Things to see and
do
Even though Mataking Island covers only 40 acres,
you would be mistaken for thinking that the only
thing to do is scuba diving. There is much to
explore on the island itself and if you are still
looking for more, the Island Activity Coordinator
can arrange excursions to nearby islands and fishing
villages.
You can take relaxation seriously and indulge
in one of the many treatments offered by the Jamu
Spa, or if you are one of the more active types,
pull together a team for a game of beach volleyball
or soccer.
For night time entertainment, cultural performances
are done on request. You are also free to bring
along your own Karaoke DVD/CD system and sing
the night away; or just relax with a few drinks
at the bar. If you are looking for something completely
different, venture to the quieter side of the
island and you may be lucky enough to see a turtle
laying her eggs on the beach.
Below are some more ideas for keeping yourself
busy on Mataking.
Scuba
Diving
There are over thirty dive sites in the vicinity
of Mataking, with an abundance of macro and pelagic
marine life waiting to be discovered. The water
is crystal clear and visibility is high, with
a wide choice of wall and slope diving, particularly
around the island of Mataking itself.
Some of the species that you can expect to spot
here, with a colourful backdrop of hard and soft
coral, are barracuda, trevally, spanish mackerel,
ribbon eel, giant clams, gobies, eagle ray, giant
frogfish, mandarin fishes and a variety of shrimps.
Keep a special look out for the rare pygmy seahorse
and the curious-looking orang-utan crab.
Many of these creatures may be keeping an eye
on you as you send a postcard home in Malaysia’s
only underwater post office. The post office is
situated in a wreck that was sunk close to the
island to create an artificial reef.
Night dives are very popular here, and scores
of different creatures come out to play on the
house reef when the sun sets.
The legendary Sipadan Island is
in the vicinity (about one to two hours away)
and special excursions to this diver’s Mecca
are also possible. Sipadan is as famous for the
abundance of large marine life such as turtles,
sharks and massive schools of Barracuda as it
is for its unique underwater topography of caves
and walls.
Never tried Scuba Diving before? The dive centre has a full training facility,
offering everything from two-hour introductory
Discover Scuba Diving courses to PADI Dive Master
training and a variety of PADI Speciality courses.
Other
Sea Sports
Those that do not want to venture too deep, can
rent snorkelling equipment from the diving and
sea sport centre and explore the shallow waters
just off the beach. Snorkelling around Mataking
Island is some of the best in Malaysia, thanks
to the high visibility, abundance of coral and
marine life and the shallow waters. It is also
possible to take a “snorkelling safari”
a bit further out to sea to explore different
places with your mask and fins.
Sea Kayaks are for rent and you can easily paddle
around this small island in one of these. You
can also rent an ASL paddle or Kookaburra boat
to do the same.
Fishing trips are also available.
Day
and night jungle trekking
One half of the island has been preserved in its
natural state and the lush tropical jungle is
home to numerous small animals and birds. A trail
through the forest allows you to explore it at
your own pace by day or with the assistance of
a guide at night.
During the day time, you can expect to encounter
large monitor lizards, swaying from side to side
as they walk through the undergrowth, or many
of the colourful bird species that make their
home in the tall tree tops. At night, you will
be surrounded by fireflies, while coconut crabs
hastily scurry away. If you are lucky, you may
even see a turtle come to lay her eggs in the
sand.
Take
part in a conservation programme
The Reef Dive Resort has numerous initiatives
to help conserve the environment, particularly
the fragile coral reef ecosystems. You can enquire
at the resort how you can participate in any of
these worthwhile conservation projects.
The underwater post office
– the only one of its kind in Malaysia and
one of only four in the world – is one of
these conservation initiatives. Apart from providing
a unique way to send greetings home, the post
box is situated in a wreck that acts as an artificial
reef, providing a home for many sea creatures
and a place for corals to grow.
In cooperation with Reef Ball Asia
the resort has also started constructing and planting
“reef balls,” specially designed artificial
reef structures, in the water around the island.
These act as homes for fish and are also a place
for coral to attach themselves. This enables nature
to slowly rebuild reefs that were destroyed in
the past by harmful practices such as bomb fishing.
The Artificial Reef Farm and the Coral
Reef Farm are two other underwater
conservation projects that aim to rebuild the
reefs around Mataking Island. The Artificial Reef
is a wooden structure that attracts large schools
of fish as it provides shelter from predators.
In the Coral Reef Farm, different species of coral
are actively cultivated for transplant to other
areas in the vicinity. Some of these corals may
also be sold to rebuild damaged reefs in other
areas such as the Phillipines, Fiji, Tonga and
Indonesia.
Turtles often come to the sandy beaches of the
island to lay their eggs. These eggs are collected
and put in the turtle hatchery
to keep them safe from natural predators till
they hatch. If you are lucky enough to be on the
island when one of these batches hatch, you can
help release the baby turtles into the sea.
Take
a tour around the island
You can easily explore the island by yourself
on foot, but guided tours are available if you
would like to know what you are seeing. It is
a small island, so the sea is almost never out
of your sight, but there are interesting stops
along the way:
A peacock sanctuary is home to a handful of proud
birds that eagerly put their magnificent plumage
on display. The 20m high King’s watchtower
gives a fantastic panoramic view over Mataking
and the surrounding islands. A sandbar connects
Mataking Kecil (Small Mataking) to the main island
and it is the perfect spot for a secluded picnic
lunch.
Go
island hopping
The sea around Mataking is dotted with smaller,
mostly uninhabited islands and you can easily
spend a day in the sunshine, hopping from one
to the other and snorkelling in the water around.
The Reef Dive Resort offers island hopping tours
to the neighbouring islands of Pandanan, Bohayan
and Timba-Timba, as well as tours to fish and
sea weed farms and nearby fishing villages. Fishing
trips are also available.
Spa
The Jamu Spa has a wide range of treatments and
packages to ensure that you are rejuvenated and
relaxed upon your departure from the island. The
Spa is located at the edge of the island, with
soothing views over the sea as it stretches to
the horizon.
The Royal Spa Treatments combine different therapies
such as foot baths, body scrubs, body and facial
masks, massage and fragrant baths to create an
all-round regal indulgence for your body and mind.
The Scrub and Massage packages focus on either
of these treatments to pamper you. The outdoor
Jacuzzi can be enjoyed at anytime and is the ideal
way to start your Spa experience.
Other
activities
For the active ones: Telematches, beach soccer
and volleyball, coconut bowling competition, kite
flying.
For the arty ones: Cooking lessons, dancing lessons,
handicraft making lessons, batik painting, wooden
plague painting, dry art paper.
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