Destinations / South East Asia / Malaysia

The outstanding characteristic of Malaysia's population today is its highly varied ethnic mix, making it one of the prime examples of a multiculturalism. The multiethnic character of Malaysia's population has come into being over the course of the last 150 years. Broadly speaking Malaysia's ethnic groups fall into two main categories: those with culture affinities indigenous and to one another, who are classified as bumiputera; and those whose cultural affinities lie outside. Those from the outside include a vibrant and interesting fusion of Chinese & Indian peoples, cultures and customs.

Malaysia is a multicultural nation of friendly, warm hearted people. It has population of 17.9 million people. Peninsular Malaysia has 14.6 million people while Sabah and Sarawak have 3.3 million people. Although Islam is the national religion, the Malaysian Constitution guarantees freedom of worship. Islam, Christianity, Hiduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Sikhism are the main religions in Malaysia, and there are many mosques, temples and churches throughout the country. Because of its strategic position between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, Malaysia has long been the meeting place for the traders and travellers from west and east. Hence, its history is one of continual interaction with foreign powers and influences.

Resorts

• Mabul, Malaysia

Malaysia is over 800km long, has a mountainous centre with spectacular limestone outcrops, a long neck and tapering tail. East Malaysia comprises the Borneo states of Sarawak and Sabah. The total land area of the country is approximately 329,000 sq km. The high rainfall has produced a complex network of rivers.
In recent years, it is this wonderful environment that is driving the Malaysian tourism industry. To the divers, it is the idyllic pearl-like drops of coral islands in the South China Sea off Sabah & Sarawak that are the great attractions.

How to get there
Malaysia's major international airport is at Sepang, 50 km south of Kuala Lumpur. Direct flights are available between Kuala Lumpur & Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand & almost all of Asia. Most tourists either fly into Sepang or arrive overland from Thailand or Singapore. Penang has international flights. The airports Kuching in Sarawak and Tawau in Sabah have flights to and from Kalimantan (Indonesia).

With the advent of services with Australian Airlines from Cairns in Australia to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, this now makes it possible to combine two of many divers "must do" list in one trip, the Great Barrier Reef & Sipadan Island.

Climate
Malaysia has an equtorial climate with fairly uniform temperatures throughout the year. Temperatures range from 32 C during the day to 22 C at night. It can be slightly cooler in the hill country. (Rainfall is common throughout the year, averaging 200-250cm a year.) Lightweight or mixed-fibre clothing is normal with only medium-weight woollens being required for visits to the cooler highland areas.

Malaysia has striking climatic variation from east to west. The east gets the full fury of the monsoon between November and February. The west, sheltered by the Barisan Titwansa range, has most rainfall between March and April. Borneo lies between one and eight degrees north of the equator, so is hot and sticky all year round.

Cultural Background
Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays, Chinese and Indians living side by side. The Malays are the largest community. They are Muslims, speak Bahasa and are largely responsible for the political fortunes of the country. The Chinese comprise about a third of the population. They are Buddhists and Taoists, speak Hokkein, Hakka and Cantonese, and are dominant in the business community. The Indians account for about 10% of the population. They are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India, they speak Tamil, Malayalam, and some Hindi, and live mainly in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula. There is also a sizeable Sikh community. Eurasians and indigenous tribes make up the remaining population. Despite Bahasa Malaysia being the official language, when members of these different communities talk to each other, they generally speak English, which was recently reinstated as the language of instruction in higher education.

The main indigenous tribe is the Iban of Sarawak, who number 395,000. They are largely longhouse dwellers and live along the Rejang and Baram rivers. The Bidayuh (107,000) are concentrated on Sarawak's Skrang River. The Orang Asli (80,000) live in small scattered groups in Peninsular Malaysia. Traditionally nomadic agriculturalists, many have been absorbed into modern Malaysia.

