Diving at Mataking Island
Diving at Mataking Island is one of the best dive experiences around Malaysia. While the dive sites here are pretty obscure and non-commercialized, it is truly one of the better dive sites in the entire Sabah. Well, when you put Sipadan Island aside, of course.
Wrecks, rich marine life, colourful coral landscapes, interesting wrecks, and the occasional large fish around here will complete any diver’s wishes and fancies.
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| The post office box on a wreck at Mataking Island. |
There is only one resort on the island: the Mataking Reef Resort, a luxurious resort catering to middle and high-end guests.
Alternatively, you can add more dives or even book a dive to Sipadan Island. One of the unique diving experiences here is that they have an underwater post box.
This means you can write a postcard at the office and have it sealed in an underwater envelope, and when you go diving, they will bring you to the underwater post box, and you can post your letter to anyone in the world. How cool is that?
This fantastic underwater experience lets you go to a maximum of five meters underwater under the supervision of a dive instructor.
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| Me diving at Mataking Island. |
Mataking Dive Sites
Usually, for first-timers, you will be brought to the common dive sites, which are pretty incredible. The Mataking Dive Sites are;
- House Reef – The most popular spot around the main jetty area of the island. The house reef is rich with corals and fishes, so this is one place worth diving. On occasion, you have the opportunity to see a large barracuda here.
- Bohayan – This site is located on one of the many nearby islands, and, as with all sites here, your boat will be the only one around.
- D’Wall – Five minutes by boat, and you will be near Mataking Kecil Island. This wall dive is quite interesting with macro life.
- Gavin’s Playground – A slightly different spot which is around 15 minutes boat ride and rich with fishes, macro and coral life. This is a boat dive site too.
- Garden of Eden – The name sounds interesting, and it is here that you can find lots of corals, macro and other fishes. The landscape is pretty, with mild currents at a 25-meter depth.
- Underwater Post Office – This is a wreck dive with a maximum depth of 27 meters. But the post box is about 20 meters from a cargo shipwreck, which was sunk for conservation purposes in 2006.
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| Scuba diving at Mataking Island. |
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| Posting my postcard at the Mataking Island underwater postbox. |
Best Time To Dive At Mataking Island
December and January is the rainy season here, but you can still dive. You need to double check with the resort about this. For the peak season, it will be August.
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| A turtle is seen during my dive at Mataking Island. |
What Fish To See At Mataking Island?
You will be in for a treat if you are an advanced diver, as chances are you may be able to spot grey reef sharks, manta rays, eagle rays, hammerheads, and the occasional whale shark in the north point cleaning station area.
However, the rare fish are only around sometimes and are purely based on luck. Whale shark season here is from April to June, depending on luck.
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| The wreck at Mataking Island is 20 to 27 meters deep. |
Where is Mataking Island?
The island comprises Mataking Besar (Big Island) and Mataking Kecil (Small Island), connected by a beautiful sandbank that shows itself during the low tide.
Packages are all-in, meaning you pay one price for a full board package at Mataking Island. You can book your Mataking Dive Package from the resort operator.
I have also done a Mataking Island review for those who want to see more photos of the island and resort.
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| Diving at Mataking Island. |
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| The Mataking Wreck is seen from above. |
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| My Suunto Dive Computer shows 16 meters in depth and the wreck at the bottom. |
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| Remains of another wreck at one of the dive sites in Mataking Island. |
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| Back of the main wreck at Mataking Island (Apologies for the lens cover as it was in the way). |
For divers or diving couples out there, Mataking Island is one of the best dive spots in Sabah and from the photos taken by me, you can see how amazing it is.
There are no crowds of divers here, allowing the marine life to be as natural as possible. This is a beautiful, peaceful, fantastic place to have a holiday and dive.
I have also been diving at various locations worldwide, including scuba diving in the Red Sea of Jordan, Anilao in the Philippines and Koh Lipe in Southwest Thailand.
My recent adventures to the east of Indonesia, where I did some diving at Komodo Island and another major follow-up trip to Alor Island and Raja Ampat.
And if you plan to visit Sarawak, here is a list of dive sites in Sarawak to check out. Many are surprised you can do scuba diving in Sarawak; I have done it, and so can you.
Around Malaysia, there are numerous exciting dive locations, and I have visited most of these places throughout the last 10 years.
You can find more information in my article about scuba diving in Malaysia if you plan to explore the many islands here.
Scuba diving at Mataking Island will be one of those experiences you will remember for a long time to bring an underwater camera as it will be very worth it.
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