Beginner Malaysia
Mabul
Sipadan's counterpoint: sand bottoms beneath the platforms, and top-tier macro
Almost everyone arrives in Mabul to dive somewhere else. It's the base island from which Sipadan is reached, which is why its own diving (sand bottoms, submerged platforms, and a notably high density of rare fauna) gets discovered almost by accident.
In this guide you'll find out what Mabul's own diving offers, why the artificial structures beneath the platforms concentrate so much fauna, when to go, what you'll see, and what level you need.
It's the natural complement to Sipadan and one of the best macro destinations in Southeast Asia in its own right, even though it's best known as a waiting room.
Geography and access
Mabul is a small island surrounded by a shallow reef and extensive sand bottoms, off the east coast of Malaysian Borneo, very close to Sipadan.
Unlike its neighbor, there's no vertical wall here: the platform is broad and shallow, with sand bottoms, coral rubble, and coral patches.
That kind of bottom, the kind other destinations would consider poor, is exactly the habitat for macro: cephalopods, frogfish, seahorses, ghost pipefish, and a long list of cryptic fauna.
Around the island there are structures on stilts and submerged frameworks that function as an artificial reef on an otherwise featureless bottom, and they're among the best sites in the area.
Access is the same as for Sipadan: an international flight to Kuala Lumpur, a domestic flight to the east coast of Borneo, then a transfer by road and boat.
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