Kota Belud · Malaysia · Reef · Drift
Ella's Garden
Schooling barracuda in a sandy channel, cuttlefish in the boulders
Ella's Garden is a reef dive off Kota Belud that moves through several settings in one dive: a sandy channel, a field of big boulders, a drift over table corals and sponges, and a shallow rocky finish where schools of fish gather to feed in the current.
Also known as Ella’s Garden.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Kota Belud and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The descent leads into a sandy channel, where schooling barracuda or hunting trevally are often the first fish seen. From there the route swims out to big boulder rocks that giant cuttlefish, octopus and bigfin reef squid use as a home.
Beyond the boulders the dive becomes a drift over huge flat table corals and round barrel sponges, with a chance of an eagle ray gliding past. It ends on a shallow rocky area where schools of fish gather to feed in the current, the busiest part of the dive. Depths run from 8 to 26 m.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Squid
- Eagle rays
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Kota Belud: Boats run all year when the weather allows; February to July is the best stretch, and from October to December rough seas can cancel trips.
Sources
- Diving Kota Belud & Mantanani Island (Wayback) — Bigfin Divers
More dive sites in Kota Belud
Reef
Schools of young fish sheltering in black coral trees
Pinnacle
Bamboo and cat sharks asleep in the crevices of a pinnacle
Reef
Leopard sharks and marble rays resting in the sand between giant boulders
Drift
A gentle drift north over table, brain and staghorn corals
Reef
Hairy frogfish hiding on the sand of a shallow shoal
Reef
Bobtail and pygmy squid on night dives around a tiny island
Reef
Pinkish purple soft coral with dorado and wahoo passing
Wreck
Giant groupers living under the scrap of three salvaged WW2 ships
Similar dives elsewhere
Frogfish and cuttlefish in the island's densest hard coral
Banded sea kraits crawling openly over a sunken plateau
A channel drift at 1 to 3 knots between two wrecks
A gentle drift over coral and sand to 18 m