4 days ago
‘BRATs 03, I found our reef balls'
TWENTY-TWO years ago, I had the privilege of being one of 31 BRATs selected to join the 2003 year-end journey to Pulau Mabul and Sipadan in Sabah.
The trip, dubbed 'Mabul Experience '03', coincided with the 10th anniversary of BRATs, The Star's Young Journalist Programme.
I still remember receiving the letter of invitation – and how I begged my parents to let me go. I had just completed my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exams and was itching to explore the world.
But the kidnapping of workers and tourists from Sipadan in 2000 was still fresh in many minds. Besides the financial cost, my parents were worried about my safety. After many reassurances from The Star that we would be well taken care of, I was finally allowed to go.
It sounds cliché, but it really was the trip of a lifetime. I got to try many firsts (like snorkelling!), but the main highlights of the six-day trip were helping to construct four reef balls and undertaking a coral propagation project.
These reef balls, along with the coral plugs, were later deployed by divers near the Sipadan-Mabul Resort (Smart) jetty. I even got to place a leaf I chose – and a strand of my hair – into the reef balls!
Reef balls are environmentally friendly artificial reefs that look like domes. Made from marine-friendly concrete, sand, and coral plugs, they help replenish natural reefs and support marine life.
That experience, along with what I saw underwater while snorkelling, made me vow to one day return to dive in Mabul and Sipadan.
Diving is a passion shared by both Ling (right) and Mew.
This year, I finally fulfilled that dream when I returned to Mabul for my honeymoon with my husband Eric Mew – this time armed with an action camera and 42kg of dive gear between us.
For a week, Borneo Divers Mabul Resort became our home away from home. The thought of those reef balls stayed with me the entire time, though I had no idea how to find them.
Then, luck came knocking. Former BRATs editor Tan Ju-Eng saw my social media post about returning to Mabul and mentioned the reef balls were doing well. She also gave me the name of Smart owner, Robert Lo.
I finally had a lead. Using Google Maps, Eric and I navigated through the village and around the island to the resort. The walk was a little awkward, with weird dead ends – and at one point, a giant monitor lizard was lounging by the narrow path we had to take near the graveyard. But I was like the proverbial dog with a bone.
We arrived at the resort about half an hour later, and the staff gave me the contact of the resort manager, Ronnie. He immediately knew the reef balls I was referring to, told me where to find them, and suggested asking the dive crew at Borneo Divers to bring me there by boat, as the reef was not private property.
The BRATs' efforts were featured in The Star in 2003.
The dive crew happily obliged. They even split the group so that Eric and I had one guide to ourselves – but we just couldn't find the exact spot.
So, I tried something else. I contacted Ronnie again to ask if I could access the reef balls via the jetty and if he could rent us tanks.
To my surprise, Ronnie not only agreed to let us use their tanks, but also assigned a dive guide to help us. He chuckled when I told him how we had reached the resort the long way and informed me that I could have simply walked through the other resorts.
'It takes about 10 minutes. You're looking for Mabul Water Bungalows – the reef balls are part of their house reef. Smart is the sister resort on land,' he said.
It figures – I had gotten to the wrong resort.
To his credit, Eric gamely accompanied me in the sweltering heat. Part of him was curious, and part of him knew there was no way I was leaving the island without seeing those reef balls. We put on our full-length wetsuits, strapped on our dive gear, and walked over.
A view of other reef ball sites.
Once there, we were greeted by Ronnie and our dive guide, Jasni. I wasn't sure what to expect as I jumped into the water from the jetty.
Jasni told me one of the reef balls was still fully visible, while the other three had become buried over time. In my teenage memory, the reef balls were massive. In reality, they were much smaller once deployed.
Once I saw them, I realised we never would have found them on our own.
It was high tide and the current was strong. Luckily, the reef balls were right next to the jetty, and we had powerful fins – and rope – to help us stay in place.
One of the first marine creatures I saw was a clownfish (Nemo!). And so, I found myself thinking of Nemo's best friend, Dory, and singing in my head: 'Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.'
And that was how I finally got to see the reef balls: fighting the current, clinging to ropes, while humming the tune of a forgetful animated fish.
My parents thought they were giving me a fun post-SPM experience all those years ago. What they really gave me was a love and respect for the ocean. It was not lost on me how lucky we were to experience this magnificent underwater world.
Adult me could also see how much more work is needed to help our marine environment thrive.
A view of other reef ball sites.
What we did over two decades ago was a small effort in the grand scheme of things – but even so, there was life growing on, inside, and around those reef balls.
I saw anemones, corals, nudibranchs, flamboyant cuttlefish, fishes, sea urchins, starfish, moray eels, and turtles in the immediate area. It reminded me that even small actions can make a difference – and that teenagers can, indeed, help change the world.
As cold-water divers living in Vancouver, Canada, the warm and crystal-clear waters of Mabul and Sipadan, and the people we met, were worth the over 20 hours we spent on the plane to get there.
My only regret is that the strong current made it hard to take good photos.
Eric and I already hope to return someday – hopefully, I won't have to wait another 22 years.
Ling is a former participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme. For updates on the programme, run by The Star's Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team, go to
With the theme of the article in mind, carry out the following English language activities.
1. Pick one of the underwater photos in the article. Imagine you were there. Then, in pairs, write a short social media post to go with the photo. Have your classmates vote for the most
creative or informative caption.
2. Pick five interesting words from the article and share them with your friend. Then, take turns writing a short story using each other's words.
The Star's Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme promotes English language learning in primary and secondary schools nationwide. For Star-NiE enquiries, email starnie@
