Because diving makes us smile -- even the fish we meet!

Alsky72 stumbled on this jubilant little fangblenny in Sipadan and was able to capture this beautiful -- and hilarious -- photo of the fish. I can't tell of he's smiling for joy or baring his teeth to warn alsky72 away, but either way, I think the image is priceless.

If you have any pictures of smiling fish, please add them to Divester's Flickr pool and share them with everybody.

As if Sipadan didn't have enough to worry about right now, Malaysia's local news service is reporting that an increasing number of divers are traveling to Pulau Sipadan illegally. The permitted number of divers per day is 120, but dive operators have actively ignored that law. In January, the average number of divers visiting the island was 141; April received the most visitors with an average daily diver count of 235.

When Parks officials discover illegal divers, they eject them from the park. Obviously, this has resulted in a strained relationship among divers, local dive operators, and the Park system. Reassigning permitting has been the government's first step in combating rogue diving in the area. However, it sounds like more stringent permitting isn't the solution; government needs to get the buy-in from the dive operators to limit the number of divers on the island, otherwise the point is moot.

[Via Asia Dive Site]

This picture may not be the most technically-stunning or eye-poppingly beautiful shot we've featured on This Is Why We Dive, but more than any of the images we've seen, it screams "anticipation."

Sarim captured this shot -- titled Scubacats -- on Sipadan. Seeing the tanks, all lined up, geared up, and ready to go, makes me want to go diving desperately. The tanks are beckoning me, distracting me from work...

Add your most beckon-some images to Divester's Flickr pool and distract other divers, too.

Martin Law visited Sipadan last summer and produced this stellar video of his dive trip. Filled with turtles, nudis, coral, cuttlefish, sharks, lionfish, and more, it's an excellent introduction to Sipadan. Enjoy!

After the press coverage and public outcry concerning the barge that destroyed a section of Sipadan's reef last May, Malaysian officials have finally agreed to halt all major construction on the island. The restaurant and clubhouse that were being constructed to serve visiting divers have been "terminated with immediate effect," Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman announced yesterday. Moreover, the entire Sabah Parks -- the agency that oversees Sipadan as well as some other parks and islands in Malaysia -- will receive a "management revamp," due to its bungling of the incident. In other words: heads are gonna roll. (The Sabah Parks website is out of service, at the moment; I don't know if that's related or not.)

Nevertheless, the Chief Minister did admit that officials were still planning to implement severely scaled-down facilities for divers, involving eco-friendly toilets and a small rest area. "We will come up with a new development concept that is environmental- friendly and suits (the island's) eco-system. We will announce it two or three months from now," he said this week. Considering ample rest areas exist on neighboring islands, I don't understand the need for these facilities, but Musa insists they're essential.

With all the fury, bad press, and anger over the recent events at Sipadan, I thought I'd try to lighten things up a bit and kind of promote the area. In reality, the people who depend on tourism for their livelihoods need support from divers now more than ever. To that end, I found a couple of interesting, short videos on YouTube -- all created by craigsj -- that showcase Sipadan in all its beauty.  

The first video is a montage of all the different things Craigsj saw while staying at Sipadan's Water Village.

The second video is of schooling barracuda. In the Caribbean, you're lucky if you see a school composed of a few dozen. Craigsj managed to capture footage of hundreds of the fish schooling.

The third video tells what it's like to be a part of an underwater photo contest in Sipadan. Mixed in with the footage of the contest are some great shots of marine life. 

Although I haven't ever gotten to dive Sipadan, these videos really make me want to go.

Malaysia's Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Chong Kah Kiat announced recently that the contractor whose barge scraped clean the coral at Sipadan's Drop-off Point has apologized. Phew. What good news. Additionally, the contracting company has indicated that it would pay for the clean-up, and (I assume) the "re-planting" of the corals that are expected to occur. Previously, I had fretted that the contractor would be performing the clean-up duties itself, but it does not *appear* that this will be the case. However, the FiNs blog points out that Sipadan -- because it is a "relatively healthy reef" that only suffered damage to approximately 0.1% of its total reef area -- can probably recover naturally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, government officials are calling for Sabah Parks -- the agency charged with protecting Sipadan -- to be relieved of its duties. According to Sabah deputy chairperson Christina Liew, if Sabah parks can not handle its responsibilities, then those responsibilities should be transferred to professionals who can handle them. On the other hand, rather than hobble Sabah Parks, some people, like the WWF's Angela Lim, believes the agency "needs a full mandate and a proper management plan for biodiversity." In conjunction with government, private sector, and local stakeholders like divers and dive operators, Lim hopes that Sabah Parks may rebound from the tragedy and ultimately learn from its mistake.

