Sibu Island Gets Salty with Purpose: LUSH Malaysia and MareCet Team Up for Dugong Conservation

If you’ve been watching LUSH Malaysia lately, you’ll know the brand isn’t just about bath bombs and bright-eyed activism—it’s about walking the talk. And this time, they’ve gone off-grid in a big way. Swapping cityscapes for seagrass, LUSH Malaysia has returned from Pulau Sibu in Johor’s Mersing district, where they partnered with marine conservation outfit MareCet for a three-day deep dive—figuratively and literally—into the wild world of dugongs, sea meadows, and kampung life.

Forget your picture-perfect island getaway. Sibu doesn’t do curated luxury or cocktail umbrellas. Instead, it offers a kind of raw beauty that doesn’t scream for attention: barefoot mornings, wind-whipped boat rides, and night skies unfiltered by street lights. The kind of place where your phone’s got no signal, but your sense of purpose does.

Fresh off the success of their Langkawi marine outing—which had dolphins and eco-workshops front and center—LUSH Malaysia cranked things up a notch with this latest edition of Marine Explorer. This wasn’t a splashy PR event. It was a conservation reality check. The goal? Shine a spotlight on Malaysia’s dwindling dugong population and the fragile seagrass ecosystems they depend on. Spoiler: dugongs are not mythical creatures, but good luck spotting them if their habitats continue to vanish.

The island, home to fewer than 200 people, offered more than just a scenic backdrop. It provided a living example of how sustainability isn’t a buzzword—it’s a lifestyle. With no commercial tourism in sight, the pace is slow, the priorities are simple, and the connection to nature is real.

“Beyond the usual initiative that we are known for like coral planting, the outcomes for this trip would be to learn more about dugong conservation, as well as to create awareness about marine conservation through the LUSH Malaysia platform. Additionally, we hope to inspire Malaysian citizens to make the necessary commitments towards marine conservation, protecting the beauty of nature and wildlife that is homed to us. These commitments include waste reduction, supporting conservation efforts and embracing sustainable habits such as shopping naked products (packaging free) and finding the right ways to recycle products, which are vital to safeguard our marine ecosystems, all in all, leaving the world lusher than we found it,” said Dr Harvinder Harchand, Director of LUSH Malaysia.

It’s no secret that MareCet has been doing the heavy lifting when it comes to marine mammal conservation in Malaysia. But this partnership with LUSH puts the mission in front of a broader audience—and one that’s primed to listen.

“The Marine Explorer is our way of connecting people with Malaysia’s marine life through immersive, low-impact experiences that inspire conservation and with LUSH Malaysia as our like-minded partner, we’re able to amplify this message and encourage more Malaysians to protect our oceans,” shared Dr Louisa Ponnampalam, Executive Director and Co-Founder of MareCet.

In a world constantly pushing us to consume, Marine Explorer offers something radically different: a pause. A way to remember that we’re not separate from the ocean, the dugongs, or even the quiet kampung rhythms. It’s not just about saving a species—it’s about remembering we’re part of the same story.

And in case you were wondering—no, you don’t need WiFi to care about the planet. You just need to get your feet wet.