WW:Sabah

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Landmark in the city.

Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah and the gateway to the diverse bio-diversity found in this nature rich state.

From young to old, Sabah has it all to offer. The friendly nature of it’s people makes visitor to this place feels at home. When it comes to food, there are plenty of choice - Chinese, Malay, Indian, Western, Italian and others. My personal favourites are the Ba-Kut-Teh, dim sum and pastries. Though Bahasa Malaysia is the national language, English is well accepted.

Activities

Though Sabah is popular for scuba diving and climbing up Mt. Kinabalu, there are still so much to do here like going out to the island for snorkeling, take a river cruise, visit the National Park for the fauna and Poring Hot Spring or go see Orang Utan and Proboscis Monkey.

Mount Kinabalu, a world heritage.

Photographed by Whei Shing

Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (TARP), Sabah

White sand, crystal clear water with tall coconut trees along the beach.

TARP park is just 10-20 minutes boat ride from Kota Kinabalu city, made up of 5 islands namely- Gaya, Sapi, Manukan, Mamutik and Sapi. Gazetted as a Marine Park, the islands boast white sandy beaches and shallow waters with sumptuous coral reef.

All 5 islands are equipped with basic amenities for day trip visitors. For those who like to be among the crowd, Sapi and Manukan are the place to be though Mamutik is my personal preference as it’s more quite.

There are so much to do at the islands - scuba diving, snorkeling, para sailing, banana boat, ‘sea walk’, underwater scooter ride or just read your favourite book on the beach.

Underwater

The reef around the islands are homes to a menagerie of marine life such as lionfish, flutenose, pufferfish, scorpionfish, rays, clownfish and cuttlefish. While nudibranch, flying gurnard, fingered dragonet, gobies and mantis shrimp are found at the shallower depth.

During the February month when the water is cooler and plankton blooms, whale sharks would visit these islands. Though I miss it twice, I promise myself to go back next year.

Most dive are within 20m depth with average of 8m vis which is perfect for any level of diver.

Shore dive at Mamutik Island.

Mantanani, Sabah

White sand, crystal clear water with tall coconut trees along the beach.

Mantanani Islands is a group of three isolated islands located northwest of Kota Belud, about 2 hours drive from Kota Kinabalu. In order to get to the island, one has to take a 45 minutes speedboat ride from the mainland.

The islands boasts of crystal clear blue waters filled with a myriad of marine life and white sandy beaches fringed by coconut palm trees making it an excellent destination for snorkelling and scuba diving. One of the main reasons that Mantanani Islands have recently attracted many visitors, local and tourists alike is because of a special creature called the ‘dugong’ or sea cow that resides around the islands.

Diving

There are a number of dive sites surrounding the two islands but my favourite ones are Great Wall, Riza Garden and Italian Place. Good visibility, easy to navigate and maximum of 20m depth with 10m vis is just perfect for any level of divers. Lionfish, scorpionfish, golden trevally, rays, sea turtles and corals are some of the marine life that makes the reef an amazing experience to visit while nudibranch and other macros make it even better for the avid photographer.

Picture of dugong and diver

from Scuba Paradise

Pulau Tiga, Sabah

Romance with nature…

Made famous by CBS tv series ‘Survivor’, Pulau Tiga is located on the west coast of Sabah between Kota Kinabalu and Labuan. In order to get there, one has to travel by land for 2 hours to Kuala Penyu and from there another half hour speedboat ride.

My first feelings upon reaching the island are serenity and natural. After wondering around, I think there is a lot of romance here! A great place for family or just a group of good pals.

One of the main attractions on this island is the mud volcano pool. It is a 20 minutes walk, going through a trail under a canopy of tropical trees with some tree more than a hundred years old.

The good visibility of the surrounding water is good for scuba diving for all level of divers. Heard from our guide, schools of dolphin are common sight and they would come very close to the boat.

This guy decided to stay back after the tv series, Survivor.

Mabul-Sipadan, Sabah

I took this picture of Sipadan in 2004 before all the resorts were ask to move out.

Mabul located on the east coast of Sabah was made famous because of it’s close proximity to the world famous dive site, Sipadan.

The only way to get there is to take a flight from Kinabalu to Tawau, then an hour by land to Semporna before taking a 45 minutes speedboat.

From Mabul, a day trip to Sipadan and Kapalai is possible.

Mabul is currently well known for muck diving other than being the place to stay to visit Sipadan. Home to many magnificent micro lives such the flamboyant cuttlefish, mimic octopus, harlequin shrimps and many other macros.

Kapalai, an island submerged underwater is also another place popular for it’s macro lives. This island is a favourite for the avid underwater photographers.

While Sipadan, needless to say much is a great place for wall and drift diving while enjoying the pelagic such as schools of barracuda and jacks. At time, hammerhead sharks can bee seen at 40m during the early morning.

Amazing school of jacks.