Pristine diving spots in Sarawak
When it comes to scuba diving in Sarawak, the cities of Kuching and Miri are home to impressive diving sites, which includes beautiful coral reefs, stunning marine life and ominous wrecks.
Kuching
The most popular diving sites in Kuching are located off the Santubong peninsular, with WW2-era shipwrecks being the some of the most explored sites, as they are also home to a wide variety of pelagic fish species.
Katori Maru
Torpedoed by the Dutch in 1941, this former passenger and cargo vessel can be found in relatively shallow waters at the depth of 21 metres, and is a multi-level dive with schools of jacks, barracudas, snappers, groupers, chromis and even spiny lobsters and batfish.
Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
Hiyoshi Maru
Also torpedoed on the same day as the Katori Maru, the Hiyoshi Maru was a slightly smaller cargo vessel with an average depth of 22 metres. Under good conditions, the wreck can be seen from the surface, and is home to marine life with yellowtail snapper, rabbitfish, stingray and nurse sharks.
Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
Sagiri
The third shipwreck in Santubong, located 6 nautical miles away from the other two, is a Japanese WW2 destroyer called the Sagiri. Due to its depth at 26 metres, the wreck is mostly intact and relatively untouched by looters, as it is less accessible compared to the other two Marus. You can even spot the guns and ammunition on the ship!
Level: Advanced Open Water
Satang Islands
Comprising 4 islands, most dives are done around Satang Besar, where two thirds of the island’s edge is fringed by coral reefs, resulting in a rich variety of corals and marine life, including blue-ringed anglefish, mangrove jack, parrotfish and pufferfish.
Level: Open Water Diver
Dive centres/Diving tours in Kuching
Premier Marine & Scuba Centre
https://www.divekuching.my/
Kuching Scuba Centre
https://kuchingscubacentre.com/
Paradesa Borneo
https://paradesaborneo.com/tour/shipwreck-dive-kuching/
Smart Leisure & Travel
https://www.smartleisuretravels.com/post/shipwreck-diving-at-kuching/
Miri
With more than 30 dive sites, Miri is one of the earliest designated diving destinations in Malaysia and arguably the most popular! Most of these dive sites are located in the Miri-Sibuti Coral Reef National Park with depths ranging from 7 to 50 metres and visibility averaging between 10 to 30 metres.
Kenyalang Wrecks
Formerly a decommissioned oil rig called Baram 8, the wreck is an artificial reef which lies on a sandy bottom with maximum depth of 23 metres. Home to giant groupers, the wreck is teeming with marine life like moray eel, barracuda, blue-spotted stingrays and banded sea snakes.
Level: Advanced Diver
Eve’s Garden
Located 30 minutes away from Miri’s shores, Eve’s Garden is the nearest accessible reef for divers, with shallow reefs ranging from 5 to 9 metres. Besides both hard and soft corals like brain coral and table coral, divers can also encounter wildlife like octopus, sand eel, clownfish, parrotfish and occasionally turtles!
Level: Beginner
Dive centres/Diving tours in Miri
Borneo Travel Network
https://www.borneotravelnetwork.com/tour-packages.php?activity-name=scuba+diving
Miri Divers
https://www.facebook.com/MiriDivers
Co.Co.Dive
https://www.facebook.com/miri.cocodive/
In the mood for a dive? Don’t miss out on these beautiful diving destinations in Sarawak!