By Olivia Miwil - May 21, 2022 @ 2:23pm
KUDAT: With 19 years experience as a diver, Tan Lea Meng has always counted Sabah as one of the best places to explore her passion.
But even with her familiarity with the state's popular diving spots, she was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was still much more hidden gems along Sabah's vast coastline and offshore islands.
Tan is among the many new "converts" to attest to the beauty of Kudat district, which boasts good dive sites.
Located about 190km northeast of Sabah's capital, the district used to be part of the main maritime route in southeast Asia for those travelling between the South China Sea and Sulu Sea about 1,000 years ago.
The Kuala Lumpur-based diving instructor said that her discovery of Kudat was made when she wanted to dive in places which she had never been.
"The pandemic had imposed restrictions on travelling overseas, and many people decided to explore Malaysia. We all wanted to go on a 'Cuti-Cuti Malaysia' outing.
"However, whenever people talk about Sabah, they will think about Sipadan and Mabul (in Semporna) and others which are so-called upper class diving places.
"Instead of going to those places, we decided to check out Kudat. I found a lot of write ups and information from magazines about it, and there have been diving exhibitions on wreck diving sites in the district that piqued my interest," said Tan, who has also dived in Kota Kinabalu, Semporna, Lankayan island in Sandakan, Mantanani and Lahad Datu.
In 2018, New Straits Times has reported that there were at least 70 known wrecks, 35 of which are of historical value, in Sabah dated from the 10th to 20th century
A recent wreckage discovery expedition initiated by divers from Blue Fin and another operator, Tommy's Place, had found parts of a crane vessel off the Batuan Mandi island near Tindakon Dazang Beach in Kudat.
The project to uncover the underwater wreck is still ongoing.
Although Tan was expecting more of such wreck diving experiences during her recent trip to Sabah, she changed her mind when she reached Kudat.
"The beach is beautiful. It is a peaceful and quiet place located at the tip of Borneo. The diving is also pretty easy and the waters are quite shallow as compared to Sipadan and Mabul.
"You just need very good local guides who understand the movement of the water, and the ups and downs of the tides."
During her trip, Tan engaged the local operator, Tommy's Place for her group of six other divers who have at least 300 logged dives.
The group spent 11 days in Kota Kinabalu, Kudat and Kota Belud for diving activities.
She said Malaysians, particularly divers, should be rest assured that it is safe to holiday in Sabah despite concerns over the presence of illegal immigrants or the perception on piracy.
"During my stay in Kudat, I feel very safe. The people are nice and we can have our rooms unlocked or things left unattended without worrying about the safety."
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