Malaysia
Malaysia offers a variety of adventurous scuba trips for adventurous divers. Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It consists of 13 states and three federal territories. The South China Sea separates Malaysia into two similarly sized regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei share land borders with Malaysia. Maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia is becoming a leading dive destination in the Indo-Pacific Basin due to its rich and diverse marine environment. The stunning biodiversity of marine life, the beautiful islands with white sandy beaches and clear warm waters attract divers from around the world and locally. Schooling hammerhead sharks, huge schools of barracuda, various turtles, the bizarre frog fish, and ghost pipefish, offer plenty to fascinate the diver. In Malaysia, the coral reef ecosystem supports more than 50 genera fo coral, more than 200 species of fish, and a plethora of tropical aquatic organisms.
Some divers claim the best diving is along the coast of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Diving at Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai and Layang Layang is certain to offer a variety of exploration for the most adventurous divers.
Pulau Sipadan is the crown jewel of Malaysian diving. Sipadan is a tiny oceanic island less than an hour from the mainland where nutrient rich currents bring food, the food attracts small fish, small fish entice bigger fish, which means more pelagics, sharks, and turtles. Dive sites surround Sipadan island. Each site is only short speedboat ride away from the nearby dive resorts. All the sites are unique, and all offer plenty for divers to explore.
The Sipadan dropoff became so popular that the Malaysian government introduced a permit system to safeguard the fragile underwater environment and limit the number of divers to 120 per day. Each dive center must compete for a total of 120 permits per day to dive the Sipadan reef walls. The government only allocates dive permits 24 hours before each new dive day. Prior trip planning is essential.
Diving around Mabul and Kapalai is different from diving around Sipadan. These dive sites are shallow and coral growth is somewhat sparse. What this means to divers is — the shallow reefs are treasure troves rare macro species. Ghost pipefish, anglerfish, leafy scorpion fish, mandarin fish, ribbon eels, sea horses, many different nudibranchs, and an array of small, often unclassified subjects. Serious dive photographers can create an unforgettable experience here.
