Borneo Diving in Malaysia

Sipadan and Sabah Adventures

Blessed with some of the richest waters in the world, diving in Borneo Malaysia offers a variety of experiences depending on where you are: being surrounded by schools of fish, hammerheads or mantas, diving with more turtles than you can image or discovering the weird and wonderful world of Malaysia's incredible muck dive sites.

Malaysia diving means visiting a progressive Asian country where English is very widely spoken and enjoying some of the wonderfully rich waters that surround its eastern state of Sabah, Borneo. Malaysia's best resorts are on the beautiful islands of Sabah which are fringed with white sand beaches and coconut trees - a beautiful setting to complement the excellent diving.

Highlights

Sipadan, the little island off the east coast of Borneo is the number one reason why divers come to Malaysia. Deep water currents well up against the walls of this oceanic island bringing in the nutrients which support an incredible ecosystem where the sheer abundance of sea life can be astounding.

Sipadan is the first word on everyone's lips when discussing diving in Borneo and it truly is one of the finest dive spots on the planet but there is much more, such as Layang Layang - a little speck of an island off the north coast of Sabah which is fringed by some of the best coral fields you are likely to see. However it is for the huge schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks that patrol around the island that Laying Layang has developed the reputation as a 'must see' diving destination.

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How to Dive Malaysia

Although there are some decent sites in Peninsular Malaysia we try to recommend the best to our customers and if you are coming here for diving then you simply must come to dive in Borneo for that is where it all happens. Borneo is surrounded by lots of tiny little islands which are home to dive resorts right in the heart of all the best dive destinations: Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai, Layang Layang and Lankayan.

This means that liveaboards are not really suited to the geography of the place. As a result there are not any of sufficient quality for us to recommend and the resorts are without doubt the best way to dive here.

Diving Season

Malaysia scuba diving can mostly be done all year round although it does vary from destination to destination. The resorts in the Sipadan area are open year round.

Reef Summary

Great for: Large animals, small animals, dive value-for-money, advanced divers and beginner divers
Not so great for: Non-diving activities
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 5 - 50m
Currents: Gentle
Surface Conditions: Calm
Water Temperature: 25 - 30°C
Experience Level: Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites: >125
Access: Resorts
Recommended length of stay: 1 - 3 weeks

More on Malaysia

For more details have a look at your Borneo dive destination of choice:

For more on these and other destinations, visit our website Malaysia dive sites.

• Malaysia tourist information

View a map of:
• Sabah - Borneo  -  Malaysia Peninsula

• Send your diving holidays enquiry

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