LUMUT: More than 3,000 visitors at Teluk Nipah beach near Pulau Pangkor were thrilled to experience the rare ‘split sea’ phenomenon, which allowed them to walk about 400m across a sandbank connecting the beach to Pulau Giam during extreme low tide.
Manjung Municipal Council (MPM) duty-free island management unit director Anas Malek Ishak said visitors were able to enjoy the phenomenon for about one-and-a-half hours, and it is expected to occur over three days starting from yesterday.
He said MPM is working closely with enforcement and safety agencies, including the police, Fire and Rescue Department, Malaysia Civil Defence Force (APM) and Fisheries Department, to ensure visitors could cross the sandbank safely.
“While crossing the sandbank, visitors may encounter sea cucumbers, corals, squid, fish and other marine life. Some may accidentally step on them.
“The Fire Department and APM personnel will blow whistles when the tide begins to rise and instruct visitors to return to shore to prevent any untoward incidents,” he told reporters here.
Pangkor Fire and Rescue station chief Mohd Saiful Bahri Abdul Talib said 10 personnel and three assets from the Emergency Medical Rescue Services, Water Rescue Team and rescue vehicles were deployed as a precaution throughout the three-day phenomenon.
“We allow visitors to proceed when the water level is between 0.3 and 0.4 metres, but as noon approaches, they will be instructed to return to shore immediately as the tide rises rapidly,” he said.
Pangkor police station chief Insp Muhamad Faizol Kamaluddin said 17 officers, including tourist police, were deployed around the beach area to ensure safety, with parents reminded to closely monitor their children.
Swiss national Alf Zeigler, 64, said he was excited to experience the split sea phenomenon for the first time with his family amid a festive atmosphere.
“It is a wonderful way to experience the ocean and the sand,” he said.
A teacher from Taiping, D. Syimala, 36, said she had long wanted to visit Teluk Nipah beach to experience the phenomenon.
“I am very happy to be able to cross the split sea for the first time with my husband and relatives. At first, I was a bit scared, but after reaching Giam Island, I felt very satisfied,” she said.
