LOOK who here in SWV?!!

MR & MRS HENRY BATZER!!!

Owner of Scuba Dynamics

Henry bring in big group of 29 during this CNY Holidays!
Jeff, Instructor of Scuba Dynamics also here to assist!

Weather here just nice SUNNY but the underwater visibility in front resort not that good!

GONG XI FA CAI!!!

SWV Dive Center crews wishing all

"Happy Chinese New Year 2009"

Wish this Ox year bring good wealth, prosperity, health & happiness!!

Gong Xi! Gong Xi!

SWV Land Transports!!!

This was the latest new SWV 20 seated Bus!!

Limited cargo space but we have a seal container truck mainly for luggage!!

The seats more convenience to rest, ample legs space and DVD stereo with flat sreen TV!!

Here are the SWV Drivers Fazil, Junaidy, Salleh & TWU airport staff, Leon!!

Latest 8 seated Toyota van!!

Below pictures 10 seated Mercedez-Benz van!!

Below pictures 7 seated Toyota van!!

SWV HQ office soon move to NEW place!!

This was the old office and NEW will just Near by at same block!!

Will take new office pictures NEXT!!

Above & below pictures are the Marketing staffs in old office!
Amy, Michael, Sophia, Azean & Susan

Above & below pictures are the Account department at old office!!

Sorry NOT take any pictures of the Bosses, Administration office and coffee break place!

The New office will start business after the Chinese New Year holidays!

All staff will have to work hard like OX this year!!

Where can EAT nice SEAFOOD in Semporna?!

Semporna also known as fishing town!! Lots of fresh seafoods can eat here!!

Seafest Cafe close by SWV office was a nice place to eat SEAFOOD!!

SHINOHARA Gofusai really enjoy the FOODs!!

SEA FRONT group with Rika san!!

Weather News on 20th JAN 2009!!

Rita san briefing on dive MABUL!!

Yamada gofusai & Aoyama gofusai

Irasshi mase!!

Today the weather just GREAT!!

Early morning was shower but soon after Sunshine all day!!

Sea condition great too!!

Maybe because a great President was born today?!!

Hope He bring more PEACE in this Blue Planet!!

Yesterday afternoon was shower but it stop soon!!

SHINOHARA Gofusai [SEA FRONT] Irasshai mase!!

Welcome Back Mr & Mrs SHINOHARA and Groups!!

Boat ready depart to Dive Sipadan!!

Boat ready depart snokelling to Sipadan!!

Power's family from Australia ready for snorkelling trip!!

The weather past few days was windy, a bit of choppy and rain in the afternoon!!

Today sea condition great but was cloudy!!

Afternoon will rain soon!!

Hope tomorrow be Sunshine Day!!

Finally received reply letter from PADI dated 13th January 2009 as early matter of The Undersea Journal!!

Dear Alexander,

Many thanks for your letter of 30th December 2008 and your subsequent email, both addressed to our office in the US and referred to this office for further response and action.
We appreciate very much the additional information on Sipadan Water Village Resort’s involvement in Mabul Marine Day. No doubt your efforts will inspire concerned divers (and non-divers) in other regions as well, and we would be pleased to provide further insight into this important project through the Undersea Journal. To this end, I would kindly ask if you could provide us with photos and any accompanying information that will enable us to not only impress the importance of the project, but also to promote SWV’s efforts in making it a success. Please forward the photos and information directly to my attention.
As you may know, Project AWARE has already been involved in the project as well, and I have asked the representative of Project AWARE to liaise with you for any further support you may required.

Thank you again, Alexander, for the additional information and for SWV’s efforts in Mabul Marine Day. I look forward to hearing from you.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Best regards,




____________________________________________________________
Henrik C. Nimb
Vice President, Marketing, Education and Business Development
____________________________________________________________
PADI Asia Pacific

Welcome Globa Scuba group in early 2009!!

Lesly Goh (2nd from right or the tallest one) with his newly certified students!!

Congratulation Sara Yeo for her 100th log dives & welcome back!!

Amend Breaking NEWs!!!

hehehehe.......was a finger soft toy Hammerhead!!

What's a best silhouette photo shot taken by Shoko chan!!

New Jawfish was a display fish on the birthday cake!!

Believe me many been fooled by her!!

Well done! Great work! hehehehe....

Look at their's hapy face Shoko & Nina chan!!


This picture taken on the recently trip in Siamil!!

They try to pick the coconut by climb up the tree!!

At the end got the coconuts but without knife to open it!!

Breaking NEWs!!

WOW!! Hammerhead??

New JAWFISH sp??

Happy Birthday NINA!!

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to NINA! Happy Birthday to YOU!!"

Ops! Sorry!! Was yesterday lah!!

Anyway all of us here wishes you LOVE, JOY & HAPPY!!

SWV Latest News!!!

Gorgonian Seahorse (Hippocampus sp)!!

Photo picture taken by Kozaki Utako san!!

Discover by this Dive Guide!!
YEAH! ANG SWERTE KO MABUHAY!!

Kozaki Utako san Otanjoubi Omedetou!!!

Happy Birthday to KOZAKI UTAKO san!! Wishing you in good health and God's bless!!

Her Birthday was on the 3rd Jan 2009 and celebrate together with husband Akira san, niece Shoko, Nina and all SWV staffs!

