Malaysia Divesites
Sibuan Island
Sabah: Sarawak: Peninsular Malaysia - East Coast |
Sibuan is another macro divers paradise in the Celebes Sea close to Sipadan Island. This is one of the best places to see frog fish, mandarin fish and the rare pygmy seahorse. 
Diving is very easy on gently sloping reefs with very little current. Sibuan is also a good place for beginner divers and snorkellers. Above water the island is stunningly beautiful with palm fringed white sand beaches inhabited only by sea gypsies.
Left Shoulder dive site, on the southern tip of Sibuan Island, is a sloping reef down to 30 metres and beyond. Put the macro lens on your camera here and fit a big memory card because you'll be taking lots of pictures. You could fill a photo album with nudibranch photos, there are many different types. There are also several different types of frogfish including giant, painted and clown. Your guides should be able to find tiny juvenile frogfish for you too. Other favourites are mantis shrimp, squat lobster, devil scorpionfish and snake eels. You will want to dive this site more than once.
Mandarin Point, just north of Left Shoulder, is popular for spotting, yes you guessed it, Mandarin fish. These beautifully colourful fish can be found in the shallows at around 5 metres. A good time to dive is at dusk when they perform their courtship dance in mid water. Turtles are seen in slightly deeper water, often muching on some bubble coral.
Mandarin Bay is another excellent macro dive. The highlight here are the blue and black coloured hammerhead nudibranchs. They are often found in pairs on the sandy bottom.
Froggies is another good dive site for frogfish and nudibranchs. Blue spotted stingrays can be found in the sandy patches. Currents can be strong here.
The Drop Off is a little different to the other Sibuan dive sites in that you might get some pelagic action. Eagle rays can often be seen in the blue water away from the steep wall. Turtles are also common as are blue spotted stingrays. Reef fish include snapper, fusilier, wrasse, parrotfish and triggerfish. Lionfish and scorpionfish are numerous as are giant morays, often with a banded boxer shrimp cleaning them. All the usual macro stuff is also in residence including hundreds of nudibranchs and shrimps. Currents can be strong here and because of the depth, down to 40 metres, this is often the first dive of the day.