Travel Photography | Bohey Dulang Island | Tun Sakaran Marine Park | Borneo

© 2011 Wazari Wazir | Bohey Dulang Island | Tun Sakaran Marine Park

© Azman Jumat | Photograph of me taking picture at Bohey Dulang taken by Azman Jumat

© 2011 Wazari Wazir | Tun Sakaran Marine Park | Bohey Dulang Island | Sabah | Malaysia North Borneo

Tun Sakaran Marine Park (TSMP) are situated at the entrance to Darvel Bay, off the East coast of Sabah near the town of Semporna, it took about 45 minutes by speed boat from the jetty of this small town. Named after then the Head of State of Sabah, Tun Sakaran Dandai, it was gazetted in July 2004 as Sabah’s seventh park. The Park is the largest Marine Park and covering 340 sq kilometers of sea and corals reef and 10 sq kilometers of land.

This Marine Park, which is also known as the Semporna Islands Park, comprises of eight islands—Bohey Dulang, Bodgaya, Sebangkat, Selakan, Mantabuan, Sibuan, Maiga, as well as the Church Reef and Kapikan Reef. Bohey Dulang and Bodgaya islands are extinct volcanic remnants while Sebangkat and Selakan are two islands of raised limestone platforms.

Tun Sakaran Marine Park is not equipped with facilities for tourists; however, visitors are welcome to explore the marine park’s dive sites with their snorkels and scuba gears. Divers have reported many sightings of eagle rays, turtles, barracuda, bumphead parrotfish, and plenty of nudibranchs. There are large walls and a cornucopia of macrolife in the Bodgaya lagoon, while the sandy areas are home to big gorgonian fans and sea pens.

Before you plan to visit here, it is better for you to get some information from Sabah Park , my visit here was organized by 48th Studio Kota Kinabalu Sabah and they have made some arrangement prior to this visit to make it possible.

This is my third times visiting Semporna and its surrounding which comprise of small islands and whenever I’m here I’ve always dreaming to be on Bohey Dulang Island because it looks quite mysterious to me. There are few Bajau Laut (Sea Gypsies) stays on this island. I highly suggest you to stay at least two to three days to fully enjoy this area.

It took us around 45 minutes to get on the top of Bohey Dulang Island, where the pictures above were taken. Maybe you can reach here faster depending on the pace that you are taking. Since our level of fitness is not the same, we took 45 minutes to get here starting from the jetty below which not seen in the picture ( the jetty is located on the far left from the jetty that you seen on the picture above ).

Some people who have seen this pictures said that it was almost unbelievable, yes it was so true, and yes I did enhance the colors a bit but the original pictures is good enough. I highly recommended you to visit here in the afternoon, because if you came and visit this island in the morning, this area will be under the shadows, lack contrast, this photograph were taken around 3Pm – 4PM in the afternoon. From the group photograph above you can see where the light is coming from, the sun is on the left side of this island. All of the photographs above were taken with 24mm prime lens on full frame camera body except the group photo shot which were taken with 17-35mm lens at 17mm also on FF body.

* The colors of the photograph above were enhance a little bit with one of the technique in my Master of Colors eBook, hit the banner below for more info ;