Mabul (Malay: Pulau Mabul) is a small island off the south-eastern coast of Sabah in Malaysia. Mabul has been a fishing village since the 1970s. In the 1990s, it became popular to divers due to its proximity to Sipadan, a diving paradise.
Mabul is administered as a part of Tawau district, it is around 20 hectares and 2 to 3 metres above sea level, and consists mostly of flat grounds.
Mabul is oval-shaped and mostly surrounded by white sandy beaches, there are several dive resorts operating on Mabul island.
There are two main villages on the island, ‘Kampung Mabul’ and ‘Kampung Musu’. The majority are immigrants from relatively nearby clusters of islands in the southern Philippines.
As most residents mainly work as fishermen, the village source of income depends on ocean-based products such as squid and fish.
The sunset view of Mabul is incredibly beautiful, but for Choumeizai, the poverty of the locals is more impressive.
