SEMPORNA -- The Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort's waste management practice will be made a case study by the Ministry of Tourism as part of efforts to preserve and conserve the beauty and natural environment of islands marked as tourist destinations in the country.
Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the case study was important since it could be made as a guideline before the ministry comes out with a certain policy on good waste management practice for island resorts and hotels.
"We will be looking at this (waste management in Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort) as a case study to see how the ministry can look at a policy to implement such a system.
"It is not an overnight study but definitely we need the advice of consultants," she told reporters after visiting to the resort recently where she was briefed on the resort's waste management practice.
Dr Ng was convinced that the waste management system in the Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort could be practiced by other resorts as it was not so complicated but involved more mechanical aspects.
"Now I am here in a small resort with 120 capacity that can deliver. If they can deliver other resorts can deliver too," she added.
Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort is one of five dive resorts operating in the Mabul Island, about 40 minutes from the mainland of Semporna and about 15 minutes from Sipadan Island.
Another dive operator in the island, Borneo Divers Sabah, a resort with a 60 max capacity also practices an environment friendly waste management which followed the Environment Impact Assessment guidelines.
Continue reading at: Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort Waste Management System To Become Case Study
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Showing posts with label Kapalai Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kapalai Island. Show all posts
Monday, October 17, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Sabah, a Water Wonderland
Shame on me. My mobile phone has already buzzed with a text from Dean Alston (my phone often buzzes in the night, when I am away, with dire and humorous warnings from our cartoonist of the fates that may befall me in foreign climes).
I wasn't asleep this time. I was lying in a room big enough to host a table-tennis tournament, on stilts over the ocean off the north-east coast of Sabah. With all the windows open, rejoicing in the lack of insects out here, I was listening to the fans whir in the warm night, and the water lap around the piles, the cries of the heron, and a more distant one of a baby in another room, and outbreak of singsong Asian voices and the odd explosion of fish-frenzy in the water. One of the staff passed quietly along the jetty on a bicycle - like running a finger along a note-less piano keyboard.
It is a languid, still night, with barely a breath of movement in the air, and I have dined on rice and salad and supped a Tiger beer at the Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort's big restaurant. Out here, 100m along a wooden boardwalk, sort-of at sea, surrounded by reef and dive sites. Happy and relaxed.
But, shame on me, I reply to Alston (trust me, one should never reply to Alston's texts - it's asking for trouble), and with my brain now ticking over, I start to list all the things I need to do in the morning. And my brain starts composing emails. Shame on me. I give up, get up, get the laptop out and sit outside on the back deck, in the night, tapping those emails up and into the drafts box, wearing the head torch so I can see the keys to type.
Well, I start to.
But the night takes over. The deck is about 4m above the gently lapping water, and big - 7mx4m. It is slatted and there are lights underneath, so I can see the water between each slat, and the floor of the ocean under the shallow water.
A pipefish the size of my leg cruises past, with three more, slightly smaller, in tow behind. I look over the rail and the floor is dotted with starfish.
A parrot fish. A small stingray. Myriad clouds of tiny but colourful reef fish.
It is the sort of night you want to relish. You don't want to go to sleep.
All around me, the other over-water suites are quiet, and I just lie out here on the deck, watching the fish, feeling the night, letting the stillness soak into me.
Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort is a 45-minute boat trip from Semporna, which is 70-odd kilometres, or an hour and a half in a minibus, from Tawau, on the east coast of the Malaysian State of Sabah, on the northern end of Borneo. Tawau is an 80-minute flight from Kota Kinabalu, which is five hours and 45 minutes direct with Malaysia Airlines from Perth.
So, now we know where we are.
But where are we?
Well, we are in one of the world's most respected dive areas, and that is what most people on Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort are here for. The area is widely considered one of the world's top five dive destinations, with myriad fish, turtles, shallow corals and a 700m drop into the Celebes Sea.
Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort lists 28 close-by dive sites, from blue spotted garden to sweet-tips table, twin peak to coral garden. All can be reached in a few minutes by boat. Diving around Kapalai is shallow and easy.
There's macro, small-fish and reef life around Kapalai, big fish and turtles at nearby Sipadan and muddy bottoms at Mabul.
I wasn't asleep this time. I was lying in a room big enough to host a table-tennis tournament, on stilts over the ocean off the north-east coast of Sabah. With all the windows open, rejoicing in the lack of insects out here, I was listening to the fans whir in the warm night, and the water lap around the piles, the cries of the heron, and a more distant one of a baby in another room, and outbreak of singsong Asian voices and the odd explosion of fish-frenzy in the water. One of the staff passed quietly along the jetty on a bicycle - like running a finger along a note-less piano keyboard.
It is a languid, still night, with barely a breath of movement in the air, and I have dined on rice and salad and supped a Tiger beer at the Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort's big restaurant. Out here, 100m along a wooden boardwalk, sort-of at sea, surrounded by reef and dive sites. Happy and relaxed.
