Semporna Islands — Pom Pom, Mataking & Tun Sakaran

Diving here is resort-based. Pom Pom Island Resort runs fast boats to 20 sites around Pom Pom, Timba Timba, Mataking and the Tun Sakaran Marine Park islands of Mantabuan and Bohey Dulang, each 15 to 25 minutes away, and Mataking Reef Resort lists about 30 sites around Mataking and its neighbouring islands. Night dives and courses run alongside the day boats. Some sites are dived down a buoy line: Cliffhanger's descends to 18-20 m and Pit Rock sits at the bottom of its line in about 20 m.

The reefs sit in the Coral Triangle, which counts more than 500 coral species. The shallows in front of the resorts hold many small creatures, and pygmy seahorses are seen regularly at one site. Deep, nearly vertical walls begin at 27-30 m at Pom Pom's northern tip, its eastern plateau and Lobster Wall, and one slope runs from a 5 m plateau to beyond 40 m. Depending on the tide, the current along the walls can be strong, giving drift dives past sea fans and pelagic fish; all three Timba Timba sites are drift dives. A purpose-sunk artificial reef in about 22 m holds lionfish, scorpionfish, jacks and morays.

The cluster suits divers who want turtles, macro and a choice of easy buoy-line reefs and harder drifts from one resort base. Cliffhanger and Turtle Playground suit divers of every level. Northern Valley is for experienced divers, with the richest life past 25 m in strong currents, and Pygmy Point can be a challenging 30 m dive in very strong current. Mabul & Kapalai, to the south, and Sipadan dive a separate pool of sites.

Tun Sakaran Marine Park, named after a former Head of State of Sabah, was gazetted in July 2004 as Sabah's seventh park; its islands are about 45 minutes by speedboat from Semporna's jetty. Water runs from 28 °C in January to 30 °C in June, and green turtles nest on the islands year-round, with the peak from May to September.