DIVE IN SABAH BORNEO

THE WORLD'S RICHEST MARINE DIVERSITY

Sitting in the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, home to the world's greatest marine diversity, Sabah is a magnet for divers from around the world. With its glorious topical islands, teeming coral reefs and atolls, clear warm water and sandy beaches, this bio-diversity hotspot is indeed a diver's dream come true.

Over the years, many prominent marine biologists have explored Sabah's waters, including the great Jacques Cousteau who said of Sipadan "I have seen other places like Sipadan, 45 years ago, but now no more. Now we have found again an untouched piece of art ... a jewel".

Among the marine treasures awaiting divers are rare or endangered creatures such as green and hawksbill turtles, napoleon wrasse, giant clams and countless species of sharks, plus thousands of barracudas and jacks.

As well as these large inhabitants of the reef, Sabah offers muck diving enthusiasts such rarities as the mimic octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, mandarin fish, harlequin ghost pipe fish, many strange frog fish, sea horses and colourful nudibranchs. Such delights are not restricted to qualified divers; the snorkeling is richly rewarding and aspiring divers can enroll in one of the dive courses. So come on down - a marine wonderland awaits.

Sipadan Island

One of the top dive sites in the world, Sipadan lies in the Sulawesi Sea just 5' north of the equator, off the southeast coast of Sabah. The island is reached via the town of Semporna, about 45 minutes away by boat. Sipadan is thickly forested (and home to a number of the interesting birds), and surrounded by sandy white beaches.

An oceanic island formed by corals growing on top of an extinct undersea volcano, Sipadan rises 600m up from the ocean floor. To say that the wall diving here is spectacular is an understatement. Sipadan is in the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, the richest marine habitat in the world, where more than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified.

Sipadan is renowned for its unusually large number of green and hawksbill turtles coming to mate and nest; it is not unusual to see more than 20 turtles on a single dive. Residential schooling barracuda and big-eye trevally, which often gather in their thousands, create spectacular tornado-like formations, one of the highlights on every diver's wish list. There is also the possibility of seeing pelagic species such as eagle rays, mantas, hammerhead sharks and whale sharks.

A unique feature at Sipadan is the "turtle tomb", an underwater labyrinth of caves and tunnels that contain the skeletal remains of many turtles which became disoriented and drowned.

The macro life at Sipadan is as amazing as the big fish, with garden eels, leaf scorpion fish, mantis shrimps, fire gobies and various pipefish guaranteed at certain dive sites. With its diversity and abundance of marine life, it is little wonder that Sipadan is acclaimed world wide.

Since 2005, dive resorts that had been operating on Sipadan were closed to help conserve both marine and land eco-systems, and divers are brought in by boat from resorts on nearby islands by their dive operator. In 2009, Sabah Parks, which manages the island, opened attractive wooden facilities for day visitors. 

Tunku Abdul Rahman Park

Kota Kinabalu is blessed with a marine park right on its doorstep, the 5 islands making up the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park only 15 minutes or so away by speedboat. This area is an ideal place for dive training and novice divers, the waters around each island being shallow, sheltered from strong winds and with virtually no currents. The diverse and sometimes rare marine creatures also make it an interesting dive spot for experienced divers and photographers.

The Park consists of Pulau Gaya, Pulau Mamutik (both of which have dive operators located there), Pulau Sapi, Pulau Manukan and Pulau Sulug. Dive operators in Kota Kinabalu offer the full range of PADI courses, from Discover Scuba to Instructor, as well as arranging for dive trips within the Park for qualified divers.

A good variety of marine life can be spotted on the sandy seabed, including scorpion fish, blue-spotted rays, cuttlefish, mantis shrimps and the occasional green on hawksbill turtle. At some locations, rare creatures such as the harlequin ghost pipefish and mandarin fish may be found with the help of a dive guide.

From November to February, plankton blooms attract krill, which in turns attracts whale sharks, the world's largest fish. At times, the density of krill can be so thick that in such murky conditions, underwater encounters  with these colossal creatures as they suddenly appear out of the gloom are unforgettable.

