Kota Belud · Malaysia · Reef · Muck & macro
Mayne Rock
Leopard sharks and marble rays resting in the sand between giant boulders
Mayne Rock is a submerged reef of giant boulders off the Kota Belud coast and one of the most popular sites in the area. Its rock formations give a varied topography, with sand between the boulders, schooling fish over the top and a long list of small critters on the rock faces.
Also known as Maine Rock, Main Rock, Mayne Rocks.
Where it is and how deep
6.4418° N, 116.2744° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive runs among huge rock formations between 7 and 30 m. The giant boulders are covered in pink soft coral, brightly coloured feather stars and tube worms, and the gaps between them open onto sandy patches where leopard sharks and marble rays often lie on the bottom.
Fusiliers, snapper and sardines swarm over the rocky contours, and larger jacks and mackerel dart in to pick them off. Closer in, the rocks hold ghost pipefish, scorpionfish, frogfish, juvenile reef fish, spider crabs, cowries, nudibranchs and tiny shrimps for anyone who slows down to search.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
- Reef fish swarms
- Trevally & jacks
- Frogfish
- Nudibranchs
- 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.
Know before you go
- Strong currents, surge and a choppy surface can build over the submerged reefs off Kota Belud.
Dive videos
Mayne Rock · Bigfin Divers Borneo on YouTube
Sources
- Diving Kota Belud & Mantanani Island (Wayback) — Bigfin Divers
- Maine Rock dive site — Scubago
More dive sites in Kota Belud
Reef
Schooling barracuda in a sandy channel, cuttlefish in the boulders
Reef
Schools of young fish sheltering in black coral trees
Pinnacle
Bamboo and cat sharks asleep in the crevices of a pinnacle
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
Sea-fan plateau at 30 m above rubble shallows with frogfish and mandarinfish
A small cave at 14 m in a terrain of stepped reef ridges
Named for the barracuda school that met its first divers
Walk-in slope of coral patches, rubble and sand, dived for macro