Into a deep blue dream

MALAYSIA

Kota Kinabalu waters offers divers rich sightings

Justin Lee, traveller@newstoday.com.sg

You see it on television — schools of fish swirling in formation like a tornado against the light, turtles languidly winging past spiky beds of coral, sharks, ever elusive, materializing out of the blue. If you live in Singapore, you’ll know that these wondrous scenes need not be confined to the goggle box. Awesome marine life abound in South-east Asian waters, with some of the most stunning to be found off the coast of Kota Kinabalu.

Take the world-class diving destination of Sipadan, which I decided to explore a few years ago. Accessible by boat from the city of Tawau, Sipadan is a diver’s dream because of its location and geographical formation. The island is the tip of a mountain rising a few thousand feet from the sea floor. The surrounding coral reef is home to a diverse marine ecosystem you won’t find anywhere in the world.

Before I jumped into the water with my scuba gear, I was told by the resort manager: “If you don’t see a turtle, you get your money back.”

He didn’t issue the guarantee without cause. Sipadan has a sea turtle nursery that allows visitors to see how they sleep, mate and hatch. Visitors can also participate in the growth of turtles by releasing newborns into the sea.

Needless to say, I saw plenty of turtles during my time in Sipadan. I had come to swim with schools of barracudas and jacks and catch a glimpse of hammerhead sharks — which, along with manta rays and whale sharks, forms the “Holy Trinity” of sightings. I got my wish but more of my shark-crossing experience later.

Sipadan today has a cap on the number of divers allowed on the site to protect its natural resources.

If you can’t go, consider other Kota Kinabalu gems such as Layang Layang, a spot famed for its hammerhead sightings. The shy sharks are hard to spot and divers can be on site in the thick of hammerhead season and not see them.

When it does happen, there is no mistaking the moment. The hammerheads literally come out of the blue; their silhouette is unmistakable — horned torpedoes that strike both excitement and fear in swimmers.

When I was lucky enough to spot the sharks, my heartbeat quickened and I irrationally yelled “Hammerheads! Yes! Finally!” into my mouthpiece. Irrationally, because my words came out in a stream of bubbles that no one understood.

Seeing the approach of a hammerhead is both an awe-inspiring and terrifying moment. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be shark breakfast or throw up my own.

Then, my fellow diver exhaled, his breath rose in noisy bubbles like a curtain of silver beads. That was enough to spook the hammerheads. In a flash, they were gone, back into the deep blue.

Looking around I saw what they left behind — a group of ecstatic divers. If there ever was a state of diving nirvana, this was it. Television doesn’t even come close.

Best from the surface

If you don’t have a diving licence but would like to take in the sights of a coral reef, Malaysia also offers some great spots for snorkelling.

My favourite is Redang Island. The site is part of a marine park, so the reefs are well protected and in good health. Snorkellers can see a wide range of marine life — barracuda, parrot fish, jacks, turtles — in crystal clear waters.

The quickest way to get to Redang is by Berjaya Air from Seletar Airport. The plane ride is 90 minutes long. The overland journey is 11 hours.

From TODAY, Traveller – Thursday, 23-April-2009