A fisherman out to sea in a tiny boat from the port of Semporna. In August 2000 Abu Sayaff claimed a ransom of 21 million dollars, one for each hostage, no one paid officially, but rumors that I heard in Semporna point to Gadaffi, who apparently wanted to curry favor with the U.S. and Europe to be taken off the black list of international terrorists. The main port of departure for diving Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai is Semporna, perhaps the dirtiest city in Malaysia. Half the city is built directly on the sea, with houses on stilts, stilt style, and all waste goes directly into the sea. Unfortunately the currents often lead to Sipadan.