South East Asian Trips

The tropical waters off peninsular Malaysia and Borneo offer ideal conditions for scuba-diving. Water visibility is often greater than 30m (100ft). The selection below gives a brief overview of some of Malaysia's best dive sites:

Layang Layang - Located northwest of Kota Kinabulu, off the coast of Sabah and accessible by air, this coral atoll consists of 13 coral reefs linked together. Underwater sights include an amazing array of corals, marine life and cliffs that plunge 2000m to the ocean bed.

Miri - Located north of Kuching, off the coast of Sarawak, Borneo. Popular dive sites include 'Sea Fan Garden', 'Atago Maru', a Japanese World War II shipwreck and 'Scubasa Reef', a shallow reef which provides refuge for migrating turtles during August each year.

Pulau Redang - Home to Malaysia's first protected marine park, the Terengganu Marine Park, located north of Kuala Terengganu. The Pulau Redang archipelago contains nine islands. Popular sites include the 'Mini Mount' (good for both day and night dives), the 'Picture Wall' (dotted with sea fans and corals) and 'Cathedral Arches' (canyon network with huge arches). 'Turtle Bay', known for its sea turtles, is at the northern end of the island.

Pulau Sipadan - Located off the northeastern coast of Borneo, Pulau Sipadan is Malaysia's only oceanic island. It is renowned for its wide range of rare marine species.

Pulau Tioman - Located within the Pahang Marine Parks, consisting of eight islands. One of the best dive sites is Tiger Reef, which has a particularly high number of sea fans; divers should note that currents can be very strong. Tunku Abdul Rahman Park: Close to Kota Kinabulu (15 minutes by boat). One of the most popular sites in this area is Mamutik.

Pulau Tenggol - Popular weekend getaway for Malaysians, located south of Terengganu, accessible by air. The waters are protected by marine park status.

Pulau Paya Marine Park - Located on Peninsular Malaysia, in the south of Langkawi Island (a busy tourist resort) in the north of the Malacca Straits. Pulau Perhentian: Eastern Malaysia's northernmost island group consisting of Perhentian Besar and Perhentian Kecil, located in the South China Sea, off the coast of Kelantan. Can be reached on a fishing-boat trip from Kuala Besut, a small fishing village on the mainland. It is rich in coral and marine life and is possibly one of the finest tropical islands in Malaysia. It is surrounded by beautiful beaches and has a tropical interor, filled with wildlife, such as monkeys, lizards, flying squirrels and butterflies. A fairly isolated region, praised by divers for the giant soft corals, large schools of pelagic fish and nocturnal shellfish.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park: Located in Borneo, easily accessible from Kota Kinabalu. Local marine life includes manta rays, lion fish and whale sharks (from December to April). Labuan Island: Popular wreck-diving destination. Two wrecks from ships sunk in World War II, and one recent Malaysian wreck.