur, where the car population is far more than trees. World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that bad air is a leading environmental cause of cancer, and 1/8 of total global deaths is directly linked to air pollution.

The following are the tree planting programs that individual, company, and organization can participate in Sabah, to increase the quality of our environment. Not all trees are the same, every tree type has its roles for upkeep of a healthy nature.

1. Rainforest

Plant rainforest tree for fresh air, clean water and starry night. Rainforest is also a Disney Land for birds and wildlife. Every tree you plant will produce approximately 260 pounds of oxygen annually and absorb about one ton of Carbon Dioxide in its lifetime.

�The Best Time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The Second Best Time is NOW.�

By shading our houses and streets, tree can lower the temperature of city and shield us from excessive exposure to harmful UV. This makes our places safer for outdoor activities. That’s why forested park such as Tun Fuad Stephens Park is a favorite place for joggers.

Jungle lodge in the forest

Tree also absorbs pollutant gases (e.g. sulfur dioxide, ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark. Your home will be filled with cleaner air and less dust. The more trees you have, the more stars you can see at night.

Forest on riparian of Kinabatangan River. “A people without children would face a hopeless future; a country without trees is almost as helpless.” – Theodore Roosevelt

During rain storm, trees act like big umbrella, slowing down the runoff and prevent flash flood. Large area of trees can form a wall to block hazardous strong wind. Sabah is experiencing more flood and stronger wind nowadays, as a consequence of deforestation.

Orangutan feeding on the tree. �Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife, are in fact plans to protect man.� ? Stewart L. Udall

A forested riparian is a good “braking carpet” to reduce large quantity of soil and pollutants being washed into the river by rain, thereby maintaining a clean supply of water to reservoir.

Rhinocerous hornbill flies over a fig tree

Wildlife will be benefited too. Besides providing shelter to animals such as orangutan and hornbill, fruit trees are important food source for them.

Where to join?

Most homestay in Sabah, especially those located near Kinabatangan River, have tree planting program. Just to list a few, Kampung Bilit, Kampung Abai, Bukit Garam, Tambunan.

Tree nursery in Abai Village of Kinabatangan River. �The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.� – Nelson Henderson

Don’t hesitate to ask your travel agent for info on tree planting, most of them are very supportive of this initiative.

2. Mangrove

Plant mangrove for seafood and protection against natural disasters. Mangrove was thought to be useless until a super Tsunami took thousands of lives in 2005. There was no death reported in the areas which had mangrove forest! Mangrove is a buffer between the land and the sea, so it can be a cushion that minimize the impact of tidal waves.

Mangrove forest of Sabah

Green belt of mangrove forest is excellent in countering water-related disasters. For example, coastal area with mangrove forest is less vulnerable to typhoon. The mangrove tree also helps to stabilize the coastline by preventing erosion by sea waves.

Crabs and shrimps grow fast and fat in brackish water of mangrove

During heavy rain, mangrove forest can act like a sponge to retain the water, a feature that mitigates flood. When filthy rivers flow through mangrove, the forest will filter the sediment and harmful heavy metals in the water, before discharging it into the sea.

50% of the seafood landing in Malaysia is associated with mangrove.

Sabah is famous for abundance of seafood but very few people know the secret. Mangrove forest is breeding and nursery grounds for variety of seafood such as fish, crab, shrimp, and clams. 59% of mangrove of Malaysia is located in Sabah. Needless to say, mangrove is also an excellent spot for fishing and aquaculture.

Most proboscis monkey lives in mangrove forest

The mangroves in Klias and Weston, the habitat of proboscis monkey and firefly, are well-protected. Now throng of tourists go there every day for firefly tour. Nature always repays us generously if we take care of her.

Where to join?

You can join mangrove replanting at Kota Kinabalu Wetlands. The local schools have been sending thousands of student to plant mangrove trees there.

Nursery for mangrove tree seedlings

If you want to get dirty and do something more than just a symbolic gesture, you can join their mangrove replanting project at Sulaiman.

Mangrove tree planting. �He who plants a tree, plants a hope.� ? Lucy Larcom

3. Coral

Plant coral for tourism. If you have visited Sipadan Island, you will never forget the diving experience with schools of barracuda and dozens of turtles and sharks, which are drawn by the thriving corals there.

Coral reefs in Sabah

Coral is the home of fishes, and fishes mean food to big marine creatures. If our older generations had protected the corals well, we don’t even need to travel far and spend a lot of money to see these. Hope you see the point of leaving a great nature is better than leaving a lot of cash to our future generations. They will have to pay high price to enjoy what was used to be common. Seafood is also getting more expensive now.

