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Duration
3 Days
Activity Type
Scuba Diving
Group Size
10 persons
Location
Mabul
Mabul Island has long been a macro diver’s paradise with one of the richest single destinations for exotic small marine life anywhere in the world, it’s right up in the ranks with Indonesia’s Lembeh Straits. Some even claimed that the term “muck diving” was popularised in Mabul itself, leading it to be the world’s premier muck diving destination.
Semporna, Sabah, East Malaysia
Guided – boat, deep, drift, night
19
Guided – boat, deep, drift, night
Beginner to advanced
The “Muck Diving Mecca”… need we say more? Common findings include: flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, mimic octopus, bobtail squid, harlequin shrimps, mantis shrimps, hairy squat lobsters, spider crabs, porcelain crabs, frogfish, leaf scorpion fish, clown frogfish, seahorses, harlequin ghost pipefish
* Not to mention its close proximity to the world famous Sipadan Island and one of Sabah’s macro ‘paradise’ – Kapalai Island
27°C (80.6°F) to 30°C (86.0°F)
All year round (peak season typically runs from March to August)
5m (16ft) to 15m (49ft)
Low to mild
Yes
Snorkelling, beach volleyball, island safaris, bars, spa (selected resorts).
None in Mabul. Available at Semporna.
None in Mabul. Available at Semporna.
If you enjoy muck diving in search of macro life, this is it! Froggy Lair is popular among underwater macro photographers, and the site is just teeming with marine critters hidden in the seabed and the crevices. When is comes to muck diving, one has to sacrifice on visibility. But search carefully, and you will be rewarded with various nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, mandarin fish, frog fish, crocodile fish, ornate ghost pipefish, stargazers, flamboyant cuttlefish and more! You will need an experienced divemaster with excellent eyes as the main action will not be in the distance, but closer to your mask.
Dive down a slope running down to 20m or so, and you will be greeted by a colorful reef crammed with colorful marine life such as ghost pipefish, clownfish, lionfish, rabbitfish, seahorses, and pufferfish. Take a closer look inside the crevices and you may find its lobster inhabitants. Currents can be strong here depending on the tide, in which case you will drift along the reef keeping an eye out for turtles, peacock mantis shrimps and even a flamboyant cuttlefish.
To some, the decommissioned oil rig is a bit of an eyesore in the horizon, but it is an absolute treasure throve for divers. Descend beneath its steel structure which varies between 12m and 17m, you will find a whole batch of frogfish in varying hues of red, yellow and black. Pygmy seahorses are almost a guarantee here, living amongst the beautiful gorgonian sea fans. Lionfish number in the dozens, and the tasseled scorpion fish is commonly found too. Perhaps, the highlight of the dive is probably an encounter with “Elvis”, a 3m long moray eel that calls Seaventures home.
As its name suggests, there are a large number of garden eels which rise out of the sandy seabed. Spend sometime at the bottom and you may find frogfishes of various colours, giant mantis shrimps, blue ribbon eels and moray eels.
Jesselton Point Jetty
* Approximately 20mins boat ride to the marine park
88200, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
* The main public jetty is well within walking distance around Gaya Street or Suria KK Shopping Mall.
Kota Kinabalu International Airport (IATA: BKI)
15 mins (by car), with average one way taxi fares of ~RM20
Founded in 1984, Borneo Divers is the pioneer of Sipadan and the first PADI 5 Star Resort in Mabul Island. Your best choice for dive travelers who seeks the best Sabah has to offer.
Exquisite water chalets on stilts above the shallow sandbanks of Ligitan Reef that spans almost a mile long stretching into the horizon offering the purest image of natural serenity.
Dive with the locals, that is their motto. A simple homestay styled dive center with its private house reef offering the best local experience around Semporna.
Looking for something unique? Seaventures is the world’s first oil rig module converted into a dive resort with a PADI 5 Star accreditation to its name with outstanding service and dive quality. Sipadan permits can be guaranteed with minimum stays of 3 nights.
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