Cleaning up Cape Rachardo

By Ang Yih Yih, Tan Suat Lay & Tan Tuan Yee
Photos by Wayne De Rozario

August 12, 2006 marked the date for the Port Dickson Beach Cleanup, one of the main activities in the ‘Save Our Ocean’s Sacred Garden’ Campaign organized by 14 passionate final year students of Taylor’s School of Communication.

Early on Saturday morning, 150 enthusiastic trainees and students from Rachardo National Service Camp, University Tenaga Nasional and Taylor’s College turned out to participate in the beach cleanup. We were divided into 10 groups, each guided by a facilitator and gathered at the courtyard of Ilham Resort. After picking up garbage bags and gloves, we headed down to the beach and began the mission of cleaning up Tanjung Tuan’s Cape Rachardo.

The VIPs, Yang Mulia Tengku Idris Bin Tengku Hadi, the President of Majlis Perbandaran Port Dickson; Yang Mulia Raja Ahmad Murad bin Raja Bahrin, the Managing Director of Shell Refining Company, Port Dickson, Puan Fardzillah binti Abdul Manap, Shell’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr Loy Teik Inn, Senior Manager of Taylor’s College PJ and Serina Effendy and Leong Sze Wong from the Malaysian Nature Society’s Marine Group joined us in the beach cleanup as well. Our lecturers from Taylor’s College, Ms. Syireen Rose and Ms. Karamjeet Kaur also pitched in to pick up rubbish with the VIPs and students.


Within an hour, we bagged more than 200kgs of trash. Although many interesting items turned up in our bags, the most collected items were plastic debris mainly made up of food wrappers, followed by cigarette filters, cigarette butts, styrofoam, straws, bottles and tins. This showed us that tourists’ recreational activities contribute largely to the pollution of the beach.

The beach cleanup not only made the beach looks more inviting; it helped to reduce serious harm caused by humans to coastal life. Whales, sea turtles, sea birds and fish are often lethally entangled in garbage such as discarded fishing lines or nets. Small pieces of styrofoam and balloons are often mistaken by marine animals for food. This effort to clean up the beach empowered us and allowed us to be active participants in the conservation of marine life.

There was a lot of hard work and tribulation as we organized this campaign and the beach cleanup, but the experience and knowledge we gained from the entire campaign is priceless. We realized how important it is for humans to take the utmost responsibility to conserve Mother Nature, which has been threatened by humans themselves for centuries.

The MNS Marine Group is working with these Taylor’s College students on their ‘Save our Ocean’s Sacred Garden’ Campaign. If you are a college or university student, look out for their invitation to join them in Redang this September.

Snorkelling guide workshop

By S.L. Wong and H.Y. Leong

As part of Tioman Island Fest 2006 (TIF06), an environment friendly snorkelling workshop was organised for Tioman’s local guides (8 & 9 April 2006) to meet the following objectives of increasing knowledge and/or skills in:

a) safe and marine-friendly snorkelling techniques;
b) safe and marine-friendly snorkelling guide techniques;
c) knowledge about the common marine flora and fauna of Tioman Island; and
d) the do’s and don’ts of Marine Parks

About the workshop

The workshop was based on a programme developed by the MNS Marine Group in 2001 for members, and which had successfully trained about 100 members from 2003-2005.

TIF06 organisers had recruited participation from the different villages on Tioman about a month prior to the event, through the ketua kampung and local guides.

There were main modules, covering theory and practical skills. The approach was to use facilitation, discussion, video, and exercises and presentations in breakout group sessions. Different facilitators handled different whole-group modules. Participants were encouraged to voice out and feed back at any time, and community games used to break the monotony. The atmosphere was kept light and fun but instructive. The Marine Parks were involved as presenters/facilitators to engender understanding and a closer relationship between the parties.

For participants who arrived late or who did not bring snorkelling gear, facilitators did one-on-one explanations and practical sessions with them.

Evaluation was done through a self-evaluation form on the four workshop objectives, a short written quiz, an in water practical test, and a general discussion at the end of the workshop. Feedback on the workshop was done through the self-evaluation form and discussion.

