Sipadan Island in Sabah needs little introduction as a diving site of extraordinary appeal and is especially renowned for big fish encounters, wall diving and drift dives. However, the popularity of this “untouched piece of art” as Jacques Costeau once remarked, has overshadowed other equally fascinating dive sites in the area.
In a bid to introduce and promote other dive sites in Sabah, Tourism Malaysia and Sabah Tourism Board are organising a special familiarisation trip for 19 local and international media and tour agents from 14 to 18 December 2010. The participants are from Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Through the trip, it is hoped that the media participants can highlight these dive destinations in their publications while tour agents can create new diving packages to these locations.
The trip aims to open the eyes of the participants to other lesser-known, but equally beautiful dive sites in Sabah such as Si Amil, Denawan, Mantabuan, Sibuan and Bohey Dulang. As many as 101 dive spots have been identified by a scout team of avid divers who hope to bring greater attention to Sabah’s other dive site jewels. These sites are listed in the Sabah 101 Dive Treasures brochure which also promotes Sabah’s many islands such as Mataking, Pom Pom, Sibuan, Siamil and Pulau Tiga.
The brochure also provides a directory of dive operators, resorts and a map of diving locations in Sabah. It can be obtained for free from Tourism Malaysia’s Tourist Information Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Sabah.
For more information contact Ms. Trecey J Tojuka, Tourism Malaysia Sabah at +088 211 732/248 698 or email: [email protected] or visit www.tourism.gov.my.