You can go from a Malaysian kampung to a rubber plantation worked by Indians to Penang's Chinese kongsi and feel you've travelled through three nations. However, in cities like Kuala Lumpur, you'll find everyone in a grand melange. In one house, a Chinese opera will be playing on the radio; in another they're preparing for Muslim prayers; in the next, the daughter of the household readies herself for classical Indian dance lessons

Perhaps the easiest way to begin to understand the highly complex cultural interaction of Malaysia is to look at the open door policy maintained during religious festivals. Although Malaysia's different cultural traditions are frequently maintained by seemingly self-contained ethnic communities, all of Malaysia's communities open their doors to members of other cultures during a religious festival--to tourists, as well as neighbors. Such inclusiveness is more than just a way to break down cultural barriers and foster understanding. It is a positive celebration of Malaysia's tradition of tolerance.

Diving
Malaysia's best diving is found off Borneo. The names of the islands are "must-do's", at or very near the top of every seriously open-minded diver. The diving at Sipadan, Kapalay and Layang Layang enarmour thoughts of swirling schools of barracuda and jacks to divers the world over. In fact, it has been said that's it's easier and quicker to point out what you don't see at Sipadan rather than what do see when consulting the fish guide book after a dive.

Sipadan has 11 marked dive sites. All dives are wall dives. It is however possible to dive shallow at the southern and eastern part of the island. Sipadan is small, very small, so most dive sites are so close that you enter at one site and exit at the next site... Following is a brief description of some the sites:

Drop Off - is considered to be the best beach dive site in the world. Just 5-6 metres from the shore, the wall plunges a staggering 800 metres down and is rated as one of the top 5 Beach Dives in the world. The wall is encrusted with different varieties of coral, turtles abound and a multitude of lion fish & smaller reef dwelling fish live on this wall. The entrance to TURTLE CAVERN is also found about 22 metres down along this wall.
You are allowed to do all the beach dives you want, also all night dives are at the drop off. At night you will see the huge (1½ to 2 meters) Bump Head Parrot Fish sleeping in the wall.

Turtle Cavern - Sipadan is famous for its population of both Green Turtles and the smaller Hawksbill Turtles. It was at one time speculated that the cavern was their mausoleum and that they came to this site to die. However, a more accurate representation, is that the turtles became lost in the caverns at night and drowned. Sipadan's resort operators insist that all divers to this system of interconnecting caverns must be accompanied by a local dive master. Inside the cavern you will see the skeletons of those previous entrants who failed to find the exit and perished. Deeper penetration of the system reveals the cavern as home to shoals of fish specifically adapted to the low light environment of the further reaches.

Barracuda Point - Great dive site with lots of variation. As the name suggests, Barracuda Point is where a large concentration of Pelagic's converge. Expect to see large shoals of Barracuda, Jacks, Grey and White Tip Reef Sharks. The schools number in the high hundreds. Current is super-strong. It is a fast moving, high voltage dive site. There maybe no guarantees in diving, but there's every chance that you can find yourself in the middle of a swirling vortex of chevron barracuda on this, one of Sipadan's most treasured sites. You may see small critters too. Even a Leafy Scorpion Fish, Nudibranches and the Clown Trigger Fish.
This dive normally starts quite deep at 25 metres plus and ends with a lot of time at 8 metres. Cruise along the wall dropping down as far as you wish here and keep an eye out for a herd of bump head parrotfish and turtles in every nook and cranny. Even without the barracudas this is a most colourful and entertaining dive but just as you think it, you may be engulfed in a tornado of barracudas - more than the eye can possibly take in. A superb moment in an outstanding dive. It is little wonder that visitors leave with so many "Barracuda Point" entries in their log-books. You should have one too.……

These are just a few of Sipadan's sites, but rest assured, the others, Coral Gardens, White Tip Avenue, Turtle Patch, South Point, Staghorn Crest, Hanging Gardens, Lobster Lair, North Point and West Ridge are equally stunning.