TRAVEL

Layang Layang is a breath taking coral atoll lying 300 kilometers off the coast of Sabah. It is part of the 600 island, reef and shoal group in the South China Sea known as The Spratley's. The 13 linked coral reef atoll isnt that large at only 14 square kilometers however it surrounding waters drop to around 2,000 meters deep which makes for some very interesting marine life. At the time of writing there is only one resort on the artificial island all all diving is done from there. What you can expect sub surface are sheer walls, big pelagics, sharks and a central lagoon for smaller marine life. The coral is pristine and visibility can be awesome.

Layang Layang at a glance Accommodation : Resort Highlights : Stunning visibility, marine life and Hammerheads. Average cost of a dive : $50 (accom inclusive package) Dive Sites : 10+ Dive Operators : 1 Getting there : Air 1 hour from Kota Kinabalu. Off Season : Nov / Jan

Kapalai is a water village resort sitting atop a shallow reef a few minutes north of Sipadan by speed boat. Kapalai is unique as guests can see from their resort accommodation straight down into the clear waters, it doesnt have an island any more as erosion has reduced it to just a sand bank. It is another macro paradise but unlike Mabul the visibility is usually better here. Most diving is done in shallow clear water so it is ideal for beginners. In a sense it is like being on a spacious immobile liveaboard. There are many dive sites around Kapalai, we have just covered the popular ones.

Kapalai at a glance Accommodation : Resort Highlights : Macro life, clear shallow waters. Average cost of a dive : $40 Dive Sites : 10+ Dive Operators : 5+ Getting there : Boat from Borneo, 30 minutes. Off Season : None, diving year round.

Mabul is located just 25 kilometers north of Sipadan and is used as a base to dive there. Diving at Mabul offers something different to the usual coral reef environment, it is often refered to as a macro heaven. Muck diving is the rage here, this is a term used to describe limited visibility diving at shallow sites usually with a sandy bottom. Muck diving offers the opportinity to observe rare macro critters close up, a photographers paradise. There are a number of similar sites such as the House Reef and Lobster Wall, we have just covered the more popular ones.

Mabul at a glance

Accommodation : Resort

Highlights : Muck diving, macro life.

Average cost of a dive : $40

Dive Sites : 5+

Dive Operators : 5+

Getting there : Boat from Borneo, 30 minutes.

Off Season : None, diving year round.

Sipadan Island is considered the pinnacle of diving in Malaysia and one of the top diving destinations in the world. Diving here is always good and sometimes it is simply awesome. The tiny rainforrest covered oceanic island forms the top of an ancient volcano that rises up from a 600 meter abyss in the northern Sulawesi Sea. There are several outstanding dive sites dotted around Sipadan's local reef system where you are likely to see sharks, turtles, manta rays and other big pelagics. Diving here is great for walls, drop offs and drift dives, it was only discovered as a dive destination in 1984 and even received an international boost when Jacques Cousteau spent several weeks here filming.

Sipadan Turtles
It is claimed that the waters around Sipadan have the largest turtle population anywhere. Most of them are used to divers and will even allow physical contact though this is rightly discouraged. Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) can be seen on pretty much every dive at Sipadan, there is even a Turtle Cave, a macabre site where the remains of less fortunate animals can be found. While the turtles are protected here they are killed elsewhere for their meat, hide and oil, eggs are also collected for sale on local markets

n order to preserve the rich marine diversity of Sipadan, the island has been declared as a protected national park reserve and as of 1st January 2005, all resorts based on the island of Sipadan itself closed down. The best way to dive Sipadan is from one of the local resorts on the neighbouring islands of Mabul and Kapalai.

Sipadan at a glance

Accommodation : None, resorts on nearby islands are the only option.

Highlights : World class dive sites, marine life and visibility.

Average cost of a dive : $45

Dive Sites : 20+

Dive Operators : 5+

Getting there : Speedboat from Borneo, 45 minutes.

Off Season : None, diving can be done all year round though Jan to March can see some unsettled weather.

The two paradise islands of Perhentian Besar (big) and Perhentian Kecil (small) lie around 21 kilometers off the coast of Kuala Besut on the eastern coast of the Malay Peninsular. They used to be a stop off point for traders and merchants plying the waterways, hence the name "one stop island". The islands now form part of the Terengganu Marine Park and are home to many species of reef fish, coral and other marine creatures. There are several dive sites around the two islands all quickly and easily accessible by local dive boat.

With thanks to Gan from Bubbles Dive Resort who supplied some of the maps for Perhentian dive sites in this section.

Perhentians at a glance

Accommodation : Bungalow

Highlights : Idyllic paradise surroundings, crystal clear waters.

Average cost of a dive : $20

Dive Sites : 10+

Dive Operators : 2+

Getting there : Boat from mainland 1 hour

Off Season : Nov / Feb