Post-mortem & follow-up

Originally, the workshop was to be spread out over 3 days, or over 2 weekends with a gap of a week or two in between. But we were told that participants will not come for a 3-day workshop because they have to work so we squeezed the programme into 2 very long and strenuous days which over taxed the five facilitators and the 22 participants.

A day after the workshop ended, one of the participants tried his new found skills on a group of snorkelling tourists. Just to show how appreciative they were, they gave him over RM100 of tips. He is inspired, and so are the rest of us.

As promised, we list down all who had attended the 2-day worksop together with their phone numbers. The top four guides were evaluated based upon their highest cumulative scores; of these four guides, two were selected to be snorkelling guides during the Pesta Pencinta Alam Tioman.

The participants are mostly boatmen, with five who specifically listed tour guiding as their occupation. One workshop is not enough to be competent to be a snorkelling guide. So if you contact any of the participants below and engage their snorkelling services, please post a constructive comment about the level of service offered. Your comments will serve as a guide for future improvement.

	Name of Participant	Nickname	Village	Mobile No.
1	Aizulsharmin bin Sahruddi (1st place)	Min	Salang	013-7154109
2	Mohd Don B. Setafa (2nd place)	Don	Tekek	019-9225973
3	Ismail bin Setafa (3rd place tie)	Mail	Tekek	09-4191791
4	Rosli bin Mohammad Usop (3rd place tie)	Lie	Tekek	019-9225973
5	Abdul Razak bin Yusoff	Razak	Salang	09-4195043
6	Abdul-Hakim Norshin Bin Bidin	Akim	Salang	013-7082146
7	Ahmad Daud b. Setaffa	Daud	Tekek	09-4191791
8	Azizan Bin Haron	Ijan	Genting	013-9089172, 09-4197004
9	Azman B. Bahrom	Man	Genting	019-7955338
10	Hairul Irwan B. Mohd Yunus	Irwan	Tekek	019-9788747
11	Johari B. Berahim	Joe	Tekek	09-4191953
12	Ma’On Bin Yahaya	Wasabi	Air Hantu	019-7041889
13	Md Zubir b. Mohd Nor	Zubir	Manggo	017-7989249
14	Megat Mohd Zakuan B. Zamani	Megat	Salang	019-7487232
15	Mohd Afindi Bin Che Mat	Fendi	Tekek	013-7809014
16	Mohd Afrizat Bin Ahmad	Iwan	Tekek	012-7016925
17	Mohd Faizal Azlin B. Mohd Apandi	Faizal	Tekek	016-7977553
18	Mohd Fawzy Raili	Fawzy	Tekek	013-7166714
19	Mohd Sarif B. Sikari	Sarip	Genting	019-7662645
20	Saripuzaman B. Adon	Tobak	Salang	013-9058610
21	Senaini bin Setapa	Nee	Tekek	013-9502093
22	Zabar B. Osman	Zabar	Tekek	013-9294834

Through the teachers' eyes

By Kyle Petrozza

Kyle Petrozza and Jenifer Jordie are the spectacular volunteer duo who spent over a month in Kampung Genting, Tioman, teaching the locals English. This is their version of events:

When it comes time to describe the class that we have taught for the past month many adjectives come to mind. None however fit better than a noun: success.

Imaginary boundaries in language, culture, and abilities were broken. Skills taken for granted were put to the test while new ones were developed, on both sides of the classroom. Throughout the duration of the class there was much more than learning going on, both inside the minds and hearts of the students and possibly even more-so inside those of the teachers.

Before we arrived in Tioman, we were fortunate to have another volunteer, Stewart Green teach a week’s worth of class which provided us with some background knowledge on the students. When we finally arrived in this picturesque community we were pleasantly surprised to find that there was already a moderate level of English spoken among the people who we would eventually teach and more importantly, befriend.

