Diving in Southeast Asia. David Espinosa
Hammerhead shark sightings are the number one attraction in Layan-Layang.
A green turtle hatchling reaches the surf, only to face many predators. The best place in Malaysia for sea turtle watchers is Sipadan Island.
The best areas for coral on the west side of Peninsular Malaysia are around the three islands that form the Pulau Payar Marine Park just south of Langkawi. Even though the visibility is not as good as that on the east coast of the peninsula, divers report that there is good coral and marine life.
In Borneo, the situation is far better. With the gazetting of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, the reefs around the five small islands off Kota Kinabalu’s shore have benefited enormously from the park’s protection over recent decades. Visibility is not always as clear as it might be, but the shallow reefs are a major attraction to holidaymakers in the area. Snorkeling and diving facilities are widely available to visitors.
But the best reefs lie, without a doubt, at Sipadan, a small mushroom-shaped island rising from the ocean floor situated some 25 km off the coast from Tawau. The reefs are in excellent condition, with a rating amongst the best in Asia, and when the waters are not filled with plankton the visibility can be good. Sharks are common as are large schools of fish. Dive permits (with limited availability) are required for diving around Sipadan and so booking in advance is essential.
The more remotely positioned Layang-Layang, some 240 km north of Kota Kinabalu, offers reefs that are in fine condition and provide divers with some fabulous encounters not only with reef life but with large pelagics.
MALAYSIAN LIVEABOARDS
For those who are not seeking a shore-based experience in Malaysia, divers have found that liveaboard dive boats offer an excellent alternative to land-based diving. Divers can also enjoy Sipadan and the Kunak group of islands north of Sipadan from the comfort of a liveaboard dive boat. Lastly, many dive trips to Malaysia, in particular those to the islands off the east coast, can also be organized from neighboring Singapore.
—Fiona Nichols/Sarah Ann Wormald
Sipadan
Memorable Diving from an Oceanic Isle East of Borneo
Access Boat times vary from Mabul, Kapalai and Semporna
Current Variable, 10–22 meters
Reef type Light, occasionally more
Highlights Generally good variety
Visibility Slopes and walls, cave
Coral Generally good numbers of big fish at best sites
Fish Hammerheads; Turtle Cave; turtles galore
The diving is always good at Sipadan and occasionally it can be superb. Good-sized pelagics and large schools of fish generally represent Sipadan’s main attraction to divers. While nothing is guaranteed, it’s not unusual for dives around Sipadan to be highlighted by one or more of the following: hammerhead and leopard shark sightings, barracudas in shoals of several hundred, a rumbling herd of many bumphead parrotfish, a manta or two, countless turtles and perhaps half a dozen white tip sharks.
Reef fish are present in fair numbers and variety, and perhaps most impressive are the quantities of medium-sized fish—between 25 and 40 cm—in relatively shallow waters. This is especially the case for groups of up to a dozen harlequin sweetlips, but also snappers, emperorfish, triggerfish, long fin batfish and a couple of species of unicornfish.
Macro lens wielders and those with acute powers of observation could spot an unusual crinoid, shrimp and tiny fish combination, all matching the host’s coloration, or a golden spotted shrimp on a very flattened carpet anemone. Some divers have found a patch of relatively tame spotted garden eels, elsewhere requiring the patience of Job to photograph outside of their burrow. Sharp eyes can also reveal a pink sailfin leaffish or a scorpionfish and nudibranchs.
It has been said that the reefs of Sipadan are less colorful than elsewhere in Southeast Asia. This is possibly due to the restricted visibility in the shallows (often of pea-soup quality) but also to far less aggregations of fairy basslets and other small fry. However, sponges are there in various shapes, especially enormous barrel sponges.
We find the dive spots live up to their names: White Tip Avenue, Turtle Patch, Staghorn Crest, Lobster Lair and Hanging Gardens (for soft corals).
Since 2005, when Sabah National Parks made huge efforts to protect the area, fish numbers have remained relatively stable and large numbers of fish are seen on most dives around Sipadan. There are no longer resorts based on the island. Divers must either stay at neighboring Mabul or the Kapalai Islands which are home to most of the upmarket dive resorts that offer trips to the park. For those on a tighter budget, accommodation is available in the cheaper area of Semporna and day boats also leave the harbor from there for day dive trips to Sipadan.
These sweetlips are accompanied by a swarm of tiny glassfish.
Diving in the Sipadan area is strictly regulated and operated on a permit basis. Only 120 divers per day are allowed to the island and dives must take place between 6am and 4pm. No night diving is permitted. Due to the limited number of permits available per day, booking in advance is essential. Permits are sold to operators who then, in turn, allocate them to guests. It is not recommended to arrive in the area without a prior booking. It may be that if you can wait around for a few days an operator may be able to free up a pass for you but it could take longer. In peak season, it may not be possible at all.
South Point On one trip we saw a school of 50 hammerhead sharks at South Point, a solid wall of barracudas stretching over 10 meters high, almost motionless in the current and relatively undisturbed by the gazes of fellow divers, and several dozen bumphead parrotfish in a herd, lazing just under the surface in dappled sunlight. These highlights require a touch of luck. But on every one of our 18 dives we saw green turtles—up to a dozen in a single dive—along with reef white tip sharks and always a fair variety of reef fishes.
Water bungalow-style accommodation gives guests direct access to the water for snorkeling at any time and certainly makes it easy to check the tides!
Barracuda Point There is one good reason to dive this spot—barracuda. Time after time they turn up in their hundreds, a shoal that turns the water into a glinting wall of fish. There are also sharks accompanying almost every dive, along with a shoal of bumphead parrotfish.
Hanging Gardens Coral lovers will be in awe at this beautiful dive spot. The soft corals hang like dripping wax from candles in a profusion of colors that can hardly be matched elsewhere. We have rarely had good visibility here (diving in the morning without sunlight is not the best) but the beauty of the sights compensates.
Schooling anthias are often found around hard coral heads in Sipadan.
Turtle Cave is one of Sipadan’s most famed sites.
Turtles While you tend to become blasé about green turtles, this is the one guaranteed highlight on Sipadan. It is claimed that these waters have the largest turtle population found anywhere. Just swimming close to one is thrilling. Or watching them tearing and chewing a chunk of soft coral. And almost nothing disturbs a mating pair, not even other males climbing on top hoping to get in on the action.
TURTLE FACTS
A large population of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) call Sipadan home. Their