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The Reef Dive Resort, Mataking Island, Sabah, Malaysia “Eyelands” of Paradise

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The Reef Dive Resort, Mataking Island, Sabah, Malaysia “Eyelands” of Paradise The Reef Dive Resort, Mataking Island, Sabah, Malaysia “Eyelands” of Paradise If you have been diving over a decade in the coral triangle, you would realize that most islands are indeed a paradise but to have an island that is a gem both above and below, only a handful would be on this list in the Celebes Sea. “Mata” in the local Malay language would mean “eye” and I guess it is aptly named that as Mataking consists of two islands – Mataking Besar (Big) and Mataking Kecil (Small). It would indeed look like a pair of eyes or spectacles from the heavens. The local resort however would call it the “Eyes of the King” as it offers the guest with the room of the magnificent sunrise and the romantic sunset which successfully lured Princess Elisabeth of Germany to this enchanted island in 2013. Final Frontier The Reef Dive Resort is the only dive resort on Mataking Island and this escapade would be familiar to those who have heard or have been diving in the mystical Sipadan Island. There are daily flights from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu to Tawau where you will be greeted by the resort driver who will take you on an hour’s journey on the van to Semporna town. From this town, the journey to Mataking is only a 40 minutes boat ride. The island is connected to Sipadan Island via the Alice Channel on an 80 minutes boat journey. Tight security on this island is maintained by the police and the navy as it is the final frontier of east Malaysia. Luxury Meets Adventure Some of us may focus on the quality of the dive and not the accommodation but staying at the Reef Dive Resort, you are assured of both. Their luxury air conditioned villas, chalets, a spa and with a Dive Centre, this resort provides both the adventurous diver and the newly wedded couple memories and experience of a lifetime. Their sumptuous international cuisine with fresh seafood will keep any hungry diver satisfied and wanting for more. Sites to Dive We were spoil for options when it comes to selecting which dive sites as there are 30 that are within minutes boat ride from this centre including a day trip to Sipadan Island. We were there for 4 days and could only manage to cover half a dozen as we kept returning to the same few especially the house reef to admire and capture the marine diversity it boasts. House Reef We spent the first afternoon exploring their house reef. We were greeted with artificial reefs, structures and a well decorated Christmas tree (not the worm!) that slopes to a depth of 18 meters but we were extremely busy with the first 10 meters. We witnessed schools of jacks, yellow fussilers, giant groupers and a myriad of macro critters on every structure there is. Garden of Eden This place lives up to its name with beds of soft corals and turtles resting and appearing at almost every corner of my eye. A marvelous site for wide angle aficionados as soft corals appears to be endless. I counted more than 2 dozen of turtles in this single dive and most of the turtles are not shy of divers but please do not attempt any form of physical contact with them. While you get busy with the turtles, don't forget to look at the corners and back of the corals. We found orang utan crabs, porcelain crabs, shrimps and an amazingly large harlequin ghostpipefish with eggs at one of the bommies. Shipwreck Post I wanted to send my New Year greetings to some of my dive buddies and there's no better way than to send them a card posted underwater. The resort sank a fishing boat here and it attracted a school of jacks who were rather shy with us. Swim through the wreck was also a sight to behold as thousands of juveniles hide themselves in the wreck. I tried giving chase but at the depth of 25 meters, it would mean sacrificing the opportunity to explore the critters in the wreck. I signaled to my dive buddy for him to take a few shots of me posting the greeting cards into the only underwater post in Malaysia as well as only 5 in the world. D'Wall No prizes for guessing here. It is a wall dive where you can try that "diver beside the giant sea fan" shot! Currents can be strong here but it's also a time to enjoy a drift dive. Do look at what's below and in the blue as you will never know whether the big boys may just be looking for some cleaning action. I was told that mantas and grey reef sharks do pay regular visits here. It was at this site that a blue giant frog fish and within ten minutes the miniature cousin – the white painted frog fish was located. Conservation Efforts The regular sightings of turtles around the island is not by coincidence but Reef Dive Resort's constant and consistent efforts.The resort engage marine biologists to manage a turtle hatchery plus monitoring and tagging of them. During the right season, you can witness the turtles coming to this island to lay their future generations. The hatchery will monitor the progress of the eggs and you are allowed to aid with the release of the young ones to the sea when the time is right. Other major efforts include the sinking of The Shipwreck Post that I dived in. It was originally an old cargo ship that was sank by the resort in 2006 as an artificial reef. In the same year, artificial reefs of mangrove wood boxes were deployed at the north end of the house reef. You will probably know why we spending so much time appreciating their great work that also attracted all the magnificent creatures. The Reef Dive Resort was also built with eco-friendly features as it doesn't extract water from the ground and water is transported from the mainland. Big Day with A Big Difference If you are planning your big day and running out of ideas, Mataking Island allows you to “splash” it out in the most unique way – An Underwater Wedding where you can exchange your vows under the Celebes blue sea with an underwater chapel and minister. All you need is to ensure that you are at least a certified Open Water Diver. Probably another great benefit of being a diver! If you are already married, you can still consider renewing your vows here! Island Activities If you are not diving or planning for an underwater wedding, the best activity to do here is actually nothing! That's the reason why honeymooners frequent this paradise to enjoy Mother Nature. However, if you insist on doing something, you will not be disappointed. Their Jamu Spa awaits you for a magical and therapeutic session of massage as it is a great way to pamper yourself after a day or two of hard work (diving!) If your hobby is not only for creatures that fly in the current, you will be able to spend your time bird watching the different colourful species found on this island. You will also be able to have a round of DIY t-shirt and Batik Painting as souvenirs you can be proud of. In the evening, we were entertained by their multi talented resort staff who performed cultural and traditional dances on our second night there. The Finishing Touch! You may want to seriously consider spending a night or two in Tawau after Mataking as this is a great town to relax and enjoy the seafood restaurants before your long (or short for some) journey back. If you are tempted to bring some ocean wonders back home, you can do so legally by purchasing freshly frozen seafood in this town. After two days in Tawau, we flew back to Kuala Lumpur knowing there are still islands of such pristine beauty that most of us would call a paradise! Article and photos by Gerald Kong – a marine conservationist based in this region who seats in the board of advisers for Undersea Voyager Project (www.underseavoyagerproject.org). Pacific Dome Travel Network: Regional Associate & Sponsor..
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