Coral Reefs & Marine Life in
Sabah Waters

Beginning life some 450 to 500 million years ago, the Earth's coral reefs are now the largest ecosystem upon the planet. They sustain and support over 1 million species worldwide and one coral reef alone may harbour some 3000 species. The major Indo-Pacific ocean currents cross the seas that surround Sabah’s sandy shores making them amongst the most bio-diverse marine environments in the world.

Within a single dive around Pulau Layang-Layang divers may observe many of the 150 species of butterfly fish. Used by marine biologist as indicators of the reefs health, the greater the number and species diversity of the corals.

Pulau Layang-Layang’s pristine reefs not only plays landlord to countless butterfly fish but also other reef dwellers such as angelfish, snappers, wrasse, sweet lips, parrotfish as well as the larger pelagic; barracuda, manta, schools of hammerhead sharks, dolphins and whales.

Pulau Sipadan is famous for its vast numbers of Green and Hawksbill turtles which feed and breed within its waters before the females climb ashore to lay their eggs above the white sandy beaches. Diving on Sipadan’s coral reefs one can witness the incredible phenomenon of thousands of schooling chevron barracuda and big-eye trevally of “Jacks”. Floating inside such a tornado of fish is a truly breath-taking experience that’s very hard beat.

Sabah is also becoming a world famous location for ‘muck-diving’ – the term used by divers to describe the search for the rare and exotic small marine animals. Many rare and newly identified gobies can be found living in the corals, sand, mud and mangroves of Sabah along with the little understood and rarely seen mimic octopus, neon patterned blue-ringed octopus, delicate flamboyant cuttlefish, psychedelic mandarin fish and ghost pipefish.

Sabah’s dive guides are specifically trained to find such rarities and can show divers several of these oddities on a single dive. Many new islands and reefs are being explored around the coast of Sabah and with this exploration come the discovery of new dive sites and rarely seen marine creatures.

Around north Sabah and the more recently discovered Mantanani Resort rare sightings of dugongs have been recorded. With the yearly occurrence of whale sharks along the west coast during the months of December to February, Sabah really has some spectacular marine creatures to be discovered by the visiting divers.

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