Pulau Tiga

Pulau Tiga is a low-lying island about 35 nautical miles southwest of Kota Kinabalu, and is reached by road to Pulau Penyu, followed by a 15-minute speedboat ride. Pulau Tiga is the largest of three islands within the Pulau Tiga Park (gazetted in 1978), the other islands being Kalampunian Damit and Kalampunian Besar (better known as Snake Island for the sea snakes which breed there).

There are several species of mammals including the ubiquitous macaque monkeys and reptiles such as the large monitor lizards. The interesting birdlife includes the hen-like megapode, which incubates its eggs in the hot sand, while there are countless insects and wild orchids to be seen. Given its unspoiled environment, it's not surprising that Pulau Tiga was chosen as the location for the first US TV series, Survivor.

There are only two resorts on Pulau Tiga, promising a tranquil holiday. The original Pulau Tiga Resort, nestling in the forest behind a sandy beach, offers PADI dive courses and dive sites for both novice and experienced divers. The surrounding reefs are shallow, with healthy coral and visibility up to 20m (less during the southwest monsoon).  The rich variety of marine life includes nudibranchs, bamboo sharks, cuttlefish and marbled stingray, with guaranteed sightings of banded sea snakes on Snake Island.

Layang-Layang Island

The only atoll in all of Malaysia, Layang-Layang (Swallow) Reef rises 2,000m from the floor of the South China Sea. Located about 300 km northwest of Kota Kinabalu, Layang-Layang offers total isolation and subsequently stunning visibility and pristine reefs with a rich pelagic marine life. Not surprisingly, Layang-Layang has earned a reputation as one of the world's top ten dive spots.

An island was created around the original reef as a base for the Malaysia Navy, and a single resort, Layang-Layang Island Resort, subsequently opened for divers, who reach the island on scheduled flights by small plane.

Resident schools of barracuda and big-eye trevally, as well as schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks, grey reef sharks, leopard sharks and the occasional thresher and silvertip sharks can all be seen on the outer reefs. Rays are regular visitors, including huge manta rays, pygmy devil rays, marbled rays and eagle rays.

Special sightings over the last few years include whale sharks, orcas and melon-headed whales. Spinner and bottlenose dolphins frequently follow the dive boats and lucky divers have even dived among these creatures.

The walls of Layang-Layang's reef are covered with healthy corals, with sea fans stretching more than 3m across filtering plankton from the passing currents. Green and hawksbill turtles are frequently seen on the reef, while the 20m deep lagoon includes macro creatures such as seahorses, cuttlefish and pipefish. With its remarkable variety of pristine marine life, Layang-Layang is indeed worthy of its worldwide recognition.

Mantanani Island

A little-known gem lies off the coast northwest of Kota Kinabalu: Mantanani, a group of three island about an hour by speedboat from Kuala Abai, in the Kota Belud district. The main island, Mantanani Besar, is settled by a number of fishing families, with two uninhabited isles further southwest, Lingisan and Mantanani Kecil.

Protected as a bird sanctuary for two species of tropical frigate bird, the islands are fringed by reefs around which offer at least 20 dives in sites in what is arguably the richest location along Sabah's west coast. There is a small dive resort located on the west of Mantanani Besar, with another dive lodge built over the swallow waters in front of Mantanani Kecil. Facilities for divers on day trips are maintained by another dive operator on a sandy spit at the eastern tip of Mantanani Besar. 

Three wrecks discovered in the vicinity are home to creatures such as lionfish, scorpionfish, glassfish and octopus. Around the islands, many rays can often be seen including marbled stingray, blue-spotted ray and eagle rays. For macro photographers, the muck diing is richly rewarding, with a surprinsingly large variety of nudibranchs, as well as seahorses, imperial shrimps, pink-eye gobies, jaw fish, blue-ringed octopus and ribbon eels.

A type of sea grass growing on the shallow sea floor off certain areas of Mantanani provides food for the endangered dugong or "sea cow", a 200-300 kg mammal. Dugongs can sometimes be seen off Mantanani's southern beach, occasionally remaining in the vicinity for several months.

