Now with the moonsoon season just over, divers are putting on their flippers again. The following are what i've gathered which is very worthwhile to take some roads, less travelled to catch the, well, bigger fish.
6) Layang Layang, Malaysia
Layang Layang is part of the 600 island, reef and shoal group in the South China Sea known as The Spratlys. Pristine coral reef atoll is 14 sq km wide and surrounding waters drop to 2,000m deep abyss. Great numbers of barracuda, jacks and the hammerhead shark frequent these waters. The reefs and walls are also home to some of the finest and most spectacular displays of hard and soft corals in the world.
Depth: 2,000m
Visibility: About 50m
Getting there: One-hour flight from Kota Kinabalu
Off season: November to January
5) Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia
The Liberty wreck - a United States Army transportation services ship that was torpedoed by the Japanese on Jan11, 1942 - marks Tulamben as Bali's most famous dive site. This wreck lies in depths from 9m to 30m over 120m of the sea floor, and divers can see the guns, toilets, boilers and anchor chain among other parts of the sunken ship. Totally encrusted in anemone, gorgonians and corals. Marine life includes a huge school of big-eyed trevally and over 400 other species of fish, including anglerfish, neon nudibranches, ghost pipefish, shrimp, goby, garden eels, multi-coloured anthias and butterlfy fish. Must not missed is the Tulamben Wall, which drops to over 60m and houses a magnificent purple gorgonian sea fan over 2m wide.
Depth: 5 to 60m
Visibility: 10 to 25m
Getting there: 10-minute boat ride from Amed on the south-eastern tip of Bali
Best months: April to October
4) Similan, Thailand
The Similan Islands comprises of nine granite islands covered in thick tropical jungle, surrounded by powder-white beaches and crystal-clear waters. The area is a protected national park and camping is allowed on the islands. Beneath the surface lies a diverse landscape of deep canyons, giant boulders, a coral gardens, caves and walls.
Depth: 5 to 30m
Visibility: About 40m
Getting there: Three-hour boat ride from either Phuket or Khao Lak
3) Cebu Islands, Philippines
A long narrow island surrounded by 167 neighbouring smaller islands, including Mactan Island, Bantayan, Malapascua, Olango and the Camotes Islands. See plenty of sharks at Malapascua and Gata Island. Capitancillo Island has a wall on its south side with gorgonians and other coral formations. Manta rays, yellowfin and groupers are regular visitors.
Depth: Average of 30m
Visibility: Up to 40m
Getting there: Three hours north of Cebu City by road. Transfers to sites can take up to an hour by boat.
Best months: November to May
2) Manado, Indonesia
Gateway to the world-class dive spots in the Bunaken National Park, the Lembeh Strait and a number of islands further out - the city of Manado in northern Sulawesi. Extraordinary walls and vertiginous drop-offs abound at this dive site, which is also rich in corals and reef fish, including feather-stars, sponges, nudibranches(sea slug) and gorgonians(sea fan coral). There is even a well-preserved shipwreck from World War II.
Depth: 5 to 40m
Visibility: 20 to 40m
Getting there: Fly to Manado International Airport
Best months: Every month
1) Sipada, Malaysia
Only oceanic island in Malaysia that rises 600m on a limestone pinnacle and "mushrooms" out near the surface. This site is made famous by Jacques Cousteau's documentary, Ghost Of The Sea Turtles. Fascinating coral structures, marine caves abound in the waters underneath. With the largest variety of soft corals in the world, turtles swim and frolic freely in the waters around Sipadan and divers will find lobsters, barracudas, beautiful coral fish and sometimes even sharks swimming by.
Depth: 15 to 20m
Visibility: At least 30m
Getting there: 45-minute speedboat ride from Semporna port in Borneo
Best months: Diving can be done all-year, although January to March can see some stormy weather.
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