SCUBA DIVING IN MALAYSIA: Dive Sipadan & Borneo. Divers’ Reviews Calm waters, exciting dives, happy divers. Malaysia is home to just under 3000 species of fish (11 of which are endemic) and 326 species of coral. The country is divided in two: Peninsular Malaysia (south of Thailand, north of Singapore) and East Malaysia (located in the island of Borneo). Continental drift, from volcanic activity, has contributed to the formation of a variety of ecosystems that makes Malaysia a leading scuba diving destination in the world with a huge number of dive spots. World famous dive spots are located in Sipadan located in the Sabah province. More Info: http://www.ediving.com/dives-divers-scuba-diving-in-asia-and-indonesia/diving-in-malaysia/

1. SCUBA DIVING IN MALAYSIA
• INTRODUCTION & CLIMATE
• MALAY PENINSULA, CORAL GARDEN MARVELS
• SABAH PROVINCE, A TOP SCUBA DIVE DESTINATION
• DIVE OPERATORS LISTED IN MALDIVES
• ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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2. SCUBA DIVING IN MALAYSIA
Dive Sipadan & Borneo
Calm waters, exciting dives, happy divers. Malaysia is home to just under 3000
species of fish (11 of which are endemic) and 326 species of coral.
The country is divided in two: Peninsular Malaysia (south of Thailand, north of
Singapore) and East Malaysia (located in the island of Borneo). Continental
drift, from volcanic activity, has contributed to the formation of a variety of
ecosystems that makes Malaysia a leading scuba diving destination in the
world with a huge number of dive spots.
World famous dive spots are located in Sipadan located in the Sabah province.
CLIMATE
Malaysia has one of the longest periods of dive time available, from February to
September. During this time, the water is the calmest. Air temperature
averages between 24°C to 34°C and water temperature between 80.6°F to 82.4
°F (27°C and 28°C).
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3. MALAY PENINSULA, CORAL GARDEN
MARVELS
Peninsular Malaysia, in the South China Sea, is located south of Thailand, north of
Singapore and east of Indonesian island of Sumatra and has the biggest population
of the Malaysian territory.
The island of Pulau Redang, off the coast of Terengganu and part of Terengganu
Marine Park, is an absolute must see in the underwater world. The island is part of
an archipelago that hosts a reef with 55 different types of corals and over 100
species of fish.
You can observe soft corals, mushroom corals, sea fans and gorgonians. Some
consider Redang the most developed coral gardenin Southeast Asia.
The Malay Peninsula offers deep, shallow and muck dives at different sites that
suit all skill levels. Mantas and eagle rays, grey reef
sharks, blacktip, whitetip and nurse sharks can be observed all along the coast,
together with barracuda, trevally and lots of jacks. There are 15 different dive sites
along the coast but Big Mount is considered to be one of the best. Expect big
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boulders with a carpet of hard and soft corals.

4. Pulau Tioman, the largest island of Peninsular Malaysia’s east coast, is part of
the Pahang Marine Park and has a healthy marine population. Expect a variety
of hard corals, cuttlefish and turtles. Manta rays and whale sharks roam these
waters from March to May.
For deep diving, Pulau Chebeh, in the north most part of Pahang Marine Park
has amazing reef formations. The marine park has eight wrecks of fish trawlers
to explore.
The Perhentian Islands, about 20 km off the coast of Terengganu, is the perfect
setting to relax and enjoy some beach time. In Malay, the word “Perhentian”
translates to “place to stop” and a worthy place to stop it is.
The islands are part of the Terengganu Marine Park and are rich in black
coral, nudibranchs and stingrays. Sea turtles (hawksbills, leatherbacks and
olive ridleys) come to lay eggs from April to September.
The Tokong Laut dive site has a giant pinnacle and large schools of yellow
snapper, you will also observe bamboosharks, box fish and a healthy
population of reef fish.
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5. SABAH PROVINCE, A TOP SCUBA DIVE
DESTINATION
The Sabah province, to the north of the island of Borneo, is unique for its sight-
seeing destinations. The main diving areas here are the world
famous islands of Sipadan, Mabul and Lankayan.
The Pulau Sipadan Marine Reserve was described by Jacques Cousteauas “an untouched piece of
art.”Sipadan is Malaysia’s only oceanic island (does not sit on continental shelves) and is famous
for wall diving and coral gardens.
This small island was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcano
cone. Sipadan is in the heart of the Indo-Pacific, one of the riches marine life areas of the planet.
Diving scenes such as schools of big-eye trevally and barracudas in tornado-like
formation, pelagic and manta rays, eagle rays, scalloped hammerhead sharks and whale
sharks can be spotted here.
Pulau Sipadan Island was listed in Scuba Diving Magazine’s “Top Dive Destinations in the World,”
sharing a spot with the Galapagos Islands and Turks in Micronesia. Barracuda Point has
huge clouds of fish where at times you cannot see the sunlight! It´s a great wall dive and the
amount of fish is simply incredible. Coral Garden is another dive site good for deep dives, with
huge amount of marine life. The experienced cave diver can go to Turtle Tomb, an underwater
limestone cave, a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers that has manyskeletal remains of turtles.
At South Point you will see sea turtles everywhere you look.
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6. Mabul Island on the contrary, is an excellent area for muck diving.
At the island there are regular sightings of mandarinfish, devil
scorpionfish, crocodilefish, ghost pipefish, mantis shrimp, sea horses and nudibranchs.
The island is located 25 km from Sipadan and has over 20 dive sites.
Lankayan is a tropical resort area known for its macro marine life and sightings of whale
sharks.
Flying gurnards and dugongs (sea cow) are some of the resident animals
here. Hammerhead sharks can be spotted from April to May.
The Lankayan Wreck is another popular site; it has a former Sulu Sea fishing boat sunk in
1998 after being confiscated by the authorities.
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7. OTHER INFORMATION
DIVE CENTERS LISTED IN MALAYSIA
Coco Dive / Sipadan Scuba / Tracc Borneo /
More Information about Scuba Diving in MALAYSIA
To find & book an hotel recommended by our Dive Operators:
http://www.ediving.com/hotels-for-scuba-divers/
To contact us:
contact@ediving.com
To register your Dive Operation on Ediving (Full Business Listing is FREE):
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8. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thomas SACCONE is a former
financial manager who discovered
scuba diving in Costa Rica in 2007.
Since then, he is only satisfied
when underwater.
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