Corals are home to reef fishes, a.k.a. seafood

As coral reefs are under threat globally, very few high quality coral gardens will remain intact. On the positive side, this is a magnet to tourists. In fact, tourism is the most important industry of Sabah after oil palm. A blooming tourism will create more jobs and income.

Fresh seafood

Same as mangrove, conservation of corals is vital in maintaining a sustainable supply of seafood.

Where to join?

You can take part in coral planting at Gaya Island Eco Resort off Kota Kinabalu City. Technically, coral is animal and not a plant, so you will be “planting animal” lol.

Coral planting

Usually coral fragments are used for the planting program. It has slimy secretion coming out of the pores.

Coral plates placed in stabilization tank

All you need to do is just fix that fragment on a cement plate and place it in a stabilization tank. It’ll be released into the sea by the divers.

Besides planting tree and coral, you also can donate fund to environmental organizations like WWF for restoration of forest. Let’s think of the donation as an investment. The $100 cash deposited in our bank today would depreciate to $90 next year due to inflation. But for every $1 we invest in conservation, the return can be tremendous, because trees can grow and multiply.

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Mamutik Island of Sabah, Malaysia

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Tourists to Kota Kinabalu City (KK) always ask, out of the five islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (TARP), which one is recommended. My answer is – if you expect a famous and exciting tourist destination, go for Sapi or Manukan. But if you only want a quiet beach to laze around and unwind, Mamutik Island (Pulau Mamutik) is a small island with big space.

Pic: Mamutik Island, looks like a crocodile head isn’t it?

People who want to avoid the crowd will love Mamutik Island, as it is less touristy than Sapi and Manukan, the islands where they would see more people than fishes, and human noise is louder than splashing waves. Being the smallest island of TARP, Mamutik is like an unsophisticated child who doesn’t try to impress you, it may not have charming personality but you feel more open up and relax.

Mamutik is rated by some tourists as an average island because of three reasons. First, the sea there is quite rough and water turns murky sometimes. Second, the strong waves wash many coral fragments to the shore. Stepping on this jagged surface can be a discomfort to sensitive feet. Last, the density and variety of corals isn’t great. All of the above are true.

Pic: school of anchovy fishes (ikan bilis) at the jetty

However, Mamutik still has one of the most beautiful beaches near KK and its photo is good enough to be used as postcard. Though lack of WOW factor, Mamutik isn’t lack of happy customers who appreciate the ambience of tranquillity and privacy offered by this less-crowded island.

The following is a HD video that gives you an overview of Mamutik:

The Beaches

Mamutik Island has long stretch of white sandy beach about 200 Meters in length. The sea can be choppy occassionally and the water is getting deep after 10 Meters from shore, so be careful if you don’t know how to swim.

Pic: note the darker area of the sea, it’s the color of deeper water

Every visitor can get a big share of space, swim freely and won’t collide with others (but watch out for jellyfish). Without many eyes around, tourists here behave relatively more relax.

However, the visitors seem to congregate in one or two places. Probably they feel safer to stay near to one another, or these places are near to toilet. Anyway, there are some sections that has few or no tourist, so feel free to pick a zone as your “private beach”.

Move further away from people, you can find many good photography spots with clean background, as if you are on a remote island. Most coral fragments are concentrated in the water. The beach is still mainly fine sandy beach that is nice to walk on.

Pic: You can count the number of tourists here by fingers. If we are willing to pay more for bigger hotel room, the ample personal space in Mamutik is a great value, isn’t it?

If you go to the east side of Mamutik, there is a more secluded area very well-shaded by tall casuarina trees. The beach chairs are reserved for the hotel guests from Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort. The place is quite cooling and suitable for chilling out after a swim under hot sun. You may walk or snorkel at the beach there but please keep your voice down. The staff would ask noisy outsiders to leave.

The sea waves at east side is even stronger because it is where open ocean current passing by the island. I call it a “Coral Beach” because the beach here is covered by bigger pieces of coral fragments. I even found giant clam shell once. Probably that’s how Mamutik got its name which means “shell collection”. (Note: collecting shell and anything is forbidden in this protected marine park)

Walking on the coral fragments with barefoot isn’t too bad. Just take it as a reflexology walking therapy lol. My feet have thick skin so it doesn’t hurt at all. You can wear slipper if it’s a problem.

