Diving in Malaysia

Archive for April, 2010

Plans by supermodel Naomi Campbell to build a high-end casino near turtle sanctuaries in Kenya’s Indian Ocean resort of Malindi have sparked a firestorm from conservationists and residents.

Apart from hosting a bevy of beauties and moneyed men, the six-star casino complex — to be called Billionaires Resort — could disrupt the hatching process of several rare species of turtles, they say. Conservationists are worried that noise and lights from the casino envisioned by the British catwalk legend and her former boyfriend, Formula One boss Flavio Briatore — who already owns one hotel in Malindi, will scare the turtles away.

Female turtles hatch ashore and the baby turtles usually find their way back to the sea by looking for the brightest natural horizon. A glittering construction in the heart of Malindi’s marine park could lure the hatchlings in the wrong direction and away from the beach, leading them to die of dehydration, the conservationists say.”We are not against development, but all we are calling for is sustainable, low-environmental-impact and high quality tourism development,” said Stephen Trott, who heads Local Ocean Trust, a Malindi-based turtle conservation group.

A Kenya Wildlife Service official who did not want to be named said the agency was keeping a close eye on the project.

According to Malindi residents, Briatore has another hotel in the resort called While Elephant. “Let them go improve the quality of White Elephant,” said one resident.”We are totally against the casino. This is a small town, we have one casino and we don’t want another one,” said Terry Hill of the Malindi South Residents Association. “Furthermore, we are told that they want to build near a marine park. Be sure we won’t allow that because we are conservationists. Let them go and build it elsewhere,” Hill said.

Thrill-seekers in search of the ocean’s legendary apex predator typically flock to three noted great white hunting areas, say shark experts.

Forbes Traveller compiled their list from people like Jean-Michel Cousteau, Caterina Gennaro of Discovery Channel, David Doubilet of National Geographic, Dr. Samuel H. Gruber of Bahmas’ Sharklab, Dr. Robert Heuter of Mote Shark Research Center, Mark Addison of South Africa’s Blue Wilderness tours, Erich Ritter of the Shark Research Institute’s Global Shark Attack File and underwater photographer Matthew Potenski.

First and most notoriously named is a place called Dangerous Reef in the Neptune Islands off the southern coast of Australia, where famed shark-attack survivor Rodney Fox has been leading cage-diving expeditions for more than three decades.

Second is so-called Shark Alley near the Dyer Islands off the southern coast of South Africa, where boatloads of shark seekers from neighboring Gansbaai come to get chummy with the native great whites.

Third and by far tops in the Western Hemisphere is Guadelupe Island off the coast of Mexico.