Image credit: Sebastian Pena Lambarri

Author: Rosalyn Ding

Peak dive season in Malaysia is almost upon us (April - October)! It's time to get started with planning your trips for the year, especially for local dives on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Whether your dive objective is to see a certain marine life, experience drift, explore wrecks, or check out some great reef walls, here are some of the best dive spots in Malaysia to visit.

Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai - Sabah

Image credit: Miles & Smiles Away

This renowned dive site has been in the list of best dive sites in the world time and again. Sipadan and Mabul are home to various types of marine life, turtles, and even some White Tip Reef Sharks. Underwater photographers will revel in the rich diversity of macro and micro life photo opportunities.

Best time: April – December, especially May – August

What to see: Barracuda vortex, reef sharks, large schools of jacks and marauding bumphead parrotfish, turtles, microlife, healthy and diverse coral garden, hanging gardens, blue ring octopus, and much more.

Lankayan Island - Sabah

Image credit: Dive Malaysia

There are over 20 dive sites including several wrecks and small reefs. From nudibranchs to whale sharks, Lankayan is popular for muck diving and houses many big fish species.

Best time: March – October

What to see: Moray eels, turtles, frogfish, pufferfish, triggerfish, jawfish, leopard sharks, groupers, blue fusiliers, bamboo sharks, cat sharks, yellow sea perch, lobsters, hard and soft corals, and much more.

Layang-Layang Island - Sabah

Image credit: Scuba Diving Resource

Layang-Layang Island is about 300km northwest of Kota Kinabalu, and used to be a naval base. There are no beautiful beaches here, but the dive experience is enough to be excited about.

Best time: March – October

What to see: Schools of hammerhead sharks, coral walls, dogtooth tuna, grey reef sharks, angelfish, batfish, parrotfish, colourful coral fans, white-tipped reef sharks, turtles, sweetlips, groupers, squirrelfish, goatfish, barracudas, macro life, and much more.

Mataking Island - Sabah

Image credit: Amazing Borneo

There are more than 30 dive sites at Mataking Island. Don’t miss the House Reef, The Shipwreck, and Sweetlips Avenue for great macro life.

Best time: February – November (February is low season, while August is peak), April – June for best visibility and possible whale shark sightings, May – August for green and hawksbill turtles

What to see

House Reef: Frogfish, octopus, lionfish, stonefish, and ribbon eels.

The Shipwreck: Giant moray eels, stingrays, hammerheads, manta rays, eagle rays, and whale sharks if you’re lucky.

Redang Island - Terengganu

There are more than 20 dive sites including shore entry, wall, and deep diving options. It's a great spot for beginner divers as visibility can reach as far as 30m below surface. Redang is located within the coral triangle, which spans Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. Dive sites within this triangle are known to have the the highest number of marine species in the world.

Best time: April – October (especially May – September)

What to see

Tunnel Point: Bumphead parrotfish, small barracudas, jacks, and nudibranchs.

Tanjung Tokong: Green turtles, hawksbill turtles, jacks, snappers, napoleon wrasses, fusiliers, nudibranchs, flatworms, and the occasional shark.

Chek Isa (Mini Mount): Cowries, spider shells, colourful Christmas tree worms, angelfish, parrotfish, wrasses, groupers, schooling batfish, and other reef dwellers. Also great for night diving.

Perhentian Island - Terengganu

Image credit: Dive Report

Perhaps one of the most famous dive spots in Peninsula Malaysia apart from Redang, Perhentian is usually where student divers go to get certified. The waters are shallow with decent visibility and marine life that can be enjoyed by divers of all levels. You can also experience night diving here.

Best time: April – October

What to see: Big fish, turtles, reef sharks, manta rays, scorpion fish, snappers, bamboo sharks, blacktip reef sharks, possible sighting of whale sharks, and much more.

This article originally appeared on ExpatGo.com.