Miri Diving Sites

For those who have not scuba dived here, the Miri diving sites are well scattered just outside the resort city of Miri in Sarawak and is a little different from most other places.

Miri is also not that well known for diving, it is now being promoted by the Sarawak Tourism Board and also Tourism Malaysia as one of the must-dive areas in Sarawak Malaysia, apart from Sabah and the East Coast Islands of Malaysia.

Scuba Diving Sites in Miri

While Malaysia has an abundance of beautiful dive sites, the dive sites in Miri are absolutely not to be missed for any adventure and leisure diver.

Miri's dive sites has some of the worlds healthiest hard and soft corals according to research and were recently discovered in the last five years or so making this dive destination a desirable and unique one to visit.

Various diving photos in Miri

There are a total of 37 dive sites in Miri and the below are the most popular ones for beginners and advanced divers. 

Eve's Garden 10 Minutes

This shallow reef of just 20 to 40 feet is carpeted with soft corals such as leather corals, elephant's ear and dead man's fingers. Giant anemones and clownfishes are all over the reef. The schooling yellowtail fusiliers and angelfishes also characterise this reef.

Anemone Garden 20 Minutes

One of the most interesting reefs with a depth range of 10 - 16 meters, with hard and soft corals, anemones and their symbolic clownfishes, bubble corals, anchor corals, colourful dendronepthya soft corals, feather stars, giant clams, nudibranchs and schooling yellowtails.

Siwa Reef 25 Minutes

The largest reef in Miri, some 800m in length, and the depth range from 8-18m. Divers will certainly be left awed by the many large boulders, huge and undamaged table corals of Miri. Leopard Sharks, huge Marble Rays, and mixtures of wonderful contrast marine life can be sited here.

Sea Fan Garden 30 Minutes

This unique 16-meter deep reef provides an excellent environment for an amazing variety of gorgonian sea fans, sea whips and schooling batfish.

Sunday Reef 35 Minutes

Large hard corals make up this richly inhabited 11-16 meter deep reef, populated with anemones, clownfishes and nudibranchs.

VHK Reef 40 Minutes

This reef is named after our respectful instructor, Mr Voo Heng Kong, and is covered with sea-whips swaying among the hard coral and sea fan. Average diving depth is around 17 metres, where divers will find schools of jacks, small barracudas, anemones, clownfish and many more species of marine life.

Tukau Drop-Off 50 Minutes

An exciting drop-off reef (20-40 meters) with a vertical wall. Schooling jacks, barracudas, napoleon Wrasses, yellowtail fusiliers and large groupers are always present, and sharks and trumpet fish are occasionally seen here.

Batu Belais 45 Minutes 

A picturesque reef covered with gorgonian trees and sea fans. Batfishes are common among the long swaying sea whips - a photographer's heaven.

Grouper Patch 60 Minutes

Giant groupers inhabit this reef of 15-18 meters depth. Spiny lobsters are also present together with yellowtail fusiliers and other schooling fishes.

Atagu Maru Wreck 10 Minutes

A World War II-era Japanese warship wreck just off Lutong. The 100-meter ship sits upright with the top deck just 10 meters below the surface. Most of the hull is covered with cave corals. A large moray eel has made its home here and trevally, jacks and barracudas are frequently seen.

Sri Gadong Wreck 60 Minutes

A small 30-meter cargo ship sits on an 18-meter sand bottom. The whole wreck is teeming with life; jacks, yellow grunts, batfish and barracudas circle the wreck while giant groupers swim in or out of the cargo holds.

Miri Dive Sites

Miri Diving Information

Miri has long been known for the many national parks and caves over the years and now, the beautiful undersea landscape and marine life is gaining the attention of scuba divers ever since the untouched coral reefs were discovered in recent years.

In general, the reefs in Miri are all patch reefs with varying depths from 7 to 30 meters with an average visibility of 10 to 30 meters. This highly depends on the currents and season for diving and also weather permitting.

Miri Marine Life

Among what you can see while diving in Miri is mostly healthy corals like Gorgonians, sea-whips, anemones, sponges and crinoids. Marine life includes loads of reef fish like angelfish, butterflyfish, fusiliers and larger fish like groupers, stingrays, triggerfish, parrotfish and wrasses. For nudis, a total of 40 or more species of nudibranchs have already been sighted to date. 

Miri Diving Style
The only style of diving you can do in Miri is boat diving. There are no islands in the vicinity of all the dive sites therefore your surface intervals are done on the boat, especially on route to your next dive site. Most of the dive locations have next to no currents and the water temperature averages around 30 degree Celsius so you can use a 3mm wetsuit with no problem. 

Visibility in Miri - 10 to 30 meters 

Best time to dive in Miri - March till September

What to see while diving in Miri - Cuttlefish, rays, whale shark, nudibranchs, all kinds of corals

Nearest Dive Site from Miri - 15 minutes boat ride

Dive Packages in Miri - RM615 to RM1,000 per person

Divers per boat - per day: 16 divers max

Conclusion

You can also read my other article on Diving in Miri as I did my last dive there in 2014, 2015 and 2018.

The next time you plan a diving trip in Sarawak and want something totally different compared to the usual busy dive centres, you can check out Coco Dive.

The dive company specializes in all the Miri diving sites and comes highly recommended by many people who have been here.