Dive Mabul Island

Seaventure Platform

Is beauty only skin deep or is that just something ugly people say? People see this converted oil rig and are aghast at the thought of diving beneath it. Ugly, big metal legs support what is now converted into accommodation but it looks like the last place you would think about diving beneath. Underwater however, is a very different story.

The site is only a stone's throw from Mabul (well, if you are particularly good stonethrower) and is sheltered by the structure of the platform. This means that surface conditions are almost always flat calm and there is also little current. This means you can relax and take your time to explore.

Among the piles of metal rods on a site that varies in depth between 12 and around 17 metres, you will find a whole batch of frogfish in varying hues of red, yellow and black. Cruising around this post-apocalyptic landscape, the joy of discovery can be intense as you spot huge moray eels, ghostpipefish and nudibranchs galore where you thought there was nothing. The amazing thing is that what looks like a desolate wasteland is in fact home to a flourishing marine island community.

Every diver of this Mabul dive site seems to come back with their own tales of things they have found and the site of everyone poking around makes it look like some bizarre industrial archeological site! Delights in the debris. Rarities in the rubble. Joy in the junk. Certainly unique and unquestionably rewarding for critter fans - a special, idiosyncratic site and one that will stay with you for a long time.

Seaventure Platform Reef Basics: Artificial reef dive
Depth: 12 - 17m
Visibility: 10 - 20m
Currents: None
Surface conditions: Calm
Water temperature: 25 - 30°C
Experience level: Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving season: All year round
Distance: <2 km (5 minutes) from Mabul Island pier or 5 km (10 mins) from Kapalai
Access: Mabul scuba diving or Kapalai resorts

• Mabul Island travel information

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• Sabah - Borneo  -  Malay Peninsula

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