DIVING IN KOTA BELUD & MANTANANI ISLAND
We are the fist dive operation in Kota Belud, where we have discovered many of our own dive sites! Diving in Kota Belud there are many secret submerged reefs to explore, all are off the beaten tourist track, remote and unexplored. Drift across huge expanses of hard coral reef, schools of tropical reef fish and explore the interesting underwater topography with its huge boulders. Encounter no other divers in sight!
We are open all year round for diving in Sabah, weather dependent. On the west coast of Sabah our best dive season is from FEBURARY – JULY.
Occasionally trips may be cancelled due to rough weather at sea, especially during the months of October - December (pacific typhoon season). If we do need to cancel dives for safety due to bad weather conditions then rest assured that we will give a full refund for dive trips cancelled by the operator (Bigfin divers) due to bad weather. |
DIVE SITES IN KOTA BELUD
MAYNE ROCK One of our most popular dive sites. With its huge rock formations, this site has an interesting and varied topography which divers want to explore again and again! The giant boulders are covered with pink soft coral and brightly coloured feather stars and tube worms. Fusiliers, snapper and sardines swarm over the rocky contours of the reef where larger jacks and mackerel dart in to catch prey. In the sandy patches we often spy leopard sharks and marble rays hanging out. This is also a great macro site with critters such as ghost pipefish, scorpionfish, frogfish, juvenile reef fish, spider crabs, cowries, colourful nudibranchs and tiny shrimps to search for. Depth: 7 - 30 meters Distance: 25 mins by boat MAYNE REEF Mayne Reef is a huge extensive stretch of very colourful hard coral reef. Drift effortlessly over sandy valleys, huge coral bommies and rivers of neon fusiliers and bright yellow snappers. This is the best place to count numerous stingrays and see how many sharks you can find sleeping under the coral! Depth: 7 - 30 meters Distance: 25 mins by boat ELLA'S GARDEN Descent into a sandy channel and encounter schooling barracudas or hunting trevally. Swim out to the big boulder rocks where giant cuttlefish, octopus and bigfin reef squid make home. Drift over huge flat table corals and round barrel sponges and perhaps sight an eagle ray gliding by. As you reach the shallow rocky area you will encounter an explosion of life, as shimmering schools of fish gather to feed in the current. Depth: 8 - 26 meters Distance: 25 mins by boat NORTH HILL A relaxing drift dive north over stunning coral stretching across the landscape. This site exhibits our most beautiful and healthy coral coverage. A variety of coral bommies, table corals, brain corals, staghorn reefs, whip corals, cabbages, barrel sponges and pink soft corals make this our favorite reef. Depth: 7 - 25 meters Distance: 25 mins by boat APEX AVENUE Another extensive drift dive over stunning reef, stretches of white sand and colourful soft corals. Spot sharks resting on the sandy bottom and look out for huge patrolling Spanish mackerel, the Apex predators of the reef. Look closely inside the big round purple barrel sponges for the perfectly matched purple hairy squat lobster. Depth: 10-25 meters Distance: 30 minutes by boat FISH BOWL Fish Bowl is so called because of the millions of juvenile fish which shelter here on the reef. Black coral thrives here, a particularly unusual type of coral which is actually only black when dried, but under water appears like big pale white, green and yellow bushes. This type of coral is usually only found at depths of 30 meters and below yet here it grows at 14-18 meters deep. Fish bowl is a very busy dive site, with schools of barracudas, sardines and juvenile scat sheltering amongst the black coral trees. Also be sure to take time to hunt in the sand as this can be a great critter dive, with seahorses, pygmy squid, saw-blade and whip coral shrimp to search for. Depth: 5 - 25 meters Distance: 15 mins by boat |
