Among the heritage highlighted in the current Sarawak Heritage Ordinance 2019, underwater heritage is a new addition to conserve what’s left behind under the sea. As looters take from these historical sites, diver Traci Tay shudders at the thought of future generations having not much underwater history to appreciate.
Exploring the heritage underwater
Discoveries made through excavations, explorations and surveying are important because they allow us to understand more about our history.
Heritage traces can be found both on land and in the sea. With regard to the latter, wreck dives have long drawn divers who value the historical aspects of the activity.
The new Sarawak Heritage Ordinance 2019 was recently enacted. The ordinance, which replaces the previous Sarawak Cultural Heritage Ordinance 1993, includes a number of improvements.
This contains the recently added — Part VII on the protection of underwater heritage.
James Yong, president of the Sarawak Heritage Society (SHS), welcomed the new clauses and said that they enhanced the protection of underwater antiquities.
“No doubt, this new addition will be of assistance to the discoveries made underwater which hitherto have received inadequate legal coverage,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Museum Department Deputy Director Dayang Morzanah Awang Haddy said that they will work closely with other related agencies.
“With the addition of underwater heritage preservation in the ordinance, we will collaborate with the Sarawak Maritime Agency, Marine Department, Sarawak Rivers Board, and others.”
According to the Sarawak Heritage Ordinance 2019, what constitutes an ‘underwater heritage’ are all traces of human existence having a cultural, historical, or archaeological character which have been partially or totally underwater, periodically or continuously, for at least 50 years.
There are several wreck diving sites at Santubong, Sarawak, that have been recognised by the Sarawak Tourism Board. They are:
Katori Maru — WWII wreck dive
Hiyoshi Maru — WWII wreck dive
Sagiri — WWII wreck dive (features a destroyer that is still intact; guns and ammunition on deck are covered by corals)
China wreck — artificial wreck
Barge wreck — commercial ship
Diving into the wreck
Traci Tay, an avid diver since 2006, loved exploring the seas. She finds that going underwater relieves tension every time.
The beauty of the oasis beneath differs from that of the land. Its discovery is therefore vast and extraordinary.
Tay described her wreck diving experience as an eye-opener to history that we had never read or seen before.
“The Katori Maru is one of the several popular wreck diving sites in Sarawak. The sunken ship is a gigantic Japanese passenger ship,” said the 43-year-old.
However, before diving deep down, Tay said that one would need to obtain a licence before visiting these wrecks.
“Wreck diving usually takes place 30 metres below. Therefore, before a diver can go below, they usually need to acquire an advanced open water dive certificate.”
The wait to obtain the licence, however, is worthwhile because divers can marvel at the uniqueness of the wrecks here.
“There was a lot to see. Katori Maru was so big that I got lost. But, while I was lost and had to find my way back, I saw a lot of things from the wreck,” said Tay, adding that the dive was a memorable one.
Tay said that she could tell the ship was built of steel despite the fact that it had been underwater for decades.
“I even spotted a part of a window still attached to the ship’s side. The deck is still there, and there are corals growing on most of the wreck, with fish swimming about it. It was amazing to be able to see it,” she said.
Tay and her friends have been on many wreck dives where they have seen numerous items left by the remaining parts of the ship that sank.
Bullets and watches were among the many items they discovered. The fish that live near wrecks are likewise unique.
“My friends spotted Manta Rays and Giant Trevally, both of which are rare in Sarawak waters.”
With so much to see underwater, she recalled one dive in Sematan waters where she discovered a sunken crane.
“It was near the Sematan jetty. When I saw it, it still had the driver’s box attached.”
Apart from the wrecks in Sarawak, Tay also visited the ones in Terengganu. She finds the underwater discoveries fascinating since she gets to explore what is left in time.
Protecting underwater heritage
Tay, who is also a member of SHS, has sentiments about the heritage she discovered underwater.
Always eager to learn more about history, the intrepid lass advised divers to be cautious when approaching wrecks.
“Never take anything that you find underwater. First of all, it isn’t yours. This is because any treasure discovered beneath can be considered heritage assets. Unfortunately, many of the items in the trove have been stolen. If we had an earlier ordinance protecting these, we could have established an underwater museum,” she said.
Tay went on to say that, while they may appear discarded, items found underwater can be valuable.
Furthermore, some of the antiquities left can reveal a previously unknown story.
According to the Sarawak Heritage Ordinance 2019, any person who discovers an underwater heritage site within the territory of Sarawak shall, as soon as practicable, give notice in writing of such discovery to the Director of the Sarawak Museum.
With such clauses within the heritage ordinance, Tay emphasised the importance of preserving underwater treasures.
“It’s a completely different world down under. These wrecks can be a tourist attraction. Furthermore, anything underwater can be an important habitat for sea creatures. It serves as a foraging area for them.”
Tay also said that when she first visited Katori Maru, the ship was still 70 per cent intact.
“Today, looters who took from the wreck may have reduced it to roughly 30 per cent,” said the diver.
Her story is only one of many examples of how underwater antiquity may be preserved.
However, a lot of these priceless items have been taken away, taking with them a tale that was never given the chance to be told.
Nonetheless, it is hoped that by increasing understanding and awareness of the importance of underwater heritage, the remaining treasure will be left alone to become a symbol of the past to the future.
