For someone who doesn’t swim, snorkel or dive, we sure love the islands. We just love the sun, sand and sea, especially when the sun shone onto the skin with a sheer sense of pain, felt so alive!
This time we went to the long awaited and infamous Mataking, or alternatively known as The Reef Dive Resort, located an hour by speedboat off the coast from Semporna. We were welcomed by singing and music upon our arrival, as if we have landed in Maui!
Mataking is a little different from other islands we went to, as it has a very long shallow beach, because part of the island is underwater before it dropped to the deep of the ocean. One side of the island is pretty rocky, though not suitable for swiming, it made the island landscape even more interesting. Such geographical made-up created a very interesting picture of multi-layered, multi-coloured, it is indeed a photography wonderland.
The water is crystal clear that we saw schools of fishes playfully chased each other around, star fish, crabs, corals, lots and lots of seaweed as if like a pasture underwater, fascinating! As a dive center, it is surprisingly quiet this time of the year, if you’re looking to dive with less crowd or get your diving license, this is the place and time!
Unfortunately, for the two days that we were there, half of it were either cloudy or raining. We missed the sunny sky for best photography moments as well as the sunrise, as the cloud has shadowed the morning ray. 
But waking up to cool sea-breeze is a wonderful feeling!
The island is like a floating paradise, when you’re there you’re away from all civilization – no internet connection, no phone signal, no TV. The facilities are excellent, the hospitality is warm, the food suffice though the momery of Mabul Island tasty spread still lingers in my mind even after seven years! As we bid farewell to this island paradise, the sun finally creeped out of the cloud to send us on our way.
