Escape Beijing: 6 stunning scuba spots around Southeast Asia
Photo: Buena Ventura/Wikimedia commons
Explore a whole new (marine) world beneath the turquoise waters at these dive sites just a short trip away from Beijing
Strap on your BCD, slip on your flippers and dive into the deep blue waters at these stunning scuba diving destinations within the Southeast Asia region. Get mesmerised by colourful reefs and thriving marine ecosystems or explore carefully preserved wrecks – all these and more only a few hours away from Beijing.
Photo: Johnny Chen/Wikimedia Commons
Sipadan Island is often hailed as one of the world’s best dive sites – and for good reason too. Where else in the world can you witness a hypnotic barracuda vortex and swim inside a huge school of whirling jack fish? Sipadan is an oceanic island off the coast of Sabah, Malaysia, sits on top of an extinct undersea volcano and is surrounded by almost 1,900ft deep canyons – all of which combined makes this spot a rich marine habitat.
Dive season All year round, best months from April to December.
Difficulty level Mid to advanced, expect some strong currents and drift dives.
Photo: Buena Ventura/Wikimedia commons
This stunning group of islands on the eastern-most part of Indonesia is often featured in ads by the Indonesian tourism board. The best way to marvel at the exceptional underwater landscape of never-ending colourful reef walls, where hard and soft corals compete for space and swim among marine creatures of all shapes and sizes, is to do a liveaboard and hop around the various dive sites. Famed for its biodiversity, spottings of wobbegong sharks, whitetip reef sharks, manta rays, bat fish and large schools of tuna and mackerel are common.
Dive season All year around.
Difficulty level All levels, although some dive sites are not recommended for beginners or those not comfortable in currents.
Photo: Piaky/Pixabay.com
The nine granite islands lie about 100km northwest of Phuket and are part of National Marine Park. The park only opens during dive season for the best chances of spotting manta rays and whale sharks. The sites on the east coast are generally easier with gentle sloping coral reefs while the west coast is slightly more challenging due to its giant granite boulders, fan corals and incredible submarine rock formations.
Dive season Late October to early May.
Difficulty level Beginner to intermediate, plenty of easy dive sites with weak to moderate currents.
Layang Layang, Malaysia
Photo: Katja Hasselkus/Flickr.com
Slightly hidden, Layang Layang in Malaysia is famed for its scalloped hammerhead sharks – the biggest drawcard in this area. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a school of them gliding by, making the trek out to this island entirely worth it. Manta rays often frequent this deep water area. Shore dives are possible although visibility is only around two to four metres near the pier.
Dive season All year round, but higher chances of shark spotting during mating season in April to May.
Difficulty level All levels, about 12 dive sites in total.
Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, Philippines
Photo: Jun V Lao/Wikipedia commons
Declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1993, the Philippines' Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park is teeming with marine life – but to get there, you’ll need to do a liveaboard making it one of the least crowded dive spots in the Philippines. Located in the middle of the Sulu Sea and in the middle of the Coral Triangle, you can find sharks, hawksbill and green turtles and small reef fish congregating.
Dive season March to early June.
Difficulty level All levels.
Photo: Pascal Van De Vandel/Unsplash.com
Getting to Banda Islands in the Molucca region in eastern Indonesia is a pain. But once you get yourself there, you’ll find its inaccessibility is a blessing because its reefs and marine life are as healthy and untouched as they come. Do a liveaboard to truly experience the diversity of the archipelago’s 11 islands, of which seven are inhabited.
Dive season All year round, each season offers a different experience.
Difficulty level All levels.
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