Kota Belud · Malaysia · Reef · Muck & macro
Fish Bowl
Schools of young fish sheltering in black coral trees
Fish Bowl takes its name from the millions of juvenile fish that shelter on this reef, about 15 minutes by boat from Big Fin Divers. Black coral trees hold schools of barracuda, sardines and young scat, and the sand around the reef is a critter dive in its own right.
Also known as Fishbowl.
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 reef runs from 5 to 25 m and is crowded with fish. Black coral grows thickly here; it is only black when dried, and underwater the colonies look like big pale white, green and yellow bushes. Schools of barracuda, sardines and juvenile scat shelter among these trees.
Time spent on the sand pays off. Seahorses, pygmy squid, saw-blade shrimp and whip coral shrimp live on and around the bottom, so the dive often ends slowly, searching the sand near the reef.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Barracuda
- Squid
- Macro critters
| 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
Schooling barracuda in a sandy channel, cuttlefish in the boulders
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
Named for the barracuda school that met its first divers
A small cave at 14 m in a terrain of stepped reef ridges
Walk-in slope of coral patches, rubble and sand, dived for macro
Sea-fan plateau at 30 m above rubble shallows with frogfish and mandarinfish