Top 3 Diving Destinations: Dive BORNEO (Malaysia)

SABAH “The Land Below The Wind”, a state part of Malaysia, in the mystical island of Borneo, is a host to some of the best diving destinations in the world. The top 3 diving destinations, that are going to be highlighted here, offer a variety of spectacular topside view and amazing underwater encounters – a class and quality at their best. Divers or not, your visit to these tropical islands of Borneo is promised to be a breathtaking experience; a dream come true. The kind of experience you will go back and tell your friends about.

Lets dive right in…

1. SIPADAN ISLAND, Malaysia

The world-renowned island of Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia that rises some 600m from the seabed of the Celebes Sea. Sipadan is strategically located in the heart of the Indo-Pasific basin; one of the richest concentration of marine biodiversity in the world making it a must-visit-diving destination for scuba enthusiasts.

Earlier this year, Sipadan once again stole the attention of the the world when it was nominated to contest in the New 7 Wonders of nature, under the island category, by the New7Wonders Foundation in Zurich. (Read more of this nomination here)

Sipadan Island is home to more than 3000 species of marine life including turtles, sharks, schooling barracuda, school jacks, snappers, manta rays and many more tropical fish. All the tropical fish are all there waiting for you to amaze you.

A wise man tip: try to avoid counting the number of turtles that you will see during the dive because there are simply too many green and hawksbill turtles around. Sipadan Island is a nesting ground for those turtles.

The underwater panorama will send thrills to your spine as you swim along the gentle slope and awesome wall of Sipadan. Hard coral, soft coral, sea whips, huge barrel sponge and sea fans are among the hundreds of coral species you may find here.

Sipadan Island, situated on the East coast of Sabah, 45 – 60 minutes by twin-engined speedboat, is accessible via the small town of Semporna. For international travellers, to get to Semporna, you need to fly in to Tawau airport either by direct flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (Malaysia’s capital) or Kota Kinabalu International Airport (Sabah’s capital). Malaysia Airlines System and the budget-carrier of Airasia service both routes.

There are no diving resort operators on Sipadan Island as of the year 2005 after the Malaysian government ordered the full evacuation of the island. Most of the five dive resorts, previously on Sipadan, shifted their operations to the nearby islands of Mabul and Kapalai. Some opted to operate from the mainland in Semporna.

The most popular method to dive Sipadan is to stay with one of the resorts on Mabul or Kapalai. Both islands are only 25 minutes away, by diving boat, from Sipadan. There are currently four resorts on Mabul – 3 on land (Sipadan Mabul Resort aka SMART, Sipadan Water Village and Borneo Divers Mabul Resort) and 1 on an offshore-refurbished oilrig (Sea Ventures). Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort, water bungalows built on stilts, is the only dive resort operating on Kapalai.

Both Mabul and Kapalai offer some of the world’s best macro diving, as they are also famous for some of the exotic treasure of marine life – a great diving combination with Sipadan.

Mainland-based diving operators are the best option for budget travellers. These operators organize daily trips to Sipadan and the nearby islands of Mabul and Kapalai.

Take note: advanced booking is required to dive Sipadan. The dive operators that you’ll be staying with need time to obtain a diving permit, for each diver, from the government. Only 120 divers per day are allowed to dive Sipadan. This tight restriction imposed by the government is aim to maintain, sustain and protect the environment and ecosystem of Sipadan Island.

Another note: The resorts on Mabul are built among a fishing village community. There is also a government-run primary school, a clinic, a Royal Malaysian police post and cheap home-stay-style accommodations for backpackers (check availability).

Diving Operation: Sipadan is open through out the year.
Water temperature: between 26-30°C.
Diving equipment: available for rent at reasonable price.
Tanks: Mostly 12-liter aluminium / air 210bar max.
Nitrox: Sipadan Mabul Resort.
Diver Level:Sipadan: Experienced and above due to strong current and bottomless diving. Mabul and Kapalai: suitable for all level of divers.
Diving courses: mostly PADI certifications.
Others: Sipadan offers cavern and cave diving for qualified divers –> arrange with your diving operator.

2. LAYANG LAYANG ISLAND, Malaysia

Layang Layang, an oceanic atoll in the South China Sea, is located about 300km on the North-West of Borneo. Also known as the “The Jewel of the Borneo Banks”, the atoll is home to more than 7 species of hundreds of migratory birds and the truly spectacular display of a pristine coral reefs system – one of the best, a class of its own.

Layang Layang; with its little landmass supports an airstrip, Layang Layang Island Resort, Fishery Department research facility and Royal Malaysian Navy base.

The only mean of access to the island resort is by an hour MAS Wing (Malaysia Airlines System) flight via Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah.

The nicely set up Layang Layang Island Resort can accommodate up to 120 guests during the peak season. It is surrounded by crystal clear blue water with average underwater visibility between 20-40 meters. The 7km long and 1.5km wide atoll, rises from some 2000 meters deep, offers an endless magnificent wall diving like no others. There are 16 established dive sites around Layang Layang atoll. The most famous being the Point and the Valley, among others.

