Malaysia

This 40 acre island is surrounded by a pristine reef that plunges dramatically into the abyss nearly all the way around. The vertical topography and rich currents provide perhaps the best wall diving in the world! On an average day of diving, you’ll see 50 turtles, a dozen sharks, enormous schools of jacks and barracuda, and an abundance of reef fish and macro life.

DROP OFF
15-120+ ft
Just 20 feet from the shore, the wall plunges a staggering 2,000 feet down and is encrusted with a wide variety of corals and sponges. This site is rated as one of the top 5 beach dives in the world, and for good reason. Soon after entering the water, you’ll be swimming with a school of several hundred jacks. You’ll also encounter bumphead parrotfish, whitetip sharks, grey reef sharks, green turtles, lionfish and a multitude of smaller reef fish. Don’t let all of this distract you from exploring the wall’s nooks and crannies, though, as there are plenty of small creatures to discover.

HANGING GARDEN
15-120+ ft
This wall consists of terraces covered in overflowing yellow, lavender, and pink soft coral. Hawksbill & Green Turtles live on the ledges at this site and the current is usually quite calm. Search the coral and gorgonian fans for a variety of photogenic microlife. Look for coral groupers, sweetlips, gobies, hawkfish, emperor angelfish and moray eels in and around the cracks and crevices along the wall. Turtles, ribbontail stingrays, and a variety of sharks are also common here.

TURTLE PATCH
15-36 ft
This site is home to a large number of Hawksbill & Green Turtles. It is rather barren in comparison to some of the other sites, but there are some impressive staghorn coral stands, leather corals and small table corals and some colorful anemones with resident anemonefish. You’ll come across spotted sweetlips, pufferfish, lionfish, morays, triggerfish and even leaffish if you’re lucky. Many reef sharks also frequent this site.

STAGHORN CREST
60-120+ ft
As you make your way along the wall, you’ll find a multitude of corals and sponges teeming with life. Look for groupers, nudibranchs, angelfish, triggerfish, grunts, shrimps, and gobies. Many huge anemones with resident clownfish can be found here as well. There is usually a very strong current here, but experienced divers may opt to venture out toward the open ocean where large shoals of pelagics feed. Barracuda, leopard sharks, fox sharks, jacks, turtles, mantas, and hammerheads may all be spotted.

BARRACUDA POINT
15-120+ ft
As the name suggests, Barracuda Point is where a large concentration of barracuda, jacks, and grey and white tip reef sharks converge to feed. The current is strong here, ensuring an exciting dive. You’ll also see schooling bannerfish, triggerfish, and dogtooth tuna. Along the wall, look for bumphead parrotfish, yellow-margin triggerfish, Napoleon wrasse, and turtles.

CORAL GARDEN
42-66 ft
Virtually every species of marine life found in the waters of Sipadan can be seen here, in this garden atop a wall. The coral growth is colorful and healthy, and numerous featherstars add depth and movement to the scene. Dozens of green turtles feed at the edge of the wall, while clown and titan triggerfish take center stage. This is a macro photographer’s dream!

SOUTH POINT
60-120+ ft
Known as big fish capital, South Point features coral heads and a steep wall and attracts hammerheads, thresher sharks, and schools of bumphead parrotfish. This site is only for advanced divers as the current is usually strong and the water can be choppy.

The diving at Kapalai is very different from that at Sipadan. The absence of large predators drawn to Sipadan’s drop-offs and currents makes for a Macroworld Paradise just begging to be explored. Small uncommon fish, invertebrates, and juveniles abound. Expect to see banded pipefish, blue ribbon and yellow ribbon morays, blue spotted stingrays, butterfly fish, cleaner shrimp, clown anemonefish, crocodilefish, grouper, humpback shrimp, lambis truncata seashells, mandarin fish, mantis shrimp, crab eyed gobies, spotted boxfish, squirrel fish, trumpet fish, nudibranchs, paperfish, triggerfish, porcupine fish, jawfish, razorfish, blue ring octopus, frogfish, ghost pipefish and more.

MANDARIN VALLEY
24-60 ft
As you descend this coral slope, look for camouflaged frogfish and stonefish. Once you reach the sea floor, you’ll enjoy the site of cuttlefish, ghost pipefish, longnose hawkfish, crocodilefish, and nudibranchs taking shelter near the wreck of a small fishing boat. Dusk brings out the colorful mandarin fish, as well as a myriad of other small critters.

NUDI BRANCHIA
We’re sure you can guess what the highlight of this dive will be…….

Situated only about 15 minutes by speedboat from Sipadan, and 30 minutes from mainland Semporna, Mabul is recognized as one of the world’s best “muck-diving” sites. The shallow coral reefs do not look very picturesque and inviting at first glance, but the diversity of macro life inhabiting the coral rubble and sea grass easily make up for that. Flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, mimic octopus, gobies and frogfish are everywhere, as are morays, snake eels, and practically the whole scorpion fish family. There’s no doubt about it, Mabul is a magical macro site!

