Lobster Wall

Mabul is celebrated globally as a macro diving epicentre. Its shallow slopes feel very different from Sipadan's walls. diving in Sipadan offers plunging walls while most Mabul sites feature shallow sandy slopes. Lobster Wall breaks that rule. It is a genuine vertical drop-off positioned on the island's western reef submerged near the Seaventures Rig. The wall plunges vertically from around 25 metres down to 80 metres. The rock face features deep cracks, caverns and overhangs. These structures are heavily decorated with large sea fans and high concentrations of soft corals. Because it is a drop-off on the outer edge of the reef you get a different water flow. You are more likely to drift with the current here. That moving water brings clearer conditions. The visibility here is often clearer than the eastern muck sites and it can occasionally reach up to 20 metres.

You usually dive this site as a drift. The boat drops you near the top edge and you descend alongside the vertical face. The guides check the current direction before you jump in. You follow the water movement along the wall. The boat follows your bubbles and picks you up when you surface. Agree your gas reserve and ascent point with your guide before you descend. It is very easy to slip past your No Decompression Limits while you are fixated on inspecting a deep crevice. You need to monitor your depth gauge closely. Most divemasters will keep the group slowly ascending along the wall profile as the dive progresses. You finish on the shallower reef edge for your safety stop.

The marine life here mixes reef creatures with the chance of pelagic drift. The crevices dominate the dive. You look into the cracks for large moray eels and stonefish. Look among the corals for ghost pipefish (Solenostomus spp.). Look deep into the dark nooks for the lobsters that give the site its name. Look closely at the ledges because green turtles (Chelonia mydas) frequently rest there. Search the sea fans growing off the wall for pygmy seahorses (Hippocampus bargibanti). Make sure you turn away from the wall sometimes. Out in the blue water you have the chance to see pelagic visitors. Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), devil rays and manta rays have all been documented passing this drop-off. You can also spot nudibranchs crawling along the rock face. Look out for frogfish (Antennarius spp.) sheltering from the current. The cooler water from the deep sometimes brings up unexpected marine life.

Mabul is a definitive super-macro destination but this specific site offers something different. This is one of the few sites where wide-angle lenses are highly effective. You can capture the large sea fans and the green turtles against the deep blue drop-off. If you want to shoot the classic wall silhouette you need to get slightly below your subject and shoot upwards towards the surface light. Macro shooters can look for nudibranchs along the wall. The current makes macro photography slightly more challenging than on a flat sandy bottom. You have to lock in your buoyancy carefully to avoid damaging the corals while framing a shot. The lack of heavy silt makes lighting easier than on the eastern muck sites.

The depth profile means this site is best suited for Advanced Open Water divers. The wall starts deep and goes deeper. Capable Open Water divers can dive here but they must skirt the top edge to stay within their depth limits. You need good buoyancy control to manage the drop-off and the drift currents. The current can pick up quickly so you must be comfortable drifting in blue water. If you want to practise your deep diving skills before heading to Sipadan this is an excellent place to do it. Your dive guide will assess the conditions and your air consumption before taking you down the vertical face. Be sure to watch your computer on this dive.

You can dive Mabul all year round. The best visibility runs from March to October. The diving is still good from mid-February to mid-November. The period from mid-November to mid-February brings a mix of cloud, rain and sun. The visibility at this specific site relies on the tides. A slack tide or a gentle incoming tide brings the clearest blue water onto the reef. The deeper profile means the sunlight penetrates well into the morning and early afternoon.

Every resort on the island runs boats to the western reef. You can reach the site easily if you stay at Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort, Mabul Water Bungalows or Sipadan-Mabul Resort. The boat ride takes just a few minutes from the eastern jetties. You can include it in a macro and muck itinerary alongside the shallower dive sites. Ask your dive guide to schedule a drop here if you want a break from hunting for critters of Semporna. Read the travel information page to understand the logistics of reaching the islands from Tawau. The speedboat transit from Semporna takes around 45 minutes.

• Paradise 1 and 2
• Froggy Lair
• Mabul house reefs
• Sipadan
• Mabul

Send your dates, the names of everyone coming and your current certification levels. The team looks at the resort availability and comes back to you with the options. The team helps you put together a schedule that takes in the best walls and muck sites.