Mabul Island | Sabah | diving

The removal of all structures, including the dive resorts, on Sipadan Island has greatly benefited the nearby islands of Mabul and Kapalai.

These islands were not affected by the government order to completely move out all man-made structures from Sipadan by the end of 2004. It was a bold move aimed at conserving the fragile ecosystem on the tiny 12ha island which had become congested with tourists after consistently being voted one of the top five dive sites in the world.

I decided to make a brief visit to Mabul Island recently after reading that it had become a popular destination for both divers and photographers from around the world. A catchy slogan — “Now everyone can stay at Mabul Island” — by one locally run “backpacker resort” made me want to go there even more badly.

An adventurous boat ride to Mabul Island.

After two nights in Sandakan, I boarded a long-distance bus to Tawau. The 320km journey took a long and torturous six hours, with just one 20-minute stop in between at a roadside restaurant in Lahad Datu to stretch my legs and have some refreshment.

In Tawau, I made arrangements for accommodation in Semporna, the gateway to Mabul and all the other islands in the Sulawesi Sea. At noon the next day, I was in a rusty van jam-packed with 15 other passengers leaving for Semporna, 105km away. An hour and a half later, the van pulled up at an open space behind some pathetic-looking shophouses and the driver announced, “Semporna, Semporna . . . sudah sampai (we have reached Semporna).”

The Sipadan Mabul Dive Lodge landing point.

I asked the driver for directions to Dragon Inn, a hotel built on stilts in the clear and shallow waters of Semporna Bay. It turned out to be a short five-minute walk away at the end of Causeway Bridge. A helpful Filipino reception worker at Dragon Inn recommended Uncle Chang’s Lodge for my tour of Mabul Island next day.

According to her, Uncle Chang is a legendary personality on Semporna, especially among the tourism and diving communities. Having gained experience in his early days working for dive operators in the area, the man ventured out on his own more then 10 years ago and established Borneo Jungle River Island Tour Sdn Bhd, which owns Uncle Chang’s Sipadan Mabul Dive Lodge.

“Most people come here to dive, and the majority of them just need basic accommodation. That is the idea behind the setting-up of this simple dive lodge we fondly call the Backpacker Resort,” explained an employee at the Semporna office.

Crystal clear waters surround the lodge.

Luck wasn’t with me, though, during my three-day stay in Semporna, because Uncle Chang was out of town. I would have liked to have interviewed him. I booked a day tour to Mabul, specifying that I was not diving or snorkelling, just taking photographs. I was quoted RM115, which included the return boat journey, breakfast, lunch and a free flow of drinking water, tea and coffee.

This was a good deal, considering the boat journey was going to take more than an hour and the duration of the tour was from 7.30am to 4pm.

The fibreglass speedboat I boarded was laden with drinking water, gas tanks, other diving equipment and 12 passengers, locals as well as foreign. The boat ride wasn’t interesting in itself but it was thrilling to see the fishing villages with their wooden homes on stilts and the myriad activities of the fishing communities.

There are some 150,000 people living in Semporna, a good number of them Bajau-Sulu who live in these fishing villages.

Mabul is a small, oval-shaped island situated off the south-east coast of Semporna. It is recognised as one of the best muck diving destinations in the world, offering the richest exotic macro-life found in a single destination.

“Muck diving” is a term used to describe limited visibility dives in warm and shallow waters with sandy bottoms.

New boats being built behind the lodge.

Mimic octopus, blue-ringed octopus, bobtail squid, harlequin shrimp, mantis shrimp, boxer crabs, spike-fin goby, black sail-fin goby, crocodile fish, stone fish, scorpion fish, mandarin fish, frog fish, ghost pipefish, ribbon eels and snake eels are only a few examples of the rare and unusual marine creatures that can be found at Mabul’s reefs.

Built entirely of hardwood timber over the shallow waters of the Sulawesi Sea, Uncle Chang’s Lodge offers very basic accommodation with its twin-sharing rooms going at RM50 per person per night.
Meals are served buffet-style, with a free flow of drinking water, coffee and tea.

“You shouldn’t expect five–star treatment and services for this rock bottom price. If you love meeting people from different backgrounds, this is the place with a real sense of community,” a Australian tourist pointed out.

She said it was her second time staying here in two years.

A new block with eight rooms that can accommodate 20 or more people is almost ready. It is linked to existing blocks by a raised plankwalk. There are several fully qualified instructors and dive masters to closely monitor all diving and snorkelling activities. Diving in the deeper waters of Sipadan and Kapalai islands less than half an hour away can also be arranged.

Well-maintained diving equipment are also available for hire. Apart from enjoying the water-based activities, visitors may freely and safely explore Mabul in its entirety by foot. Right behind the dive lodge is the Mabul fishing village, where you will meet friendly villagers eager to exchange greetings with visitors passing by their homes.

“The entire island has more than 2,000 inhabitants. We have a school and a mosque and also security personnel here,” a proud villager disclosed.

Mabul is also home to four other dive resorts offering high-end accommodation and services. But for now Uncle Chang’s backpacker resort is living up to its slogan of everyone being able to afford Mabul by providing basic accommodation, food, diving and fun on a budget.

Uncle Chang’s Sipadan Mabul Dive Lodge: Tel +60 089 781002 (office hours) or Tel: +60 089 786988 (24 hours).

Source: http://thestar.com.my/

Location, Driving Direction and Map to Mabul Island