PARADISE 1/
CROCODILE AVENUE
15-60 ft
Slowly search this flat stretch of sand for oases of life. Patience will reveal ghost pipefish (harlequin & sea grass), seahorses, crocodile fish, garden eels, double-ended pipefish, tube anemones, and cowfish. Occasional visitors include eagle rays, turtles, humpback parrotfish, barracuda, and mackerel. Night dives will reveal cuttlefish, nudibranchs, and a variety of crabs.

OLD HOUSE REEF/
FROGGY LAIR
30 ft
Careful….not all is what it seems. What appears to be nothing but an area of stunted coral stands and discarded tires becomes something else when given a chance. A thorough search will uncover frogfish, cowries, colorful nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, and the highly prized flamboyant cuttlefish! Aren’t you glad you didn’t judge this book by its cover?

SEAVENTURE PLATFORM
36-51 ft
This is an old oil platform on pillars that has been converted into a hotel owned by Seaventures Dive Resort. Beneath this platform, several piles of metal rods provide shelter for red, yellow, and black frogfish, nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, and huge morays. Also look for wasp fish, stonefish, flying gurnards, batfish and flute fish. A very unusual, yet interesting dive.

Map and photos courtesy of Layang Layang Island Resort

1. Wreck Point
2. Dogtooth Lair
3. Gorgonian Forest
4. Navigator Lane
5. Crack Reef
6. Wrasse Strip
7. The Valley
8. Sharks Cave
9. D’ Wall
10. Snapper Ledge
11. The Runway
12. The Tunnel

D’ WALL
15-120+ ft
This sheer, vertical drop plummets into oblivion and is breathtaking to behold. Adorned with colorful barrel sponges, coral formations, sea fans, sea whips, and anemones, the wall is a haven for arrow crabs and nudibranchs and a playground for schools of jack and surgeonfish. You’ll also enjoy spotting large tropical anthias, emperor angelfish, pygmy seahorses, groupers, giant frogfish, spotted sweetlips, orange-spined unicornfish, yellow breasted wrasse, and skunk anemonefish. White-tip sharks, grey reef sharks, hammerheads, and mantas also frequently cruise by.

CRACK REEF
15-120+ ft
The shallow reef here is made up mainly of hard corals with a few species of soft coral thrown in. Residents include rabbitfish and bristletooth tang. As you descend the slope, be sure to search the gorgonians for pygmy seahorses, as they are prevalent here. Leopard sharks, white-tip sharks, turtles, and neon fusiliers may all drift by as you explore the wall.

GORGONIAN FOREST
30-120+ ft
This site is the main gathering place for hammerheads. That and the lush, dense growth of colorful gorgonians that can be found here make it a favorite among divers. You’ll also see large barrel sponges, giant clams, hawksbill turtles, fusiliers, dogtooth tuna, trevally, red tooth triggerfish, pyramid butterflyfish, grouper, midnight snapper, harlequin sweetlips, surgeonfish, grey reef sharks, barracuda, round batfish, unicornfish, and more.

THE TUNNEL
15-120+ ft
A plethera of staghorn, plate, mushroom, table, and brain corals form a hard coral lover’s paradise of chimneys, cubby holes and gullies. Close exploration of these formations will surely reveal morays, squat lobsters, mantis shrimp, crayfish, crinoids, starfish, hermit crabs, and sea urchins. Anthias, trevally, turtles, pufferfish, parrotfish, scorpionfish, boxfish, and turkeyfish complete the underwater tableau. This is an excellent night dive!

Lankayan is a macro lover’s paradise! Beautiful hard and soft corals provide the perfect backdrop for a wide variety of marine life. Expect to see numerous juvenile fishes, lionfish, clown anemonefish, decorator and spider crabs, coral shrimp, nudibranchs, prawn gobies, jawfish, ornate ghost pipefish, and frogfish, as well as large schools of scad, yellow tail barracuda, jacks and more!

JAWFISH LAIR
45-75 ft
One of the most popular Lankayan dive sites, Jawfish Lair is home to more than just jawfish. Staghorn coral, table coral, bush coral, maze coral, and lobed pore coral provide homes for Christmas tree worms, nudibranchs, ornate ghost pipefish, cuttlefish, mimic octopus, devil scorpionfish, and anemonefish. You’ll also see stingrays, snapper, grouper, fusiliers, trumpetfish, and leopard sharks.

LANKAYAN WRECK
45-69 ft
Once an ocean going fish poaching vessel, this shallow wreck is now a safe haven for cardinal fish, yellow pikes, grouper, cobias, emperor fish, yellow sea perch, and ornate ghost pipefish.

Map & photos courtesy of Pulau Sipadan Resort & Tours