Kota Kinabalu & Tunku Abdul Rahman Park · Malaysia · Sand slope
Mari Mari Shore
Walk-in dive off the Mari Mari Resort beach, sand and mud to 18 m at high tide
Area photo: Mx. Granger · CC0
Mari Mari Shore is a shore-entry dive straight off the beach in front of the Mari Mari Resort on Sepanggar Island, 10 minutes from the Sepanggar mainland and 20 minutes from Kota Kinabalu. The bottom is a mix of sand and mud reaching a maximum of 18 m at high tide, so it is an easy, tide-dependent shallow dive over soft ground rather than a reef.
Where it is and how deep
6.0590° N, 116.0731° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is a shore dive, entered directly from the beach in front of the Mari Mari Resort on Sepanggar Island; there is no boat, so you kit up on land and walk in. Sepanggar is 20 minutes from the Kota Kinabalu mainland and the resort is 10 minutes from the Sepanggar mainland. Once in the water you descend over a bottom that is mixed sand and mud rather than coral.
The maximum depth is 18 m at high tide, so at other states of the tide the bottom is shallower and the profile you get depends on when you go in. With sand and mud underfoot, fin carefully and keep your buoyancy off the bottom or you will stir up the silt and lose what visibility there is. The dive ends the way it started, with a slow swim back towards the beach; on a shore profile like this the ascent is part of the return rather than a separate stage.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Kota Kinabalu & Tunku Abdul Rahman Park: Open all year with no closure; plankton and jellyfish spoil late January to mid-March, jellyfish are about October to May, and heavy rain cuts visibility.
Know before you go
- Depth changes with the tide: the 18 m maximum applies at high tide, so time the dive around the tide table.
- The bottom is sand and mud that silts up easily: stay off it and fin gently to keep the visibility you have.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Mari Mari Shore?+
The maximum is 18 m at high tide over a mixed sand and mud bottom; at lower tides it is shallower, so the depth you get depends on when you dive.
Is Mari Mari Shore a shore dive?+
Yes. You enter from the beach in front of the Mari Mari Resort on Sepanggar Island, 10 minutes from the Sepanggar mainland and 20 minutes from the Kota Kinabalu mainland, with no boat needed.
Sources
- Mari Mari Shore — Scubago
More dive sites in Kota Kinabalu & Tunku Abdul Rahman Park
Reef
A free descent in open water to a reef top at 24 m, sloping on to 35 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Hot water bubbling up through the sand at 5 to 15 m
Brain, maze and table coral from 3 m, easy enough to snorkel
Scattered boulders on sand, with overhangs holding the fish life
Hundreds of garden eels standing out of white sand at 20 m