The coral beach is quite well-kept to near pristine state since it’s a semi-private area. Turtles know it. On 26 Dec 2009, a hawksbill turtle landed on this beach to lay its eggs. It’s a good sign that turtles are coming back. We still face a lot of challenges to conserve them due to increasing plastic garbage in our sea.

FYI, if you explore further to the edge of the beach at west side, you will come to a rocky beach with nice view. The rocks in the water is slippery so be cautious when you walk on them.

Mamutik Island is located in the center of TARP, so you can see four other islands clearly from there. In the past, all five islands were part of the mainland. After Ice-Age ended, they were disconnected from mainland about 1 million years ago.

A City Island

Mamutik Island is the second nearest island to KK, so you can have a good view of our city only 3 KM away. Though travellers were away from the city, some can’t take city totally out of their mind.

On Mamutik, I always see people sitting and staring at the sea and city for a long time, or look at the planes flying in and out of KK International Airport. I wonder what’s in their mind. Were they thinking about their relationship, work, future or nothing? Whatever, Mamutik is a good place for daydreaming.

Oh by the way, since Mamutik is nearer to city, your phone may have good access to 3G network (Celcom seems to have the best coverage here).

Snorkelling

Besides sunbathing and swimming at Mamutik, snorkelling is an enjoyable way to see the underwater world. To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed with the experience. Compared to other islands, the variety of corals here isn’t so good (but not bad).

The best location to go snorkelling is the sea in front of the coral beach (another best spot is near rocky beach at the west side). The visibility is ok (about 5 Meters). That area is dominated by brain and boulder corals. They are quite abundant and big in size, often in yellow or brown color. Some have tubeworms (or Xmas Tree Worm) live in them. The most beautiful coral is the purple color Porites coral (see photo above). Not many soft corals are found though.

It’s cool that I found plenty of fishes even in shallow water. I even saw a lonely barracuda. The variety of fishes is good, but I can’t tell their species other than “Nemo” (clownfish), parrot fish and damselfish. A reef fish expert is able to spot 63 fish species in 45 minutes of snorkelling at Mamutik.

Be careful when you snorkel in the sea near the jetty area, there are many sea urchins among the corals. In case you get stung by sea urchin, just keep calm and look for the lifeguards at the beach.

Snorkelling set (snorkel, mask, fin, life jacket) are available for rent on the island, so are beach mat, tube ring, camping tent, volleyball and football. You may check out the price list (as of May 2015).

Facilities

Mamutik definitely has the facilities to fulfil tourists’ two most basic needs, i.e. call of nature (toilet) and food. Changing rooms, picnic shelters, tables and benches are free for public use too. The following is a layout map of the facilities on Mamutik:

Cafe

There is a canteen named Koktas Cafe that sells basic meals and drink. You can get food such as chicken rice, sandwich and fried noodle there. You would spend over RM10 (≈US$3) per meal as everything is priced higher on island. Better bring your own food. You may look at its menu and price list JFYI (prices as of May 2015).

Pic: Koktas Cafe

Pic: there are many lunch buffet stalls on the island. May serve good food but won’t be cheap.

Shop

Next to Koktas Cafe is a grocery and souvenir shop, where you can buy T-shirt, beach wear, slipper, hat, towel, snacks (cookies, potato chips, chocolate bars, nuts, etc.), instant noodle, insect repellent, bottled drinking water, soft drink, ice cream, etc. Beer and cigarette are available. It’s also where you rent snorkelling gear.

Accommodation

There is no hotel, resthouse and accommodation on Mamutik Island now, but a new hostel would be ready by 2017. Camping is allowed under the permission of the park warden. Camping tent is available for rent at RM30 per night (≈US$9). The park requires the camper to pay a small Camping Fee of RM5 (≈US$1.50) for adult and RM2 (≈US$0.60) for child (below 18). Please noted you need to pay additional RM50 (≈US$15) to boat operator for return trip next day. The bonus of camping here is – campers will have a wonderful night view of KK city light and sunrise view of Mt. Kinabalu (if weather is good).

Pic: public toilet with shower heads outside. The toilet on Mamutik is not well-maintained, with some broken door locks and toilet flush, a bit dirty sometimes.

Borneo Divers Dive Academy

Built by Borneo Divers, a PADI 5-star Dive Centre and Instructor Development Centre (IDC), Borneo Divers Dive Academy has started operating on 18 May 2016.

Their main role is to provide beginner and advanced scuba diving courses in this centre completed with swimming pool, dive station (with full range of dive equipment) and classrooms.