But, shame on me, I reply to Alston (trust me, one should never reply to Alston's texts - it's asking for trouble), and with my brain now ticking over, I start to list all the things I need to do in the morning. And my brain starts composing emails. Shame on me. I give up, get up, get the laptop out and sit outside on the back deck, in the night, tapping those emails up and into the drafts box, wearing the head torch so I can see the keys to type.
Well, I start to.
But the night takes over. The deck is about 4m above the gently lapping water, and big - 7mx4m. It is slatted and there are lights underneath, so I can see the water between each slat, and the floor of the ocean under the shallow water.
A pipefish the size of my leg cruises past, with three more, slightly smaller, in tow behind. I look over the rail and the floor is dotted with starfish.
A parrot fish. A small stingray. Myriad clouds of tiny but colourful reef fish.
It is the sort of night you want to relish. You don't want to go to sleep.
All around me, the other over-water suites are quiet, and I just lie out here on the deck, watching the fish, feeling the night, letting the stillness soak into me.
Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort is a 45-minute boat trip from Semporna, which is 70-odd kilometres, or an hour and a half in a minibus, from Tawau, on the east coast of the Malaysian State of Sabah, on the northern end of Borneo. Tawau is an 80-minute flight from Kota Kinabalu, which is five hours and 45 minutes direct with Malaysia Airlines from Perth.
So, now we know where we are.
But where are we?
Well, we are in one of the world's most respected dive areas, and that is what most people on Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort are here for. The area is widely considered one of the world's top five dive destinations, with myriad fish, turtles, shallow corals and a 700m drop into the Celebes Sea.
Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort lists 28 close-by dive sites, from blue spotted garden to sweet-tips table, twin peak to coral garden. All can be reached in a few minutes by boat. Diving around Kapalai is shallow and easy.
There's macro, small-fish and reef life around Kapalai, big fish and turtles at nearby Sipadan and muddy bottoms at Mabul.
Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Sabah, a Water Wonderland
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Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Scuba Diving Malaysia
Malaysia is rated for many years by both underwater cineastes as also underwater photographers as the number one diving top spot in the world.
Actually this is not true, it is not Malaysia which is rated so high, but one diving area called Pulau Sipadan, which offers some of the most amazing macro and micro fish life in the entire world.
Malaysia exists of 3 territories, Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. All areas offer diving and some places are better then others.
Diving Sabah
Sabah is Malaysia's hotspot for diving, with islands Pulau Mabul , Pulau Kapalai, Pulau Sipadan, Pulau Labuan and many others, it brings the best diving in the world. Some islands stick from the seafloor like pinnacles, and bring large fish life from the deep. Currents can be strong and these areas are not really for the starting diver, however Open Water courses are offered.
Diving Sarawak
Sarawak has a plentiful rivers, which all run out into murky estuaries, and the diving industry has hardly been developed in Sarawak. Off shore there is some good diving to be done, but it often takes a long and costly boat ride. Miri and area offers a ore friendly underwater world. Pulau Satang close to Kuching is another hotspot in Sarawak.
Actually this is not true, it is not Malaysia which is rated so high, but one diving area called Pulau Sipadan, which offers some of the most amazing macro and micro fish life in the entire world.
Malaysia exists of 3 territories, Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. All areas offer diving and some places are better then others.
Diving Sabah
Sabah is Malaysia's hotspot for diving, with islands Pulau Mabul , Pulau Kapalai, Pulau Sipadan, Pulau Labuan and many others, it brings the best diving in the world. Some islands stick from the seafloor like pinnacles, and bring large fish life from the deep. Currents can be strong and these areas are not really for the starting diver, however Open Water courses are offered.
Diving Sarawak
Sarawak has a plentiful rivers, which all run out into murky estuaries, and the diving industry has hardly been developed in Sarawak. Off shore there is some good diving to be done, but it often takes a long and costly boat ride. Miri and area offers a ore friendly underwater world. Pulau Satang close to Kuching is another hotspot in Sarawak.
Continue reading at: Scuba Diving Malaysia
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Saturday, February 26, 2011
Picture perfect day with Sea Gypsies in Semporna
Bajau children playing in a boat
Coral and sea creatures can be seen through the crystal clear waters
Tall coconut trees provide shade from the bright sunlight
Diving homestay where we stayed at Mabul Island
Bajau family relaxing during sunset on Maiga IslandPhotos courtesy of and Copyright to Azrol Azmi and Brunei Press Sdn Bhd.
By Azrol Azmi
If you are planning an island resort getaway this coming school holidays in March, look no further than Semporna and its surrounding islands, which offer stunning white sandy beaches and picturesque views.
Imagine crystal clear waters, long stretches of white sandy beaches, cool breeze blowing from the sea and tall coconut trees providing shade from the bright tropical sun as you unwind on one of the islands.