Classes were attended by people of all walks of life; from a 7 year-old getting ready to start school, to Mohammad, a 56 year-old boatman who trekked to and from Genting each night from his home in Kampung Paya, never to miss a class. Because of this the two hour class time had to be devoted to all abilities, a task which was attained by introducing new material and then focusing on partner or group conversations that were overseen and corrected, if need be, by one of us. This allowed the students to be in a comfortable speaking environment as they usually paired up with friends or other students who matched their speaking abilities.
The materials provided to us by MNS allowed the students to have something to take home with them that they could practice with and share with their friends and families. They also provided us the ability to plan classes around certain subject matters that would be beneficial to the students such as English for Eco-tourism, hospital emergencies, restaurant work, and resort work to name a few. However throughout the duration of the class it was the unbridled enthusiasm of the students and their sheer delight in learning that made this such a success.

Prior to our first class we had heard that many hardships may await us due to cultural differences, the wide range of demographics of the class, and even a lack of interest on the part of the students. Classes have now ended and we can say without a shred of doubt that none of those hardships ever seemed possible.

The people of Genting welcomed us into their community with open arms and as we get ready to depart this wonderful village we feel that they have taught us more than we have taught them. We will now be sharing our last days together with our new friends conversing in English while trying to improve our Bahasa Malaysia and hoping that organisations that have the ability to provide programmes like these will not question the necessity or worthwhile-ness of the benefits that will become of them.

Kyle and Jen have now gone back to the U.S. but we (and the locals of Kampung Genting) are eternally grateful for their time, commitment and energy, in spite of their taking turns to fall really ill while on the island! They truly were the key to this programme’s success.

Islands of Malaysia

Marine life thrives in Malaysia's tropical waters. The best way to see it is to either scuba dive or snorkel. While snorkelling is limited to the islands’ edges where coral reef is abundant, divers have plenty of other sites to choose from. Water visibility between the months of April to September is often more than 30 metres. Here is a selection of some of our beautiful islands, what usually can be seen and how to get to the island.

All images by Harun Rahman

WEST MALAYSIA: JOHOR

PULAU AUR & PULAU DAYANG
Dive season: April to October
Aur Island (left), together with the islands of Dayang, Lang, Pinang and Pemanggil, is part of the Johor Marine Park. Pulau Aur and Dayang are two islands in close proximity to each other, 65km east of Mersing off Johor's east coast. Snorkelling is possible. Visibility: 30m. Maximum depth: 70m. Currents: Choppy with strong currents.

Marine life: Pelagics, giant stingrays, groupers, large schools of barracudas, yellowtails, rainbow runners, damsels, butterflyfish, scorpionfish, hard and soft coral reefs, pufferfish, lionfish, snappers and whale sharks and manta rays (occasionally sighted at Aur and Dayang).

Directions: From Kuala Lumpur, drive to Mersing (five hours). From Mersing, take a 4-hour boat ride to Dayang (2 hours by speed boat). The boat will usually stay with you during your stay and return with you to Mersing.

PULAU RAWA, PULAU BABI TENGAH & PULAU BABI BESAR
Pulau Rawa is located 16km off the coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is the most popular of the three islands. Pulau Babi Besar, just south of Pulau Rawa, is an outstanding dive destination. Between the two lies Pulau Babi Tengah, an uninhabited island, which possesses an abundance of marine life. Snorkelling is possible. Visibility: 20m. Maximum depth: 25m.

Marine life: Pulau Rawa: Although lacking in coral, there is a decent count of marine life such as grouper, fusiliers, lionfish, sea stars, moray eels, cuttlefish, nudibranchs and jacks. Pulau Babi Besar & Pulau Babi Tengah: Some soft corals, small sponges, sea squirts, wrasse, stingrays, flat worms, scorpionfish, and damselfish can be found here. In July, giant leatherback turtles emerge from the sea to lay their eggs here.

Directions: From Kuala Lumpur, drive to Mersing (five hours) and take a boat from there.

PULAU SIBU & PULAU SIBU TENGAH
These two islands lie further south of Johor's coastline.

Marine life: Includes coral reefs, butterflyfish, angelfish and black groupers.

