If I sum up Sabah diving in one word, it is diversity. Whether you are into muck diving, diving in Sipadan, or exploring colorful coral, this region of Malaysian Borneo will leave you speechless.

The uniqueness of Sabah dive sites lie in that you can see both sea fans, large pelagics and pygmy seahorses and frogfish, in a single dive.

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Sabah Diving Guide Sipadan

It’s truly one of the most complete diving holidays in the world. However, most travelers have only heard about Sipadan Island and its resident barracuda tornado.

While Sipadan diving is reason enough to visit, the state of Sabah has many other gems. In fact, some of my favorites lie outside Sipadan! Read on for a brief guide.

1. Si Amil Island, Sipadan Barrier Reef

• Diving Season: Mar. to Oct. for best visibility

What if I told you there’s an unspoiled island, filled with a resident school of Devil Rays that far surpasses any rays seen at Sipadan Island itself?

Moreover, it’s also sprinkled with abandoned World War II buildings and a hilly rainforest to marvel at during your surface intervals. Welcome to Si Amil!

Only an hour away by speedboat from Semporna, Si Amil’s nine dive sites feature everything from big pelagics and a fantastic variety of sea fans and hard coral to inviting macro life and World War II wrecks.

Night dives are particularly special here, with sightings of bamboo sharks and rainbow runners being common. Better yet? With all eyes on Sipadan, Si Amil remains one of the last frontiers of Sabah diving.

Insider tip: Make sure you ask for a Si Amil Island boat trip at the time of booking, as many dive resorts only plan trips there upon request. I can confirm this from my experience at Borneo Divers Mabul Resort.

Speaking of which, if you still want to dive Sipadan, Borneo Divers is one of the few resorts that offers not two, but four boat dives on a single Sipadan trip at no extra charge.

2. Froggy’s Lair, close to SMART, Mabul

• Diving Season: Apr. to Dec.; best in Jul. and Aug.

Froggy’s is commonly regarded as the muck diving capital of Mabul, Sabah. Poor visibility means this dive site is primarily for Eagle-eyed macro diving enthusiasts. Therefore, ensure you have a proficient guide!

Mandarin fish, flamboyant cuttlefish, lobsters, octopus, garden eels, and numerous frogfish are frequently spotted. The dive site got its name due to the many different varieties, shapes, and colors of its resident frogfish.

Quite a sight indeed.

3. Seaventures House Reef

• Diving Season: Apr. to Dec.; best in Jul. and Aug.

PHOTO (Sabah diving Borneo divers file): Sabah Diving Photo by Borneo Divers Mabul Resort

During my stay at the Seaventures Dive Resort, I was amazed by the incredible marine life and artificial reefs right beneath it. Large schools of yellowtail trevally, tiny cuttlefish, charming juvenile yellow box fish, and giant groupers are some of the daytime residents of this converted oil rig.

You can even witness schools of glassfish feeding by the surface from the rig’s highest platform!

At night, a whole new world is unveiled: from elusive red orange/blue-spotted flamboyant cuttlefish and schooling pipefish to Chevron barracudas and fat moray eels gracing you with their presence. It was fascinating to see such a volume of macro and schooling fish all in one dive.

As I enjoyed unlimited house reef dives during my stay, I can assure you Seaventures is among the best dive sites in Sabah. Don’t miss it!

4. Mataking Island

• Diving Season: Feb. to Nov.; Apr. to Jun. for best visibility & whale sharks

Unbeknownst to many, an island just 40 minutes away from Semporna offers a beautiful combination of macro and large pelagics—the common denominator of Sabah’s top dive sites. Therefore, it’s easy for Mataking Island to slip under the radar, overshadowed by its next-door neighbor, Sipadan.

Located in Alice Channel, near the Malaysian-Philippine border, Mataking’s 12 dive sites could keep you busy for an entire holiday.

Eagle rays, manta rays, whale sharks, and grey reef sharks are some of the pelagics that inhabit the 100-meter-deep channel, enticed by the strong currents in the North. Additionally, the resident macro life includes stone fish, octopus, ribbon eels, and frogfish.

Just going on a day trip?

Explore some of Mataking’s top dive sites: Sweetlips Avenue, North Point, the offshore House Reef, Coral Garden, and the artificial reef known as the Shipwreck.

5. Layang Layang Island

• Diving Season: Mar. to Aug.; Apr. to May for hammerheads

Also known as Swallows Reef, Pulau Layang Layang is where the big species congregate! Expect massive schools of hammerheads, reef sharks, dolphins, manta rays, whale sharks, and other pelagic species, all within a five to ten-minute boat ride away.

Ten different dive sites, most of which are wall dives, boast impressively clear visibility—up to 60 meters during peak season. Consequently, all of them are rated five out of five stars by most experienced divers.

However, please note that Layang Layang is inaccessible during the rainy season, which typically runs between November and February. Therefore, plan your Sabah diving trip accordingly if you’re a fan of pelagic species.

6. Panglima Reef, Mabul

• Diving Season: Apr. to Dec.; best in Jul. and Aug.

There’s a rare spectacle to behold at Panglima’s gentle reef slope. It’s equally likely to spot an 80-year-old Hawksbill Turtle and Cockscomb Oyster as it is to see a couple of Chromodoris and Nembrotha nudibranch right next to Crocodile Flatheads.

Indeed, you just never know what you’ll encounter.

On one dive, I personally observed several old Hawksbill Turtles; a peacock mantis shrimp being harassed by a few schooling fish; a massive school of traveling trevally, rivaling Sipadan’s resident barracuda tornado; various types of nudibranch (especially black worm); in addition to the largest crocodile fish I have seen in 70 dives.

I was in awe—how had I never heard about this place?! Now you know!

Any additions to our Sabah diving guide? Share them below.