On this sliver of land lies a modest but complete resort –and the waters beneath are deep and full of life. From above as you fly in from Kota Kinabalu, you will notice the runway and a tiny slice of a resort on this small island. The water is a deep cobalt blue. Once you have landed on the run way you step in to the heat and smell the fresh sea air.
This resort is constructed of tropical hardwood; it shares the look of a Longhouse, the traditional community home of Borneo’s tribal people. Dining is a pleasure, a wide range of eastern and western cuisine are spread out for every meal at the restaurant. The breakfast buffet has plenty of tropical fruits, for you to sample as some you may
have not even seen before. The menu is altered daily, providing a new experience for the guest’s pallet each day. Dining becomes something to look forward to. If the lagoon is not enough, for a refreshing swim, there’s a swimming pool that seems to continue into the sea. The pool area is a great place to put up your feet, relax and read a book or sunbathe.
The Raba Raba House offers reflexology and traditional massages to sooth aching muscles from the long journey over. Trained technicians are at your service to heal and sooth your body. Although the island is half shared with Naval base, and rather concrete, it serves as a resting area for many birds that are indigenous to the area, whom are stopping as they fish the depths for food. The resort is a place where diving, relaxing, working on underwater photos, resting and sleep takes priority.
Due to the remoteness of the island there is not much else to explore or do, it really is eat, sleep and dive.
The resort consists of seventy-six superior rooms and ten deluxe rooms. The rooms are simple yet comfortable. Each room offers air conditioning, and ensuite bathrooms with showers. Other amenities include refrigerators, televisions, and telephones. For your privacy and comfort each rooms has a private verandah which is a great place for relaxing in the late afternoons or watching the constantly changing sky as the sun sets
The in-house PADI dive center is professionally-run by a team of experienced and qualified instructors. The center offers a full range of courses. The dive center is large and there is plenty of room for changing, storing equipment and drying it. A team of six run the center and between them have hundreds of dives and their expertise of these water is reflected by the hundreds of those dives that they have done only in this area.
Equipment in the dive center includes 300 units of 80cu ft aluminum tanks, Bauer KAP180 compressors, 20 sets of BCDs and regulators (Scuba Pro), lots of fins, masks, booties, weights and belts. Ten catamaran boats will whisk you out to dives sites that range in distance from a ten to thirty minute ride away. The boats are well set out for the short journeys, and provide easy exits and entries before and after your dive.
Please note that all divers must agree to the strict Environmental Conservation Programme set-up by the Dive Center and are required to sign a Reef Conservation Policy prior to diving.
A stunning dive experience waits, as the average visibility is between 30 to 50 meters. The depths await as the water quickly plummets to more than 2000 meters, thus allowing for some big fish. The waters are home to hammerhead sharks, manta rays ,eagle rays, white and black tip sharks just to name a few. The dive sites, all of which are not more than 30 minutes drive by boat from the resort, offer a diverse eco-system and a wide variety of species, both big and small. Largely unexplored, much of the area has never been seen before – the many reefs here harbor many species yet to be identified and discovered.
Fish of every size, shape and color dart in and out of delicate pastel colored corals which are plentiful and healthy. Armed with the spirit of exploration, many divers from all over the world have discovered this jewel in the blue wilderness. Below is an example of how the daily diving is conducted.
The resort is only open from March – August.
FACES OF THE SEA SCUBA HOLIDAYS 