'Sabah can be water sports destination for all'

 By Olivia Miwil - November 1, 2021 @ 10:08am

Public wearing costumes while playing watersports activities in conjunction with Halloween at Tanjung Aru. - Pic courtesy of Waterfly Borneo

KOTA KINABALU: As Sabah is opening its borders to visitors from other states, Waterfly Borneo is hoping to promote the state as an adventure water sports destination for all.

Its manager, Alvin Young said all the while, tourists come to Sabah for the sunset, mountains, rainforest and islands.

"Except for the famous scuba diving, the sea has been underutilised. Therefore, we also want to make Sabah a destination for adventure water sports.

"In fact, we have an e-foiling activity which is the first in the country, and it is easy to do," he said, adding they were also offering other water sports such as stand-up paddleboard (SUP), windsurf, kitesurf among others.

Young added they were currently operating at the Tanjung Aru beach here, which gives one of the best sunset views in the world. Another operation focused on SUP and kitesurf is at the tip of Borneo in Kudat.

"We conduct two sessions—early in the morning to capture the best riding conditions and during sunset for Instagram.

"To make the experience memorable, we capture the moment with videos and still photos for our customers," he said, adding their staff were also professional divers who ensure the safety of guests.

As for the reopening of borders, Young said they had been receiving enquiries and bookings from peninsular Malaysia. Some even booked for all of the water sports activities as an "adventure water sports holiday".

The less than a-year-old company is hoping that through water sports, they could empower the local community by upskilling them and broadening Sabah's tourism offerings.

Young said they were also expanding the business to two other locations in Sabah, as well as Putrajaya and Kuantan.