(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Of: Erik Foynland “Look, Dad! A shark! ”My eight-year-old exclaims. Less than five minutes after arriving by boat, she has already had to wade out to look down into the water with the diving mask. "Especially!" I shout back swiping. I had prepared her to be lucky if we could see sharks in the Perhentian Islands. But in knee-deep water – hardly! "Yes, yes, Dad! Come on! ”Very skeptical, I ask some control questions to reveal that there is only talk of some beach fish. "What does the Finn look like?" "It has a black tip." "Okay," I reply uncertainly. Could that really be true? I quickly put on my mask and squeeze into the clear water. She is right. There is a small black tipped revhai a few to three feet away from her legs. The species is endangered due to the Chinese shark fin industry, while vulnerable due to slow reproduction. The waters around the islands are marine national park, and all fishing is prohibited. This means that the sharks here are safe, since they mostly stick to the same coral reefs. Perhentian Islands is located on the east coast of Western Malaysia, or the Malacca Peninsula as it was called in the old days, near the border with Thailand. The ship route between Singapore and Bangkok passes the islands. This coast is very prone to sudden tropical storms between November and February, and the Perhentian Islands are one of the few opportunities for shelter – hence the name Perhentian, which in Malay means "stopover". The archipelago consists of two inhabited islands, plus some small islets and reefs. The islands are a natural stopover for tourists on Southeast Asia tour during the summer. Most of the region is then deep because of the monsoon. One of the few areas with great summer weather – and consequently local high season – is an inverted monsoon belt stretching from Koh Samui in Thailand and down the coast towards Singapore. The only competitor on the beach front this season is the Bali area in Indonesia.
The islands specialized in ecotourism a couple of decades ago, almost involuntarily.
The islands specialized in ecotourism a couple of decades ago, almost involuntarily – there was really no other form of tourism possible, since infrastructure was totally absent. Diving quickly became a staple. Gradually, diving tourism has become the main source of income, and if you want to get blazed divers to come, you have to make sure that the underwater nature is intact. One of the most serious diving operators, Bubbles Dive Resort on Perhentian Besar, the larger of the two main islands, specializes in ecologically responsible diving. Emphasis is placed on minimal impact on the marine environment. No picking of anything. No contact with animals or corals. The boats only moor on buoys built by the authorities, they never use dredges that damage the bottom. Even at the dive center's beach, picking shells is strictly forbidden – without the shells, the beach is exposed to erosion, and hermit crabs become armor-free. Many of the tourists do not have a diving certificate and have to make do with snorkeling to see the spectacular coral reefs and underwater pinnacles. A mistake with flippers can mean the destruction of corals that take hundreds of years to rebuild. At Bubbles Dive Resort, only diving instructors are used as snorkeling guides. This ensures sound behavior even in less experienced guests, both when it comes to taking care of corals and sea turtles. 
The turtles have do not mind being glared at at a distance, and when they are at the bottom, they are not so careful at the distance either – but in one phase the sea turtles are sensitive: As they go up to the surface to breathe, they will not be disturbed – and uninitiated snorkelers do not always know this. The team at Bubbles makes a persistent effort to minimize human impact on turtles' lives. It is a well-known phenomenon that this type of tourism is always a double-edged sword. Tourists must be allowed to see the turtles, it will ensure that the local community does everything to preserve the population. At the same time, human presence in the turtles' environment must be limited, otherwise they will flee. Three out of four turtle species are virtually extinct in Terangganu province. The population of the most common species, green turtle – or soup turtle as the species is inappropriately still called in Norwegian – has decreased by 80 percent since the 1950s. The Perhentian Islands are one of the few places in the country with a viable population of carp turtles. The value of a turtle egg is up to six kroner. The local population's income is low – a little over a thousand kroner a month per household – which makes it tempting to collect turtle eggs to speculate on the income and as pure food. A large part of the guests at the diving center are young people from all over the world who serve as volunteers at the turtle hatchery. If a turtle enters the beach during the night to lay eggs, the youngsters make sure that the eggs are not stolen and sold on the market. The eggs are relocated to the guarded hatchery. Every night, the volunteer egg keepers give informative mini-lectures about the ecosystem around the islands. Unfortunately, it seems that Norwegian young people are no longer attracted to simple living conditions and meaningful assignments – the great Southeast Asia journey that previously went from bamboo hut to bamboo hut, today goes from luxury hotel to luxury hotel.
A mistake with flippers can mean the destruction of corals that take hundreds of years to rebuild.
Bubbles Dive Resort works hard to keep the tourists' ecological footprint as small as possible – or preferably a positive footprint. Nothing is built in the beach zone. The hotel makes sure to let the natural binding plants grow in peace, even if they shade the view. And of course: No swimming pools. Here there are no sumptuous luxury dinners, only simple buffets based on local ingredients, such as ikan bili – tiny, dried anchovies – often mixed with roasted peanuts. Young, green coconuts straight from the trees is the best drink in the heat. Coconut water is a natural rehydrating agent. It works in exactly the same way as the liquid substitutes you buy at the pharmacy, and is just as good for restoring the salt and fluid balance. Not everyone likes the taste at once – but this is a taste you should get used to in the tropics. It's like coffee and wine: Once you get the taste for it, you realize how wonderful it is. In many places in the tropics, there are huge coconut plantations that produce the coconut products on felled rainforest land. This is a major environmental problem, but out here in the Perhentian Islands one simply reaps the goodies of nature, and does not displace the rainforest. So here you can enjoy the coconut water without a guilty conscience. That in itself is reason enough to stay there. Although the sea is rich in fish, the population has always been low on the islands as there is little fresh water to be found. Recently, a pipeline from the mainland was laid. The islands are now threatened by development. According to Debbi O'Sullivan, who previously ran the small accommodation Petani Beach House – which was built entirely of driftwood – more and more ecotourism operators are being forcibly relocated because the landowners favor large development projects. So far, access to electricity is limited. The power is switched on at 18 and closed again at 23, but larger operators can afford their own diesel generator, with all the environmental impact it entails. What can save the islands is that the season is too short for the most expensive development projects. Tourism is crucial to the future of these tropical paradise islands. If development is to be sustainable, the local population must earn more, at the same time as the number of tourists cannot increase.
Foynland is a writer and writer. foynland@gmail.com
