Coral Triangle · Malaysia
Mantanani Islands
Shallow turtle reefs with visibility often reaching 15 to 40 m
Photo: Aliyahakriah · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Mantanani Islands are three islands, Mantanani Besar, Mantanani Kecil and Lungisan, in the open South China Sea about 40 km off Sabah's north-west coast. Hard coral gardens, sandy slopes, fringing reefs and steep drop-offs ring them, and most of the diving is shallow and easy. Green turtles and blacktip reef sharks cruise the shallows at sites such as Lighthouse and Sand Bar, and visibility often reaches 15 to 40 m. Day boats from Kota Belud and a dive centre on the island work the reefs.
About diving in Mantanani Islands
Day-trip divers come on a full-day boat from the Kota Belud coast. The crossing takes about 70 minutes each way, and the day fits three dives with lunch on the boat or the beach before the boat heads back for a 5 pm return. Because the islands sit in the open South China Sea, the boats go only when the sea is calm, and stormy weather can cut the islands off altogether. Divers staying on the island dive from a resort centre that offers 16 sites, and in bad weather the last boat transfer out to the island can be cancelled.
Coral reefs fringe the islands, bright against white sand, and the dive sites mix hard coral gardens, sandy slopes and steep drop-offs. Large resident Jenkins and marble rays live here, green turtles and blacktip reef sharks patrol the shallows, and the reefs are rich in macro life, with many nudibranchs, frogfish and even mimic octopus.
Shallow depths and easy sites make the islands a good fit for newer divers, though currents and waves keep the artificial reef at Tukun to advanced divers. Experienced divers still find reason to come: the visibility, the rays and reef sharks in the shallows, and a night dive for nocturnal species. Snorkellers can join the same full-day boats, and the islands see little in the way of crowds.
Best time to dive Mantanani Islands
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Boats run all year when the sea allows, but the islands lie in open water and day trips cross only on calm days. February to July is the best season and the usual time to go. The water is coolest around late January and warmest around late May. August and September stay diveable. October to December is the typhoon season of the Pacific, when rough weather at sea makes cancellations most likely.
Dive types & marine life
Green turtles and blacktip reef sharks are often seen in the shallows, and Jenkins and marble rays are resident. Dolphins, bumphead parrotfish and eagle rays turn up only now and then. Dugongs are said to have grazed the seagrass on the shallow reefs in the past.
- Reef
- Coral garden
- Muck & macro
- Night
- Sea turtles
- Reef sharks
- Eagle rays
- Stingrays
- Nudibranchs
- Frogfish
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
Best dive sites in Mantanani Islands
- 1
Lighthouse
Easy shallow reef where green and hawksbill turtles rest and graze the hard coral.
- 2
Sand Bar
Shallow sloping reef with giant coral bommies, where blacktip reef sharks and eagle rays cruise.
- 3
Great Wall
A rocky channel and overhang through a reef split in two, with gas bubbling from the seabed.
- 4
Tukun
Artificial reef blocks 2 to 3 m high at 19 m, now grown over with coral.
- 5
Alternative Reef
Staghorn and cabbage coral gardens, with large resident stingrays on the sand beyond.
- 6
Bukutan
Calm, easy site for beginners and first-timers, with visibility up to 14 m.
Site guides
Artificial reef
Village-laid cement blocks turned into a coral reef patrolled by jacks
How to get to Mantanani Islands
Kota Kinabalu International Airport sits 8 km south-west of the city centre. From Kota Kinabalu it is about a two-hour drive to the Kota Belud jetties at Kuala Abai or Rampayan, then 45 minutes to an hour by speedboat. Kota Belud day trips pick divers up at Kampung Mengkabar.
Dive videos
Scuba Diving in Mantanani by Borneo Dream & Camp Borneo 2013 · William Hammond on YouTube
Mantanani Island Underwater World · Mohd Sorian on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Do divers need an advanced certification for the Mantanani Islands?+
No. The reefs are shallow and easy, and sites such as Bukutan suit first-timers. An advanced card matters mainly for the night dive.
Is Mantanani better as a day trip or an overnight stay?+
Both work. Full-day boats from Kota Belud fit three dives and lunch, while staying on the island puts a resort dive centre's 16 sites and a night dive within reach.
What happens if the weather turns during a Mantanani trip?+
Day boats do not cross in rough seas, so a booked day trip can be called off. For island stays, the last boat transfer out to the island can be cancelled for safety in bad weather.
Sources
- Diving Kota Belud & Mantanani Island — Bigfin Divers
- Dive Site - Mantanani Island, Sabah — SeaTango
- Jom go diving paradise — New Straits Times
- Mantanani Islands — Wikipedia
- Kota Kinabalu Average Sea Temperatures — seatemperature.org
- Kota Kinabalu International Airport — Wikipedia
- Kota Belud Water Temperature and Wetsuit Guide — Surf-Forecast
Photo credits
- A small white motorboat moored in clear turquoise shallows over pale coral heads, with a shoal of tiny silver fish below by Aliyahakriah, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Embed
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