Sibuan and Mantabuan

A day out starts from the mainland jetty or your island resort. Boats typically head out in the morning between 08:00 and 08:30. The journey takes about 35 minutes depending on the engine and the sea state. The boats carry around 10 to 15 passengers. You complete your dives or snorkel sessions before stopping for lunch. The boats return to the mainland by mid-afternoon.

Water entry is straightforward. You either roll backward off the speedboat or wade in from the shallows if the tide allows. The guide leads you along the gentle slopes at Sibuan or along the deeper drop-offs at Mantabuan. The relatively shallow profiles give you time to explore. Snorkellers float above the exact same sites. The boat stays close to pick everyone up when they surface. Lunch is a packed box eaten on the boat or on the sand. You must pack all waste back onto the boat.

Be sure to pack a reusable water bottle and a dry bag. Sabah Parks enforces a strict ban on single-use plastics across the marine park. Your guide checks for compliance before you leave the jetty. You must also pay a marine park conservation fee before entering the boundary.

Sibuan is the place to hunt for macro life. The sandy slopes and submerged logs provide habitats for painted frogfish (Antennarius pictus) and ribbon eels. Ornate ghost pipefish are often found among the feather stars. You have a very high chance of seeing a green turtle (Chelonia mydas) resting in the shallows. The rubble at Mandarin Point is known for mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus) sightings at dusk.

Mantabuan offers a different mix. Star Point gives snorkellers colourful hard corals directly below the surface. Divers heading deeper into the Black Coral Garden find rare deep-water black coral trees and giant sponges. Blue-spotted ribbontail rays and cuttlefish are often seen at Stingray Alley. You might see passing eagle rays or manta rays on the deeper edges where the current picks up.

The reefs here are recovering strongly from historic blast fishing. Sabah Parks uses a Decimus acoustic monitoring system to detect bottle-bomb explosions and protect the remaining corals. The coral-frame restoration at Mantabuan is easy to see from the surface. Conservation teams have deployed 95 metal coral frames planted with Acropora and Pocillopora fragments between 4 m and 10 m deep. These structures attract high numbers of juvenile reef fish.

Sibuan provides exceptional conditions for super-macro photography. The artificial structures and submerged logs give you static subjects that are easy to frame. The shallow sandbars offer excellent natural light for over-under split shots.

Mantabuan asks for wide-angle lenses over the shallow coral gardens at Star Point. You need strobes to bring out the colours at depth if you head down into the Black Coral Garden.

Note that drones are strictly prohibited over Sibuan. Equipment is confiscated if the rule is broken.

You reach Sibuan and Mantabuan easily from Semporna. The town operators run daily shared speedboats. You can often arrange a day trip to the marine park if you stay at the premium resorts on Mabul or Mataking islands. The journey from the outer islands takes a little longer but the resort boats are comfortable.

If you want to add these islands to your itinerary just let the team know. Send your dates and the names of everyone coming and state whether your group wants to dive or snorkel. The team comes back with a schedule that fits your plans.