Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park was gazetted in 1974 as Sabah's first protected marine reserve, spanning 4,929 hectares across five islands — Gaya, Sapi, Manukan, Mamutik, and Sulug — each ringed by coral gardens that shelter hawksbill turtles, clownfish, parrotfish, and more than 200 species of reef fauna. The park lies between three and eight kilometres northwest of Kota Kinabalu, close enough that speedboats from Jesselton Point reach Manukan Island in fifteen minutes, yet the visibility beneath the surface often exceeds ten metres, a clarity rare for islands within sight of a provincial capital. Manukan, the second-largest island at 20 hectares, was the site of Sabah's first scuba centre in the 1980s and remains the most developed, with a central crescent beach, timber jetties, and marked snorkel trails along the eastern shore where brain coral and staghorn formations begin in chest-deep water. Sapi Island, smaller at 10.2 hectares, holds the park's densest population of long-tailed macaques and proboscis monkeys, both of which forage along the western beach at low tide. The conservation fee imposed in 1990 and revised to 25 ringgit for foreign adults in 2018 funds patrol boats, mooring buoys, and the removal of crown-of-thorns starfish, an invasive predator that has threatened reef recovery across the Coral Triangle. Island hopping Kota Kinabalu package tours depart Jesselton Point between 08:00 and 09:00, when the South China Sea is calmest and the tide pools along Manukan's northern point still hold water. Most packages combine two or three islands, with the Manukan-Sapi pairing accounting for the majority of departures due to their proximity and complementary character: Manukan offers structured amenities — changerooms, freshwater showers, lifeguard stations — while Sapi retains a rawer profile, with narrower trails and coral that begins immediately offshore. Full-day packages include a buffet lunch served on Manukan, typically grilled chicken, fried rice, stir-fried greens, and fresh pineapple, set beneath pavilions overlooking the beach. Catamaran options, a newer format introduced in 2021, carry groups of 12 to 18 on twin-hulled vessels with shaded seating and a shallow draft that allows closer approach to reef edges. Snorkel gear is issued on board or at the island jetties, though visibility peaks before 11:00, when passenger volume is lowest and sediment disturbance minimal. The marine park remains open daily from 08:00 to 17:00, with the last return boats leaving the islands at 16:30 to ensure daylight transit. Access to all five islands is covered by a single conservation fee valid for the day of issue, though Sulug and Mamutik see fewer than 200 visitors per month due to limited jetty infrastructure and the absence of food facilities. The Sabah Parks office at Jesselton Point issues the fee receipts and monitors daily visitor totals, which averaged 1,400 per day in 2025, a figure still below the pre-2020 peak of 2,100.