Earlier today, Malaysia's Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat reported some happy news. Claiming the damage caused by the Sipadan barge was "very minimum," he argued that the news was blown out of proportion by the foreign media. In fact, Kiat indicated that only 0.1% of the area's 208 hectares (0.8 square miles) of ecosystem was affected by the incident. In other words, 0.208 acres -- or, in his words, "just 3,984 square feet" of reef -- was damaged. Previously, I had estimated the damaged area to be about 2808 square feet.

In a press conference, Kiat reported that the team of divers who had surveyed the damage had reported their findings and that they "were contrary to the report in the internet and by all the so-called concerned people." So-called concerned people? While I understand that Kiat is fighting for his political future, disparaging reporters, environmentalists, divers, concerned citizens, and bloggers the world over is a bizarre tactic. Nevertheless, in his defense, Kiat said that the damage reports in Kuala Lumpur stated that some 2-3 kilometers of corals had been wiped out.

Further, Kiat thanked the foreign media for their concern but begged them to "stop the exaggeration. Be rational. Malaysians and Sabahans especially are as concerned as anybody [else] in the world when it comes to conservation and preservation of the environment." Clearly shifting the blame from himself, According to Kiat, what angered the government was that the contractor was using a large barge as opposed to the small boat that had been approved by authorities. Reading between the lines, then, what angered the government was NOT that the reef had been destroyed.

So, what's the next step? Kiat said all work on the island has been suspended. Moreover, a full report from Borneo's Marine Research Institute is due in two weeks. Finally, the contractor has been instructed to clean the damaged coral. Yikes! I wonder if a building contractor will know how to sweep a reef. In my opinion, if the Malaysian government is truly concerned about protecting its reef, it should hire specialists to clear the debris to minimize and control further damage. Sitting outside looking in, it appears the only damage control the government is doing is media-related...not environmental. 

Although half a world away, we've been following the damage at Sipadan very closely. Initially, reports indicated that the barge was carrying materials to construct a resort on the island. However, now that the dust has settled, it seems the barge was carrying materials to construct "improved rest facilities for divers visiting the island during the day, to replace the current temporary facilities." Apparently, these rest facilities have been an ongoing construction project, despite calls from opposition government members that they are unnecessary.

Nevertheless, construction has been halted until such time as a thorough investigation into the accident is complete. In the meantime, the dive operators who service Sipadan have collectively agreed to assist the government in its enquiry and to support them as they devise a plan for rebuilding. In other words, rather than bash the government or the contractor who caused the damage, they are focusing on what can be done to protect this resource -- and many like it -- into the future.

According to the New Strait Times, the barge that destroyed Sipadan's reef has caused political upheavals in Malaysia. Apparently furious with the news, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman has ordered a full probe into the disaster and has lambasted the officials in charge of the park. Moreover, he immediately halted all construction work on the island.

The Chief Minister claims he didn't know the government was constructing facilities on the island for divers, and seems to suggest that Koh Kiat, the Tourism Cultural and Environment minster, approved the contractor (Kumpulan Surati Sdn Bhd) to proceed with the work without his knowledge. In his own defense, Koh Kiat stated the work had been approved by the government.

Although the damage has been done, it'll be interesting to see what happens with Sipadan. My prediction: Koh Kiat...the tribe has spoken.

[Via Eating Chaos]

I promise not to go on and on about the barge that wrecked the reef at Sipadan, but I find the situation bewildering. In 2004, all the dive outfits on the island were kicked off, in an effort to protect the delicate ecosystem there. Subsequently, divers had to come in from elsewhere, dive the area, and then leave. Sounds like a fine plan.