Directions: Take a ferry from Tanjung Sedili.

PULAU TINGGI
Pulau Tinggi gets its name from a high hill rising 2,000 feet above sea level. Snorkelling is possible.

Marine life: Include coral reefs, butterflyfish, angelfish and black groupers. Popular with divers and snorkellers.

Directions: Pulau Tinggi is approximately 45 minutes by boat from the Mersing Jetty.

PULAU PEMANGGIL
This island is located 15km northwest of Pulau Aur. Clear emerald waters entice many a snorkeller. Visibility: 30m. Maximum depth: 40m. Currents: Choppy with strong currents.

Marine life: A wreck on the eastern side of the island attracts parrotfish, surgeonfish, lionfish, groupers and shoals of snappers, batfish and fusiliers.

Directions: Usually, one takes a boat from Pulau Aur to get here. From Mersing, it is a 4 to 5-hour boat ride.

WEST MALAYSIA: KEDAH

PULAU PAYAR
Located off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, Pulau Payar is located south of Pulau Langkawi or 35km off the Kedah coast. The Pulau Payar Marine Park, comprises four uninhabited islands - the main Pulau Payar (maximum depth: 24m) and the smaller islands of Lembu, Kaca (maximum depth: 35m) and Segantang (maximum depth: 30m). This is Malaysia's oldest Marine Park sanctuary. These islands offer the best diving site in Peninsular Malaysia's west coast. Snorkelling is possible only at Pulau Payar and Pulau Kaca.

Marine Life: Pulau Payar: The southwest tip is known as the Coral Garden where one can see soft-tree corals, boulder corals, whip corals, shoal of jacks, rainbow runners, tuna, and goatfish. Several species of barracuda and pufferfish live here too. A shallow house reef in front of the park's staff quarters is good for snorkellers. Pulau Kaca: The northwest side has the island's best reef. A variety of colourful corals and fish life can be seen between 2-10m such as sea anemones with clownfish, shoals of jacks and snappers, moral eels, stonefish, angelfish and nudibranchs. Pulau Segantang has gorgonian sea fans, yellow cup corals, sea anemones and clownfish, giant groupers, ghost pipefish, spiny lobsters, jacks, garfish, whitetip reef sharks, leopard sharks, and giant stingrays. Pelagic species including whale sharks can be seen at the two outcrops.

Directions: Access is not a problem as speedboats and catamarans ply the route on a regular basis from Langkawi and Penang. Most people depart from Kuah Jetty in Langkawi by speed boat or catamaran. The journey takes about 45 minutes.

WEST MALAYSIA: PAHANG

PULAU TIOMAN
Dive season: April to September
Located about 36 nautical miles off Malaysia's east coast, Tioman Island is one of eight islands in this marine park. Tioman’s underwater scene has a diverse marine life. There are patches of coral gardens and boulders covered with soft tree corals and sea fans. There are over 20 dive sites around Pulau Tioman such as Kador Bay, One Tree Bay, Magician Rock, Tiger Reef (a variety of sea fans), Golden Reef and Renggis Island.

Marine life to be seen: Blue-spotted stingray, reef sharks, turtles, moray eels, sweetlips, jacks, barracudas, and angel fishes.

Directions: By air, you can fly to Pulau Tioman by Berjaya Air. Alternatively, you can take a 1.5-hour boat ride from Mersing.

WEST MALAYSIA: PERAK

PULAU PANGKOR
Pulau Pangkor is located off the shores of Lumut town, about 90km southwest of Ipoh. The name Pangkor actually originates from the Thai word "Pang Ko" meaning "beautiful island".

Directions: Take the 40-minute ferry from the Lumut Ferry Terminal. Berjaya Air also flies to a landing strip at Teluk Dalam on the island itself.

WEST MALAYSIA: TERENGGANU

PULAU KAPAS & PULAU GEMIA
Dive season: May to October
Pulau Kapas and its neighbouring island Pulau Gemia are popular with snorkellers and divers. Pulau Kapas is located just 6 km off the coastal village of Marang, yet its marine life is still healthy. The reefs surrounding Pulau Kapas ranges in depth from 3-20 metres.

