Take a dive into the deep blue sea! 🧜
📍 Tioman Island | Photo Credit: @jennifer_nee
📍 Sipadan Island | Photo Credit: @wayne_wayne23
There's no better way to experience the spectacular blue ocean and beautiful sea creatures in Malaysian waters than with an exciting diving experience. Thankfully for us, the country is blessed with a range of great dive sites across both Peninsular and East Malaysia. Get ready to explore the marine world with a dive underwater — just make sure to check out these best diving locations in Malaysia and tick them off your list!
Top 12 best dive spots in Malaysia
1. Sipadan Island
Photo Credit: @khaichuin_sim
Sipadan Island, also known as Pulau Sipadan, is a little island in Sabah that gained protected status in 2002 and is known by many divers as one of the best diving spots in the world. You'll need to hop on a plane, a car, then a boat to get here, but trust us when we say the bumpy journey will be worth it. The island shut down all its resorts to preserve its delicate ecology years ago, so you best believe you'll witness phenomenal coral reefs and walls while you're here, as well as an abundance of marine life and impressive biomass.
Klook Tip: Although it's no longer possible to spend your night here, most people would stay at Mabul or Semporna, then catch a boat to Sipadan on a day trip. Explore the islands of Semporna with this fun island hopping tour!
Explore the nearby islands of Semporna with this tour! >
2. Mabul Island
Photo Credit: @makoto_shigehara
Another island famous worldwide among scuba divers, Mabul Island is best known for its amazing muck and critter diving conditions. Often visited along with Kapalai Island (and Sipadan Island), a dive experience here will bring you up close to an abundance of macro species, as well as rare species of marine life such as the Nudibranch and blue-ringed Octopus. The opportunities for beautiful underwater photography are practically limitless here!
Klook Tip: While you're in the area, why not go on a fun and guided snorkelling tour to explore the Mabul and Kapalai Islands, inclusive of three snorkeling sessions, meals, jetty fee, conservation fee as well as snorkeling equipment.
Book a snorkelling tour of Pulau Mabul & Pulau Kapalai! >
3. Redang Island
Photo Credits: @doreenlivetotravel
Oh, beautiful Rendang Island. This bustling tropical paradise may be known for its vibrant beaches and nightlife, but did you know it also is home to great dive sites with the perfect diving conditions? Being one of the nine protected islands dotting the South China Sea, its corals as well as flora and fauna are well-protected and extremely breathtaking, making it a great place to kickstart your diving adventures. You may even get to see large pelagic creatures such as reef sharks, barracudas, and even whales!
Klook Tip: Looking for boat transfers to Redang Island? Get your ferry tickets to get to the island from Merang Jetty or Lang Tengah Island on Klook!
Book shared boat transfer rides in Terengganu here! >
4. Perhentian Island
Photo Credits: @uprawrr
Photo Credit: @edy_edryan
Perhentian Island is divided into two islands — Pulau Perhentian Kecil (perfect for budget travelers) and Pulau Perhentian Besar (great for honeymoons and romantic getaways), but no matter what kind of trip you're planning for, you're definitely in for a memorable diving experience here! Known for its beautiful reef, massive diversity of fish and calm waters, the island is perfect for diving beginners with its pleasant water conditions and great underwater visibility.
For advanced divers and wreck diving enthusiasts, make sure to check out the Sugar Wreck, a definite highlight of diving at Perhentian, with its healthy coral growth and various resident marine creatures.
Klook Tip: Need transport to Perhentian Island? Book a boat transfer to Perhentian Island from Kuala Besut Jetty on Klook!
Book boat transfers to Perhentian Island from Kuala Besut Jetty on Klook! >
5. Lang Tengah Island
Photo Credit: @myrulee
Located between the more popular Redang and Perhentian islands, the smaller Lang Tengah Island is a secluded paradise lying within the Terengganu Marine Park. This little, pristine island offers great diving and snorkeling opportunities, especially due to its generally easy diving conditions that make it suitable even for beginners (as well as night scuba diving). Encounter an abundance of crustaceans, shoals of rabbitfish, turtles, sea critters, leopard sharks, and more during your dive sessions here.
Klook Tip: Get access to Lang Tengah Island via a shared boat transfer from Kuala Merang Jetty or even from Rendang Island! Book your boat tickets on Klook!
