Dive Review of Borneo Divers/Borneo Divers Mabul Resort. in
Malaysia/Borneo

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Borneo Divers/Borneo Divers Mabul Resort.: "Borneo Divers Mabul Resort and Sukau Rainforest Lodge", Apr, 2024, by Henry O Ziller, CO, US ( Top Contributor 40 reports with 21 Helpful votes). Report 12960 has 2 Helpful votes.
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Mabul Resort – Borneo Divers. This trip included diving in Borneo with Borneo Divers – Mabul Resort, and touring Borneo with Sukau Rainforest Lodge to see their big 5, crocodile, proboscis monkey, rhinoceros hornbill, Asian pigmy elephant, and orangutan. Getting to Borneo requires multiple flights from Denver, CO. We used United to San Francisco to Singapore, then Singapore to Kula Lumpur. We stayed two nights at the JW Marriott in Downtown Kuala Lumpur to shake off jet lag. Then Malaysia Air to Tawau. Malaysia Air allows 30 kg in checked luggage and did not weigh carry-on, but says it allows 15 kg. At Tawau airport we were greeted by Mabul staff and went by van to Semporna. That took 1.5 hours. Then we were greeted by other Mabul staff and boarded their comfortable boat for the 45-minute ride to the resort. Everyone riding in the boat was required to wear a life jacket. All the boat rides in Borneo require a life jacket except when diving. At the resort dive equipment is taken to the dive storage room where you place it in a plastic box. After you check-in at the resort your room number is marked on a bin in the dive storage room, and you place your box there. Our other luggage was handled by staff all the way to our King Chalet. The four staff members that were handling our luggage hung around in our room apparently waiting for a tip. I finally gave them 20 ringgits, which is about $5 USD. They did not look happy. Further inquiry with management stated that they are paid a regular wage. We were assigned number 133, the chalet closest to the pier leading to the dive shop. Our chalet had air conditioning and a fan. The room is quite large with a king-size bed, desk and chair. The bathroom had a shower, sink, and toilet. We always had plenty of hot water. Sliding glass doors opened to a large deck with a table and two chairs and a large drying rack. Electrical outlets are two round plug types. All meals were buffet style with typical Asian and western foods in the large, air-conditioned restaurant. Sometimes doors were left open, and it would not stay very cool. Shrimp were always cooked with the shell on unfortunately and nearly impossible to remove. There was always a good selection of meats to choose from, salads, fruits and desserts. They had three beers, Tiger, Carlsberg, and Guiness. At the restaurant they cost 17 ringgit ($ 3.63) and out at happy hour (diver’s bar) they were 23 ringgits. ($4.91 USD). WIFI is available for free in the A/C room next to the reception area. We stayed five nights at Mabul Resort and were able to dive two days of two tank dives at Sipidan in addition to Mabul and Kapalai areas. I did the required checkout dive with Kun a divemaster, on the house reef via the pier. There are a couple of different stairs to enter the water. The house reef has many artificial reef structures including a couple of small boats. The visibility was maybe 40 feet and I saw several turtles, crocodile fish, moray eels, some nudi’s and tiny shrimps. The next day’s dive we went to Kapalai Rock and spent half a tank looking in the blue for marlin’s “that were here yesterday”. They weren’t today. The second dive was on Lobster Wall, and it had a strong current. The third dive was on the Seaventures Rig located within a half mile of Mabul Resort. It is a flat area with lots of artificial reef structures where there are nudi’s, big groupers, crocodile fish, lobsters, and a very large puffer. Visibility was 30 feet. Sipidan was a two-tank dive with the first dive being very early. The boat leaves at 6 AM so breakfast is served on the island after the first dive. The dive is strictly to see the large bump head parrotfish parade by in the shallow area of Hanging Garden reef. Then you drop down to 70-feet to complete the dive. The parrotfish are about 3-feet long. We also saw sharks, large trevally, sweet lips and lots of worms on sea fans. Generally, you are back at Mabul by 10:30. The third dive back at Mabul or Kapalai is at 2 PM. My second dive at Sipidan was to see the large school of barracuda and we saw them about halfway through the dive. We also saw sharks, large fish like trevally, and a school of batfish. Our second day at Sipidan was to see the large school of trevally and we were not disappointed. It hung around swirling for about 15 minutes. Right near the end of the second dive we were amazed to see a hammerhead. The Sipidan had much better visibility. I was expecting to see lots of turtles but didn’t. My wife was snorkeling and saw many more than me. Kapalai house reef like Mabul house reef has lots of artificial reef structures, and they hold many varieties of Nudi's, shrimps, and crabs. There also were mandarin fish, frog fish, and a very large moray eel. Non Sipidan dives are at 8:30, 10:30 and 2. Shore diving is unlimited anytime. Nitrox is available for 30 ringgits ($7 USD) per tank. Surface intervals are taken at the large dive shop over the water facility at the end of the pier. There are restroom facilities and lots of tables and chairs. Coffee, teas, water and snacks are available. We thought the resort and diving were very well run and the facilities very nice. They have at least a dozen well-equipped boats. Entry is by back-roll and a nice ladder is provided for