Sabah denies any increase in daily Sipadan diving quotas

 By Olivia Miwil - March 22, 2022 @ 10:18am

The Sabah government denies decision to increase daily diving permits from 170 to 500 for Sipadan. - Pic courtesy of Joe Starz

SEMPORNA: The state government has yet to decide on the quota of daily diving permits off Sipadan island.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said a statement indicating the plan to increase the permits from 170 to 500 was merely speculative.

Recently there was a statement from marine biologists, tour operators and divers following a visit by 20 civil servants in Sipadan, saying the government was in the final stages of increasing the quota.

The group had also expressed their concern that should the plan be carried out, it would have negative effects such as damaging corals.

They also suggested proper assessment of this impact from all aspects in the next five years, scientifically, and any increase should be at a minimum.

However, through the Sabah Parks Board of Trustees, Jafry said the state government has neither decided whether to increase nor decrease the number of diving quotas off Sipadan.

"So far, the diving quota is maintained at 176 per day, and to be distributed among 24 tour companies in Semporna.

"(The quota) is as determined by the Sipadan and Ligitan Islands Management and Monitor Committee that is chaired by the Sabah Secretary," he told the New Straits Times.

Jafry added that there is a study on carrying capacity including for diving off Sipadan island. For now, it is still under documentation and has yet to be tendered.

"The outcome of the study will be used to determine the appropriate diving quota for Sipadan."