Marine life: Varieties of fish that can be seen here include moorish idols, wrasses, and butterfly fishes. Between the months of April and August, green and hawksbill turtles come ashore to lay eggs.

Directions: Pulau Kapas is a half hour boat ride from the Marang jetty which is 30 minutes south of Kuala Terengganu. Catch a bus from Marang to Kuala Terengganu.

PULAU PERHENTIAN
Located 21 km off the coast of Kuala Besut, the Perhentian Islands comprises Perhentian Besar and Perhentian Kecil and are within the Terengganu Marine Park.

Marine life: Black corals, giant soft corals, gorgonian sea fans, dolphins and pilot whales (July and August), large schools of pelagic fish, nocturnal shellfish and black-tip sharks and nurse sharks.

Getting here: From Kuala Lumpur, fly to Kota Bharu. Take a one-hour bus or taxi ride to the Fisheries Complex at Kuala Besut, which is a small fishing village on the mainland. From there, take a 1.5-hour boat ride to Pulau Perhentian or half an hour by speedboat.

PULAU REDANG
Dive season: April - October
Located north of Kuala Terengganu, the Pulau Redang Marine Park contains nine islands, the largest being Redang Island. Snorkelling is possible around the islands. Other islands in the archipelago: Kerengga Kecil, Kerengga Besar, Ling, Ekor Tebu, Pinang, Paku Besar, Paku Kecil, and Lima.

Marine life & dive sites: “Mini Mount” is located off Kerengga Besar Island (sea squirts, corals, sponges and stinging hydroids); “Big Mount” is off the northern tip of Lima Island (clownfish, sea cucumbers, starfish, stonefish, groupers and parrotfish); the “Picture Wall” (dotted with sea fans and corals), “Cathedral Arches” (canyon network with huge arches); “Terumbu Kiri” (hard and soft corals, cardinal fish, damselfish, snappers, soldierfish, yellowtail, batfish and black tip sharks); and “Turtle Bay”, known for its sea turtles, is at the northern end of Redang Island.

Directions: Fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu. From the Merang jetty, it is a 45-minute journey by speedboat. Ferry service is available from the Kuala Terengganu jetty and it takes 45 minutes to get there.

PULAU TENGGOL
Dive season: April – June
Located south of Terengganu’s coastline, the Tenggol group of islands, set within a marine park, comprises Pulau Tenggol, Pulau Nyireh, Tokong Timur, Tokong Talang, Tokong Burung and Tokong Kemudi.The main island, Pulau Tenggol, is about 50 hectares in size and is one of the most beautiful and serene islands off Peninsular Malaysia's east coast. It is also famous for its spectacular rocky cliffs that offer many excellent dive sites.

Marine life: The waters around the island are home to fish, turtles, snappers, groupers, sharks, rays, nudibranch, pristine coral formations and a number of submerged rocks with excellent coral growths.

Directions: You can opt to fly to Kuala Terengganu and then board a bus or taxi to the fishing village of Marang. From here, take a 30-minute boat ride to Pulau Tenggol. You can also take a 40-minute speedboat from Kuala Dungun.

EAST MALAYSIA: SABAH

PULAU KAPALAI
Kapalai Island is located between Sipadan and Mabul Islands and sits on top of the Ligitan Reefs, a very extensive stretch bordering the Celebes Sea.

Marine life: Squid, needlefish, cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, sea moths, mating mandarinfish, giant frogfish, ribbon eels, harlequin ghost pipefish, crab-eye gobies, leaf scorpionfish, pink-eye gobies, mantis shrimps, crocodilefish and lionfish.

Directions: Fly from KLIA direct to Tawau, then a one-hour trip from the airport to Semporna. Boat ride to Kapalai takes 90 minutes.

PULAU LANKAYAN
Located in the Sulu Sea north west of Sandakan on the north east coast of Sabah, the small Lankayan Island offers a variety of macro marine life.