Swimming pool for guests and scuba diving courses

If you want to experience scuba diving without a diver license, you can sign up for their Discovery Scuba Diving, which costs about RM300 (≈US$90) per person and includes two dives (guided by dive instructor).

Pic: scuba divers on Mamutik Island

Besides, this Center also has the following facilities (some are open for public):

Water sports center
Souvenir shop
In-door and outdoor restaurants
Changing rooms, lockers and shower facilities
Marine Research Lab
Beach Bar
Hostel which can accommodate 80 people (available by end of 2016)

Pic: old cemetery belongs to the past residents of Mamutik, before the island is gazetted as national park in 1979. The burial ground is inside a fenced area. Just to let you know so you won’t unknowingly camp on a grave.

Jungle Trekking

At the north of Mamutik is a forested ridge. If you have 20 minutes to spare, you may walk its 385-Meter jungle trail. There are a lot of mosquitoes so insect repellent is a must.

However, this regenerated secondary forest is too small to support rich diversity of flora and fauna, so there is nothing much to see.

The only highlight is Philippines Megapod, a red face chicken-like bird that lays its eggs in mounds of sand at the edge of beach. I spotted 3 of them in my last visit. They were busy digging the soil about 5 Meters away from me behind the bush.

How to get there

Mamutik Island (see Location Map) is open from 8:00am to 5pm to public every day. You can hire a boat (for about RM30≈US$9) at one of the boat terminals in KK. The boat transfer is available every hour and the ride to Mamutik takes about 10 minutes.

Entrance Fee to Island

Besides paying for return boat transport (about RM30≈US$8, terminal fee included), you need to buy ticket (known as Conservation Fee) from the park to enter the island. The table below is the ticket rates. Please note if you are on an island-hopping trip, you only need to buy this ticket once, and you can reuse the same ticket to enter other islands of TARP on the same day.

Nationality	Adult	Below 18	Below 6	60 & above
Malaysian	RM8	RM5	Free	Free
Non-Malaysian	RM25	RM20	RM20	RM20

*Rates updated in July 2021. The entry is free for visitor with disability.

More Photos

For more nice photos, you may browse 100 latest photos of Mamutik Island in my photo album.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Sapi Island (Pulau Sapi) of Sabah, Malaysia

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Among all the islands near to Kota Kinabalu City (KK), Sapi Island (Pulau Sapi) wins the most votes as the favorite of tourists. Not only it offers more nature experience, the new activities such as Coral Flyer (longest island to island zipline in the world) make this little island more exciting. After you see all its features and secrets in this article, you will love Sapi even more.

Sapi Island is only 25-acre (10 ha) big and the second smallest island of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. Though it’s about ⅓ the size of more popular and developed Manukan Island nearby, people like its less commercialized setting and every facility is just a short walk away.

Pic: jetty of Sapi Island, with Gaya Island in the background

Once you arrive Sapi Island, thousands of fishes and beautiful sea view at the jetty already impress you, most will think “it’s gonna to be an awesome tour!” I feel the same no matter how many times I visit Sapi. Sapi is really a gift to KK, how many cities in the world have nice tropical island only 7 KM away?

Pic: my friend was so delighted in his first visit to Sapi Island. He also says he likes Sapi better than Manukan.

Sapi Island has everything it takes to be a cool island destination, i.e. blue sky, white sandy beach, crystal clear seawater, green forest, and… how about some wildlife?

Let’s meet the “dragons” of Sapi. I mean Monitor Lizard. Dozens of monitor lizards roam freely at the forest edge of Sapi and some grows up to 2 Meters long, so big that tourists mistake them as Komodo Dragon. Monitor Lizards are not aggressive and they are never a problem to the tourists. Just ignore them like how they ignore you. They only bite when you leave them no choice.

At first tourists would find these reptiles a bit intimidating, then they will enjoy it as part the nature experience. In fact, this is an attraction to green tourists who love the idea of sharing space with wildlife. Wild boars and macaques are also present occasionally.

You can just laze on the beach or go swimming. If you are not a swimmer, don’t go too far out. Certain sections, especially the area near to jetty, have a sudden incline of 2 to 3 Meters deep. So always keep an eyes on your children, though there are lifeguards around.

The beach of Sapi Island is small so it can be quite crowded during weekends and school holiday. Sapi is a forested island covered by old secondary jungle, the forest is fully protected after this island was gazetted as a national park since 1979. The trees grow very dense and tall, providing good shade behind the beach. The best months to visit Sapi are from Feb to May.

