As a scuba diving, snorkeling and underwater photography destination, Malaysia has it all, reef diving, wall diving, drift diving, muck diving, shallow water diving, deep water diving, wreck diving, Resort diving and live aboard diving, with thousands of species of marine life available to be seen and lots of new species to discover.
With such a huge amount of possibilities and the opportunity to select dive areas that reflect every type of dive experience. However, because there is such a wide choice, there is also a wide range of service facilities and it is up to visiting divers to make choices based on the knowledge available.
Kapalai Water Village covers a wide area across the submerged sandbank with the dive jetty access adjacent to the deeper water. There are a number of dives sites, many of which can be made just from the jetty. The diversity of marine life beneath the accomodation and around the pylons, is astounding.
( photo: Courtesy of Kapalai Water Village)
As a diving destination, Malaysia has it all, with a huge amount of possibilities and the opportunity to select dive areas that reflect every type of dive experience. Reef diving, wall diving, drift diving, muck diving, shallow water diving, deep water diving, wreck diving, Resort diving and live aboard diving, with thousands of species of marine life available to be seen and lots of new species to discover.
However, because there is such a wide choice, there is also a wide range of service facilities and it is up to visiting divers to make choices based on the knowledge available.
Comfortable, medium range accomodation at Borneo Divers Resort right on Mabul Island. The cabins are simple, well laid out close to the dive shop. Tanks and weight belts are delivered to the boat pick up areas.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Sipidan Mabul Resort restraunt, bar and dining area. Everybody is very well catered for and the cosmopolitan clientele fit in and around the lay back atmosphere and as divers do everywhere..talk diving.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
I was very impressed with my visits to Malaysia, the friendly courteous people, the professional hospitality services ( despite my humourous episodes at airports) and the extrordinary good nature of those I had contact with. The Dive Exhibition venues are world class. The eco - tourism opportunities are enterprising and the dive resorts and nature reserves are excellent.
The Country
Although Malaysia is a single country, it is comprised of two separate regions and these regions are on separate sides of an expanse of water known as the South China Sea.
West Malaysia
West Malaysia is a long peninsula of land ( 800km, north to south) situated below the country of Thailand and bordered on the eastern side by the South China Sea and on the western side, by the Andaman Sea. This land mass is often referred to as Peninsula Malaysia and for the most part was once covered in tropical rainforest, with some high mountains and vast plains angling down to the sea.
Huge areas of forest have been claimed for oil palm planting and around Kuala Lumpur and urban expansion continues, extending to the edge of the forests. The size and unique architexture of the massive appartments, condos and office buildings is something to be seen to be believed. The scale of building is so impressive I can never keep my eyes from marvelling at it all on the drive either way to and from the airport.
East Malaysia
East Malaysia is separated from West Malaysia by 500km of the South China Sea and regular flights leave Kuala Lumpur every day to service the areas. The land mass which contains the area known as Borneo is divided, with the two Malaysian States of Sarawak and Sabah bordering each side of the areas belonging to the Sultinate of Brunei. The rest of Borneo belongs to Indonesia.
Sarawak and Sabah are heavily forested with dense rainforests, populated by giant Dipterocarps with their spreading buttresses, stupendous columnar trunks and high canopies. Each State has intricate river systems fed by smaller streams which are in turn, fed by high rainfall during the rainy season. Mount Kinabalu (4094m) in Sarawak is the highest mountain in the vicinity.
The People
The population extends beyond 19 million with at least 85% living on the West Malaysian peninsula and made up of a virtual smorgassboard of races and religions.
The majotity of the population are descendant Malays, with Chinese, Indians, local indigenous peoples, together with Indonesian and people from the Philippines.
The state religion is Islam. Though Christians, Taoists, Hindus, Confucians and Buddists, all appear to live in harmony, making up the vast interacial complex society known as Malaysia.
Although English can be understood by most people in the tourist trade, the official language is Bahasa Malaysia.
Terrestrial Fauna and Flora
Malaysia has a rich diversity of unique flora and fauna and the rainforest and some of their inhabitants have been dated back over 130 million years. The tropical rainforests of Malaysia may contain some of the oldest life forms on the planet.
Both Sarawak and Sabah have large well established Nature Reserves and these can be accessed with a permit, and guides can be organized. However, a lot of the country is mountainous and if treking is contemplated, this should be considered. The forests contain a huge number of tree species and at least 8000 flowering plants.
