The deepest drop off when diving Mabul, this vertical shelf descends down to an impressive 80 meters. Over-hangings dripping with orange and yellow soft coral. Plenty of nooks and crannies to search for the macro life of Mabul, hiding in the dark rocky crevices. An astonishing array of colorful nudibranchs cling to the wall.

Descend deeper and follow cascading fish down the wall to encounter a stunning secret cave wall with flourishing soft corals and sea fans. Down at 25 meters, the famous tiny pygmy seahorse of Mabul can be spotted in the pink sea fans. Remember, keep an eye in the blue for large pelagic that could swim up from the depths and surprise you.

So called for the field of garden eels wriggling and waving on the flat sandy bottom. A gentle sloping reef where you are guaranteed to see several giant green sea turtles sleeping. Hunt in the sloping sandy patches on the reef for stick pipefish, flying gurnard and strange sea moths!

As you drift further down the reef, spotted sting rays hide under rocks and Kuhl’s rays bury under the sand. Large banded sea kraits dive down in search of food, and green and hawksbill sea turtles swim up for a breath of air and schools of shimmering bat fish follow their trail. Search on the white sandy bottom for camouflaged flat headed crocodile fish. Look for the three ribbon eel color variants. They shift from black to yellow and blue as they mature. A great easy site for all divers to enjoy.

In Mabul, many huge underwater structures have been built on the sandy bottom, and marine life is thriving around them. The artificial frames are now barely recognizable, covered with multi coloured sponges, feather stars and soft corals. Frogfish love to perch, dangling their lure to attract a meal, whilst delicate ornate ghost pipefish drift between the feather stars. Be sure to peep inside the structures where gigantic groupers lurk. If you notice a dark cloud in the distance, swim toward it. This is likely the huge school of resident jack fish. 

​Above water, Sea ventures is a repurposed oil rig turned hotel. Below the surface, an underwater junkyard that has become another spectacular artificial reef. No, it is not exactly pretty (think toilet bowls with giant moral eels coiling inside), but it is an awesome and highly interesting dive! Not only does it have an array of great macro life, it is also a very fishy dive, with plenty of schooling snapper and a big school of resident bat fish to entertain you on your safety stop. A favorite among dive crew, this is a site to remember!

Macro mania! This is the most famous spot to site macro in Mabul, and will surely turn ever the most skeptical into a muck dive enthusiast! Primarily a sandy bottom dive with sporadic buoys, tires and tree roots for reference, you can find all manor of crazy critters here. Blue ringed octopus, pygmy pipe horse, Ambon scorpionfish and the fabulous flamboyant cuttlefish! And if you really can’t get into the macro, you will undoubtedly be at peace with the lazy GIANT green sea turtles snoozing on the seabed.

Look for giant frogfish on the sponges and minute Lembeh Seadragon on the rocky part of the reef. Visit at sunset to see the spectacular display from the petrol coloured mandarin fish as they perform their courtship dance. If you swim off the shallow reef you will also discover several small sunken wrecks, where giant pharaoh cuttlefish and schools of Bigfin reef squid have made home.