Cleaning of Mamutik Island: Miss Scuba International pageant joins Project Aware Foundation

KOTA KINABALU: Almost 200 ‘cleaners’ comprising divers and individuals from various professions wanted to make a difference to the environment yesterday.

They exchanged their office to diving gears and got themselves dirty to clean up the Mamutik Island.

The 193 voluntary cleaners joined the programme organized by Project Aware Foundation, Borneo Divers, Sabah Tourism Board and Sabah Environmental Protection Association (SEPA).

Out of the group, 73 are divers who picked up marine debris within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park waters including Manukan, Mamutik, Sulug and Sapi islands with international participants including Raleigh International and participants of the Miss Scuba International pageant.

The programme is part of Project Aware Foundation’s continuous effort to conserve marine life after the foundation changed their focus more towards marine debris and saving sharks in recent years.

According to Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Bolkiah Ismail, after Project Aware Foundation was introduced in Sabah in 2001, the foundation never failed to hold similar programmes for Sabah’s waters.

“This programme is in line with the aspirations of our ministry to ensure that our environment is always protected. We have several agencies such as SEPA, Raleigh International as well as Sabah Parks to participate to show the public that everyone has responsibilities to conserve the environment.

“We also have divers here collecting the garbage in the waters in this annual project which is supported by the Ministry through Sabah Parks and Sabah Tourism Board. This programme will continue to be supported by us,” he said.

Meanwhile, the No Rubbish Campaign, which is being handled by City Hall and the Ministry, is one of the efforts the government has taken to address this matter.

“The rubbish we see being collected through these programmes all came from us. So we must tackle this problem from its source. Not only do we get to keep the city clean, but ultimately also conserve marine life,” he said.

Continue reading at: Cleaning of Mamutik Island: Miss Scuba International pageant joins Project Aware Foundation

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Usukan Cove, Kota Belud, Sabah

By Tadpole

“A bay full of corals” is my first impression of Usukan Cove. The diversity and density of corals in Usukan Cove is better than Sapi and Manukan. In fact, it looks like Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park in pristine condition 30 years ago.

Usukan Cove is only a few minutes away from Kg. Kuala Abai of Kota Belud. On the way to Usukan, you will pass by a white steel bridge called “Japanese Bridge”, which was built by the Japanese to transport the copper mined from Mamut in the past.

Built next to the sandy beach of Usukan Cove is Usukan Cove Lodge, which offers clean and cosy accommodation, from bunk-bed room to sea view twin-bed room. The lodge is able to host maximum of 50 people, so it is a suitable school retreat location.

Many European tourists love this quiet place too, as they want more privacy. A variety of nature-based activities are available for visitors to enjoy the sea, river and forest around.

SNORKELLING

Snorkelling is the best choice of activity due to the rich corals in Usukan. The density and size of the coral reef is remarkable. A boat sent me to Usukan Reef and Icy Point for the snorkelling. The Usukan Reef mainly consists of hard corals. Many species grow in big clusters. I saw large areas of big plate corals and stag-horn corals.

In Icy Point, I saw hard corals, as well as a mix of soft corals and sea grass. The sea water in Icy Point is a bit strange. In one spot the sea water is warm, but moving a few feet away I would feel cool, probably that’s why they call it Icy Point. The corals come in different forms and shapes, like big boulders, brain, fingers, pyramid, sponge and lower. Though the shore is quite far away, the water was shallow and most of the times, the corals were only a few feet under me.

For divers, you have a choice of four dive sites in Usukan, and three wreck-diving sites for advanced divers. The feature in Usukan is a type of coral that looks like Christmas Tree.

DEEP SEA FISHING

I also tried “deep sea fishing” in the sea 20 minutes off the mainland by boat. Actually it was only 14 Meters in depth. It was so nice that the workers prepared everything for me, from the fishing rod to hook and bait, making my life so easy.

In 3 minutes, we got our first fish! At first I thought we were only lucky. But from there on, we got fish in every 3 minutes. I got 3 fishes, two blacktip groupers and a Jackfish. One of us even got a puffer fish and another got blue-dotted stingray. The capture of blue-dotted stingray caused a brief moment of fear onboard because the sting on its tail is venomous. After an hour of fishing, we returned to Usukan Cove Lodge with our fruitful caught and they cooked the fishes for us as dinner.

RIVER CRUISE

We started our river cruise at Kawa-Kawa River in late afternoon, to look for the Proboscis Monkey. On one side of this 15-Meter-wide river is human settlement and another side is mainly mangrove and nipah forest. Since the proboscis monkeys are so used to people, they are relatively less elusive and we can get really close to them.

To stay away from predators at night, Proboscis Monkey has the habit of spending the night on the trees next to the river. About 4 to 5 herds of Proboscis Monkey live along Kawa-Kawa River. Luckily we found 3 groups of them despite the poor weather.

Besides long-nosed monkeys, we also saw crab-eating macaque (long-tailed macaque), monitor lizard and many birds such as oriental darter, white-bellied sea eagle, little heron, blue-throated bee eater, white-collar kingfisher, frigate, doves, egrets and bulbul. After we exited the estuary of Kawa-Kawa River and on the way to Abai River, we were rewarded by the magic moment of the sunset.

Then we proceeded to the mangrove forest of Abai River to look for firefly. We saw the “Christmas Trees”, which are in fact the twinkling light of hundreds of fireflies gathered on the trees! That was such a wonderful closing for my tour in Usukan Cove.

Source: New Sabah Times 'In' Sites

NOTE: Photo Copyright to New Sabah Times
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Kota Kinabalu Islands - Take a walk on the wild side

Just a 15-minute boat ride from Kota Kinabalu, capital of the state of Sabah in Eastern Malaysia, aka Malaysian Borneo, exists a tropical paradise. Mouth-watering barbecues, beautifully clean seas and wide, open spaces are just a few of the perks of an afternoon's island-hopping.

The five islands off Kota Kinabalu, and the surrounding waters and coral reefs form the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. Established in 1974, and named after Malaysia's first prime minister, the park is the visual embodiment of bliss with rich sedimentary rocks, virgin tropical forests and the most spectacular views of Kota Kinabalu's skyline.

The islands have many cliffs and caves, and are honeycombed with deep crevasses along their shores. For reality television buffs, this has been the breathtaking setting of many broadcast adventures including the Amazing Race Asia 4 and Survivor Borneo, which was filmed on the nearby Tiga Island.

The islands are a popular destination all year round, for both locals and foreign visitors who are attracted by the area's crystal clear waters, with fish and coral reefs often visible not far from the shore. This has made the islands off the coast of Kota Kinabalu a mecca for snorkellers and divers, and hiking and parasailing are other popular activities.

Visitors can get to the islands from Kota Kinabalu's ferry terminal at Jesselton Point, named after a former trading settlement dating back to 1882. Ferries stop at each of the five islands regularly throughout the day. Passengers prone to seasickness should beware - lambat (slow) may be an important word to remember to tell your boat's driver at the start of your trip, otherwise he's likely to take you on an amusement park ride. Also, bring a plastic bag for your belongings; a large amount of water is likely to splash inside the boat. Pulau Gaya, Pulau Manukan, Pulau Mamutik, Pulau Sapi and Pulau Sulug are an interesting mix of uninhabited forests and heavily-developed areas.

Pulau Sapi, or Cow Island, is a perfect example. During the day, the island is busy with sunbathing tourists, but after the last ferry leaves at around 4pm it becomes very quiet.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Kota Kinabalu Islands - Take a walk on the wild side
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