Several species of the worlds largest flower Rafflesia spp. can be found at times in the rainforests. These giants may reach a size of 1 metre and their perfume smells like rotting flesh.
There are around 220 species of land mammals, including the very famous, but endangered orang - utans. The country has more than 450 species of birds, at least 50 species of frogs and toads, 200 lizards and snakes, over 1000 butterflies, 4000 beetles, including another 15,000 species of insects, many of which have yet to be described. Over 40 species of freshwater fish live in the rivers, creeks and ponds.
Marine Life
Although Malaysia is still in the process of compiling lists of its known species of Marine Flora and Fauna it can be assumed that as it exists in the Asian Triangle and is part of the richest biodiversities of Marine Life in the world it could be assumed that it might be compared with that of its neighbours.
First discovered at Mabul, this undescribed nudibranch, Colemans Melibe Melibe sp. is so far unique, as it has not been found anywhere since the original images were taken in 1994.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
There is every reason to expect that once compiled, the marine life lists might inclue at least 3000 species of fish, over 300 species of Stony Corals, 8000 species of Molluscs, including 400 species of Opisthobranchs and Nudibranchs, 250 species of Echinoderms and more than 3000 Crustaceans.
Easily mistaken for the sponge it mimics, the Painted Anglerfish Antennarius pictus sits right out in the open and may be seen in a range of colour variations, including yellow, brown and mauve.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Common throughout the region, the Giant Hypselodoris Hypselodoris apolegma grows to over 100 mm and feeds on Euryspongia sp. sponges.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Reef Walking and Seashores
Walking upright across rubble banks through sandy pools rimmed with sharp coral and on slippery surfaces coated with microscopic algae requires some skill to avoid damage to persons or inhabitants. Protective footwear (sandshoes, hard-soled wetsuit boots, or gym boots) with lace up fronts and thick soles is a must. Thongs and sandals are not adequate protection from sharp coral, or the spines of sea urchins or venomous fish which may be hiding beneath the sand.
When choosing a path across the reef flats it is best to walk on the firmer flat areas and avoid walking directly on the corals. This is just as much benefit to the reef walker as the coral, as many corals are fragile and will often collapse under the weight of a human often causing injury to unprotected ankles, or shins, dumping the reef walker into the water, or at worse onto the surrounding reef.
Wading through the shallows along any soft bottom, or rubble habitats, one must always be wary as there are a number of venomous fish like this Devil Scorpionfish Scorpaenopsis diabolis which burrow into the substrate in wait for prey.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
When walking in the shallows through pools or on submerged rubble try and shuffle each foot along rather than taking big steps where the foot comes down with the full body weight on it. In this way, small sting rays or stonefish can sense your approach and either move out of your way or by shuffling you move past a stonefish instead of stepping directly on its raised spines. Caution is the key element in reef walking.
Always wear a hat and a shirt for even if the breeze seems to be cooler or the sun weaker on an overcast day this is not the case. Every day in the outdoors is a potential burn day. The surface water reflects the sunlight upwards so it is best to take precautions.
In reality, very few reef creatures are aggressive or have intentions to injure us. They just have various survival systems and behaviours which we are often ignorant of. If we understand them better we can go amongst them marvelling at these devices instead of being on the receiving end.
Snorkeling
Malaysia is the perfect place to learn to snorkel. Shallow and protected areas with a wealth of wildlife a mere arms length away. The lagoons and shallow water reefs, provide a never ending sense of amazement to all who share the experience, even if at some periods the visibility is reduced.
With the South China Sea providing such a wonderful opportunity, anybody can snorkel. It doesnt matter what body shape one has, with a shortie wetsuit, Lycra skin- suit, or teeshirt and trousers, (for protection from sunburn and stingers)natural buoyancy, or help from a vest, or flotation assistance life jacket, the shallow water and its wildlife can be everybodys enjoyment, from kids to retired kids.
Always cover up as much as possible when snorkelling. The sun is unforgiving and sunburn is the last thing anybody needs when on a holiday.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
However, like all adventure activities snorkelling is of greater pleasure if a few things are known beforehand.
(1) Always ensure that masks and fins fit properly.
(2) Always clean your mask with soap, a drip of detergent, or ample spit rubbed around the inside of the glass and then rinsed to make sure it does not fog up and spoil the view.
(3) Enshore that your hair is always pulled back before you put on your mask, so as make shore the seal is not broken.
