Kota Belud · Malaysia · Drift · Coral garden
North Hill
A gentle drift north over table, brain and staghorn corals
North Hill is a relaxed drift over the healthiest coral cover on the Kota Belud reefs. The current carries divers north across a mixed landscape of coral bommies, table and brain corals, staghorn, whip corals and barrel sponges, with patches of pink soft coral between them.
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
Divers drop in and let the current take them north between 7 and 25 m. The reef below them changes as they go: coral bommies, flat table corals, brain corals, staghorn thickets, whip corals and cabbage corals, broken up by barrel sponges and patches of pink soft coral.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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
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
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
Steep wall to 30 metres, the strait's moderate-current option
Bali's other mola mola plateau, deeper and rougher than Crystal Bay
A channel drift at 1 to 3 knots between two wrecks
Three current-cut canyons and an old Spanish anchor at 30 m