Below is a short video that shows what Sapi Island has (and its least explored corners):

Snorkelling

Fire your tour guide if he doesn’t recommend you to snorkel in Sapi Island. It’s a must-try. The best concentration of corals is located at southern side of the island. You won’t see much coral if you snorkel near the beach full with tourists.

You don’t need to make any appointment with Nemo. They are always there. Sapi Island seems to have more fishes than other islands of KK. If you want to go fishing near to KK, experienced anglers will bring you to water around Sapi Island.

Most corals I saw during snorkelling are hard corals such as lettuce and staghorn corals. During low tide, they are just a few feet under my belly. In sunny day, the visibility is excellent. Corals also need sunlight like plant, the clear water helps them to flourish.

Pic: This giant clam is about 1-feet wide, about 4 to 6 years old I think.

You can rent a life jacket for snorkelling if you don’t know how to swim.

Ok, no picture, no evidence, so the following is the moving pictures of my snorkelling in Sapi:

Besides snorkelling, there are many other fun things you can try on Sapi Island, for example, Coral Flyer (World’s longest island to island zipline), Sea Walking, Scuba diving.

Hidden Beaches

As I said, the beach can be packed with tourists in peak season. Since you can’t ask everyone on the beach to keep quiet, you can move to “hidden” beaches at other side of the island for more tranquility. It’s also the area that faces the rich corals I mentioned above.

Pic: the way (yellow pointer) to hidden beaches are behind the rock outcrop next to tourist beach

But there is a little obstacle course for you to cross to other side. The rocks in the water are quite slippery. For me, climbing over the dry boulders along the rocky shore is easier.

It’s a walk of about 200 Meters that worths your effort. Bring some water (and snorkelling gears) with you. Otherwise it’s very troublesome to walk back to tourist area to get it.

Pic: there are two hidden beaches on the same side. Some locals also don’t know this. They are all yours. You are welcome.

Pic: campers at the secret beach

Secret Cliff

Here is another secret location with rewarding view, only for those who are keen to walk 800 Meters to higher ground. Your friends who are lazy to follow you will regret, after they see the nice photos you share on Instagram.

The starting point of the trail is next to a fenced area behind tourist beach and a shelter named “Pondok Tenggiri”. It’s guarded by a few dragons. Don’t worry, they (monitor lizards) will flee when you approach lol. You will spot a not-so-useful trail map at forest edge.

The route starts with steep ascend in the beginning. After 486 Meters, you will reach a Y junction, follow the trail at the left. There is no direction sign along the trail, keep your eyes wide open so you won’t miss the junction.

After 300 Meters, you will come to an open area with exposed sedimentary rocks and greeted by a few noisy White-breasted woodswallow (bird). Congratulations! You have discovered the secret cliff that is unseen by 99.9% of the tourists. Even though it’s only a 25 minutes walk, it feels like a major achievement for getting there.

The cliff gives you a magnificent view of rocky shore facing the vast blue ocean behind Sapi Island. Watch your footing as there is no fence. A fall from this 50 feet cliff is hazardous to your health, and there are very few people come here, in case you need help badly. Anyway, this cliff could be a potential spot for recreational abseiling.

Pic: view of Manukan Island from the cliff

You can see more photos of this secret cliff in my photo album. I also recorded the panoramic scene of secret cliff in my video.

On another side of the secret cliff is a descending path leads to a rocky beach, where you can get very clear view of hidden beaches.

You may turn back to the starting point after taking some photos on secret cliff, or you can continue to explore another route at the junction, by walking another 500 Meters on the ridge to complete the loop trail of Sapi Island. The remaining jungle trail is not well-maintained. Unless you are very interested in trees, there are some big Keruing and other beautiful trees to see, otherwise don’t waste your time.

Pic: a monument near the end of jungle trail. How many typo do you spot? If this thing happens today, sure it’ll go viral on the Net.

Rocky Beach

Another beach worths checking out is the Rocky Beach at the 200-Meter narrow channel between Sapi and Gaya Island. During low tide, you can even walk to Gaya Island, the biggest island of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. Wildlife also uses this as a migration shortcut between islands.

The shore is blanketed by tens of thousands of sandstone pebbles and rocks, this likes an upstream river in interior of Sabah.

The 235-Meter zipline Coral Flyer can be seen from here.

