Scuba Junkie Backpackers has a nice breakfast. There’s poached eggs, jam and peanut butter, watermelon, mango and banana. If you buy dives from them, accommodation with breakfast is RM20 (11 TL). At 8 o’clock we boarded the boat and sailed from this small fishing town Semporna to Mabul Island, one of the world’s popular diving spots.. Passing by the islands called Palau Tiga (Three Islands) because they are lined up side by side, we arrived at Mabul 40 minutes later.
A beautiful pier, shimmering white sands on the beach, sun loungers. and camellias, coconut trees. There are Mabul Water Bungalows on the sea to the left of the pier belonging to Scuba Junkie Resort, which we approached immediately.
The cost of 4 nights accommodation in these bungalows is 1.400 USD.. On the beach just behind the resort, there are intertwined, makeshift wooden houses built by the islanders on stilts.. Luxury and simple life are side by side.
Where there are diving equipment built on the pier, I took the suitable ones and left my bag in a locked cabinet there.. In order to get back on the boat and do our first dive, we went to the place called Eel Garden near the island and left ourselves to the sea for our first dive.. There are few corals around, and the undersea life is not very lively.. You know, colorful corals, not millions of colorful fish.. Instead there are huge huge sea turtles! When you say huge, it’s really huge, you know, if you spread your arms and legs, it’s almost that big.. It’s big enough to ride on its back.
Green Turtle (Green Turtle) A sea creature you can easily see in and around Mabul. The marine life around Mabul is not very crowded, but it is very colorful in terms of species and genus.. I had the opportunity to learn and explore different marine life closely and calmly.
In my previous dives, I was diving as if I was watching a beautiful view.. It was like enjoying the view while driving on beautiful scenic roads.. Now it was more like examining each and every creature in an aquarium.. Undoubtedly, it was actually the team of the diving school that made the difference.. Almost all of the team are Australian or British
In the briefing they gave while on the boat, it was explained in detail where we would dive, the depth and what we could see under the sea.. A description was made for each fish with hand-finger movements.. In this way, you can understand what fish is under the sea with these recipes, and you learn new things.
We made our second dive in Artificial Reef.. Here we dived around artificially created wooden cages. Since they used this wooden structure as a shelter for themselves, we were able to see a wide variety of fish species together.. This time there were thousands of fish floating around us like a silver wave.. Sometimes when they pass us on our right and left, it feels like you are swimming in a pool of mercury rather than in the sea.. Thousands of pairs of eyes coming towards you pass by like bullets!
We returned to the resort after this dive.. I took my key from the reception and went to the dorm room.. They put 2 bunk beds in 2 of the wooden bungalows arranged perpendicular to the beach from the adjacent layout and turned them into dorm rooms.. RM85 (50 TL) including breakfast, lunch and dinner.
After staying here for one night, I will return to Semporna after 3 more dives for tomorrow.. There are approximately 50 guests at the resort.. Great buffet style meals. There is tea, coffee and water service available at any time.. There is no internet.
We made our third dive in a nearby place called Panglima.. We watched lots of undersea life and turtles. I saw a total of 5 Green Turtles in these 3 dives.
With their weight of 317 kilograms, they are among the largest turtle species in the world.. Males are larger than females and have a length of up to 1.5 meters.. It is a species that cannot stick its head inside its shell like normal land turtles.
Unlike many sea turtles, the adult Green Turtle is a fully herbivorous animal that feeds on seagrass and algae.. It mates every 2-4 years and lays 100-200 eggs on the beaches where it digs each time.. After 2 months, the struggle for life begins for the hatchlings.. Most of them are fighting for life and death in the short distance they reach the sea from the moment they hatch.. Seagulls, other birds, crabs, and large lizards prey on the young on their journey to reach the sea.. The species is in danger of extinction.
In the past, it was hunted extensively for its meat and its eggs were collected for human consumption.. Boat engine propellers pose a risk to them again. Those caught in fishing nets drown and die.. In Turtle Island, 40 km from Sandakan, the reproduction of these turtles is protected and controlled.. The largest Green Turtle community living in the Mediterranean is located in Akyatan Lagoon near Çukurova in our country.
After diving, we returned to the Resort and filled my notebook.. How many species and varieties of sea creatures I have seen! Not enough to write a page. I have 3 dives for tomorrow and I said I want to do it in a different place. They said I was lucky, they have a tour to Siamil Island tomorrow and I can join it.
Day 435, Borneo:23. Mabul Island, 13 October 2011, Thursday