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Thursday, May 28, 2015

Snorkeling at Sapi Island (Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park) @ Kota Kinabalu [Borneo]

I think it's inevitable that i would have to partake in snorkeling when i was in Sabah as the state is renowned for her beautiful waters and count Sipadan (rated Top Dive Destination in the World) as one of the many islands under her jurisdiction. 

Furthermore, i must make full use of my easybreath snorkeling mask! This one was recently purchased as the old one was surprisingly too big for me! This S/M sized mask was a snug fit and i didn't face any problem with water seeping in. 

The first fish i spotted after jumping into the water; the boring sergeant major fish that was in abundance in every snorkeling expedition except for Maldives!

Maybe i did too much snorkeling in Maldives; it didn't seem as fun in Kota Kinabalu and it didn't help that compared to the Maldives, the water was cloudier, the fishes were less active and coral life was not as vibrant.

I still see the fishes sucking stuff off the seabed and rocks. 

Maybe i am indeed facing snorkeling fatigue; which isn't good news as i would be travelling to the Perhentian Islands next month! :(

Spotted the common sea urchin! 
 
To be fair, my first ever snorkeling in Krabi back in 2012 did seem to pale in comparison when compared to Sapi Island. Oh well, as we all know, Krabi was badly affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Think this was a pufferfish!

Aside from the underwater conditions, there could be another reason why i wasn't too happy with the snorkeling in Sapi Island; for safety reason, most areas were off limits to the public.

While i applaud the consideration from the authorities, the restriction severely limits the scope of exploration for a person who doesn't dive!

Checked out the little bugger with striking blue streaks! 

Unlike Maldives, the drop was rather far and although i did attempt to swim all the way out (risking trespassing into restricted zone), it was kind of petrifying to find no human around you and all i heard was only my breathing. 

Just to play safe, i guess i would have to be satisfied with whatever that was available!

Let's just make this into a pictorial post; once again, i got too trigger-enthusiastic with the use of my Olympus TG-3 underwater camera! 

The above did appear to be a cemetery for dead corals. 

No idea why this spot was so popular with the fishes! 

Would it even shock you to know that i spent only about twenty minutes snorkeling at Sapi Island. Alex was in the water even lesser than me. Guess we can all point our fingers at Maldives for the disinterest! 

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Location
Sapi Island, Kota Kinabalu,
Sabah State, East Malaysia


For my 7 days Kota Kinabalu itinerary, click here.

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