Marine life: Leopard sharks, whale sharks, black-tip sharks, marbled stingray, giant grouper, schools of bumphead parrotfish, yellowtail barracudas, small glassfish, harlequin ghost pipefish, painted frogfish, seahorses, cuttlefish, jawfish, hawksbill turtles and green turtles. Nearby is Selingan Island, home to Sabah’s Turtle Sanctuary.

Directions: Lankayan Island is about 90 minutes by boat from Sandakan.

PULAU LAYANG LAYANG
This man-made island, located 165 miles northwest of Kota Kinabalu, was created in 1991 from a coral atoll in the South China Sea. Layang layang Island offers wall diving. This coral atoll consists of 13 coral reefs linked together and it has 2000m sheer drops to the ocean floor all around its rim. Visibility is between 50-60 metres and the water is warm (surface temperature is between 21-32 C).

Marine life: Many varieties of soft and hard corals, a gorgonian forest, school of hammerhead sharks, manta rays with fin spans of over 10 feet, napoleon wrasse, hawksbill turtles, dog tooth tuna, giant hammerhead wrasse and the white tip reef sharks.

Directions: Take a 2-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu and then continue with a one-hour private charter plane to Layang Layang Island.

PULAU MANTANANI
Mantanani is a group of three isolated islands northwest of Kota Belud, a one-hour drive from Kota Kinabalu.

Marine life: Dugong, lionfish, scorpionfish, octopus, glassfish, marbled stingray, Blue spotted ray, large schools of eagle rays, seahorses, imperial shrimps, pink-eye gobies, jawfish, blue-ringed octopus, ribbon eels and many colourful nudibranchs.

PULAU SIPADAN
Dive season: March – December
Located an hour’s boat ride from Semporna on Sabah’s east coast is Sipadan Island; it takes just 15 minutes to walk around it. Jacques Cousteau who visited the island in 1988 said, “I have seen other places like Sipadan - 45 years ago - but now, no more, now we have found again an untouched piece of art.”

Sipadan Island is Malaysia's only oceanic island. Its coral reef is 160 hectares and has a circumference of 5.3km and is renowned for its wide range of rare marine species. At its northern tip, just 15 feet from the beach, the sandy bottom drops away to 600m. The vertical walls have been rated "one of the top five in the world" for wall diving.

Marine life: Soft and hard coral, sea turtles, big schools of barracuda, sharks, jacks, tuna, bump head wrasse, sea squirts, sponges, fusiliers, surgeonfish, leopard shark, bigeye trevally, batfish, humphead parrotfish, clownfish, sea anemones, sea fans, barrel sponges and cave dwellers (a 200ft deep underwater limestone cave is located 63ft below the surface). Dive sites: Barracuda Point (barracudas, green turtles, sharks, jack fish), Hanging Garden (soft corals, unicorn fish, clown or anemone fish, bright blue and yellow fusilier fish, sweetlips, and clown triggers), South Point (barracuda, manta rays, white-tip sharks, and hammerhead sharks.)

Directions: Fly from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau. From there hop onto a bus for an hour to Semporna. Accommodation is available at nearby Mabul and Kapalai islands, and from there Sipadan is a short boat ride away. Entry into Sipadan waters is restricted by a daily quota.

PULAU TIGA PARK
Managed by Sabah Parks, the islands within this park comprise Pulau Tiga, Pulau Kalampunian Damit or “Snake Island” and Pulau Kalampunian Basar. Pulau Tiga Park is located in Kimanis BaySabah, about 48km south of Kota Kinabalu. The surrounding reefs are shallow with coral life and water visibility ranges from 6 meters to 20 meters. on the West Coast of

Pulau Kalampunian Damit is a breeding site for the amphibious sea snake (sea kraits). You can find them resting under rocks, in cracks or on the trees during the day. At night, they swim back into the ocean. Although their venom is deadly, they have a relatively small mouth and are actually very timid. They can be dangerous only when mishandled or stepped on.

Marine life: Includes nudibranchs, bamboo sharks, cuttlefish, and marbled stingray. Banded sea snakes can be seen at Snake Island.

