Semporna-Mabul-Sipadan 2008

[chenws]

I showing off this collection taken on my recent trip there.

For those not familiar with the names, these are places on the south-east coast of Sabah, Malaysia. To get there, fly to Tawau. Take 1Hr15min bus to Semporna (port town). Take 45 min speed boat (230hp) to Mabul Island. Sipadan Island is out of bounds due to conservational reasons; but tourists can come here for scuba diving and snorkeling in the waters around the island.

#1 Jetty in Semporna. These speedboats belong to the resort operators in Kapalai Island and Mabul Island. A dive package will normally include your coach ride from Tawau Airport to Semporna town, and then the speedboat ride to the resort.


#2 View of Sipadan Water Village Resort where I stayed. The waters are crystal clear as you can see.


#3 A village on Mabul island. The islanders are traditionally fisherman, but today many work as resort workers in the few resorts found on this island and Kapalai Island. They belonged to the Suluk (Filipino) race and also the Bajau Laut (sea-gypsy) race. They speak 'bisaya' and 'tagalog' languages, besides malay/indonesian languages in some families.


#4 Grandpa and child on a outrigger boat coming back to shore.


#5 They live in wooden huts, single bedroom, living hall quarters, and a kitchen on the porch outside. Poor by modern living standards of the industrialized nations, nevertheless they are happy and cheerful people 'no worries'. They are always smiling. A family may have 8 to 10 children.


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[chenws]

Semporna-Mabul-Sipadan 2008

#6 Some have to cook outdoors.


#7 Three brothers man a small grocery shop on this island.


#8 A closer view of the living quarters. Drinking water is sourced from wells found 30 meters deeper inland. Toilet facilities; none. Just go into the sea.


#9 Kids gather drinking water and store them into containers. They do this in the morning when the wells are full. The water level is just 3m from ground level, and according to the villagers, the water is not salty. I took their word, without sampling it.


#10 Home is a roof over the heads and with loved ones.


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[blurboiboi]

nice pics!...
lov the blue sky and clear waters....

[chenws]

Semporna-Mabul-Sipadan 2008

#11 An island girl enjoying a snack after dinner. An oversized T-shirt is her pyjamas for the cold nights here. The night air temperature is 24 - 26 degrees C, but colder with the wind-chill from the sea-breeze.


#12 They are so cheerful and fun-loving. It left smiles on my face then and even now as I view these photographs. The children are so tiny and running around, it seemed like they can walk before they crawl.


#13 A family posing for me after their dinner.


#14 A familiar ais kacang can be found here. Two boys enjoying their sweet meal only to be interrupted by my camera clicking away.


#15 Best friends sharing a drink. This one was taken with a 135mm f/2.0.


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[giantcanopy]

Originally Posted by chenws #2 View of Sipadan Water Village Resort where I stayed. The waters are crystal clear as you can see.

This is a lovely wide take. deep blue skies with incredibly clear waters, punctuated by huts. Is the slight magentic color over the periphery secondary to filters ?
Ryan

[chenws]

Semporna-Mabul-Sipadan 2008

#16 Mabul beachwear fashion show. Practical durable and affordable. It was a glorious sunset and the golden colours were intoxicating, at least for me.


#17 A sea-gypsy girl returns. Barely 10 years old, she managed to bring in the boat by herself. Her mother and younger brother remained seated on the boat until she pulled the boat in and anchor. That's life for the people here. No schools here can teach her these survival and living skills, where she will need to make a living in the future, or maybe even now.


#18 The mother and younger brother of the gypsy girl above as they come ashore.


#19 I caught up with her later as she rested outside her home.


#20 The fun extends late into the evening, and playing with fire can be fun when it gets darker. How many of us enjoyed this when we were young? Are you willing to let your child go through this?


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[chenws]

Originally Posted by blurboiboi nice pics!... lov the blue sky and clear waters....

Originally Posted by giantcanopy This is a lovely wide take. deep blue skies with incredibly clear waters, punctuated by huts. Is the slight magentic color over the periphery secondary to filters ? Ryan

I've got a few more blue skies and blue-green seas to show later. I had used a B+W CPL filter for the seascapes, but I don't think it had been due to the filter. I shot in RAW, and manipulated the colours to enhance the blue and green more, and maybe in the process I had introduced (and missed) the magenta tinge (I need to relook at the RAW file to see if the magenta colour was there originally).

[chenws]

Semporna-Mabul-Sipadan 2008

#21 On another part of the island, there is another village that was built on stilts and extended into the sea. Here the children were enjoying the sunset and having fun in the waters. Children of the sea.


