Mabul Diving

Dive Sites and Muck in Mabul

Located some 25 minutes north of Sipadan Island, this island offers a different world of diving opportunities from most other diving locations. Here is a macro diving paradise where you will be able to find rare macroworld inhabitants hard to find at other dive sites.

Among the international diving community, the island's reputation as one of the world's best muck diving site is no secret. Muck diving in Mabul, a term used to describe limited visibility dives at shallow sites with usually sandy bottoms, is one of diving's new rages. It focuses on encounters with unusual little critters popularly known as macro-life. Muck diving is a world away from steep wall and coral reefs, with their almost limitless visibility and easy-to-spot reef and pelagic life. In other words, muck diving offers you the opportunity to flirt with the more bizarre and unusual life marine life to be found.

Needless to say, Mabul diving gives macro photographers some great opportunities to capture some extremely rare ecological species which have carved a niche for themselves in the underwater lworld around here. Look out for species like multicoloured nudibranches, ghost pipefish, devil scorpionfish, stonefish, mantis shrimps, mandarin fish, ribbon eels, snake eels, frogfish, seahorses and crocodile fish, all of which make these sites their home.

• Mabul Island tourist information

• Map of Sabah - Borneo

Diving Season

Due to its geographical position, the island of Mabul is open for scuba diving all year round, with April to October offering excellent weather conditions.

Reef Basics

Great for: Small animals, underwater photography and beginner divers
Not so great for: Visibility and non-diving activities
Depth: 5 - 20m
Visibility: 5 - 15m
Currents: Gentle
Surface Conditions: Calm
Water Temperature: 27 - 29°C
Experience Level: Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites: 12
Distance: 5 km (10 minutes) west of Kapalai
Access: Dive Mabul resorts or Kapalai resorts
Recommended length of stay: 5 - 14 days, including Mabul, Sipadan and Kapalai sites

Dive Sites

More detailed information on Mabul dive sites:

Dive The World Recommendations: Seaventure Platform and Eel Garden.

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