Directions: To reach Pulau Tiga, take a 30-minute boat ride from Kuala Penyu, a small settlement about 2 hour’s drive from Kota Kinabalu. Alternatively, charter a speedboat from Kota Kinabalu to Pulau Tiga or fly to Pulau Labuan and charter a boat from there. Both trips take about 90 minutes.

TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN PARK
A group of five islands - Pulau Gaya, Pulau Sapi, Pulau Manukan, Pulau Mamutik and Pulau Sulug – inhabit this Sabah Parks’ marine park. The islands can be reached between 10 – 20 minutes by speedboat from the city of Kota Kinabalu. Shallow waters reveal beautiful coral gardens and the little current make these islands ideal for snorkellers or novice divers.

Marine life: Scorpionfish, blue-spotted rays, cuttlefish, mantis shrimps, green turtle, hawksbill turtle, harlequin ghost pipefish and mandarin fish. Between December and April, plankton blooms attract krill, which will attract whale sharks, the world’s largest fish.

EAST MALAYSIA: SARAWAK

Sarawak has dive sites that have been compared favourably with Sipadan and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The visibility at Luconia Shoals is astounding as is the variety of marine and coral life. You can dive among World War wrecks and share them with giant manta rays.

The Tocow and Siwa Shoals are just a 40 minutes boat ride from Miri while the Batu Mat Reef is an hour and 45 minutes away. The water near Kuching is not very clear but there are interesting dives to offshore islands where turtles breed.

Tanjung Datu National Park has crystal clear waters and coral formations close to shore and should be good for snorkelling.

Getting around Sarawak: Express boats service an intricate network of rivers and main towns along their banks.

MIRI
Miri is located north of Kuching and off the coast of Sarawak. Popular dive sites include “Sea Fan Garden,” “Atago Maru,” a Japanese World War II shipwreck and “Scubasa Reef,” a shallow reef which provides refuge for migrating turtles every August.

PULAU SALANG
This uninhabited tropical island has white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters perfect for snorkeling. The coral reefs lie close to the shore, and colorful little fish can be glimpsed weaving through the coral. The island is also a popular nesting place for turtles.

EAST MALAYSIA: LABUAN

PULAU LABUAN
This is a popular wreck-diving destination. There are two World War II shipwrecks and one recent Malaysian wreck to explore.

Location map

The MNS Shop
JKR 641, Jalan Kelantan
50480 Kuala Lumpur
T/F: +603-2287 3471 (Seng / Carol / TC)
E: natureowlet@yahoo.com
Open Mon-Fri 0930-1750 hrs, Saturday 1000-1300 hrs. Closed on Sundays & Public Holidays as well as during major MNS events (e.g. Raptor Watch etc)

The MNS Auditorium is located above The MNS Shop and is where we have our talks and meetings. Take the flight of red steps up to the first floor. Free parking is available in front of the building.

Kid-designed badges on sale

As part of the Marine Group's marine awareness programme at schools, the third year students of Garden International School Kuala Lumpur participated in a competition which conveyed a marine conservation message on a button badge.

The children, with the support of their teachers, also raised sufficient funds to produce two of their winning badge designs AND allowed the Marine Group to conduct a similar programme with a school on Pulau Tioman.

Buy these badges (RM10/set) at The MNS Shop, or please get in touch with Serina and help raise money for future activities with island children.

T-Shirt merchandise

In an effort to raise funds to run education and conservation programmes, the Marine Group is now selling marine-related merchandise produced by our volunteers. Any surplus returns to the Marine Group Fund for the purchasing of material and equipment for coral reef education, reef checks, introduction to snorkelling programmes, and other marine awareness events like Island Fest. We hope you will continue to support us! Thank you.

Our merchandise is available at The MNS Shop.