Book a boat transfer to Lang Tengah Island from Merang Jetty! >
6. Tioman Island
Photo Credits: @jennifer_nee
Photo Credits: @zikri_sw
Photo Credits: @shantarantel
Tioman Island is a densely forested island blessed with crystal clear waters and spectacular coral reefs — making it a popular destination for those looking for a scuba diving adventure. Perfect for divers of all ranges of capabilities and experiences, the island is home to over 25 dive sites, including the colorful, coral-encrusted Tiger Reef and its abundance of marine life. Be sure to traverse the magnificent underwater caves and canyons here as well to discover colorful fishes, reef sharks, manta rays, and moray eels.
Discover the best diving deals at Pulau Tioman here! >
7. Sibuan Island
Photo Credit: @pojiegraphy
Sibuan Island may be often overshadowed by the nearby Sipadan and Mabul islands, but the beautiful island offers arguably amazing dive sites, especially for muck diving enthusiasts. A diving experience here offers you the chance to spot rare critters, including some of the most iconic of Southeast Asia like the colorful mandarin fish as well as as various species of crustaceans and mollusks.
Klook Tip: Book a fun scuba diving experience at the islands within Tun Sakaran Marine Park, inclusive of two dive sessions at Pulau Sibuan and Pulau Mantabuan, a life jacket, jetty and conservation fees, return boat tickets, dive gear and equipment, as well as lunch!
Book a scuba diving experience at Sibuan Island here! >
8. Mataking Island
Photo Credit: @ ks_ho0908
Photo Credit: @ks_ho0908
Located within the Semporna Marine Park, Mataking Island is home to luxury resorts for you to stay at during your diving adventures, as you explore the island's many dive sites (there are over 30 to pick from). Both beginners and experienced divers will find diving here hugely rewarding, especially with the array of marine life such as eagle rays, reef sharks, turtles, and more that reside in the area, including rare critters. Fun fact: you can plan a wreck diving trip here for you to visit the world's first-ever underwater post box!
Klook Tip: Prefer an island hopping experience instead? Check out this snorkelling tour of several islands within Semporna, including Mataking, Timba-Timba, and Pom-Pom!
Book a snorkelling island hopping experience around Semporna! >
9. Lankayan Island
Photo Credit: @gaberec
Lankayan Island is known by many diving enthusiasts as one of the best diving spots in Malaysia (some may even say it's a close second to the popular Sipadan). With great diving conditions and about 30 dive sites located within the area, the island offers the perfect opportunity for you to witness beautiful corals and huge schools of fishes up close, as well as to enjoy muck and wreck diving experiences. With just one luxury resort on the island, Lankayan is the perfect getaway spot for a relaxing diving vacation!
10. Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park
Across the waters from Kota Kinabalu is the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (also known as TAR Marine Park). Located on the western coast of Sabah, the marine park is known for its numerous dive sites with reefs that are home to impressive macro marine life, perfect for divers to go critter hunting. Magnificent sharks, turtles, and rays also frequent the area, so you may get a chance to spot them too. The dive conditions here are also optimal for beginners to test the waters with a PADI dive course.
Discover diving and snorkelling activities at Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park here! >
11. Mantanani Island
Photo Credit: @travis_chong
Situated in the northwest region of Sabah, the remote Mantanani Island is another gem for diving enthusiasts. The hidden beauty of the island is best discovered via dive experiences along its untouched coast of clear, turquoise waters and colorful reefs that showcase kaleidoscopic corals. Its many dive sites are also home to various marine life including ribbon eels, tropical reef fishes, stingrays, batfish as well as giant clams! Fun fact: the island is also known by the locals as Mermaid Island as it used to be a hot spot for spotting dugongs!
Book a scuba diving experience at Pulau Mantanani here! >
12. Tenggol Island
Photo Credit: @life_of_apang
Discover untouched corals near Tenggol Island, another impressive dive site in Malaysia. With over 20 different dive spots to explore, the island is blessed with various reef types and interesting topographies of boulders and pinnacles, where you can encounter large pelagic life such as giant trevallies, barracudas, and whale sharks. However, we'd recommend this dive site only for experienced divers as the strong currents in the area may not be as suitable for beginners.
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