A Korean tourist is offering RM3,000 to anyone who can retrieve her lost phone from the waters off Tanjung Aru Beach — a location locals say is home to crocodiles.
The tourist, identified as Ryu Eun, had visited Sabah and lost her Samsung Galaxy S23 during a brief 10-minute water activity near the beach around 5.15pm on July 26.
The incident was shared by Sabah veterinarian Randolph Pazah via Facebook, drawing public attention.
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“I placed my phone in a waterproof pouch, and I believe the waves weren’t strong. So I think the phone may have sunk and stayed close to where I went in,” Ryu wrote in her message, appealing for help from any local diver with the right gear to search for the device.
Initially, Ryu let the matter go, believing her photos were automatically backed up. But upon returning to Korea, she discovered otherwise — many of her treasured memories were not saved.
Despite acknowledging the odds are slim, she is determined to try.
“If anyone can help, please contact me via WhatsApp,” she added, offering RM3,000 as a reward.
Her plea, however, sparked a wave of concern — and jokes — from Malaysian netizens, with many warning that the beach is known to be inhabited by crocodiles.
One user called Qm BazzBeat commented: “Now got crocodile in Tanjung Aru loh. My life is worth more than 3000MYR to be eaten alive. If on land, I will definitely try my luck lah to go to Tanjung Aru, even though I live far.”
“That amount is not worth it if the crocodile eats you,” Wean D. ML echoed.
“If it’s like this, I’m worried the person searching for the phone might go missing instead,” Azri Mahidin joked.
“Even RM10k might not cover it, besides that’s a huge area to search for and not to mention the crocodile ready to enjoy their meal. If you’ve saved some sister Hong’s video in your phone best forget about it,” Jels suggested.
Still, several locals expressed willingness to help despite the risks, commending Ryu’s effort to recover something so personally meaningful.
“I’ll forward your information to a diver group,” Arma Izry offered.