|
BORNEO
For diving in Malaysia we go to the
third largest island in the world, Borneo. Borneo comprises of several
different states. Sahah, Sarawak and the Indonesian State of Borneo,
Kalimantan.
Sarawak is the largest state in
Malaysia with a coastline of about 800 kilometers facing the South China
Sea. It is also the most
multi-racial state in Malaysia with over 24 distinct ethnic groups; the
major groups are the Ibans, Chinese, Bidayuh, Malays, Melanau and the Orang
Ulu. Sarawak's people are highly educated, many of them having studies
in Europe or the United States.
Once part of the Sultanate of Brunei, Sarawak has a romantic history
where an English family ruled as Rajahs for over 100 years. It was
ceded by the 3rd and last Rajah in 1946 to the British Crown and in 1963 it
became part of the Federation of Malaysia. The state capital is Kuching.
The modern history of Sabah began in 1881 when the British North Borneo
Company leased it from the Sultan of Sulu. Known as British North
Borneo, the name reverted to Sabah upon the formation of the Federation of
Malaysia in 1963.
Also a multicultural state with many different ethnic groups The
largest groups are the Murut, Kadazan/Dusun, Bajau, Chinese, Indonesian and
Philipino. The state capital is Kota Kinabalu.
Being a coastal state, Sabah is well known for its abundance of fresh
seafood, Mount Kinabalu, the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, miles of white
sandy beaches and world class diving.
Sipadan island and the secluded islands of Semporna Marine Park in the
Celebes Sea, off Borneo Island have long been a world famous dive
destination. The Celebes sea is known to support about 580 of the world's
793 species of reef-building corals.
Directly of the beach of Sipadan Island a vertical wall starts at a depth
of 10ft and plunges straight down to 2000ft. This makes for some
spectacular shore diving. No dive site is more than a 5 minute boat
ride from the resort. It is like a liveaboard with a beach.
Twirling tornados of barracudas, jacks, giant bumphead parrot fish,
patrolling hammerhead sharks, and dozens of sea turtles swim peacefully
everywhere. For those more inclined towards the smaller creatures of
the reef, there are numerous juvenile fish, clown anemone fish, decorator
and spider crabs, coral shrimp, nudibranchs, prawn gobies and rare subjects
as jaw fish, ornate ghost pipefish, and frog fish.
|
