The Climate and Best Time to Go
Malaysia has an equatorial climate. The average temperature is about 26°C but highland temperatures can drop down to 18°C. The annual rainfall is about 250 cm and on rainy days thunder and lightning often accompany the downpour. The humidity level is high - about 80%.
Generally, the east coast of the Malay Peninsula and the north eastern coast of Sabah and western Sarawak will receive more rain from November to February. The west coast of the peninsula will have more rain from May to October. Having said this, the diving season in Malaysia runs all year round in most locations. Review our dive site descriptions for details on the best time to go to each destination.
How to Get There
Malaysia is one of the major travel gateways in South East Asia. You can fly directly into Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) from most countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, as well as Australia and New Zealand. There are also a few international airlines that fly into the smaller provincial airports of Malaysia, such as Kota Kinabalu. Other convenient flight options to consider include the frequent and reliable connections into Malaysia from its neighbours, such as Singapore and Thailand.
All foreign tourists entering Malaysia must now complete a Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) beofre arrival. Visitors can complete the form up to 3 days before arrival. We recommend you consider insurance to cover diving and travel activities, including trip cancellation. See our insurance programme for a competitive price.
Tourist Visas
For citizens of all countries (with a few exceptions), you are allowed to enter Malaysia without a pre-arranged visa (you get a visa on arrival) for a stay not exceeding 1 month. For many countries including most EU members you are allowed to stay for up to 3 months. Israeli nationals require a visa and must be granted permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs. You should contact a local Malaysian embassy/consulate or the Immigration Department of Malaysia for details.
Choose Your Own Accommodation
If you plan on staying in Malaysia either before or after your resort diving vacation, you can find a wide range of accommodation choices at hotelscombined.com, our affiliated hotel reservation specialists:

All bookings will be backed up by their 'Low Price Guarantee' to ensure you get the best value for money.
Malaysia Visitor Health
Malaysia generally has a good standard of health and cleanliness - it's better than most other destinations in South East Asia. Having said that, the usual rules for ensuring good health in an equatorial climate do apply.
Wear loose clothes, wash frequently and dry yourself carefully to avoid fungal infections. Drink lots of fluids to ensure you don't become dehydrated. Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun and wear cool, lightweight clothes.
On the off chance that you do experience health problems here, the quality of hospitals and clinics are high. Hospitals and clinics are available in almost all cities and towns, with the only real exception to this rule being the smaller islands off the Malaysian coast. Most doctors and nurses speak English. Pharmacies/chemists are also of high quality, with most medications not needing a prescription.
Citizens coming from yellow fever infected countries on the African and South American continents have to produce their yellow fever vaccination certificates for entry into the country. Travellers are advised to buy travel and health insurance before visiting. International SOS, the world's largest emergency assistance company, provides 24-hour emergency assistance services in Malaysia.
Tourist Security and Safety
Naturally, Dive The World has a vested interest in encouraging visitors to Malaysia. Having said that, while we do encourage visitors, we do not recklessly advise you to head to dangerous locations.
Malaysia is a very safe country to travel in, regardless of race, colour, creed and gender. Its multi-ethnic and multi-religious society has ensured generations of in-bred tolerance and respect for people from a multitude of cultures and background. Whether you're black or white, male or female, Catholic or agnostic, sport 10 tattoos and 20 different body piercings, Malaysians will generally be friendly and as accommodating to you as to any other person.
There have been some unfortunate incidents in Sabah over the years that have made the news. Very seldom do they involve tourists and there has been not a single attack in recent years involving any scuba divers staying at resorts in any of the Malaysian destinations we recommend. The government views any form of terrorist activities as a serious threat to national security and unity and are doing all they can to prevent any such incidents. The Malaysian Navy has stepped up its security and does round-the-clock patrols of all islands in the vicinity. There is a marine base on the main dive-tourism island of Mabul.
Dive The World has travelled to all the tourist areas described in our website and has never experienced threats of any kind and indeed have never had any customers report safety or security concerns. The general sense that tourists get from visiting the country is one of warmth, hospitality and cultural richness. Blindly following all warnings issued by authorities these days, we sometimes wonder how people ever leave their homes!
Having said that, as with any destination, your visit to Sabah is at your own risk. We encourage you to read your country's travel advisory, for example UK travel advisory and the USA travel advisory.
When you book and make payment for your Malaysian diving package you are confirming to us that you have been fully informed and are agreeing to our cancellation terms. If you later change your mind because of security reasons, that will not entitle you to cancel your reservation. You will be subject to our cancellation terms. If in doubt, ask us for an alternative destination. However if you base the risk on incidents involving divers, then you are much more likely to go and have an amazing time. Thousands of divers do just that, as evidenced by the resorts being almost entirely full, all year round.