Semporna, a town located in Tawau division on Sabah's east coast, is inhabited mainly by ethnic Bajau Laut, also known as Sea Gypsies, many of whom live in sprawling stilt villages above the water or in traditional Lepa boats.
Semporna is a gateway to the some of the best dive sites in the world which are situated about an hour's boat ride away.
Among the islands that can be visited are Mabul, Kapalai and of course, Sipadan surrounded by the Sulawesi Sea which needs no introduction to avid divers from around the world.
There are other islands with equally fascinating dive sites. Tourism Malaysia is working hard to promote the lesser-known but equally beautiful dive sites in Sabah such as Si Amil, Mantabuan, Sibuan and Bohey Dulang.
As many as 101 dive spots have been identified by a team of divers who hope to bring greater attention to Sabah's other dive site jewels. These sites are listed in the Sabah 101 Dive Treasures brochure.
I recently went on a photo expedition with a group of friends with the same interest to capture the beautiful scenery at some of these islands.
We started our journey driving from Brunei Darussalam to Kota Kinabalu before catching a flight from Kota Kinabalu International Airport to Tawau Airport, (which is the nearest airport to Semporna) before proceeding on an hour's drive to Semporna town in a tour bus. Enquiries at the airport revealed that public buses and taxis are available to transport people from Tawau to Semporna at a reasonable fee.
In Semporna, we made our way to the public jetty where our friend from Tawau, Muslianshah, who oversaw our stay during our photo expedition, awaited with a boat ready to take us to our first island, Maiga.
We made a quick stop at Bohey Dulang island to take a closer look at the Bajau or Sea Gypsies. We learnt that the Bajau community made their living from fishing and farming seaweed which they sell in Semporna.
Maiga is not well-equipped to receive tourists as the island does not have the basic amenities of running water and electricity. We were told that we would be "camping out" but we actually slept in a makeshift hall built by the Bajau.
We visited other islands before finally staying in Scubajeff-Sipadan diving homestay at Mabul Island, which is one of the more popular islands among diving tourists and beachcombers.
Mabul is well-equipped to receive tourists and even has a resort as well as several diving homestays to cater for "budget" divers.
Mabul is situated just 25 minutes from Sipadan. Running water and electricity are available on Mabul and a few shops selling everyday items can be seen in a small village populated by the Bajau.
More photos can be seen at www.flickr.com/photos/azrolazmi and look for Semporna set.
Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin Weekend
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Imagine crystal clear waters, long stretches of white sandy beaches, cool breeze blowing from the sea and tall coconut trees providing shade from the bright tropical sun as you unwind on one of the islands.
Semporna, a town located in Tawau division on Sabah's east coast, is inhabited mainly by ethnic Bajau Laut, also known as Sea Gypsies, many of whom live in sprawling stilt villages above the water or in traditional Lepa boats.
Semporna is a gateway to the some of the best dive sites in the world which are situated about an hour's boat ride away.
Among the islands that can be visited are Mabul, Kapalai and of course, Sipadan surrounded by the Sulawesi Sea which needs no introduction to avid divers from around the world.
There are other islands with equally fascinating dive sites. Tourism Malaysia is working hard to promote the lesser-known but equally beautiful dive sites in Sabah such as Si Amil, Mantabuan, Sibuan and Bohey Dulang.
As many as 101 dive spots have been identified by a team of divers who hope to bring greater attention to Sabah's other dive site jewels. These sites are listed in the Sabah 101 Dive Treasures brochure.
I recently went on a photo expedition with a group of friends with the same interest to capture the beautiful scenery at some of these islands.
We started our journey driving from Brunei Darussalam to Kota Kinabalu before catching a flight from Kota Kinabalu International Airport to Tawau Airport, (which is the nearest airport to Semporna) before proceeding on an hour's drive to Semporna town in a tour bus. Enquiries at the airport revealed that public buses and taxis are available to transport people from Tawau to Semporna at a reasonable fee.
In Semporna, we made our way to the public jetty where our friend from Tawau, Muslianshah, who oversaw our stay during our photo expedition, awaited with a boat ready to take us to our first island, Maiga.
We made a quick stop at Bohey Dulang island to take a closer look at the Bajau or Sea Gypsies. We learnt that the Bajau community made their living from fishing and farming seaweed which they sell in Semporna.
Maiga is not well-equipped to receive tourists as the island does not have the basic amenities of running water and electricity. We were told that we would be "camping out" but we actually slept in a makeshift hall built by the Bajau.
We visited other islands before finally staying in Scubajeff-Sipadan diving homestay at Mabul Island, which is one of the more popular islands among diving tourists and beachcombers.
Mabul is well-equipped to receive tourists and even has a resort as well as several diving homestays to cater for "budget" divers.
Mabul is situated just 25 minutes from Sipadan. Running water and electricity are available on Mabul and a few shops selling everyday items can be seen in a small village populated by the Bajau.
More photos can be seen at www.flickr.com/photos/azrolazmi and look for Semporna set.
Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin Weekend
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