However, according to the Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat (who is also Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister), the government had awarded a contract to build amenities for divers heading to the island. "We need a restaurant to cater to divers numbering 120 each day, [and] we need a place for visitors to rest and drink," said Kah Kiat. 

Although he denies rumors that the contractor was planning to bulldoze the island or any of its trees, the barge nevertheless carried on it both a bulldozer and heavy machinery. Kah Kiat has asked Sabah Parks to "take action" against the contractor -- who is reportedly cooperating with the government -- but not to cancel the contract. In the meantime, Kah Kiat has threatened to close the park "indefinitely" until such time as the damaged coral is "restored."

Of course, we've mentioned the barge that destroyed a sizable swath of reef at Sipadan. Since the blunder, people have been wondering why a barge carrying construction material was in an area that was supposedly protected. It turns out that the barge was bringing in materials and heavy equipment to build a $1.3 million tourism facility on the island. What?! I thought it was off-limits to dive operations? After all, wasn't that why the dive shops all got kicked off the island in 2004?

Frustratingly, it seems the contractor overseeing the barge DID NOT HAVE the permits required to run the barge through the area in the first place. Although the contractor had applied for permits ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT, the permits were for a small boat -- called a kumpit -- to transfer building materials to the island; the use of a barge was not approved. According to Kadir Omar, President of Sabah's branch of the Malaysian Nature Society, "If indeed true that the company had brought in the steel barge without a permit, as alleged, then the contractor should be charged for encroachment as well as for any damage caused to Sipadan."

Sadly, locals experts, like Robert Lo, Managing Director of Sipadan Mabul Resort, are concerned about further damage to the island: "Sipadan's...famous underwater cavern may now collapse because this giant barge is sitting right on top of it. If that thin ceiling collapses, the beach will collapse and part of the island will collapse as well."

Malaysian Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat ordered Sabah Parks to immediately initiate an investigation into the presence of the barge. According to Kah Kiat, who also serves as Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, "We may...have to consider closing the island indefinitely to let the island rest and regenerate." Indefinitely? Like for 100,000 years?

Recently, I mentioned the famous section of Sipadan's reef that was destroyed by a barge that devastatingly scraped against it. According to Andrea and Antonella Ferrari, two divers who saw the destruction the day of the event, "The damage is incalculable." That statement got me wondering: Is it really incalculable?

Today, I decided to prove that the damage was (a) calculable, and (b) tremendous. However, upon completing my math, I determined that the economic damage was not only quantifiable...it wasn't even all that great: the economic loss resulting from the destruction of that patch of reef is only $1511 annually.

Surprised? Yup, me too.

A few years ago, Sipadan -- a small island in eastern Malaysia -- made a bold move. Due to mounting concerns over tourists destroying the marine and topside environment, the Malysian government decided to remove all the dive operations from the island and severely limit the number of divers that would be allowed into the area. Officials believed the best way to save Sipadan was to virtually seal it off from the outside. And for the most part, the plan seemed to be working. Marine life was thriving, and the island was turning into the unspoiled paradise divers dream of when they close their eyes. (If you don't believe me, check out the trip reports.)

However, last night, something terrible happened.

According to Andrea and Antonella Ferrari -- who are visiting the island currently -- an enormous steel barge anchored in the area, which had been "carrying thousands of tons of gravel, sand, steel tubes, iron mesh, prime movers, a large bulldozer and a gigantic crane" was pushed by the wind, scraped away hundreds of feet of formerly-vibrant reef between the old pier and Barracuda Point, and finally beached on the island. According to Ferrari, "The damage is incalculable - one of Sipadan's most precious and beloved spots, well-known the world over, is no more, transformed by a single inexplicable act of human carelessness into a grisly mass of broken and pulverized corals, shredded turtles and mounds of gray gravel." Ugh.

Alex Mustard was also on the island when the accident occurred. According to him, "The area of damage was at least the size of a couple of tennis courts." There's no word yet on why the barge was anchored so close to such an important, "protected" area. Certainly, however, the reef will take thousands of years to recover -- if it ever does.

[Via Newsvine]