Pulau Mabul
Pulau Mabul is a small oval-shaped island covered by white sandy beaches and perched on the edge of a 2 square km reef. It is located off the south-eastern coast of Sabah, Malaysia. Mabul lies in the Celebes Sea 30 km from the small fishing town of Semporna and being in such close proximity to Pulau Sipadan makes it a destination for many divers wanting to dive Sipadan. Pulau Mabul is famous for its muck diving a term used to describe diving in shallow waters with limited visibility with an abundance of tiny macro sea creatures.

Mabul is arguably one of the richest single destinations for exotic small marine life anywhere in the world. Flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, mimic octopus and bobtail squids are just a few of the numerous types of cephalopods to be found on Mabul's reef. The sight of harlequin shrimp feeding on sea stars and boxer crabs waving their tiny anemone pompoms are just a small example of the endless species of crustaceans.

Many types of gobies can be found including the spike-fin goby, black sail-fin goby and metallic shrimp goby. Frogfish are everywhere - giant, painted and clown frogfish are regularly seen along with  almost the  entire scorpion fish family. It would be quicker to list the species not found at Mabul - crazy critters are in abundance at this magical macro site!

Those not yet ready to take the plunge into the depths; Mabul offers many other activities depending on which resort you stay such as snorkelling, mountain biking, sea-kayaking and beach volleyball.

Depth: 5-20m

Currents: gentle

Experience: Beginner-Advanced

Visibility: 5-15m
 
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