"IMMEDIATELY after reaching the island, scatter bread crumbs around the tree stumps by the jetty area and stand back to watch the show".
My friend's week-old cryptic message echoes loudly in my head as the boat makes its final approach towards Pulau Singa Besar. The rather strange communiqué came across soon after my island hopping escapade was made known.
Throwing caution to the wind by putting trust in his self-professed experience said to have been acquired after spending more than a decade exploring the southern Langkawi archipelago, I follow the advice to the tee.
LOCAL RESIDENTS
Scepticism surfaces after the first few uneventful minutes came to pass. Then, like a bolt out of the blue, shells of all colours, shapes and sizes start appearing from tree stump crevices in the vicinity. Scurrying at lightning speed with little hairy appendages, they make a beeline for the scattered bread crumbs. Ravenous, the organisms make quick work of the food before seeking refuge in the shade again.
Observing from afar, Mohd Zubir Zakaria notices my keen interest in Pulau Singa Besar's local residents and approaches to provide further insight into the hermit crabs while lamenting that they are a lesser known attraction compared with the island paradise's crystal clear waters, powdery white sandy beaches and abundant coral colonies just by the shoreline.
Part of the Lion Marine team entrusted with Pulau Singa Besar's upkeep, Zubir has taken on the duty to care for these sociable creatures by supplementing their natural diet of microscopic mussel and clam larvae, as well as microalgae with bread.
His primary challenge is poaching prevention as a small number of tourists find it hard to resist the temptation of putting a few adorable specimens into their pockets to take home and rear as pets.
Zubir achieves this by pointing out to tourists that hermit crabs not only do not survive long away from their natural habitat but are also unable to breed in captivity. Further convincing them that taking from the wild is a form of unsustainable practice, he successfully puts across the act of bringing hermit crabs home as a definite futile endeavour.
NOT REAL CRABS
Called "umang-umang" by the locals, these crustaceans are primarily ocean dwellers with just a dozen varieties, including those on Pulau Singa Besar, which are semi-terrestrial in nature. In the wild, these omnivorous scavengers are useful in keeping the marine ecosystems clean by consuming decomposed organic material like fish carcases that would otherwise pollute the environment if left to rot.
Interestingly, hermit crabs are not actual crabs. Instead of having the ability to grow uniform hard exoskeletons like the latter, the former has a soft tail that is protected using discarded shells. In fact, the "umang-umang" is more closely related to lobsters than crabs, both of which are found in abundance among the corals that dot Pulau Singa Besar's waters.
Shifting focus from these fascinating aquatic organisms and looking towards the island's terrestrial landscape, its lush jungle and jagged limestone formations are home to a myriad of wildlife like macaques, mouse deer, hornbills, lizards and eagles.
Like most places in Langkawi, the island gets its name from a local legend closely related to the nearby Pulau Dayang Bunting. It is said that a giant guardian spirit once stood watch over the islands that made up the Langkawi archipelago. A huge ferocious lion and poison from the tuba root were among her potent defence arsenal used to maintain order in the realm.
As local reverence towards the guardian spirit gradually dissipated over time, the spurned female protector, who was then deeply in love with a mortal prince and heavy with his child, turned her lion into Pulau Singa Besar and the poisonous root becoming Pulau Tuba before transforming herself into Pulau Dayang Bunting where the silhouette of a reclining pregnant maiden can be seen until this very day.
SPIRIT WRATH
After exploring Pulau Singa Besar's lush interior which gained status as a permanent forest reserve and a permanent bird and animal sanctuary in 1988, time comes to head off to nearby Pulau Beras Basah which is renowned among holidaymakers for its idyllic tropical setting.
Livelier than Pulau Singa Besar, Pulau Beras Basah is a haven for adventure lovers where snorkelling, scuba diving, parasailing and jet-skiing experiences guarantee memorable moments and long-cherished memories. Expect long queues for the exhilarating banana boat rides which are powered by skilled motorboat operators.
While standing by the shore filled with tourists having a time of their lives, the sight of Pulau Dayang Bunting and Pulau Singa Besar brings to mind another legend related to the female guardian spirit. It is said that she was deeply angered when a group of merchants failed to pay her the obligatory respects as they sailed by the islands.
Determined to make an example out of them, she roused the spirits of wind and water, stirring up a tropical storm that unleashed its fury on the helpless sailors. It is said that the rice-laden vessels shipwrecked on Pulau Beras Basah and the island got its name after their waterlogged cargo was strewn all over the beach.
As my two-hour long escapade draws to a close, it is obvious that island hopping excursions in Langkawi are not mere entries in holiday itineraries but provide invaluable insights into this global tourist destination's various interesting aspects, including social history and natural heritage.