As you swim along the walls and the shallow reefs of Layang Layang, you will find yourself hovering among the healthiest coral reefs found in the region, which is home to thousands of small and big colourful reef fishes. The atoll is basically covered with thousands of huge sea fans, huge barrel sponge, black corals and many more. In another word; everything is big here although there are tiny creatures living among the corals; for example the adorable pygmy seahorse.

But the main diving attraction in Layang Layang will be the Hammerhead Sharks. Between the months of March to May, the chances to encounter them face-to-face are very high. Some say that the hammerhead sharks come together for the mating ritual during those months. So, there is a possibility to see them in big numbers at the depth between 20 to 50 meters.

Huge dogtooth tuna, giant trevally, gray reef sharks, whitetip sharks, manta ray, the devil ray, eagle ray, barracuda and turtles are among the many pelagic that you can expect to see. If you are lucky enough, you might be able to see silvertip shark, thrasher shark, whale shark and the ever-playful dolphins. There has been some sighting of killer whale and sperm whale in the past – the resort has photos as prove to this claim.

After the dive, divers can rest by the swimming pool or walk the island to do some bird watching or simply take photographs of one of the most beautiful sunset you’ll ever see.

Diving Season: March to August only.
Water temperature: between 26-30°C.
Diving equipment: available for rent.
Tanks: 12-liter aluminium / air 210bar max.
Nitrox: No Nitrox facility.
Diver Level: Experienced and above > strong current and wall.
Diving courses: PADI certifications only.

3. LANKAYAN ISLAND

Lankayan Island is situated on the Northeast side of Sabah. A one and a half hour journey by twin-engined speedboat, via Sandakan, will take you to this small tropical island. You can fly in to Sandakan using direct flight from Kuala Lumpur or from Kota Kinabalu. Malaysia Airlines System and the budget-carrier of Airasia service both routes.

The name Lankayan is derived from one of the local dialect word Lang-ki-an meaning “The Last Post”. This island really is the last landmark in Malaysian water, on the Northeastern side, before the international water line bordering Malaysia and the Philippines.

Lankayan Island is part of the Sugud Island Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA) in the Sulu Sea of Malaysia. Lankayan Island Dive Resort – an eco-friendly resort, operates this “one island, one resort”. A total of 25 well appointed individual wooden chalets could accommodate up to 60 guests during the peak season in April and August every year.

Lankayan Island Dive Resort is designed and arranged to take small number of tourists at a time making this little paradise a nice gateway destination suitable for honeymooner couples, friends, groups and family – young and old, divers or non-divers.

Lankayan, also known as the “Macro World of the Sulu Sea”, offers bottom diving to maximum of 25 meters and making it suitable for all level of divers. All the more than 30 dive sites can be reached between 3 -15 minutes by diving boat. The diving is one of the easiest and relax type of both reef diving and wreck diving.

There are many different species of exotic small creatures (a.k.a. macro) like nudibranches, shrimp gobies, ghostpipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish, frogfish and so on. The “giant” jawfish is the highlight of the macro diving in Lankayan.

The reef around Lankayan is also home to some big creatures like leopard shark, white tip shark, black tip reef shark, marble ray, green and hawksbill turtles and many more.

If you are in Lankayan between March and May, there is a big possibility to see and may be swim with whale sharks, as these are the known period for them to be around. These gentle giants will stay in the surrounding water of Lankayan during those months to feed on plankton – the water is normally green in colour, a sign of plankton-rich water.

Take note: average visibility is around 10 meters only. Set your diving mode to macro diving at all times – that’s what Lankayan is famous for anyway.

Snorkelling is good in Lankayan. Making it suitable for non-divers to immerse themselves among the fishes in the shallow reefs. There are also arranged and guided snorkelling trips by boat to check out other reefs if you think you have enough of the many colourful fishes and corals around the 150 meter long jetty.

The resort operator has preserved the virgin tropical vegetations, as much as possible, on the island to give every visitor the opportunity to feel the real meaning of living in harmony with nature in the rainforest-covered Borneo. Walking the pure white sandy beach around the island is another must-do-activity during your stay on this little paradise of Lankayan.

Diving Season: open the whole year.
Water temperature: between 26-30°C.
Diving equipment: available for rent at reasonable price.
Tanks: 12-liter aluminium / air 210bar max.
Nitrox: No Nitrox facility.
Diver Level: all level of experience.
Diving courses: PADI certifications only.
Others: The resort has stopped feeding the baby black tip reef sharks since a years back.

For more details, price enquiries and reservations, you can contact the individual resort above. If I can be of any help, just leave your comments below or contact me via email.

Related posts:

1. THE ROYAL DIVE: The King Of Malaysia Chose Layang Layang As His Dive Destination
2. Submerging Into The Unknown In Borneo: Lawas Exploration Dives
3. Vote For Sipadan Island: new wonders of the world
4. Lankayan Song
5. Pro-Diver Blogger: Why Do I Blog