SEMPORNA: Whale sharks are commonly spotted by the maritime community in Sabah waters.
Contrary to recent reports describing whale sharks as a rare sight in Semporna, avid divers said the sightings were quite frequent.
Clement Lee, a pioneer in Sabah's dive industry with nearly five decades of experience, said he had encountered whale sharks many times and had taken photos of them.
"There is only one species of whale shark, and while sightings off Pom Pom Island might be considered rare, it's really not surprising as they are migratory.
"Whale sharks have been seen around Mabul, Sipadan and other islands in Semporna, especially when the water temperature drops and there is a plankton bloom," he said.
Semporna-based underwater photographer Joe Starz agreed with Lee, saying the community had frequent encounters with the whale shark, especially near Sipadan.
"We see them in Sipadan. A few months ago, they were spotted two or three times a week. Sometimes, they appear at South Point 1 and Barracuda Point at the same time," he said.
Marine Research Foundation conservation officer Ho Koi Chee, who works with stakeholders to reduce marine megafauna bycatch, said fishermen had captured footage of a whale shark approaching a purse seine vessel in January.
"Fishermen told us they sometimes spot whale sharks in Semporna waters. It is somewhere south of Pom Pom Island, near Kulapuan Island."
The Borneo Marine Research Institute (BMRI) at Universiti Malaysia Sabah recorded at least two whale shark sightings at Pom Pom Island in June and July last year, according to its Coastal Connections Living Lab head, Associate Professor Dr B. Mabel Manjaji Matsumoto.
BMRI also observes a higher trend of whale shark sightings at popular dive sites, where divers and "citizen scientists" share photos and videos on social media.
"We don't know if there are more whale sharks in Sabah now than before our study began.
"The earliest documented sighting in Sabah, then North Borneo, dates back to 1948, published by an American biologist," she said.
BMRI initiated the whale shark database in early March 2020.
Mabel also said the remote Darvel Bay on the southeast of Sabah could serve as a nursery site for whale sharks.
In a study by Dr Gonzo Araujo, founder of the UK-based Marine Research and Conservation Foundation, juvenile whale sharks tagged in the Philippines exhibited movement patterns from Philippine waters to Darvel Bay to Semporna, before returning northwards to the Philippines.
UMS collaborates with Sabah Parks and Araujo, who also helps manage the "Malaysia Whale Sharks" Facebook page and facilitates access to individual whale shark profiles via the Sharkbook platform (https://www.sharkbook.ai/).