getting back on. The rungs are round, but they are wrapped with rope, so they didn’t hurt my feet climbing back on. You could take your gear off in the water and they would pull it up if you desired. Sukau Rainforest Lodge with Borneo Eco Tours Borneo Divers brought us back to Semporna dock and Sukau resort staff picked us up at the dock. The 6-hour ride to the resort was in a nice, air-conditioned van with us as the only passengers. We stopped along the way for lunch that was included in our package. After that long car ride, we had a short boat ride across the Kinabatangan River to the resort. Our bags were taken to our room (D-18) with us, and we were told dinner would be at 7 PM. Three bangs of the gong would be the signal to come to dinner. The room was not large, but big enough for us. The A/C kept us cool. There was a cushioned sitting area between the bathroom and sleeping area with a large window to view the rainforest. It also served as an emergency exit from the room. A hot water kettle was provided for the bagged coffee or tea. WIFI is available for free in the restaurant area. A knock on the door at 5:50 AM is your wakeup call so you can do the morning river cruise starting at 6 AM. Coffee, tea and toast were available prior to the early morning cruise. The morning river cruise lasts about 1.5 to 2 hours, so you are back for breakfast. All meals are buffet and there always was enough variety of Asian and Western foods, fruits, and desserts. Beer, wine, and cocktails were available in the restaurant or at the bar. Beers were 25 MR’s ($5.33 USD). Ceiling fans cooled the seating area and kept the mosquitos away. We were expecting a lot of mosquitos, but we didn’t see many. The boats are uncovered and have seats facing forward. There is an afternoon cruise at 2 and a night cruise that is optional. We did not do the night cruise. We saw many crocodiles, monkeys, including the proboscis monkey, monitor lizards, various birds, and orangutan. All three days we saw many of the same types of critters so on the third day we went with a guide to see the Gormantong caves. Inside the park we saw a male and female orangutan on the opposite side of the road and of course the few cars on the road stopped to look. The male was getting upset because he wanted to get across that road, so he started breaking off tree branches and throwing them. We moved on. The cave had more cock roaches than swallows or bats although there were many of those too. For some reason the nests of the swallows that are built with their saliva are highly sought after by the Chinese, so people lease a portion of the ceiling and then harvest the nests. It looks very dangerous to me. The ceiling is 300 feet (100 m) to the top where the nests are built. The elevated walkway has lots of poop and cock roaches so it’s kind of creepy. Upon leaving the Sukau lodge we went by boat 92 km (about 57.17 mi) versus 130 km (about 80.78 mi) by car to Sandakan. It takes a couple hours, and you still get to see more wildlife along the journey. This boat is much larger than the boats used cruising around the resort and has a nice, covered seating area. Sandakan appears to be a nice town with lots of good restaurants and hotels. We were then taken by car to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center and saw the juveniles and a couple of wild adults at some feeding platforms. There was also an orangutan walking upright out on the raised walkway and a staff member moved all the tourists back until the orangutan left the walkway. We are staying about ¼ mile away from the rehab center in the Sepilok Rainforest Resort. It is a very nice resort with elevated walkways from our room to the restaurant and main check-in area. Our room was #5 and was quite large with a firm king bed, a large fridge, hot water kettle, instant coffee and tea. The huge tub and shower are in one area of the large bathroom and the toilet and sink are at the other end. Breakfast was included in our package. Dinner was off the limited menu. Beers are 14 RM ($3 USD) WIFI is available for free at the restaurant. There is a nice pond near the restaurant with a large deck for sitting to enjoy the wildlife. A swimming pool is under construction. The next day we went to the Sun Bear Rehabilitation Center located across the street from the orangutan rehab center. All the walkways are elevated wood, so it is an easy walk to the feeding platforms. We saw several sun bears before we left for Sandakan Airport for our flight back to Kuala Lumpur.
Websites	Borneo Divers Borneo Divers Mabul Resort.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Throughout the Caribbean and Central America, Hawaii, Micronesia, Indonesia, Philippines, Maldives, Tanzania/Zanzibar, Australia, Malaysia, and Fiji.
Closest Airport	Tawau	Getting There	Denver to SanFrancisco to Singapore to Kuala Lumpur to Tawau. Sandakan back to Kuala Lumpur.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy	Seas	calm, currents, no currents
Water Temp	85-86°F / 29-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness	0
Water Visibility	30-40 Ft/ 9-12 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Depth and time
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	I only used a small point and shoot camera. There was a bucket on the boat.

Report currently has 2 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Borneo Divers/Borneo Divers Mabul Resort. in Malaysia/Borneo

Borneo Divers/Borneo Divers Mabul Resort.: "Borneo Divers Mabul Resort and Sukau Rainforest Lodge", Apr, 2024,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Borneo Divers/Borneo Divers Mabul Resort. in
Malaysia/Borneo