SALVAGE POINT This is the site where the famous Japanese USUKAN WW2 Wrecks previously lay; Merchant Tankers Kolusei Maru, Hiyori Maru and Higane Maru. The ships were sunk by deadly torpedoes fired by American Submarine USS Hammerhead back in 1944. Sadly, they were very recently salvaged for valuable steel and a pile of scrap metal on the sea bed is now all that remains of the ships. Nonetheless, this is still a great site to explore for the artificial reef that has thrived around the structures and the huge schools of fish which shelter here. Watch out for predatory tuna and jacks hunting in the blue. Schools of barracuda and snapper blanket the top of the wreck and a chance to encounter large pelagic fish makes this a spectacular site. Keep a look out for eagle rays, huge marble rays and giant groupers that live under the remains of the wreck. Bare in mind that over 128 passengers and crew lost their lives here. Viewing the ghostly wreck remains in the dark blue deep makes for an especially eerie dive. Please note this site is for Advanced divers or above only with minimum 20 dives. We recommend diving Salvage Point as part of your Advanced Open Water course, or dive deeper as part of your Deep Specialty course! Depth: 26 - 40 meters Distance: 30 mins by boat LEOPARD REEF This pinnacle dive site is another great place to look for sharks, with many bamboo sharks, cat sharks and possibly leopard sharks resting on the sandy bottom and sleeping between rocky crevices. This is also a great macro site with nudibranchs galore. Depth: 14-25 meters Distance: 30 mins by boat PURPLE REEF A stunning reef covered in gorgeous pinkish purple soft coral. This site is situated further out towards open ocean, therefore expect excellent visibility, often over 30 to 50 meters! Expect to see lots of nudibranchs, small sharks, moray eels, cephalopods and larger pelagic fish passing by such as dorado, wahoo and tuna. Depth: 18-40 meters Distance: 45 mins by boat PULAU PANDAN This tiny uninhabited island is a perfect location for beginner divers and snorkelers. A great easy dive site, this island has a shallow beach and a sloping coral reef which extends all the way around the island with healthy coral gardens and tropical reef fish. Pulau Pandan is also a great location for night dives, where you can experience the nocturnal creatures of the reef hunting in the darkness. See strange sponge and decorator crabs, morays eels, barchfin scorpionfish, cat sharks, lobsters and minute critters such as pygmy and bobtail squid. Remember to turn off your torch for a minute to experience the incredible bioluminescence glowing in the darkness! Depth: 3 - 16 meters Distance: 2 mins by boat PRESTON SHOAL Only 10 minutes away, this reef perfect for beginners; safe, shallow with moderate currents. Local reefs are comprised of hard and soft corals with schools of colorful reef fish. On a dive here you will encounter many different marine species such as lionfish, scorpionfish, stingrays, turtles, lobsters, cuttlefish, squid, giant grouper, moray eels and of course NEMO! If you love macro, be sure to search on the sand bottom for the amazingly camoflaged hairy frogfish. This is a perfect sites to continue your underwater adventure! Depth: 5 - 18 meters Distance: 5 - 10 mins by boat |
Daytrip diving in Kota Belud
Time |
Schedule |
8.15 am |
Pick up from Kampung Mengkabar, transfer to Bigfin divers for paperwork and equipment sizing (day trip guests) |
8.30 am |
Depart to dive sites |
9 am |
1st Dive Kota Belud |
10 am |
Surface interval on boat |
11 am |
2nd Dive Kota Belud |
12.30 pm |
Lunch at Bigfin divers |
2.30 pm |
3rd Dive |
4pm |
Return to Bigfin divers/ Kampung Mengkabar |
Refresher Dives
We conduct refresher dives at Pulau Pandan, an easy, shallow dive site just 5 mins from Bigfin Divers. We will refresh basic skills, and give you the opportunity to ask our dive instructors any questions and scratch up on dive details you might have forgotten. If you require a refresher dive please do let us know in advance. Please book in for a refresher dive the day before joining our fun dive trip.
DIVING MANTANANI ISLAND
Mantanani Island is actually comprised of three islands approximately 40km away from the mainland. Mantanani makes a lovely day trip for divers and snorkelers alike with postcard scenery and stunning white sandbars, coconut trees swaying in the warm breeze and crystal clear turquoise waters. Mantanani Island is famously known for its stunning visibility, often reaching between 15 to 40 meters!
