Beach Guide

Photo: Rozlan W.

KK is a beach city situated along the west coast of Sabah. I grew up here and I absolutely love it. Going to university in KL was tough for me, largely because I just hate the over-populated city and the nearest beach, Port Dickson, was too far and a big disappointment because it is awfully polluted.

In KK we have many wonderful beaches & the islands are only 15 minutes away traveling by boat. To enjoy your time fully while lounging with your friends under the sun, I have compiled a guide to make the experience safe and fun for you.

What to bring

• Sun block
• Towel
• Slipper
• Sunglasses
• Snacks
• Cap/hat
• Proper swimming attire (rash guard is a good investment, they protect you from the sun, cold & jellyfish)
• Shampoo and conditioner to wash your hair, salt water makes your hair dry.
• Extra change of clothes.

When swimming

• Check the public notice boards for information on water quality, currents and emergency phones. Pay attention to red tide & jellyfish alert. If you are stung by jellyfish, seek help immediately.
• Always use sun block.
• Follow any advice from lifeguards. We have lifeguards at the TARP islands.
• Do not swim when the sea is rough, or where there are known currents or riptides. Consult the lifeguards.
• Always swim parallel to the shore and not out to sea.
• Do not swim immediately after a meal.
• Stay out of the water if you are tired. Even experienced swimmers can get into trouble if their strength fades and conditions worsen.
• Do not step on corals. They can hurt you and you are hurting them.

• 

Photo: Sofia J

When bumming

• Slap on some more sun block.
• Wear your sunnies.
• Drink lots of water
• Stay in the shades in the afternoon (11pm-2pm), when the sun is extremely hot.

We want you to enjoy yourself at the beach and in the sea without causing harm to the environment ;)



~Salha~
beach bum :P


p/s: Bring your rubbish home or throw them in the bin. Do not leave your wastes behind.

Precious Water

Photo: Rozlan W.

Water is essential to life on earth. We need water to grow food, keep clean, provide power, control fire, and last but not least, we need it to stay alive!

If water is constantly being cleaned and recycled through the earth’s water cycle, why do we need to conserve it? The answer is that people use up our planet’s fresh water faster than it can naturally be replenished.

Runoff from mainland is a source of pollution to ocean water. Besides carrying sediments, runoff transports harmful chemicals such as pesticides. Wastewater and sewage also end up in the ocean. Sooner or later, all waste ends may up in the ocean.

So reducing your water usage is beneficial not only because it saves money and energy but it also saves the ocean.

Saving water is good for the earth, your family, and your community.

Here are some tips to start you off
Bathroom Sink:

• Repair leaky faucets and always turn off your taps tightly so they don't drip.

• Use an aerator and a water-flow reducer attachment on your taps.

• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or washing your hands.

Shower/Tub:

• Have showers instead of baths and keep them short (5 minutes).

• Install low-flow showerheads.

Toilet:

• Never flush garbage of any kind down the toilet.

• Install a low-flush toilet (that uses 6 litres or less per flush), or place a toilet insert or weighted plastic bottle filled with water in the water tank.

Kitchen Sink:

• Don’t run the water continuously while thawing food, hand washing dishes or while washing fruits and veggies; use a partially filled sink instead with a quick rinse afterward.

Washing Machine:

• Wash full loads and use the shortest cycle.

• Adjust the water level.

• Use environmentally friendly (low or no phosphate and biodegradable) detergents.

Cars and bikes:

• Use a bucket of water to wash your bike or car, then rinse quickly using a trigger nozzle on your hose.

• Wash the family car over grass or gravel to prevent any soapy runoff from going directly into the sewers.

Sewer grates:

• Never throw garbage, oil or chemicals down your toilets, sink drains, the storm drain or onto the ground. Improper disposal leads to contamination of our local creeks, streams, lakes and soil. Take your hazardous waste to your local waste management facility.

DID YOU KNOW?

Plants are an active part of the water cycle—they release moisture from the surface of their leaves to the air through transpiration.

A tap leaking one drop of water per second wastes more than 25 L of water a day!
That’s 9,000 L a year!

Dumping household cleaners, pesticides, oil, gasoline, etc. down the toilet, drain or storm sewer pollutes aquatic ecosystems and harms every creature that depends on them (including humans).

Using a bucket of water to clean the car instead of the hose saves about 300 L of water…each time!

Less than 3% of the water produced at a large municipal water treatment plant is used for drinking purposes.

A five-minute shower with a standard showerhead uses 100 L of water.
A five-minute shower with a low-flow showerhead uses 35 L of water.

Training the Potential Trainers

One of KK Reef Watchs’ acitivity in the month of September is training facilitators in handling non-science background students. The chosen facilitators, namely Ruth Yap and Khoo Min Hui were sent to Bunaken Island (a marine park in Manado, Indonesia). These students were sent to Bunaken to facilitate a marine education program run by Stefan Ottomanski for the Japanese Azabu University and Indonesian students. The program was carried out for 2 weeks (3rd – 15th September 2008).

Ruth and Min Hui find the program very useful and learnt a lot on how to organize about 20 non-English speaking with non-science backgraound students from Japan and Indonesia. These are some of the photos taken during Ruths’ and Min Huis’ trip to Bunaken. Enjoy the photos :)

At Manado jetty.

On the boat.

Bunaken Island (Background; Manado Tua).

Staircase to Kampung Parigi.


Kampung Parigi.

Preparing the cameras before going into the water.

Loading onto the boat.

Jonathan Lynch (English lecturer at the Azabu

University who escorted the students) with

Ruth and Min Hui.


Stefan (far right) with Indonesian facilitators.

Min Hui introducing KK Reef Watch.

Presentation session.

The local kids!

Gruesome findings at Tomohon, Manado (Roasted bats and dog).

Ruth recently got a job with Reef Check Malaysia (Based in KL and Tioman Island), while Min Hui got a job at Mataking Resort in Semporna, Sabah. Both of them will be working on educating the public, tourists and school children about the importance of conserving our marine environment. So good luck for these two youngsters!

Sofia :)