MP = MNS Member's price
NMP = Non-Member's Price

T-Shirts

Dugong-on-a-carton
V-neck sizes: S, M

MP: RM19
NMP: RM23

Dugong-on-a-carton
Round-neck sizes: S, M

MP: RM15
NMP: RM17

Embroidery dugong motif
Ladies' collared sizes: M, L

MP: RM22
NMP: RM26

Coral Reef
Kids' round neck sizes: S, M

MP: RM15
NMP: RM17

Links

We only link to non-profit making organisations and national/state parks:

Coral Reefs

• Coral Reef Alliance
  This member-supported, non-profit organisation is based in San Francisco and is dedicated to keeping coral reefs alive around the world.

• International Coral Reef Initiative
  The ICRI is a partnership among nations and organisations seeking to implement Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 and other international Conventions and agreements for the benefit of coral reefs and related ecosystems. The Initiative was established in order to stop and reverse the global degradation of coral reefs and related ecosystems.

• NOAA's Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP)
  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's mission is to provide services and information sources for researchers and the public in order to help improve and sustain coral reef health throughout the world.
  

• ReefBase
  This online information system on coral reefs was designed to provide relevant data and information to reef managers and scientists, as well as the general public. Its objective is to facilitate better understanding of the inter-dependencies between humans and coral reefs, in order to benefit management and conservation efforts of these important resources.
  

• Reef Check
  Reef Check is an international programme that works with communities, governments and businesses to scientifically monitor, restore and maintain coral reef health.
  

• Reef Education Network
  This interactive website will help you unlock some of the mysteries of the coral reef ecosystem. Great for kids and adults. It was originally produced by the University of Sydney and Tech Talk Australia.

Marine Parks

• Sabah Parks
  For those who don't have Broadband, this website about Turtle Islands Park, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park and Pulau Tiga Park, will take some time to download and view.
  
  

Mangroves

• Mangrove Action Project
  Partners with mangrove forest communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers and local governments to conserve and restore mangrove forests and related coastal ecosystems, while promoting community-based, sustainable management of coastal resources.

Marine Life

• IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU Secretariat
  The Indian Ocean and South-East Asian (IOSEA) Marine Turtle MoU is an intergovernmental agreement that aims to protect, conserve, replenish and recover marine turtles and their habitats of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asian region.

• Ma' Daerah Turtle Sanctuary
  The Ma' Daerah Turtle Sanctuary Centre is a newly established hatchery and interpretation centre dedicated to the protection and conservation of sea turtles. It was officiated in June 1999. The project aims to protect marine turtles in their natural habitat.
  

• Marine Education Kit
  A joint production of WWF Malaysia, the Marine Parks Malaysia and the Ministry of Education's Curriculum Development Centre on mangroves, coral reefs, sea shores, and ocean and seas.

• ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research
  This centre teaches marine natural history such as Coral Reef Ecology, Reef Critter Identification, Shark Biology and Behavior to skin and scuba divers.

• Saving Sharks Asia
  Chronicling the thoughts and actions of an Ex-Meat/Shark fin's Eater. Also includes posts on the growing campaign against Shark fin's Soup and shark finning in general.
  

• Shark Research Institute
  This multi-disciplinary non-profit scientific research organisation was created to sponsor and conduct research on sharks and promote the conservation of sharks. SRI works with the scientific community, individuals and organisations concerned about the health of our marine ecosystem, and marine resource users.

• Shark Trust
  Promotes the study, management and conservation of sharks, skates and rays. As the UK member of the European Elasmobranch Association, it collaborates with other national member bodies to achieve their aims in British, European and international waters.

• Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
  Established in 1987, this active charity is dedicated to the conservation and welfare of all whales, dolphins and porpoises.
  

• Wildlife Conservation Society
  The society's strong, world-wide commitment to marine conservation is met through collaborative efforts by field scientists working around the world in over twenty countries.
  
  

Snorkelling and SCUBA diving

• SCUBA Diving Guide for Beginners
  The About Scuba Diving site has a wealth of information for novice divers and those thinking of becoming certified.

• BSAC’s Guide to Snorkelling Equipment
  The British Sub Aqua Club is the world's biggest diving club. It also has a snorkelling programme, and this site tells you what you will need before you snorkel.