Lankayan Island

A tiny paradise isle lies in the Sulu Sea, northwest of Sandakan of Sabah's east coast. With its white sandy beaches, utter serenity, casuarina trees, interesting as much to non-divers and snorkellers as it does to scuba enthusiasts. It home to just one dive resort, Lankayan Island Dive Resort. 

Since its protection within a conservation area, the marine life has rebounded, with leopard sharks, marbled stingray and giant grouper found near the surrounding reefs. Schools of humphead parrotfish, barracuda and scads are also seen at many dive sites.

A couple of weeks are among the 40 dive sites, attracting many different species of fish including small glassfish, ghost pipefish and painted frogfish. Other rare creatures can be found, especially in the muck diving  areas, including seahorses, flying gurnard, flamboyant cuttlefish, jawfish, dragonets and sand divers.

With the sanctuary Turtle Islands not far away, green and hawksbill turtles can sometimes be spotted on dives, or seen coming ashore at night to lay their eggs.

Pom Pom Island

A scattering of islands surround the dramatic hilly islands of Bodgaya and Beheydulang, both part of the rim of an ancient volcanic crater inundated by the sea. These two islands northeast of Semporna, together with 6 smaller surrounding islands, have been gazetted as the Tun Sakaran Marine Park. A little further to the east and southeast of Bodgaya, outside the Park boundaries, other tiny, flat sandy islands dot the limpid Sulawesi Sea, including Pom Pom, Pandanan, Timba Timba and Mataking.

Pom Pom is home to two dive resorts, a large, well-appointed resort with spa and a smaller, more simple dive lodge. Divers are able to explore as many as 40 dive sites on the fringing and patch reefs within the region, including Mantabuan and Bodgaya with the Park. Most of the diving is macro; turtles and small rays are sometimes seen, as are frogfish, butterfly fish and small fish such as cardinal fish. Divers have reported seeing black coral and barracuda on Mantabuan's reefs.

A deluxe dive resort is currently being built on the nearby island of Timba Timba by the same company which operates dive resorts on Lankayan and Kapalai.

Mataking Island

The island of Mataking is home to a sprawling, deluxe dive resort complete with spa and open-air Jacuzzi  It is, like the famous Sipadan, reached via the east coast town of Semporna, although is located northeast rather than south.

Diving around Mataking and the nearby islands is a contrasting combination of macro and pelagic life, making it suitable for both novice and advanced divers, particularly photographers. The eastern shore of the island is a gently sloping reef, bottoming out the other side, it is mostly wall diving down the western reef which rises about 100m from the Sulawesi Sea.

The colourful corals of Mataking are a heaven for many species of nudibrach and frogfish; other marine life includes humphead parrotfish, rainbow runners, bat fish, barracuda, blue-spotted rays, giant clams, mantis shrimps, lobsters and both green and hawksbill turtles. 

Each of the dive sites on the islands near Mataking offers its own wonders in terms of marine life. On Mataking itself, a range of activities to entertain non-divers make a stay in this well landscaped resort a pleasure for all.

Mabul Island

Its proximity to Pulau Sipadan (about 15 minutes away by boat) was the initial draw card of Mabul, although it soon became apparent that it offered excellent muck diving which some claim is among the world's best. There are several dive resorts on the island, as well as an offshore ex-oil rig offering accommodation.

A small flat island with sandy beaches, Mabul sits on the reef. On its sandy bottoms, on the coral reefs and around man-made "reefs" Mabul offers an astonishing array of small marine life.

Flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, mimic octopus and bobtail squid are just a few of the cephalopods to be found on Mabul's reef. Harlequin shrimp feeding on sea stars, and boxer crabs waving their tiny arms are just a small sample of the endless species of crustaceans. Many types of goby can be found, including the spike-fin goby, black sail-fin goby and metallic shrimp goby.

Frogfish - giant, painted and clown - are everywhere and moray eels and snake eels can be seen along with almost the entire scorpion fish family, while the brilliantly coloured little mandarin fish can be seen doing their mating dance at dusk. Mabul is truly a magical macro site.