Due to its shallow depth, Mantanani Island is great for beginner and advanced divers. We offer full day trips to Mantanani Island with a packed lunch on board for both dives and snorkelers. Due to its location out in the open south China sea, we only run day trips when the ocean is calm. The best times to visit are usually from February-July. There are many different dive sites around the three islands comprising of hard coral gardens, sandy slopes, fringing reefs and steep drop-offs. On the perimeter of the island colorful coral reefs offset beautifully against the bright white sandy sea bottom. It can be a great place for macro life, where many nudibranchs, frogfish and even mimic octopus can be seen. It is also home to large resident Jenkins and marble rays, and is a great place to spot giant green sea turtles and black trip reef sharks in the shallows! Depth: 5 - 25 meters Distance: 1 hour by boat |
MANTANANI ISLAND DIVE SITES
Sand Bar A shallow sloping reef with undulating white sandy bottom, covered with a variety of pink and purple sponges, sea squirts and giant coral bommies. Drift in the current and look out for black tip reef sharks and eagle rays in the shallows. Lighthouse This easy shallow reef is home to many sleepy green turtles and hawksbill turtles that like to munch the hard coral. Also be sure to take some time to hunt in the sand for macro life here. Muck dive critter hunting is a must when diving Sabah! |
Great Wall
This dive site is popular due to its unusual topography. As you swim through a rocky channel and overhang, the reef looks like it has been cracked open and split into two. An interesting observation is to note the small streams of gas venting out and bubbling up from the sea bed. Alternative Reef A shallow sloping reef with staghorn and cabbage coral gardens. Swim off the reef and out across the sand to look for the huge resident stingrays. |
Itinerary: Mantanani Day Trip
Time |
Schedule |
8.15 am |
Pick up from Mengkabar, equipment sizing |
9.30am |
1st Dive @ Mantanani |
11am |
Surface interval on boat |
12am |
2nd Dive @ Mantanani |
1pm |
Lunch at on boat or beach @ Mantanani |
2.30 pm |
3rd Dive @ Mantanani |
5 pm |
Return to Bigfin divers/Kampung Mengkabar |
Mantanani Island Day Trips will return at 5pm due to longer boat transfer time (70 minutes each way)
Outside guests/day trip divers we will depart/return to Kampung Mengkabar. In house guests will depart/return to Bigfin Beach Resort
Outside guests/day trip divers we will depart/return to Kampung Mengkabar. In house guests will depart/return to Bigfin Beach Resort
Please Note
Minimum 3 divers for Kota Belud Dive trip / 4 Divers for a Mantanani Trip
Outside guests/day trip divers we will depart/return to Kampung Mengkabar. In house guests will depart/return to Bigfin Beach Resort
Morning dives in Kota Belud are to submerged reefs. Whilst these dive sites are suitable for beginner to advanced level divers, we can sometimes experience strong currents, surge, our wavey surface conditions when diving in Kota Belud. All divers MUST have been diving within the last 6 months. If not, please sign up for a refresher dive before joining the morning fun dive trip. Surface interval between the 1st and 2nd dive is onboard the dive boat. If you are prone to seasickness, please take sea sickness medication in advance!
Dive sites are determined on the day dependent on weather conditions, current and divers ability. If you would like to request a particular dive site please mention when booking and we will let you know if it is possible and try our best to arrange for you.
Minimum 3 divers for Kota Belud Dive trip / 4 Divers for a Mantanani Trip
Outside guests/day trip divers we will depart/return to Kampung Mengkabar. In house guests will depart/return to Bigfin Beach Resort
Morning dives in Kota Belud are to submerged reefs. Whilst these dive sites are suitable for beginner to advanced level divers, we can sometimes experience strong currents, surge, our wavey surface conditions when diving in Kota Belud. All divers MUST have been diving within the last 6 months. If not, please sign up for a refresher dive before joining the morning fun dive trip. Surface interval between the 1st and 2nd dive is onboard the dive boat. If you are prone to seasickness, please take sea sickness medication in advance!
Dive sites are determined on the day dependent on weather conditions, current and divers ability. If you would like to request a particular dive site please mention when booking and we will let you know if it is possible and try our best to arrange for you.