Facilities on Sapi

The amenities for tourists are basic but quite complete on Sapi Island. Jetty, toilets / changing rooms, benches, cafe, grocery shop and shelters are available for public access. The only thing that Sapi doesn’t have is island accommodation. Camping is allowed but you must inform the Park Warden at reception counter for the permission.

Pic: above is the layout map of Sapi Island. You can click to enlarge it.

Pic: public toilets of Sapi Island. Thank you for not peeing in the sea. There are shower heads outside for you to rinse your body.

Pic: I was so shocked to see this monitor lizard in man’s toilet because it’s a female. An awkward moment when we both were speechless and stared at each other. Nature, remember this is Nature. Wildlife has the right to enjoy the amenities like human does. Just kidding.

Sapi Cafe is open from 8am to 4pm every day, and they serve common food and drink such as fried rice from RM7 to RM23 (≈US$2-7). You can click here to see their menu (prices as of Apr 2015), which has good variety of choices (Note: Some food items may not available sometimes).

Pic: lunch buffet stalls on the island, usually run by travel agent for their tour groups, but they might accept walk-in customers.

You can rent snorkelling gears (RM25/day≈US$7.60/day for snorkel, mask, fins & life jacket), beach mat, camping tent, etc. from a shop in island. Small locker is available for rent for RM10 (≈US$3) a day. Refundable deposit applies so bring extra cash. You may click here to see the list of items and their rental/deposit rates (prices as of Apr 2015).

Pic: island grocery shop, opens from 8am to 4pm, some items sold include snacks, soft drink, beer, sunblock lotion, insect repellent, soap & shampoo, batteries, medicines.

Travel Fees

Sapi Island is a public marine park managed by the government (Sabah Parks) and open to walk-in local and international tourists every day. After you pay for the return boat transfer, you need to purchase ticket (which is called Conservation Fee) to enter the island. The table below is the ticket rates.

Nationality	Adult	Below 18	Below 6	60 & above
Malaysian	RM8	RM5	Free	Free
Non-Malaysian	RM25	RM20	RM20	RM20

Conservation fee, with effect from 1 Jan 2023

*Rates updated in Jan 2023. The entry is free for visitor with disability.

Some travel agents may charge you RM150 to RM180 (≈US$45-55) per person for a tour package (include land/boat transfer, lunch, entrance fee, snorkelling gears, guide service) to Sapi Island. If you arrange the trip on your own, it’ll cost only RM100 (≈US$24) or less. For example, let’s say you are a foreign adult tourist, below is the sample budget:

Return Boat Transfer (& Terminal Fee): RM30
Island Entrance Fee: RM25 (non-Malaysian adult)
Snorkelling Gears: RM25 (rent from shop in island)
Lunch: RM15 (bring your own lunch)

Camping Fee

For camper, the park imposes a small Camping Fee of RM5 (≈US$1.50) for adult and RM2 (≈US$0.60) for child (below 18). Please be informed that you need to pay additional RM50 (≈US$15) to boat operator for next-day pickup. Camping tent (fit 4 people) is available for rent at RM30/day (≈US$9/day) on the island. The island shops close at 4pm, so you better take out your belonging from locker or buy your last-minute supply such as food before they close.

How to get there

Sapi Island (see Location Map) is only 10 to 15 minutes away from KK by boat. You can hire a boat at any one of the boat terminals in KK City (open from 8am to 4pm). Please note the last boat returning to KK City departs at 4pm or 4:30pm.

More Photos

Please feel free to browse 100 latest and bigger photos of Sapi Island:

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Stand-Up Paddle Boarding in Sapi Island, Sabah

S.U.P at Sapi Island

To go to Sapi Island is easy, just hire a boat from one of the 3 boat terminals in KK City. Though Paddle Below the Wind accepts walk-in customers, it’s better you tell them what time you come in advance (see contact info near the end of this article).

Pic: The S.U.P booth of Paddle Below the Wind is just next to the reception building at the entrance of Sapi Island.

Pic: S.U.P booth on Sapi Island. Kayak is also available for rent there. Just approach their staff to sign up for a S.U.P tour. You will fill up an indemnity form and meet your S.U.P instructor.

Pic: the route of S.U.P at Sapi Island. I tried Area 1 (left in yellow circle), which has a lot of corals, an excellent location for snorkelling.

My instructor is Richard from Wales UK and also the owner of Paddle Below the Wind. He has been kayaking and surfing all over the world for many years. While travelling in Sabah, he fell in love with Nora, a Sabahan, now they are married with two lovely kids. Before the 1-hour S.U.P tour, we walked to the beach 10 Metres away for a 10-minute S.U.P lesson in shallow water.

