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There are many excellent diving sites in Malaysia attracting divers from all over the world. There are wreck diving, wall diving, coral gardens and underwater caves to explore.
Diving on the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia is interesting and rich. The main dive islands on the east coast include Tioman, Perhentian and Redang. On Tioman Island, Magicienne Rock is one of the best sites, full of surprises ranging from sightings of black tip reef sharks, whale sharks and mantas to giant groupers. Redang's major attraction is it's population of leatherback turtles. Both Perhentian and Redang are also haven for snorkelers. Other diving sites worth mentioning are smaller islands like Lang Tengah, Tenggol, and Bidong. Beside the beautiful underwater scenery, there are also wrecks to discover. There are several old merchant wrecks, Vietnamese boat people wrecks off Bidong Island and also some allergedly vessels which carried sunken treasures.
The west coast of Peninsular Malaysia is lesser known for diving. There is about 1,000 km of coastline from the border with Thailand to southern Johor and Singapore, dotted with many small islands with abundance of marine life. The only island which is easy accessible for diving is Pulau Payar, just south of Langkawi.
The waters at Bornean Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) have many small islands just waiting to be enjoyed underwater. The best known is probably Sipadan Island, where you can take your pick from the easiest of diving and snorkeling in shallow water above coral, to diving as deep as safety allows down the walls, or penetrating the renowned Turtel Cave. Turtles are the star attraction of diving in Sipadan. Layang-Layang and Lankayan are the latest hot destinations that offer frontier diving. Lankayan has seasonal whale shark sightings and Layang-Layang offers some fabulous encounter with pelagics. Labuan adjacent to Sabah is famed throughout Asia for its wreck diving. Mabul and Kapalai are world renowned destinations for muck diving.
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