Where to dive in Malaysia

Black Ray Channel

Kapalai channel named for occasional black manta rays, with good reef life, colourful corals and sponges and chances of large pelagics.

Coral Garden

Shallow Sipadan reef rich in hard corals from 5 to 20 m, with anemones, clownfish, nudibranchs, grazing turtles and bumphead parrotfish.

Coral Gardens

Accessible Sipadan coral garden from 5 to 20 m with anemones, clownfish, nudibranchs, grazing turtles and occasional reef sharks.

Crocodile Avenue

Classic Kapalai muck site, 5–20 m sandy flats with crocodilefish, ornate ghost pipefish, tube anemones and garden eels.

D Wall

Kapalai reef wall rich in soft corals and gorgonians, hosting nudibranchs, cleaner shrimps and the distinctive blue ribbon eel.

Drop Off

Sipadan's pier-access House Reef, a 600 m vertical wall with soft corals, sponges, macro life, resting green turtles and patrolling reef sharks.

Dropoff

Vertical reef drop north of Sipadan with soft and hard corals, frequented by turtles, reef sharks and large pelagics along the wall.

Eel Garden

Mabul muck site with a 22 m sandy plateau of garden eels, plus ribbon eels, morays, mantis shrimps, gobies and occasional ghost pipefish.

Froggy's

Kapalai muck sanctuary, 5–15 m sandy bottom with masterfully camouflaged frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, rare nudibranchs and ghost pipefish.

Hanging Gardens

Sipadan wall draped in pastel Dendronephthya, with 50+ turtles per dive, hammerheads at 40 m and dawn schools of bumphead parrotfish.

Horn Reef

Kapalai reef dominated by staghorn coral formations, with diverse reef fish, turtles, pipefish and colourful nudibranchs.

House Reef

Kapalai house reef, 5–21 m sandy bottom in front of the stilt resort, with rare nudibranchs, mimic octopuses, ghost pipefish and day octopuses.

Kapalai House Reef

Kapalai house reef from 5 to 21 m in front of the stilt resort, one of Malaysia's top muck dives with mimic octopus, ghost shrimp and ribbon eels.

Little Okinawa

Semporna, Sabah

Kapalai muck site honouring the Japanese tradition, with mimic octopuses, striped ghost shrimps and clownfish in colourful anemones.

Lobster Wall

Semporna, Sabah

Mabul reef wall covered in corals and sponges, famed for abundant spiny lobsters and rich micro-life of pipefish, nudibranchs and octopuses.

Lobster's Wall

Kapalai reef wall with spiny lobsters that emerge at dusk, plus colourful soft corals, nudibranchs and pipefish, a Semporna muck classic.

Mandarin Valley

Semporna, Sabah

Kapalai shallow sanctuary, 8–20 m, famed for the dusk mating ritual of mandarin fish in staghorn corals, with up to 35 m visibility.

Manta Point

Kapalai site with seasonal manta ray sightings in the Sabah coral triangle, with a reef slope and drift diving on stronger tides.

Mid Reef

Mid-Sipadan reef with spectacular table, black, gorgonian and staghorn corals, plus boxfish, leaffish, pufferfish and lionfish.

North Kampala Siusiu

Sloping reef with sandy bottom in Kapalai, rich in macro life including garden eels, pistol shrimp, octopus and nudibranchs.

North Point

Vertical north wall of Sipadan with schools of batfish, trevallies, barracudas, leopard sharks and whitetip reef sharks.

Nudibranch Center

Kapalai dive site with extraordinary concentration of colorful nudibranchs across the reef, a magnet for macro photographers.

Old House Reef

Semporna, Sabah

Historic Kapalai house reef with coral-covered structures hosting nudibranchs, octopus, lobsters and large moray eels.

Panglima Reef

Classic Kapalai gently sloping reef with hard and soft corals, ideal for macro diving with nudibranchs and pipefishes.

Paradise 2

South Sipadan shallow reef with varied coral formations transitioning to the main wall, with green turtles and reef sharks.

Ray Point

Southwest Mabul reef terraces (14-25 m) with blue-spotted rays, turtles, moray eels and gorgonian fans.

Ribbon Valley

Terraced reef near Mabul descending to sandy bottom, ideal for spotting ribbon eels, nudibranchs and leaf fish.

Seaventure Dive Platform

Unique entry from converted oil platform in Mabul with elevator to the sea and house reef at 12-16 m on the metal structure.

Seaventure Rig

Famous Mabul oil platform converted to dive resort with rich house reef at 12-16 m, including mimic octopus and rare nudibranchs.

Seaventures House Reef

Top-rated Malaysia house reef beneath Seaventures Rig in Mabul with mimic octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish and painted frogfish.

Second Wall

Mabul reef slope to 20 m with soft and hard corals, turtles, small reef sharks and schools of fusiliers.

Sipadan

Malaysia's iconic oceanic island with 600 m walls in the Celebes Sea, barracuda tornadoes, turtles, hammerheads and mantas.

Sipadan Barracuda Point

Sipadan southern site famous for the golden barracuda tornado, reef sharks, turtles and bigeye jack schools.

Sipadan Turtle Patch

Iconic Sipadan shallow reef (5-20 m) with dozens of green and hawksbill turtles per dive, whitetips and parrotfish schools.

Sipadan Water Village Paradise 1

Sipadan Water Village house reef section with coral forest, stingrays, masked rays, green turtles and octopus at 5-18 m.

Sipadan Water Village Paradise 2

Sipadan Water Village house reef with staghorn corals at 9-15 m, world-famous for mandarin fish mating at dusk.

Smart House Reef

Semporna, Sabah

Artificial reef in southern Mabul with wooden pyramids hosting flamboyant cuttlefish, frogfish and rich macro life for photography.

South Point

Semporna, Sabah

Sipadan south wall with strong currents bringing mantas, hammerheads, grey reef sharks, tuna and jacks. Advanced level.

Stag Horn Crust To South Point To Turtle Patch

Sipadan epic drift connecting Staghorn Crest, South Point and Turtle Patch through varied habitats with moderate to strong current.

Sting Ray City

Gentle Mabul slope starting in shallow water with blue-spotted rays, crocodilefish and scorpionfish, accessible to beginners.

Stingray City

Mabul gentle slope opposite main jetties with branching corals to 30 m, resting stingrays, crocodilefish and turtles.

Turtle Cavern

Sipadan underwater cave at 22 m on the Drop Off wall, with preserved turtle skeletons inside. Requires cavern experience.

West Ridge

Sipadan western wall drift with strong currents, grey reef sharks, gorgonians, black corals and giant barrel sponges to 40 m.

Whitetip Avenue

Sipadan reef named for dozens of resting whitetip reef sharks, with mantas, grey reef sharks and turtles in the deeper wall.