Stand Up Paddle Board is wider than surfboard, it’s about 10 to 12 feet long and weighs about 10Kg, light enough to be carried by most girls in one hand. This cool toy costs more than RM4K.

Pic: you can secure your snorkel gears, water bottle and other things under the diagonal strings. Note the small black socket where you can mount your GoPro camera for action shots.

Pic: A long leash links the board to my ankle, making S.U.P my personal life raft.

Richard taught us the basic paddling techniques and poses (standing, kneeling and sitting). I prefer to stand because it gives me a higher vantage point to see the underwater world better.

As a beginner, at first I struggled a bit to stand on the floating board. To balance well, you have to look at your front instead of your feet. We got used to it within 10 minutes and paddled away. The board becomes more stable while moving. The sea was calm so I didn’t fall into the water even once.

Very soon we were already far away from the shore. It was a sunny day and I could see everything more than 5 Meters deep under the surface. I could even see scuba divers.

It’s a wonderful experience to be able to look at the thriving corals under my feet. My S.U.P was like gliding on a glass on top of a coral garden. My first reaction was, “WOW! I didn’t know Sapi has so many corals”. Boat is forbidden to enter this zone (but S.U.P can) because it’ll crush the corals in shallow sea.

Pic: It was me busy taking photos far behind Richard. Thanks Richard for being patient lol.

I was so excited by the stunning view. It’s nature in its best. The coral area is big and dense, probably spanning across a sea area of over 200 Meters. Despite going to Sapi Island so many times, this is something totally new to me. I stopped paddling many times to take photos like crazy. Remember to bring your smartphone or camera (with Waterproof Case) or you will regret.

It’s so hard for me to keep calm seeing these blooming corals, which is far away from beach and unnoticed by ordinary tourists who are already happy with white sandy beach.

Snorkelling

We paddled to a few best snorkelling spots about half a KM from “tourist beach”. The corals there are mostly pristine and not damaged by any tourist activity.

Pic: you can pick your favorite snorkelling spot.

Pic: Be careful with where you enter the water, avoid stepping on corals in shallow water or you will risk damaging the corals and cut yourselves.

The water is so crystal clear that we can take decent photos of coral even with cellphone. There are corals in variety of shapes and colors. I saw table corals, staghorn corals, yellow spiral corals, lettuce corals, brain corals, etc. and many schools of fishes foraging among them.

I’m so happy to see Nemo, parrot fishes and giant clam.

Our S.U.P also reached a few “hidden” beaches without much effort, which is only accessible to tourists who are willing to trek a long distance on slippery rocky trail along the coast. If you want, you can make a round trip to explore the whole Sapi Island, which takes about 20 to 30 minutes by S.U.P.

When I indulged in photographing the corals and fishes, Richard signaled me to come to him, like he found something interesting. We saw a big monitor lizard in the water, with a fish in its mouth. We tried to get closer to have a good look then we found another small monitor lizard sunbathed on a boulder on the beach. This is a view you won’t find near the beach full of tourists.

Pic: You also can rest on the board.

Stand-Up Paddle Boarding is addictive. Honestly I didn’t have enough of it and wish to do it all day long.

Info & Booking

The fee to experience Stand-Up Paddle Boarding by Paddle Below the Wind in Sapi Island is RM130 (≈US$40) per person, which includes:

10-minute lession
1-hour of guided S.U.P
Snorkel, mask and life jacket

Note: Entrance ticket to Sapi Island and Return boat transfer (between Sapi Island and KK) are not included.

S.U.P tour is available from 9am to 1:30pm on Sapi Island. You may contact Nora or Richard for info and booking:
Tel: +60 17-8960341
E-mail: paddlebelow@gmail.com
Website: www.paddlebelowthewind.com
Facebook: BorneoSUPpaddlebelowthewind
To stay comfortable during S.U.P, please wear sunblock lotion, hat and sunglass.

S.U.P at Tanjung Aru First Beach

Paddle Below the Wind also offers S.U.P and surfing lessons at Tanjung Aru First Beach (required booking in advance). For only RM40 (≈US$12) for a 45-min trial session, you can “de-stress” yourselves after work and enjoy the sunset view.

