Diving

DIVING

Malaysia is one of the top five diving sites in the world having some of the highest concentration of corals with some 500 to 600 species of varied marine life in its warm waters. Malaysia is one of the cheapest dive destinations in the world.

In year 2001 alone, more than 120,000 certified divers visited Malaysia's various dive sites. Divers keep coming back for more, as they marvel at the sights of hammerhead sharks, eagle rays, white tip sharks, sea horses, barracudas, leatherback turtles along with a variety of centuries old corals. Whale sharks, the world biggest fish have also been spotted along the waters of Redang and Perhentian Islands during their migration for breeding from the Northern to Southern Hemispheres. But whales are almost never seen here, as the seas are not deep enough.

The south China Sea and the Straits of Malacca, which are part of the Andaman Sea, are only 50 to 60 metres deep with some parts being up to 100m in depth.

Popular Dive Sites In the West and East coasts of Malaysia are: Pulau Payar, Pulau Gaya, Pulau Jarak, Pulau Tenggol, Pulau Redang, Pulau Perhentian, Pulau Tioman, Pulau Aur and Pulau Dayang.

Besides the marine life, shipwrecks are also popular, especially the South China Sea where the British battle cruisers, Prince of Wales and Repulse, and B5 bombers sunk during the Second World War, are to be found. Then there are also the Japanese anti-aircraft vessels lying deep in the waters off Tioman Island. The waters off Mersing have 17^th and 18^th Century trade vessels belonging to the Dutch, Chinese and also the then British India Company. There are also some interesting wreck sites off Labuan Island as well.

Wreak Diving

In Sabah, the islands off the coast of Sabah, Mabul and Sipidan, are world premier dive sites. Other sites include Pulau Layang Layang and Pulau Tiga.

Sipadan � With a drop of 1,000 metres it is excellent for wall diving with stunning hanging coral gardens where one can have a firsthand experience of the marine life there � �you would actually see huge sharks coming in from the deep�. In Sipadan, a 5 day 6 night diving expedition can cost from RM2,600 for the flight, accommodation, food and dive expenses, but the experience will be well worth it. In Sarawak there are interesting dive sites off Miri.

Timing

For diving on the East coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the best months to go scuba diving are between April and October, when these area are not affected by the monsoons. Apart form this, other dive sites are open all year round.

Conservation

Self policing is important, as in a span of a few seconds, a careless diver can kill a few corals by carelessly stepping on them or even touching them. Corals take a thousand years to grow because annually, they only grow between 1.1 to 1.2 mm.

Safety

In scuba diving, two heads are better than one, and therefore it is extremely important to practice the buddy system of going into the water with a friend. This also means look out for your friend and checking his or her equipment. It�s extremely dangerous for a scuba diver to get carried away and do things on his own, overstaying in the water, or going solo into caves.