| Sipadan
Island, Malaysia
Date:
Monday, May 23, 2005
By: Michael H. Cottman, BlackAmericaWeb.com
Sipadan
Island, Malaysia – Descending 50 feet
into the Celebes Sea, a spectacular menagerie of marine
life – whitetip sharks, huge turtles, blacktip
sharks and scaly barracudas – slowly comes into
view.
Floating
easily with the current over a 2,000-foot drop-off,
two sharks dart directly beneath me. I follow them around
a bend to get a quick photo and cross paths with four
more sharks and a pack of flapping turtles as I survey
the underwater wilderness of remote East Malaysia.
The
exhilarating 45-minute scuba dive two weeks ago featured
three-inch-long seahorses, shrimp, crocodile fish, and
curious orange-and-white striped clownfish. The water
was so clear on this day that I can look up and see
the surface.
Twenty
scuba divers from across the United States made up our
travel group – six of us members of The National
Association of Black Scuba Divers, including this writer.
We came half-way around the world to dive the South
China Sea and the Celebes Sea.
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See
photos of this beautiful and exotic country!
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"The
bio-diversity is overwhelming," said Dr. Jose Jones,
a marine biologist from Washington, D.C. who has logged
more than 5,000 dives in 50 countries. Jones is also
a co-founder of The National Association of Black Scuba
Divers.
We
traveled to Sipadan, this tiny, rain-forest covered
island seemingly in the middle of nowhere to see all
the ocean offers. Malaysia is quickly becoming one of
the world’s leading dive destinations because
of its rich marine environment in Southeast Asia.
Underwater,
divers have experienced schooling hammerhead sharks,
huge schools of barracudas, large sea turtles, frogfish,
ghost pipefish and clownfish. Sipadan boasts 50 distinct
kinds of coral and more than 200 species of fish.
"Sipadan
is definitely a world class dive site, with spectacular
walls, a rich mix of reef fish and occasional pelagics,"
said writer/photographer Eric Hanauer, who has traveled
the world to photograph underwater life for magazines
and books.
"It's
heartening that the Malaysian government has protected
the island's [Sipadan] delicate environment by closing
all the dive centers located there," he added.
On
Mabul, one of the most popular and well-managed dive
operations is Boreno Divers, co-owned by Clement Lee,
who has spent 21 years in the region building a 12-boat
dive operation and an efficient staff that today enjoys
a worldwide reputation for excellence.
Lee,
who opened one of the first dive resorts in Boreno,
said Sipadan Island – the heart of the diving
region 15 minutes from Mabul – was essentially
unknown to divers until underwater explorer Jacques
Cousteau visited Sipadan in late 1980's and declared
the rustic island "an untouched piece or art."
Cousteau also made the island famous in his documentary
"Ghost of the Sea Turtle."
Two
weeks ago, we were greeted by Lee and his staff after
a three-hour flight to Tawau, Sabah, a one-hour van
ride to Semporna, and then a 45-minute boat ride to
Mabul. Lee’s resort is welcoming: Each of the
neatly-appointed rooms feature air-conditioning and
ceiling fans; a desk and high-back chair, and some with
ocean views.
Lee,
53, who still refers to Sipadan as a "magic"
island, has placed a great emphasis on protecting the
underwater environment for the generations of divers
to come. He has received multiple commendations from
the dive industry for his commitment to protecting the
environment. Lee said the abundance of baby turtles
is a good indication that the underwater world is healthy.
"If
the environment is sick," said Lee, looking out
over the sea one morning, "then we are dead."
Lee
said underwater research in the region is ongoing and
that scientists frequently identify new underwater species.
"In
regards to Sipadan, I always consider this island so
unique and exceptional and equal to none in that I have
yet to find another place in the world that has so many
marine life concentration in one single island, schools
of Barracuda, school of jackfish, turtles every where,
white tip, grey reefs, hammerhead sharks, leopard sharks,
whale shark, schools of Giant Parrot fish, manta rays,
dolphin, leaf fish, frog fish, scorpion fish, ghost
pipe fish, lion fish , you name it," said Lee.
"In
short," he said, "this is a living aquarium."
For
more information about scuba diving in Malaysia contact:
Borneo Divers:
www.borneodivers.info
and Scuba Travel Ventures: www.scubatravelventures.com.
For information about The National Association of Black
Scuba Divers: www.nabsdivers.org
or (800) 521-NABS.
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