More Photos

Please feel free to check out my photo album if you want to see more photos:

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Snorkeling in Sipadan Island

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Being described as an “Untouched Piece of Art” by Jacques Cousteau, Sipadan Island is always high on the chart of best dive sites and frequented by scuba divers from all over the world. To promote Sipadan, travel agents like to use underwater photographs of divers, as if the only way to see the beauty of Sipadan is to wear over 30 pounds of diving gears and sink to the sea bottom.

So, is swimming and snorkeling in Sipadan just a waste of time? Read on, you will see that Sipadan is also best for snorkeling.

Sipadan is the only oceanic island of Malaysia and its reef is built on a volcanic seamount which rises steeply from a surrounding seabed more than 500 Meters in depth. In brief, Sipadan is a mushroom-like island in the deep ocean. This 13.5-Hectare island, which takes only 20 minutes to walk one round, looks like an ordinary tropical island, but there is a lot of going on under its water.

Pic: the deep blue seawater is the 500 Meters drop. Sound scary, but a lot of corals bloom on its steep wall and become “hanging garden”, which is famous for Wall Diving.

In my last visit to Sipadan, I snorkeled in 3 sites, which are only 3 to 6 Meters deep and not far from the island.

If you prefer to watch video, the following is the 2.5-min video of my snorkeling tour in Sipadan:

Site #1: Mid Reef

The visibility of Mid Reef is good in the morning. The water is about 3 Meters deep, so I can get a close and clear view of flourishing hard corals.

Pic: big fan coral, which is bigger than me.

Pic: 500-Meter drop at the left

Fishes like to congregate near the edge of island. I saw thousands of reef fishes in different colors and sizes in coral reefs, like butterflies among the flowers. A popular TV host from National Geographic Channel once said he was dazzled by the fishes here LOL.

I also spotted a live giant clam about 3 feet in wide. Due to overfishing, it is extremely rare to see such a big one in the wild.

A school of Barracuda just appeared in front of me, as seen in tourism brochure. This magnificent view was totally unexpected because I thought I only can see this in deep water.

Site #2: Turtle Tomb

I was so happy with what I saw. Quickly I proceeded to the next site, the Turtle Tomb.

The sunlight was getting bright so the visibility is superb. My underwater camera could record everything clearly.

It was not too long for me to find a sea turtle swimming gracefully, then came the second, third and fourth one. Sea turtles are just everywhere. Surprisingly, they didn’t bother about my presence so I could see their natural behaviour up close.

Some turtles were resting at the bottom. Like the one above was just a few feet below me. To avoid disturbing it, I stayed still and let current pushed me away. It looked fairly relax and didn’t try to hide or flee.

Then I noticed something big and dark moving under me. It was a group of Bumphead Parrotfish foraging around corals.

Can you believe it? Nearly hundred of Bumphead Parrotfish were so close that our fins almost touched them.

I only saw Bumphead Parrotfish in seafood dinner before, without knowing that it is such a fascinating creature.

Site #3: Barracuda Point

I had my lunch after two snorkeling trips. After a short rest, I couldn’t wait to get back to the water again.

Sipadan is located in Coral Triangle, which is also known as Amazon of the Sea and important habitat to over 3,000 coral fish species and 76% of world’s coral species.

When I thought the best part was over, I saw a big swarm of “something” coming to my way.

My goodness, it is a school of Jackfish, probably ten of thousands of them. This is crazy!

A guest swam to them and soon engulfed by wall of Jackfish. Before this, I thought such view was something only happened in my dream. I strongly recommend you to watch the video.

The fishes didn’t look stress though we were really close, a result of long years of full protection by this marine park.

In conclusion, the snorkeling experience in Sipadan is almost as good as diving. However, to see richer variety of corals and bigger sharks, you still have to dive deeper. Every diver says they regret to dive in Sipadan. Why? Because they have seen the best (Sipadan), other dive sites can’t impress them anymore. So I advise you to keep Sipadan as the last. 🙂

In case you wonder how Sipadan got its name. The name is from the word Siparan, which refers to a dead body of a person named Si Paran, whom had been found restlessly on the beach of Sipadan.

Visit Sipadan Island

To visit Sipadan Island (Pulau Sipadan in Malaysia language), you need an entry permit from Sabah Parks, the management of Sipadan Island Park. To reduce the impact to the environment, Sabah Parks imposes a daily quota of 120 people to Sipadan. The tour is always fully booked, so you need to apply at least 3 months in advance. The easiest way is to get a licensed dive operator to arrange the diving trip for you, they also can book the accommodation and provide the airport transfer.

Pic: the reception counter at the jetty. Everyone must register here before entering the island. You will be denied entry if you don’t have a permit.