Diving in Malaysia
On the northeastern corner of Borneo Island, the Malaysian state of Sabah juts eastward to meet the Sulu Sea. These waters are recognized as one of the most bio-diverse marine ecosystems in the world. Here divers will discover a range of underwater landscapes that are home to creatures both large and small. Sites include towering walls that rise from open water to attract turtles, sharks and schooling pelagics; coral slopes and grottoes that harbor colorful collections of reef fish; and silt-laden shores that hide a menagerie of the small and unusual. Many consider the island of Sipadan to be the crown jewel of Malaysian diving. This tiny speck of green is surrounded by shallows that drop abruptly to depths of 2,000 feet. These undersea cliffs become gathering points for schools of bumphead parrotfish, bigeye trevally and barracuda, which can shoal up in thousand-fish formations. Sipadan is also a gathering place for hawksbill and green sea turtles, and it's not uncommon to see a dozen or more on any given dive. Eagle rays and white tip sharks are seen on almost all sites, gray reefs congregate in deeper water, and there are chance sightings of mantas or a whale shark. Divers who take a closer look among the hard and soft corals that cover the walls will also discover an intriguing collection of smaller creatures. Currents can range from mild to exciting, and visibility can soar well past 100 feet. One of the more intriguing dive sites at Sipadan is Turtle Cave, where, at a depth of 60 feet, a tunnel leads into branching passages that goes under the entire island. Most divers take a peak, but don't venture into the dark labyrinth, which holds the skeletal remains of turtles who lost their way and then perished.
Sipadan Island is now a protected marine park, with access limited to a maximum of 120 divers a day. Visits to the park begin at resorts on nearby Mabul and Kapalai islands, which are a 20 to 30-minute boat ride away. Pulau Mabul is a small sandy island with coconut trees and a local fishing village. Much more than a jumping off point for Sipadan, Mabul has earned a reputation as a muck diving mecca. Sandy and silty seabeds, coral outcrops, small walls and artificial reefs and jetties harbor a treasure trove of life. The broken landscapes are prime hunting grounds for cephalopods, including flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, mimic octopus and bobtail squids. Mabul also overflows with crustaceans, from harlequin shrimp, mantis shrimp, and cleaner shrimp to hairy squat lobsters, spider crabs, porcelain crabs, and more. Keen-eyed divers will find giant, painted, and clown frogfish, along with other ambush predators such as leaf scorpion fish, dwarf lionfish, and crocodile fish. A survey of the bottom will reveal stonefish, stargazers, devil scorpionfish, and flying gurnards. Pipefish are common and tiny pygmy seahorses await discovery. Nearby at the over-water village of Kapalai, colorful mandarin fish perform intricate mating rituals among the pilings, mimic octopus, ghost pipefish and wasp fish lurk in nearby rubble fields. A short swim away, reef slope drop to open water, and a collection of small wrecks adds interest. Other prime diving areas around Sabah include the Tun Sakaran Marine Park, which is home to the nomadic Bajau Laut sea gypsies, and offers year-round diving on coral-covered dropoffs, slopes and plateaus. Well to the north, the offshore atoll of Layang Layang is known for near-pristine reefs and seasonal aggregations of schooling hammerhead sharks. In addition to this big-ticket draw, the waters of the atoll offer wrecks, macro life and resident blacktip reef sharks, marble rays, bamboo sharks and leopard sharks. Also on the radar is scenic Lankayan island, which is gaining a reputation for the appearance of whales sharks from March to May.