Malaysia consists of two parts separated by the South China Sea:

• Peninsular Malaysia (bordering Thailand) is the long strip of land, which extends down from Asia, it accounts for about 40% of the area.
• Malaysian Borneo (the northern one-third of the island made up of the states of Sabah and Sarawak) The rest of Borneo belongs Indonesia and Brunei)  Diving in Borneo is covered separately - click on the link to view.

Scuba diving in Peninsular Malaysia is mainly off the east coast in the South China sea with the Langkawi island chain (off the north west coast) being the exception, where there is a marine park in the clear waters north of Malacca Strait.

Scuba Diving Sites:

• The Redang archipelago - leatherback turtles used to be common along this shore, but serious environmental problems have desimated the population
• The Perhentian Islands
• The Island of Tioman (the setting for the 1950's movie, South Pacific) which is getting the reputation for technical diving due to some deep WW2 wreck sites.

• War graves HMS Repulse and Prince of Wales which were sunk by Japanese torpedo bombers within 72 hours of the attack on Pearl Harbour ending the British and United States' maritime supremacy in the western Pacific. The loss of life was substantial: some 840 men perished. The wreck site was designated as a 'Protected Place' in 2001 under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, just prior to the 60th anniversary of her sinking and divers are asked to respect the site and not penetrate the hulls.  These are technical dives.
• Terumbu Tiga (Three coral blocks) - a drift dive dominated by granite boulders. All the usual marine life can be found on this site but visibility can be as low as 5 metres depending on tidal conditions.
• Tiger Rock - considered to be one of the best dive sites in the area. The currents can be quite strong but tend to ease off as you descend. The currents bring with them larger pelagics and the reef fish can be seen sheltering in the crevices on the reef.

• Malaysia is a long way from the Uk so consider your travel plans very carefully. The journey can mean a scheduled airline flight from the UK, an internal flight (or over land trip once in the country) then a boat trip to your dive resort.
• A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age arriving within 6 days from yellow fever endemic areas.
• Malaria risk exists but the urban and coastal areas are free from malaria.