Jeff and I both have a number of hobbies that we genuinely enjoy. Some, like amateur radio (Jeff), were easily transported to Hong Kong with us, while others (gardening and beekeeping) are sacrificed during our stay here. One of my personal favorites is SCUBA diving, and fortunately for me, living in Asia has provided the opportunity to experience a number of unique diving destinations with a fraction of the jet lag we would endure traveling from the States.
Sipidan Island (marked by the red arrow) sits off the northeastern coast of Borneo
Situated on the south end of the South China Sea is Borneo, an island of 287,000 square miles, making it the third largest island in the world (following Greenland and New Guinea). Borneo sits at the center of the Indo-Pacific basin, an area that is known for its large and diverse array of marine life. Nearly three-quarters of the island, primarily the southern part, is controlled by Indonesia. The tiny sovereign state of Brunei sits on the west coast, while the remaining territory is Malaysian, stretching from the west-central to the northeast side of the island.
Peaceful stretches of sandy beaches awaited us at the end of our long trip to Mataking
In recent months, southern Borneo has been plagued by fires from the practice of slashing and burning its dense vegetation for the expansion of palm oil plantations. Indonesia has been criticized for not doing enough to prevent these fires. The land contains extensive amounts of peat soil which is highly flammable and produces the thick, hazy smoke that has drifted into other countries across Southeast Asia. Despite this, eco-tourism is growing in Borneo due to its ancient rain forest that is home to hundreds of species of flora and fauna, many of which are unique to the island. In northern Borneo, the Malaysian state of Sabah is blessed with numerous islands and coral reefs in the Celebes Sea along its east coast. This was our destination, and fortunately, it was clear of smoke from the fires during our week there.
A fishing village along the shores of Kalapuan Island
In diving, the general rule is that the best destinations are the ones that are most difficult to reach. Our friends, Glenda and Tom Kleinkauf, were up for this challenge and joined us for a week-long adventure on Mataking Island. The trip involved two flights between Hong Kong and Tawau, a two-hour drive to Semporna, followed by a 45-minute boat ride to the island. When we arrived, we were rewarded by a quiet, peaceful island with white sand beaches and clear, pristine water.
Our dive guide, Hardy, and three of his eight children
Mataking is about 40 miles northeast of Sipidan Island, a well-known and highly protected diving destination. Just 32 acres in size, Sipidan is thousands of years old, having been formed by the growth of corals atop a now-inactive volcanic cone. Following a territorial dispute between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, control of the island was awarded to Malaysia by the International Court of Justice in 2002. The government has since enacted a number of measures designed to protect the environment there. These measures included clearing the island of all resorts and strictly controlling the number (120 divers) and hours (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.) of visitors each day. In order to dive there, one must apply in advance for permits and meet minimum experience levels. The Royal Malaysian Navy maintains a small outpost on Sipidan to monitor compliance with the regulations as well as to defend the country's control over the island. In recent years, the area has seen some unrest unrest caused by migration of refugees from the southern Philippines, so in addition to the Naval presence, the Royal Malaysian Police patrol the area extensively.
Regular patrols by the Royal Malaysian Police ensure the waters are safe for divers
During our week, we did about three dives per day in a variety of dive sites around Mataking Island and spent an entire day visiting Sipidan. The whole area is really a dream for divers and snorkelers alike. From macro-sized creatures like nudibranchs and shrimp, to large creatures like turtles, barracuda and bump head parrotfish, our biggest worry seemed to be whether our camera batteries would last. I'm pretty sure that I've never lost count of the number of sharks I've seen on a dive, but that happened on this trip! At one site, a sunken ship made a reef where hundreds of fish now happily make their home. We mailed some postcards, wrapped in watertight packaging, from "the only underwater post office in the world," a mailbox attached to the ship that uses dive weights to hold down the lid. The resort's conservation efforts include a turtle hatchery, where staff and volunteers carefully collect turtle eggs, re-burying them in a kind of protected nursery for incubation, ensuring a larger number make it to the hatching stage. On the day the eggs hatch, the baby turtles are released on the beach and make their way into the ocean on their own. We attended two releases and watched in awe as hundreds of baby turtles scurried down the sand and into the water, either to start their lives or (sadly, for most of them) end up as a small snack for birds or larger fish.
We enjoyed a week of exceptional diving
Over the years, we have enjoyed many dive trips with Glenda and Tom, and this trip was no exception. I think we can honestly say that eastern Borneo was some of the best diving we have ever seen. No doubt, part of this was luck because of the good weather and calm seas during our visit. But the number and diversity of marine life left us impressed with both the area and Malaysia's efforts to protect this unique ecosystem. The following video captures some of what we saw during our trip. Our week went by much too quickly, but we left with very fond memories of our time making bubbles in Borneo.
