Reefwander
Reefwander
Full calendar

Destinations at their peak each month

  1. Jan167
  2. Feb183
  3. Mar192
  4. Apr216
  5. May186
  6. Jun272
  7. Jul307
  8. Aug313
  9. Sep296
  10. Oct180
  11. Nov119
  12. Dec145

Americas

Europe, Africa & Middle East

Indo-Pacific

A green sea turtle rests on pale sand beside coral heads, with a remora lying along its shell — Semporna Islands

Semporna Islands · Malaysia · Wreck · Artificial reef

Postbox Wreck

Malaysia's first underwater post box, on a sunken cargo ship's wheel

Area photo: Profmauri · CC BY-SA 3.0

The Postbox Wreck off Pulau Mataking carries Malaysia's first underwater post box, mounted at the front of the wheel of a 12-metre cargo ship (40 feet) named Mataking 1. The ship was sunk on purpose as an artificial reef and sits in about 22 m of water, where lionfish, scorpionfish, jacks and moray eels live.

Also known as Mataking Post Wreck.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Postbox Wreck: typical dive to 22 m (to 72 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit22 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

4.5801° N, 118.9465° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The wreck lies off Mataking Island (Pulau Mataking), about 39 km from Semporna town, and sits in around 22 m of water. The vessel is Mataking 1, a cargo ship 12 metres (40 feet) long that was purposefully sunk to form an artificial reef. Malaysia's first underwater post box is mounted at the front of the ship's wheel.

Around the wreck, divers have found lionfish, scorpionfish, jackfish and moray eels, and shrimps have been sighted on it as well. The Postbox Wreck is one of the 20 sites that Pom Pom Island Resort's fast boats reach in about 15 to 25 minutes, and it is listed among the Mataking sites alongside Deep Wall and Sweetlips Rock.

The wreck

Vessel
Mataking 1
Type
Cargo ship
Length
12 m (39 ft)
Cause
Purposefully sunk as an artificial reef
Lies
On the seabed in about 22 m of water off Mataking Island

Marine life and season

  • Trevally & jacks
Month-by-month season rating for Postbox Wreck
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodFairFairFair

Season follows Semporna Islands: Water stays at 28-30 °C all year and no month stands out for diving; green turtle nesting peaks from May to September.

Questions divers ask

How deep is the Postbox Wreck at Mataking?+

The cargo ship Mataking 1 sits in about 22 m of water off Mataking Island, about 39 km from Semporna town.

What is the underwater post box at Mataking?+

It is Malaysia's first underwater post box, mounted at the front of the wheel of the sunken 12-metre (40-foot) cargo ship Mataking 1.

Sources

  1. Dive Sites – Pom Pom Island Resort — Pom Pom Island Resort
  2. Mataking Post Wreck — Scubago

More dive sites in Semporna Islands

Reef

Magic Rocks

Sea-fan plateau at 30 m above rubble shallows with frogfish and mandarinfish

to 30 mintermediate

Reef

Pit Rock

Leaf scorpionfish and peacock mantis shrimps packed onto one rock at 20 m

to 20 mbeginner

Similar dives elsewhere

Wreck

Salvage Point

Kota Belud · Malaysia

Giant groupers living under the scrap of three salvaged WW2 ships

26–40 madvanced

Wreck

Alma Jane Wreck

Puerto Galera · Philippines

A cargo hull upright at 30 m, lit through its own skylights

to 30 madvanced

Wreck

Boga Wreck

Tulamben · Indonesia

An upright Dutch-built freighter scuttled off Kubu

15–40 madvanced

Wreck

Costandis

Limassol & the Three Stars Wreck · Cyprus

A huge resident grouper called George escorts divers around the trawler

to 23 madvanced