(4) Should water get into your mask, just hold the top seal against your forehead and allow the water to run out of the bottom.
(5) When snorkelling on the surface it is good to practice holding your breath. ( as you would when snorkel diving) In this way you get used to taking in enough air and holding it, and then shooting it out in a burst, as if you were clearing your snorkel with every breath. By practicing this way, whenever you are snorkelling in choppy water and a wave breaks over and your snorkel gets water in it, you can clear it immediately and not get caught with a snorkel full of water on breathe - in sequence.
Very common on the sand and on shallow water sea grass flats are the very prominent Rhinoceros Sea Stars Protoreaster nodosus. These gregarious sea stars feed on detritus and may be seen in a range of colour combinations.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Snorkeling on the surface means you are face to face with hundreds of easy-to-touch creatures. Investigation is fine but always being very careful how you touch animals. Some can sting, spine, abrade or bite. Even small fish being hand fed have small teeth and can draw blood; the bigger the fish the bigger the teeth.
Sea urchins are not good to touch as the spines are needle sharp and break off in careless fingers. Some sea cucumbers have sticky, noxious defensive organs which are shot out from their anus when they are handled, so dont harass them. Common sense should be applied at all times.
If you are not sure, leave it alone and just look. Quite often dive guides give demonstrations on how to use mask and snorkel and this service is really necessary for beginners.
Scuba Diving
Due to extensive river systems and coastal developments, there is little diving done along the shallow water coastal fringes of Malaysia and while there are Dive Shops in Kuala Lumpur and along the coastal towns at various places, most of the Dive Resorts do their diving off the coast around the offshore islands.
Certainly, all the major dive resorts are extremely efficient and have state of the art scuba equpment, adequate dive boats and excellent dive guides.
Scuba diving from the front jetty at Kapalai Water Village is ( certaily to me ) a major photographic shoot. There are so many different species to find and there stacks of commensals to seek out.
( photo: Courtesy of Kapalai Water Village)
Dive Resort Accomodation and facilities cater for all incomes, from bunkhouse style to the luxury of the modern, stilt - built water bungalows such as at Kapalai and Sipidan Mabul Resort.
At Mabul and Kapalai, arrangements can be made to hire small dive boats, boatman and a dive guide to visit specific sites. This might be considered if photographers wish to dive away from the mainstream diving areas.
Professional dive guides are available and most details can be obtained from specific dive resorts.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
It is not unusual at Sipidan to have 30 dive boats on the surface and 300 divers in the water on spectacular drift dives along the front wall.
Curtains of scuba exaust bubbles make it impossible for anybody above the bubbles to engage in serious photography and under these circumstances its best to drift along on the top of the reef and pick up what you can on the way down to the pick up point at the end of the island.
Most scuba tank filling stations ( Mabul Sipidan Resort) and air banks are away from accomodation areas and tanks are delivered to a kitting up area, or to the jetty, depending on the circumstances.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
The island Dive Resorts of Kapalai and Mabul in Eastern Malaysia off Semporna are close enough to attract hundreds of long - weekend Malaysian divers from Western Malaysia as they are comparitively free from siltation and have clear water for most of the year.
Minor jetty at Kapalai Water Village allows guests the opportunity to access the water for swimming and snorkelling in the clear, shallow areas.
( photo: Courtesy Kapalai Water Village)
The Malasian Navy keeps a close watch over the resorts ensuring that there is no interference to Tourism activities from Philippino pirates, or other illegal activities such as Dynamite fishing and Poison- fishing. These activities are still practised in other parts of closely situated groups of islands off the coast.
Only 15 mm across, this juvenile Necklace Sea Star Fromia monilis was found at the Mabul dive training Jetty. it was the first time I had seen one so small.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
The island of Sipidan is now a fully dedicated Marine Park (part of Semporna Marine Park) and all resort accomodation has been removed and all diving activities are managed from Dive resorts on the island of Mabul and the Dive Resort at Kapalai.
Green Turtles Chelonia mydas are very commonly seen at Sipidan Island along with a myriad butterfly and coralfishes and huge schools of pelagics.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
While most diving in the Ligitan Group of islands is by drift diving, due to strong currents and the fact that anchoring damages the corals, there are a few dive sites that are buoyed. These reasonably shallow water (15) metres muck diving sites can be accessed by small dive groups, as the patch reefs can be swum around in 45 minutes, or less.
