Top Scuba Diving Bucket List Trips in Southeast Asia
One of the best aspects of scuba diving is the travel that accompanies it when going to some of the best known, tropical dive sites in the world. Its ideal really as personally, I love to travel and to combine it with a hobby is just perfect and helps to justify (in my mind at least) spending way too much on holidays and dive gear! We’ve recently told you about some of our favourite dive sites within Malaysia and also southeast Asia so we thought we’d continue on that theme and put together a top five, bucket list of scuba diving sites that we haven’t been able to visit yet. So, just for fun, here we go with our top five, bucket list dive sites around southeast Asia, hope you enjoy and would be great to hear what your bucket list dive sites are too!
Manta Rays are just one of the sights you can see in Palau
1) Palau
Had it not been for COVID-19, Palau wouldn’t be on this list as I would be there now enjoying the wonders of diving in such a pristine, tropical environment. But alas it wasn’t to be and I can only dream of the wonders that await below the surface. Situated in the Philippine sea to the east of the Philippines, Palau has become a case study in conservation due to the size if its marine parks and no catch zones. The area is abundant with life and known as one of the top five destinations for scuba diving and with sites such as the Blue Corner and German Channel it is easy to see why. Palau offers almost every type of diving from the big pelagics of the blue corner, mantas at german channel, drop offs and caves it offers something for everyone. The currents here can be strong, it has been said that the reef hook was invented here and for good reason by all accounts, at the Blue Coner you’ll hook in and enjoy the shows as sharks play around in the current before your eyes you almost won’t believe what you’re seeing. Not the easiest of destinations to get to, wherever you’re travelling from be prepared to take a day or two of solid travelling and several flights before you finally make it to the capital, Koror. But boy is it worth it. The best time to visit is between November to April, but it can be dived all year round.
2) Layang Layang
Apparently the scuba diving here is so good that they named this dive site twice! Located around 300km off of Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo, Layang Layang literally translates as “Swallows reef” and is a small atoll with just one resort ther which makes up part of the Borneo Banks. If you thought Sipadan and Raja Ampat were not the easiest places to access then Layang Layang is on another level, after taking a flight from Kuala Lumpur you then need to board a small plane to take you to the resort northwest of Kota Kinabalu. The diving here is mainly wall diving with from so of up to 2000m, so make sure all your diver gear and camera are securely attached to you! The coral is apparently still in great condition and a number of great dives around the atoll including Dogtooth Lair, Gorgonian Forest, Navigators Lane and D-Wall. However, the main reason to make the trip is the chance to see schooling scalloped hammerhead sharks during the mating season, reports of hundreds of sharks aggregating together are not uncommon and is something that I would personally love to see. Its first up on the dive list for next year so fingers crossed we’re able to travel by then! The best time to visiti ti between March to October.
3) Missol
In the south of Raja Ampat lies the near mythical Missol is home to some of the most strikingly beautiful corals and stingless jellyfish. A mosaic of limestone island stretches out from the southeast of the larger island of Missol and is the last of the group of island known as the four kings (Raja Ampat). The area can be explored by liveabord but there are luxury land based options in the form of Missol Eco Resort which offers divers access to the riches that lie beneath the surface. The main reason to visit this area is the feeling of truly being in the wilderness and the wonderful kaleidoscope soft corals in almost all colours imaginable. Shark numbers are very healthy here and the chance to see whitetip, blacktip and grey reef sharks along with the weird and wonderful wobbegong and epaulette sharks. Manta rays are also a common sighting as well as the chance for macro diving for pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, shrimps and all manner of crustaceans. The top dive sites in the area include Magic Mountain, Boo Windows and an underwater seamount known as Birthday cake. Its the stuff diving dreams are made of and I can’t wait for the opportunity to visit along with my camera! The best time to visit is November to April.
4) Malapuscua
The Philippines is known for its wide variety of diving from the stunning macro opportunities of Anilao to the chance to diver with Whale Sharks and everything in-between, however, there is one place that makes it onto my bucket list for the chance the see the majestic thresher shark and that is Malapuscua island. Located in the northern part of Cebu, Malapuscua is now one of the Philippines top scuba destinations, thanks in no small part due to the resident thresher sharks which are the main attraction. Its not just all about the thresher sharks however, with the opportunity to see manta rays and the occasional hammerhead and a number of coral reefs in good condition too. There is also the possibility of combining it with a visit to some of the other sites in the area such as Gato Island and Capitancillo Island. But, the main reason people visit is for the thresher shark and with sightings almost guaranteed divers flock here en mass. You’ll need to get up pretty early in the morning to catch them as they rise from the depths to swim around a seamount which acts as a cleaning station. The best time to visit is between January and April.
5) Sulawesi
Being an underwater photographer I couldn’t not have this on my list could I?! Over the past few decades one area has risen to become the macro diving mecca of the world, the Lembah Strait. Divers from all over the world make the trip here to photograph and see all manner of weird and wonderful outcasts that you can find no where else in the world. The area rose to prominence in the mid 1990s when the Kungkungan Bay Resort opened its doors as a relaxing, upscale resort that also happened to offer a bit of diving on the side. However things quickly changed as the dive team at the resort developed the number of dive sites available and with creatures such as the hairy frogfish, numerous nudibranchs, eels, mimic octopus, blue ringed octopus, warty frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish and the beautiful mandarin fish it’s like a marine creature bucket list all in one area! These days there are numerous resorts and accommodation options so you’re spoilt for choice and the best time to visit is between October and march for the warmest sea temperatures.
So there we have it, our top five bucket list destinations in and around Southeast Asia. Of course, we’ll let you know if we manage to dive them with our regular updates and blog posts. Until then, we’ll keep on dreaming about scuba diving and blowing bubbles!