Kapalai

Rising like a mirage out of the Sulawesi Sea, the Sipadan - Kapalai Dive Resort sits on the top of part of the Ligatan Reefs, about 15 minutes  from Pulau Sipadan. A tiny crescent of sand visible at low tide is all that remains of what was once Kapalai Island before erosion took its toll.

Styled like a traditional water village, the dive resort combines simplicity with tasteful comfort. All its wood and thatch chalets perched over the sea with verandahs that make it possible to gaze down at lion fish even turtles without having to don a snorkel.

Diving here, together with trips to nearby Mabul offers some of the world's best muck diving. Rare creatures such as flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, sea moths and mating mandarin fish are regularly seen, as are giant frogfish, ribbon eels, harlequin ghost pipe and crab-eye gobies.

The jetty dive at the resort itself has plenty to offer, including leaf has plenty to offer, including leaf scorpion fish, pink-eye gobies, ammonium shrimps and the mantis shrimp, lightening-fast as it grabs its prey. Crocodile fish, lionfish and scorpion fish are so common as to be taken for granted.

Tun Sakaran Marine Park

The Tun Sakaran Marine Park off Semporna is Sabah's newest and largest Marine Park. Gazetted in 2004 to protect the area's spectacular features and rich biodiversity, it comprises 8 island and over 100 km of reef. It is also the only marine protected area in Sabah to include private land and have a resident population who rely on the marine resources for their livelihood. Seaweed farming and fishing (with a permit) are the main occupations of the community, although alternative livelihoods including eco-tourism are being investigated.

The central islands are part of an extinct volcano with peaks reaching 450m above sea level and the crater has become a lagoon, now inundated by the sea. The low-lying outer islands are a complete contrast with beautiful white sand beaches and coconut palms.

Fringing reefs encircle each of the 8 islands and there are also two patch reefs (Church Reef and Kapikan/Tabbah Kumai) and one bank reef (Mantabuan Bank). The reefs are great for critter hunting however the Park is also a refuge for 7 species of giant clam (Tridacnidae), including the critically endangered T.gigas which can reach over 1m in length.

The Park is under the management of Sabah Parks and visitors are required of Sabah Parks and visitors are required to register at the Sabah Parks office in Semporna or via their tour agent. There is currently no overnight accommodation in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park but there are a number of dive companies based in Semporna running daily diving to the park.

Conservation

Sabah and its surrounding waters have been recognised as a marine turtle sanctuary since the opening of the Turtle Island Parks on its east coast. Managed by Sabah Parks, the beaches welcome nesting green and hawksbill turtles that visit Pulau Sipadan's shores. On nearby Pulau Mabul, the Fisheries Department together with Sipdan-Mabul Resort (SMART) has sunk hundreds of concrete pipes reefs surrounding a small wooden shipwreck. A fish poaching vessel was also sunk off the island of Pulau Lankayan and already hosts a myriad of creatures from the smallest ghost pipefish to the giant stingrays and schooling barracuda.

Sipadan Water Village on Pulau Mabul, is also actively engaged in coral reef research. Dive masters and instructors are encouraged to study both the fish and coral life in detail in collaboration with a Japanese Natural History Museum. Each year, in June, the die centre's management and outside guest speakers run a specialized Marine Day and provide hands on lectures to guests sharing their studies and encourage them to take part in their coral relocation and growth studies so that divers may learn more about the coral reef environment.

Gayana Island Eco Resort located on Pulau Gaya has a Giant Clam Rehabilitation-Centre and also run a "Reef Project". Here they have a coral growth nursery and conduct clam induced spawning. Giant clams are one of the many marine species to have demised around Sabah in recent years. University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) run a extensive marine research program especially into alternative marine culture programs designed to reduce fishing intensity from Sabah's coral reefs. Giant clams, groupers and Napoleon wrasse are some of the subjects grown and bred in specialised farms. They also run a whale shark research program, each year when the whale sharks pass through the waters close to Kota Kinabalu they attempt to tag the sharks to document their migration routes. Each year, PADI Project Aware beach and reef cleaning events are run to heighten public awareness in the importance of a clean marine environment, a popular event with all the Dive Resorts and local people participating.