The island of Sipadan, Malaysia
August 25th, 2008 | by admin |
The island of Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia from 2000 feet or 600 meters from the sea bed. It is located east of Aarhus (Borneo), in the Celebes Sea. It was formed from coral living more and more of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop. Sipadan is located in the heart of Indo-Pacific, in the middle of one of the richest marine habitats in the world. More than 3000 species of fish and hundreds of species of corals have been ordered in this ecosystem.
Only a few scenes Diving schools such as green turtles and sea turtle nesting and mating, schools of barracuda and large eyes trevally in the tornado-like formations, pelagic species such as Manta rays, eagle rays, Sharks halicorne Hammerhead sharks and whale sharks can be seen here.
A mysterious turtle’s grave is under the column of the island, formed by a sub-limestone cave with a maze of tunnels and chambers that contain many bones of turtles.
In the past, the island has been at the centre of a territorial dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia. This issue was brought to arbitration before the International Court of Justice and at the end of 2002, the Court awarded the island to island Ligitan to Malaysia on the basis of “effective occupation” displayed by the predecessor of the latter (Malaysia’s former colonial power, Great Britain) and no other way higher. The Philippines has asked to intervene in the case on the basis of its claim to North Borneo, but his request was rejected by the Court in early 2001.
During 2004, the Government of Malaysia has ordered everyone on the dive site Sipadan and operators to move their facilities outside the island by the 31 december, 2004. This approach is essentially to maintain a balanced eco-system of Sipadan and its surrounding area. Diving will continue to be allowed in Sipadan for divers, transported in and through the use of diving and operators of the continent and the surrounding islands.
On May 15, 2006, a barge carrying thousands of tonnes of construction material raped on the island, destroying part of the reefs between the old pier and Barracuda Point, say, on 372sq metres. Fortunately, the damage is limited to a small area, and it is difficult to see under water. The purpose of this building materials (mainly concrete and gravel) was apparently a USD1.3 million tourists establishment, including the resthouse, toilets and save the dive, “said State Minister for Tourism, Culture and Environment Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat, but denied by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman. Later it was reported that this was a federally supported project.
Since diving celebrity Jacques Cousteau raved about the diversity of marine life, diving Mecca was undoubtedly the most famous diving destination in Malaysia. It is located off the east coast of Sabah, East Malaysia, most states, and is located northeast of Borneo, the third largest island.
The Sipadan diving legend has crossed the world diving community to the extent that all divers with an interest to visit the best places in the world, this small island near the top of their wish list.
The island of Sipadan is at the top of Rodale’s Scuba Diving Magazine Gold List (The top diving destination in the world) On the island made its first place with two other destinations, known for their astounding diversity of marine life – the Galapagos Islands.
he list of attractions is quite amazing and even more unusual because it involves encounter large fish, something very rare in Asia these days – Barracuda point, you can find yourself surrounded by a whirlwind of the spiral of barracuda, so great that the sunlight is often clouded out. In point of the South, there are scores of reef sharks, large schools of trevally crossing and large herds of marauding bumphead parrotfish. By diving in Sipadan everywhere you turn, you will see turtles, eating in fungi and algae, or lazing on the wall cornices. If you take the time to look at the walls, you will see a richness of life and macro species of fish to compete with the most destinations, although it is often overlooked because of other major attractions vying for your attention.
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