Neville Coleman's diving expeditions, fauna surveys, photographic fauna surveys and marine life identification courses include every major group of marine life.
Neville Coleman's expertise in marine life identification extends to the identification of Algae, Sea Grass, Forams, Sponges, Stony Corals, Soft Corals, Sea Anemones, Sea Jellies, Zoanthids, Corallimorphs, Black Corals, Flatworms, Segmented Worms, Crustaceans, Barnacles, Shrimps, Rock Lobsters, Hermit Crabs, Squat Lobsters, Molluscs, Chitons, Univalves, Bivalves, Cephalopods, Octopus, Cuttlefish, Squid, Opisthobranchs, Nudibranchs, Sea Slugs, Bryozoans, Sea Mosses, Echinoderms, Sea Stars, Feather Stars, Brittle Stars, Sea Urchins, Sea Cucumbers, Ascidians/Sea Squirts, Marine Fish, Sharks, Marine Reptiles, and Marine Mammals, all found in the waters around Malaysia.
( Copyright Neville Coleman)
Information Guide
ARRIVAL
Subang International Airport serves most major airlines in the world. The airport is some 24 km from Kuala Lumpur, the trip takes from 35 minutes to an hour, depending on local trafic.
Entry is also by rail, express buses, and high speed catamarans.
Malaysian Airlines will allow 15 kg extra baggage for dive gear. However, this is not obligatory, you have to hassle with the counter person and get it checked by the person in charge, to get the allowance from Brisbane, Australia.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
A passport with at least 6 months validity is mandatory, with security checks varied and many. Visas are not required for most european visitors who receive an automatic 30-day visitors permit when they arrive. It is best to check with travel agent, or Embasy officials for up to date information.
INTER-ISLAND TRAVEL PERMITS
Any travel apart from recognised tourist zones may require a travel permit. Always check with tourism for extracurricular travel enquiries. Automatic Visitors permits issued on entry to Peninsula Malaysia may not be valid for entry into Sarawak and Sabah. All Visitors must go through immigration even for internal flights.
Permits are also required to visit any National Park, or up - river trips. These can be obtained from national, or parks offices.
HEALTH REGULATIONS
There are no mandatory vaccinations required for visiting Malaysia and there are up to date, medical facilities. However, Malaria is prevelant throughout South -East Asia, so it is best to always take precautions. AIDS is also present and should be allowed for.
Hepatitis A and B shots are a good precautionary measure, tetanus, typhoid and polio could also be checked with your doctor. When travelling, health and travel insurance is a must for divers and snorkellers. Scuba divers would be well advised to invest in a DAN diving accident insurance.
A Navy recompression chamber exists at Kuantan in Peninsula Malaysia and there are 2 in East malaysia, one of which is owned and operated by Borneo Divers.
BUSINESS HOURS
Being on the equator, the country enjoys more or less constant day lengths (6am 6pm) throughout the year. People wake up early in the morning. Business hours are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM in the private sector.
CLIMATE:
On the western side of Peninsula Malaysia the dry season is from November to March and the south-west monsoon season from April to October, when there is some rain and wind.
On the eastern side of Peninsula Malaysia the drier season is around April to October and the wetter season from November to March.
On the east coast of Sabah, Mabul, Sipidan and Kapalai can be dived all year round depending on local weather, like anywhere else. However, it is very well protected and does not attract cyclones and other extreme weather conditions, although it may rain heavily when influenced from typhoons from neighbouring countries, such as the Philippines and China.
On the west coast of Sabah the dry season is around January to May and wet season, June to September.
General weather is very good, with temperatures around 28*C ( 82*F).
DRESS
Dress is generally casual. T-shirts and cotton clothing are most suitable. It is recommended that women wear modest clothing without baring too much.
ELECTRICITY
240 volts. 50Hz as used in European countries. Electrical sockets are by way of three - square pin plugs.
LANGUAGE
Official language is Bahasa Malaysia but English is widely spoken and understood.
CURRENCY
The Malaysian currency is ringgit ( = 100 sen), though in local custom it may be referred to as Malaysian Dollar M$. Payments at the resorts can be made in most hard currencies in cash, travellers cheques or credit cards. The most commonly used credit cards are American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, JCB and Euro Card.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
All modern communications are on hand and mobile phones are extremely popular.
TRANSPORT
Entry and getting around can be by rail, express buses, tour buses, taxis, and across the water by high speed catamarans.