Mabul Diving
Muck diving, critter diving and macro photography
The island itself has white sandy beaches and a colorful Philippino fisherman village.
Both Sipadan and Kapalai are very close by and can be accessed as a day trip.
The reefs around Mabul have a reputation for their great bio-diversity. One of the best dive sites is Lobster Wall.
Day time activities include relaxing, snorkeling, fishing or exploring the local fishing village.
Mabul is the home to the most amazing sea creatures:
- Hawksbill turtles and greenback turtles
- Nudibranchs
- Crocodilefish
- Frog fishes
- Mandarin fishes
- Mantis shrimps
- Blue-ringed octopus
- Lobsters
- Etc.
You can dive in Mabul year-round.
Recommended Length of stay
5 to 14 days (including Sipadan nearby islands).
Mabul island dive site map
Contact us to Book your Diving in Mabul
Sipadan Permits
Divers: Book Sipadan Island Permits in advance!
More about Mabul Diving
Mabul is where muck diving grew up. Divers and macro photographers cross the planet for this small, white-sand island's incredible array of underwater species — frogfish in every colourway, pygmy seahorses, blue-ring octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, mandarinfish at dusk, and a nudibranch catalogue that never repeats itself. The island sits on the nutrient-rich continental shelf, and that's the trade that defines it: modest visibility, extraordinary density. Fifteen minutes away, Sipadan does the big blue drama; Mabul does the small strange miracles, and serious divers want both.
Book your diving in Mabul here (special online discounts)
The site list wraps the island: Crocodile Avenue for the benchmark macro, Paradise for the mandarinfish evenings, Eel Garden for frogfish and garden eels, the House Reef for unlimited-dive value, the Seaventures platform for the artificial-reef spectacle, Lobster Wall when you want a real wall, and Ray Point for the gentle ray-strewn slopes. Most operators run three boat dives a day plus night dives.
Above water, Mabul is a living Bajau island — village life, stilt houses, resorts from backpacker longhouse to overwater luxury — and the standard base for Sipadan permit days. Contact us and we'll match the accommodation and the dive plan to how you like your diving.