Below images taken by her especially the fighting move of the behaviour Yellowbarred Jawfish!! Thank you!!

ARIGATO GOZAIMASHITA!!

Omedeto Makoto & Sachiko san 1700 dives!

Gongratulation to Fujii Makoto & Sachiko san for success achieved 1700 log dives together on the 1st January 2009 in SWV Mabul Island!!

OMEDETO ARIGATO GOZAIMASTA!!

Year 2009 just begin, shall we start work!!!

Below events will held this year at SWV. Come plan early to join!!

Contact email info@swvresort.com

Photofest 2009 - 5th-9th March 2009!!

Let's Ivan Choong share his photo experience together!!

And try out Olympus underwater digital cameras!!

Regatta Lepa Lepa, Semporna 18th-19th April 2009

Come experience our native Sea Bajau traditional wooden carved boat!!

12th Mabul Marine Week - 18th-25th July 2009!!

In a year this was what we asking to care for the REEFs!!

Come let's do the conservation of caring baby coral just this week!!

Let start work clean from the land of Semporna (Semporna Marine Day) then to Mabul or others Island and dive UNDERWATER!!

US Photo Week 2009!!

Come let's hear, see and learn from the famous Pro Photographers!!

Get experience to share your images with the Pro!!
Get the change to try out from SLR to point & shoot cameras or videos!!

Hari Raya Puasa 20th-21st September 2009!!

Experience our warmest Open House during the Hari Raya National wide in Malaysia!!

Christmas & New Year party 2009!!

Don't miss out the games, the dances & win lucky draws!!

OMEDETO SHOKO CHAN 200 DIVES!!!

Congratulation to Miss Goto Shoko for success achieve 200 dive logs in SWV Mabul on last day of 2008!!

Hooray! Hooray!! Hooray!!!

Omedeto Arigato Gozaimasta!!!

Images by Janet Czapski!!

Janet & Robert Czapski

BAN on SUNSET DIVE!!!

This is to announce that we had stopped the SUNSET DIVE at PARADISE 2 effective on 1st Jan 2009.

We take this serious action because of the Mandarin fish decreasing in numbers that threaten by divers behaviour especially non patient photographer disturbing their habitat area.

We also remind to all divers do not remove anythings and just be patient if you want photograph marine life. Nice picture is worth for nothing if you damage reef area.

We thank you for all divers cooperation to help protect this beautiful marine life.

This mating Mandarin fish behaviour picture was taken by Dive Guide Richard

Do nothing but get honored!!

30th December 2008

Dear Sir/Madam,

We have read the recent fourth quarter 2008 Undersea Journal and noted the award given by PADI to Clement Lee of Borneo Divers. We wish to highlight a few things regarding the mention of our conservation programme, the Mabul Marine Day (MMD).

MMD was a project thought up and started by Sipadan Water Village Resort (SWV) 11 years ago as part of our efforts to conserve the corals in and around Mabul Island. The island at that time was recovering from fish bombing methods used by the local villagers as means of earning an income.

When Sipadan Water Village Resort was first set up on Mabul Island, we worked with the islanders to educate them about alternate fishing methods. We also provided them with training and jobs at our resort so that less of them would have to rely on traditional fishing methods to sustain their families.

However, we still felt that wasn't doing enough for the environment, thus the formation of Mabul Marine Day. Since then, we have had divers volunteer together with our staff to plant corals in and around Mabul Island - with a success rate of 54% coral growth to date.

For the year 2007, we decided to involve other resorts on Mabul Island, so as to extend our conservation and environmental programme. After all, the more resorts are involved, the better for the coral reefs we are trying so hard to preserve. In the end Borneo Divers was invited to join us for this event. However, they were not involved in transplanting any corals.

This year we finally managed to get all the 9 dive operators, villagers, Government agencies & WWF in Mabul to participate in this programme, and thus changed the name to Mabul Marine Week. It was hard at the beginning to get these operators to be involved because of the mentality that this programme belongs solely to Sipadan Water Village Resort. This year all the dive operators were only involved in a general clean-up and not transplanting of coral because of the costs involved for purchasing the necessary materials for the coral planting, such as the marine cement, etc. SWV has always provided its own funds but it cannot provide funds for all the resorts.

After this year’s MMW, we called for a meeting in August and Borneo Divers was elected as event Chairperson for next year's MMW 2009. However, we are sad to point out that since then, there has been no further progress, as Borneo Divers has yet to schedule a meeting up to now. Our clients and agents keep pushing for the new date to promote and sell. We can no longer wait for Borneo Divers, and thus have set 18th-25th July 2009 for the 12th Mabul Marine Week.

For your record the founder of this MMD is Prof Dr. Masayoshi Hayashi from Yokosuka City Museum Japan. We are proud to inform you that our MMD has been honored by International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) as a pioneer of such activities and an effort succeeded to this day worldwide. It also stated in the annual Sabah Tourism calendar.

Attached is our 11th Mabul Marine Week booklet for your perusal.

We are sure that Clement Lee deserves his award - however, we would like to clarify this one issue about the MMD - and would appreciate if you would correct this oversight.

Thank you. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!

Regards,

Alexander Ho
Resort Supervisor
PADI OWSI#81581