Page 286 - The Guide To Sarawak

284 RIVERS, LAKES & THE SEA
Water Sports
Sport Fishing
Sport fishing is very popular with the local community and is starting to gain international recognition. For the casual angler the best places
to gather information
and tips are the tackle shops in major towns and cities. Possibilities include freshwater pond fishing
for tilapia and catfish, and freshwater river fishing for toman, arawana and two local species of mahseer, the empurau and the semah. Surfcasting and inshore boat fishing can produce good hauls of snapper, barramundi and Spanish mackerel, and for deep-sea game fishing the sky (or rather the ocean) is the limit.
The highlight of the angling year is the Miri City International Deep Sea Fishing Tournament, held every May, which offers substantial cash prizes. Contact the Miri Anglers Club for details.
Diving
Miri, gateway to the Luconia Shoals, is Sarawak’s principal dive destination, with an abundance of pristine patch reefs that make up the Miri-Sibuti Coral Reef National Park, including some interesting wreck dives. Best time is from March to August, but
The visiting Chinese team enjoying the scenery as they prepare to set sail for the fishing grounds at the 8th Miri City International Deep Sea Fishing Tournament, held in May 2014.
Local and international anglers board their vessels ready for the flag-off. The tournament, with its RM42,000 prize money, attracted anglers from all over the world.
diving is available all year round. The diversity and accessibility of corals
and other marine life is amongst the best in the region. The sites listed
are a short boat ride from Miri. Descriptions courtesy of Tropical Dives (see listings).
Eve’s Garden (15min):
Just 7-12 metres deep, carpeted with leather corals, elephant’s ear and dead man’s fingers. Giant anemones, clown fishes yellowtail fusiliers and angel fishes inhabit the reef. Anemone Garden (30min):
One of the most interesting reefs, 10-16 meters deep, with hard and soft corals, anemones and symbiotic clown fishes, bubble corals, anchor corals, colourful soft corals, feather stars, giant clams, nudibranches and schooling yellowtails. Sea Fan Garden (30min): This unique 16 metre deep reef has an amazing variety of gorgonian sea fans,
sea whips and schooling batfish.
Tukau Drop-Off (50min): An exciting drop-off reef (20–40 metres) with a vertical wall, home to