LANGKAWI – Some 700 locals and tourists flocked to Tg Rhu Beach this morning to experience the low-tide phenomenon that allowed people to walk 600m off the coast to Pulau Kelam Baya.
This is the second day the tide dropped to merely 10cm, an occurrence which only happens once a year.
While the event consistently draws tourists, the constant sedimentation of sand and mud due to the phenomenon will eventually wipe out the teeming marine life throughout the shallow waters here.
Langkawi nature guide, Zoher Mustan Mala, said previously the sand strip that appeared due to the changing tides were not as shallow and wide as it is today.
In 2008, he started conducting walks on this strip to educate visitors about the marine species found here.
Even during low tide, some sections go as deep as three metres and his group would have to waddle and swim across to the island opposite the Tg Rhu Beach.
However, as sedimentation continued to happen, people were able to stroll across easily.
In the pool pockets, trapped marine life such as starfish, octopuses and anemones are often spotted.
“Last time, there were more species of marine life here.
“I had spotted clownfish and ghost crabs, but now they are all gone.
“Even the large corals have become smaller.
“This rapid sedimentation takes place because of the fishing and tour boats that speed at the mangrove areas.
“When these boats speed up, it churns up the mud and the tide carries it here.
“In a matter of five to ten years, the marine life you see here will be gone,” he told The Vibes.
Though he has brought nature lovers on group walks here for more than a decade, it was only recently that the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) picked up and saw tourism potential at this location.
During a visit to the sandbar yesterday, LADA chief executive officer Nasaruddin Abdul Mutalib expressed his interest in marketing this phenomenon as one of the many unique attractions of Langkawi. – The Vibes, March 4, 2022
