Sabah is home to many things. Of course when asked what's to be found there, most of us Malaysians would name Mount Kinabalu, the orangutan and the Rafflesia. Some might even be knowledgeable enough to also mention Sipadan in the breath. Up till last week, even I wouldn't have. I was lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) enough to head over to Sipadan Island with my dad and six other photographers--journalists, some of 'em. The downside to it was that they were interested in the natives as well as the sea and sunset and islands--not diving.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm no scuba enthusiast; never dived before either. In fact, on paper, I get nauseous by the thought of being so deep underwater, with all the pressure, darkness, the strong currents of the open sea (and even underwater channels), the heavy/bulky equipment. And that's not even taking into account the ginormous hammerhead sharks that lurk around Sipadan. And I just read Dan Brown's Deception Point. But still. You don't go to one of the top three dive spots in the world and not take a dip in the water. And see what all the fuss is about.
Anyway, my visit to Sipadan was a short one--just one of many legs of my journey around the many islands and sand bars. Yes, there are other islands there too. Sipadan is tiny--maybe two or three football fields? And due to international regulations for it being a World Heritage site (I think), nothing artificial is allowed to be built. So there are no resorts, not even a RM10 per night hostel. There's only a jetty and a military pondok. You can't stay at Sipadan; the nearest is Mabul or Kapalai.
Back to Sipadan proper. As the boat neared the island you can see the water is dark blue (deep) all around. Then there's a ring of light blue (shallow) maybe fifteen, twenty meters around the island. After I registered at the army/navy post, I put on my snorkels, got my Ixus in its underwater casing, and walked into the clear blue sea. Ten meters in, the water was up to my waist. There were coral (not the most colorful, I must say) and tiny fish swimming around. As I neared the light blue-dark blue threshold, the water was maybe two meters deep so I swam. Beneath me marine life was thriving: vibrant coral and seaweed and colorful fish half my size (fifteen meters away from the beach!) and even a turtle! Brilliant!
But then--nothing. From a wonderful sight of all sorts of life on the sea bed, I am now faced with an abyss. Darkness. Utter darkness. It's like floating over the edge of a cliff. It's not so much that it's deep that it's so scary. Except it is. The underwater cliff is quite a sight to behold, breathtaking even. And I rarely say that about anything. Add to that thoughts of the strong currents of the deep sea, Sipadan Hammerhead Shark T-shirts (the same shark from Deception Point), drifting away, and...sinking. It's just so drastic.
Now, in Form Two or Three Geography, we learn that the sea in between Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia (and around that area, too) is only 200m deep--Pentas Sunda or something? Now imagine an underwater mountain that barely breaks the surface. That is Sipadan. From the beach, you can walk among the coral and the fish. The water is pristine. Very. Think Mild Seven Seafarer's Club commercials. That's it. Yet this shallow area only lasts up to 15-20m away from the shore. After that, the sea is 200m deep.
I stayed closer to the shore after that.
There are posters asking you to vote Sipadan for a spot on the up-and-coming Seven Natural Wonders of the World, as well as ratings and testimonies by magazines and organizations proclaiming the island as the best diving spot in the world. Whether you buy into the propaganda or not is irrelevant. The fact is, Sipadan is bloody brilliant and it's right here in our backyard. In the place we stayed, we were the only Malaysians. There were Filipinos, Japs, Aussies, Scots, English, Chinese and others from God knows where. The day we left a group of Kelantanese came, and even then they had family who lived near Sipadan. Thing is, people from all over pay thousands to see the island. We Malaysians...undervalue? underestimate? just don't care?
I as an Orang Semenanjung think we on this side should be more aware of what's to be found on the other side of Malaysia. And we should give a rat's ass about its goings-on, too. There is so much there we're missing out on.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm no scuba enthusiast; never dived before either. In fact, on paper, I get nauseous by the thought of being so deep underwater, with all the pressure, darkness, the strong currents of the open sea (and even underwater channels), the heavy/bulky equipment. And that's not even taking into account the ginormous hammerhead sharks that lurk around Sipadan. And I just read Dan Brown's Deception Point. But still. You don't go to one of the top three dive spots in the world and not take a dip in the water. And see what all the fuss is about.
Anyway, my visit to Sipadan was a short one--just one of many legs of my journey around the many islands and sand bars. Yes, there are other islands there too. Sipadan is tiny--maybe two or three football fields? And due to international regulations for it being a World Heritage site (I think), nothing artificial is allowed to be built. So there are no resorts, not even a RM10 per night hostel. There's only a jetty and a military pondok. You can't stay at Sipadan; the nearest is Mabul or Kapalai.
Back to Sipadan proper. As the boat neared the island you can see the water is dark blue (deep) all around. Then there's a ring of light blue (shallow) maybe fifteen, twenty meters around the island. After I registered at the army/navy post, I put on my snorkels, got my Ixus in its underwater casing, and walked into the clear blue sea. Ten meters in, the water was up to my waist. There were coral (not the most colorful, I must say) and tiny fish swimming around. As I neared the light blue-dark blue threshold, the water was maybe two meters deep so I swam. Beneath me marine life was thriving: vibrant coral and seaweed and colorful fish half my size (fifteen meters away from the beach!) and even a turtle! Brilliant!
But then--nothing. From a wonderful sight of all sorts of life on the sea bed, I am now faced with an abyss. Darkness. Utter darkness. It's like floating over the edge of a cliff. It's not so much that it's deep that it's so scary. Except it is. The underwater cliff is quite a sight to behold, breathtaking even. And I rarely say that about anything. Add to that thoughts of the strong currents of the deep sea, Sipadan Hammerhead Shark T-shirts (the same shark from Deception Point), drifting away, and...sinking. It's just so drastic.
Now, in Form Two or Three Geography, we learn that the sea in between Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia (and around that area, too) is only 200m deep--Pentas Sunda or something? Now imagine an underwater mountain that barely breaks the surface. That is Sipadan. From the beach, you can walk among the coral and the fish. The water is pristine. Very. Think Mild Seven Seafarer's Club commercials. That's it. Yet this shallow area only lasts up to 15-20m away from the shore. After that, the sea is 200m deep.
I stayed closer to the shore after that.
There are posters asking you to vote Sipadan for a spot on the up-and-coming Seven Natural Wonders of the World, as well as ratings and testimonies by magazines and organizations proclaiming the island as the best diving spot in the world. Whether you buy into the propaganda or not is irrelevant. The fact is, Sipadan is bloody brilliant and it's right here in our backyard. In the place we stayed, we were the only Malaysians. There were Filipinos, Japs, Aussies, Scots, English, Chinese and others from God knows where. The day we left a group of Kelantanese came, and even then they had family who lived near Sipadan. Thing is, people from all over pay thousands to see the island. We Malaysians...undervalue? underestimate? just don't care?
I as an Orang Semenanjung think we on this side should be more aware of what's to be found on the other side of Malaysia. And we should give a rat's ass about its goings-on, too. There is so much there we're missing out on.
