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MALAYSIA: Scuba diving at its best
MALAYSIA
Malaysia is a beautiful country, with stunning tropical beaches running the length of its extensive coastline, a lush and mountainous jungle centre and spectacular limestone outcrops. Located in the Indo-Pacific Basin, the country is split into two regions- Peninsular Malaysia which lies between Thailand and Singapore, and East Malaysia, which comprises the Borneo states of Sarawak and Sabah. There are extensive diving possibilities in both regions, and there is an enormous amount of choice for divers of all abilities. Malaysia is now regarded as one of the top diving destinations in the world, thanks to its diversity of underwater landscapes and extensive marine life. The country’s waters have coral gardens, pinnacles, sloping reefs, vertical walls, wrecks and caves for divers to choose from. It is even possible to do macro diving and muck diving. The waters here are warm, with good visibility, and the currents are usually quite gentle. Divers here will be amazed by the wealth of exotic underwater life that is abundant here.
Malaysia Highlights
Malaysian Borneo
Sipadan island has some of the best diving sites not only in Asia, but in the whole world. Diving here never fails to disappoint, and it is often truly excellent, which is why this is now the top diving region in Malaysia. Renowned for its wall diving and coral overhangs, the island is home to more than 3,000 species of exotic creatures, which keep divers coming back time and time again to these waters. The outstanding dive sites, which are all part of a protected national park reserve harbour sharks, manta rays and other big Pelagics. The waters around the island are said to have the largest turtle population on earth. The turtles are not shy and will allow divers to get extremely close to them. Top sites to include on your Malaysian diving holiday include Coral Garden, Mid Reef, Turtle Patch, Hanging Gardens and White Tip Avenue.
Mabul Island is famous with divers for its incredible selection of micro organisms. Here explorers can experience some bizarre small marine life, such as stonefish, mantis shrimp, nudibranchs, seahorses, mandarin fish and frogfish. The island is known as one of the top places for muck diving in the world, and offers great photographic opportunities to divers.
Kapalai Island has a shallow reef that is good for beginner divers, thanks to the clear water and good conditions. It is another paradise for lovers of macro dives, and divers can expect to see cuttlefish, frogfish and many other weird and wonderful small creatures.
Layang Layang lies 300km off the coast of Sabah, and consists of an island and a group of 13 linked coral atolls. The water around the island can get as deep as 2 kilometres, which provides some very interesting marine life for divers to experience. The season for scuba diving here runs from March to September, but the best time to go has to be July, when the hammerhead sharks come to the island’s waters. The coral here is pristine, and the area is home to huge groups of barracuda, turtles and unusual tropical fish.
Peninsular Malaysia
The Perhentian Islands are situated on the East Coast of the Malaysian mainland. The two islands are part of the Terengganu Marine Park, and have many great dive sites in their coral fringed waters. Divers should be sure not to miss diving at the group of small islets to the Northwest of Pulau Perhentian Kecil, where there is an abundance of unusual corals. The Perhentian islands offer divers incredibly clear and warm water, which is highly conducive to all sorts of exciting marine life. Dolphins and pilot whales sometimes visit the islands in July and August.
Redang island has become increasingly popular for diving vacations in recent years. The surrounding waters have a great range of hard and soft corals for scuba divers to explore. The dive sites range in difficulty, so there is something suitable for all levels of diver. The island is one of the best places to go for macro diving and night diving.
Tioman island is a very popular resort for diving holidays in Malaysia, and it is well geared up to accommodating the tourists. There is a good range of dive sites here, from sheltered bays to volcanic rocky outcrops and pinnacles. There are also some shipwrecks in the surrounding waters, and enough marine life to keep the many visiting scuba divers happy.
Malaysia is a beautiful country, with stunning tropical beaches running the length of its extensive coastline, a lush and mountainous jungle centre and spectacular limestone outcrops. Located in the Indo-Pacific Basin, the country is split into two regions- Peninsular Malaysia which lies between Thailand and Singapore, and East Malaysia, which comprises the Borneo states of Sarawak and Sabah. There are extensive diving possibilities in both regions, and there is an enormous amount of choice for divers of all abilities. Malaysia is now regarded as one of the top diving destinations in the world, thanks to its diversity of underwater landscapes and extensive marine life. The country’s waters have coral gardens, pinnacles, sloping reefs, vertical walls, wrecks and caves for divers to choose from. It is even possible to do macro diving and muck diving. The waters here are warm, with good visibility, and the currents are usually quite gentle. Divers here will be amazed by the wealth of exotic underwater life that is abundant here.
Malaysia Highlights
Malaysian Borneo
Sipadan island has some of the best diving sites not only in Asia, but in the whole world. Diving here never fails to disappoint, and it is often truly excellent, which is why this is now the top diving region in Malaysia. Renowned for its wall diving and coral overhangs, the island is home to more than 3,000 species of exotic creatures, which keep divers coming back time and time again to these waters. The outstanding dive sites, which are all part of a protected national park reserve harbour sharks, manta rays and other big Pelagics. The waters around the island are said to have the largest turtle population on earth. The turtles are not shy and will allow divers to get extremely close to them. Top sites to include on your Malaysian diving holiday include Coral Garden, Mid Reef, Turtle Patch, Hanging Gardens and White Tip Avenue.
Mabul Island is famous with divers for its incredible selection of micro organisms. Here explorers can experience some bizarre small marine life, such as stonefish, mantis shrimp, nudibranchs, seahorses, mandarin fish and frogfish. The island is known as one of the top places for muck diving in the world, and offers great photographic opportunities to divers.
Kapalai Island has a shallow reef that is good for beginner divers, thanks to the clear water and good conditions. It is another paradise for lovers of macro dives, and divers can expect to see cuttlefish, frogfish and many other weird and wonderful small creatures.
Layang Layang lies 300km off the coast of Sabah, and consists of an island and a group of 13 linked coral atolls. The water around the island can get as deep as 2 kilometres, which provides some very interesting marine life for divers to experience. The season for scuba diving here runs from March to September, but the best time to go has to be July, when the hammerhead sharks come to the island’s waters. The coral here is pristine, and the area is home to huge groups of barracuda, turtles and unusual tropical fish.
Peninsular Malaysia
The Perhentian Islands are situated on the East Coast of the Malaysian mainland. The two islands are part of the Terengganu Marine Park, and have many great dive sites in their coral fringed waters. Divers should be sure not to miss diving at the group of small islets to the Northwest of Pulau Perhentian Kecil, where there is an abundance of unusual corals. The Perhentian islands offer divers incredibly clear and warm water, which is highly conducive to all sorts of exciting marine life. Dolphins and pilot whales sometimes visit the islands in July and August.
Redang island has become increasingly popular for diving vacations in recent years. The surrounding waters have a great range of hard and soft corals for scuba divers to explore. The dive sites range in difficulty, so there is something suitable for all levels of diver. The island is one of the best places to go for macro diving and night diving.
Tioman island is a very popular resort for diving holidays in Malaysia, and it is well geared up to accommodating the tourists. There is a good range of dive sites here, from sheltered bays to volcanic rocky outcrops and pinnacles. There are also some shipwrecks in the surrounding waters, and enough marine life to keep the many visiting scuba divers happy.
Top diving ideas
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Challenging dive sites
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