#22 The villagers here are fishermen, traders and boat-builders. I think they are financially better off than the people in the first village I shown. Here a young girl pumps up water from a storage tank below the house.


#23 BBQ fish for dinner. He proudly held up his fish for a moment for me to photograph. I was enjoying the sights, sounds and smell for this take.


#24 Happy healthy children from this village. You can notice the cleaner and newer clothes and better personal hygiene and cleanliness. The chubby faces note their nutritional status.


#25 As I walked away from the village back to my resort, I turned around to be greeted by this beautiful dusk colours.


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[economy_rice]

This is like a nat. geo feature. hugely impressive and educational !

[chenws]

Semporna-Mabul-Sipadan 2008

#26 I got up at 5:45 am to catch the sunrise. It was raining and cloudy that morning, but I still I tried to make the best out of the situation. Some fishing boats came into view.


#27 Approaching Sipadan island.


#28 An old building on Sipadan. It was demolished the next day I visited. I guess I was lucky to capture this.


#29 The island, corals on the continental shelf and dropping off into the deep blue sea. The darkness is frightening, especially when the water is so clear. Occasionally some bubbles come up, from scuba divers deep below, but they were not visible.


#30 That's what people come here for.


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[ziiz01]

Wow this is a cool series.I like all the moods and expression
Looks like a nice place to visit.Thanks for sharing

[chenws]

Semporna-Mabul-Sipadan 2008

#31 The children here enjoyed being photographed. They even call out "hello, hello .. photo, photo" when they saw me. My camera is not unnoticeable (a EOS 5D with battery grip and big lens) and more friends would come along to pose. A few children asked for money "duit" or "one Ringgit", but I was advised by the resort manager not to give, as not to turn them into beggars. If you wish to give, please donate to their school here. There's only one primary school here. I made some prints of the children and their family, and passed them to a friend who is going there this weekend to pass to the families. I hope they will appreciate this gesture instead of my one Ringgit.


#32 Smiling face, enjoying a snack alone.


#33 After a long day playing and looking tired.


#34 Siblings playing together.


#35 Just one more before everyone gets bored. A smiling face as I leave you.


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[chenws]

Originally Posted by economy_rice This is like a nat. geo feature. hugely impressive and educational !

Originally Posted by ziiz01 Wow this is a cool series.I like all the moods and expression Looks like a nice place to visit.Thanks for sharing

Thanks. Most people came for this actually. But I preferred featuring the beautiful people of Mabul Island.

I shot this lionfish from the surface of the water at night. The light came from a spotlight on the jetty. I had adjusted the White Balance for a more natural blue colour of the seas.



If you dived and had an underwater casing for your camera and strobe lights, this is what you'll get.

I shot this from the 'Underwater World' in Langkawi Island recently.

Thanks for viewing.

Equipment:
Camera: Canon EOS 5D
Lens: Ef 16-35mm f/2.8L II, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, EF 135mm f/2.0L
Filter: B+W CPL.
Shot and saved in RAW.
Conversion and post-processing: PS-CS3 on iMac.

[redoxsim]

Fantastic photos. How much did it cost to live in those huts? Did they serve BBQ seafood?

[chenws]

Originally Posted by redoxsim Fantastic photos. How much did it cost to live in those huts? Did they serve BBQ seafood?

LOL, no the huts are not for rental. But you can stay there if you marry a local.

Tourists stay in the resorts on this island. Your package includes meal, and a BBQ if there is a request.

Resorts:
1. Sipadan Water Village Resort
2. Sipadan-Kapalai Resort
3. Pulau Sipadan Resort
4. Sipadan-Mabul Resort

Please call and bargain for better rates if you have a group.

[oleo]

wow, the crystal clear water really beautiful. I'll go and check it out myself next time.

[ziiz01]

Originally Posted by chenws Resorts: 1. Sipadan Water Village Resort 2. Sipadan-Kapalai Resort 3. Pulau Sipadan Resort 4. Sipadan-Mabul Resort Please call and bargain for better rates if you have a group.

Thanks for the links will checkout later

[Parka]

Nice series. The photos are sharp and focused!

[chenws]

Originally Posted by Parka Nice series. The photos are sharp and focused!

Thanks, glad you enjoyed viewing them.

Here's a fine art rendition of grandpa and child in an outrigger.

[zcf]

nice series, especially on the children, make me want to travel back there again. Was staying in the Sipadan Water Village Resort also.