Leopard Sharks, Black Tips a Whaleshark and a Giant Manta on Lankayan.

We are currently on Lankayan Island in the Sulu Sea, Malaysian Borneo and feel we just have to share some of our sightings as the diving is just incredible at the moment !!!

Octopus are mating, Black Tip Reef Sharks are circling, Leopard Sharks are in abundance, yesterday our boat saw a Whaleshark and today a Giant Manta !!

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Downbelow's Local Manager Evelyn with a Leopard Shark
Photographed by Richard

All this along with the usual suspects Nudibranchs, Giant Jawfish, Leaf Scorpionfish, Seahorses all kinds of Crustaceans .... and the list goes on !!!

We must now dash as we're off for a night dive.

Images of the trip and results of the photo competition will be posted upon our return to Kota Kinabalu next week.

For more info on Lankayan Island with booking info please visit Lankayan Island section






Lankayan Island Trip 20th - 27th April 2008

We'll be visiting Lankayan Island Resort in the Sulu Sea from 20th -27th April. Famous for its natural beauty and tranquility the small tropical island is accessed via speedboat from Sandakan in Sabah, Borneo.

The surrounding waters are Marine Protected Areas and offer the diver Macro and Wreck dive opportunities as well as passing seasonal Whalesharks (April - June).

The resort has adopted an eco tourism concept and has the same owner/ managers as Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort in the Celebes Sea, Borneo.

Should anyone wish to join the trip please drop us a line and we'll put you in touch with the resort to book your reservation.

Please visit our Dive Trip Photo Album to see a selection of images from a previous visit.

Should you wish to visit Lankayan Island Resort independently please contact us and we'll provide you with a direct contact at the resort.

Adventure Training in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park


Kota Kinabalu once again played host to British Army Adventure Training this September.

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Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Rescue and Speciality Courses were completed throughout an eight day program in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, with an additional day White Water Rafting on the Padas River.

Thanks to Ben and Maria who, whilst on their Digital Photography Course mananged to snap some pictures of the group and a few underwater critters.

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The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park provides an ideal location for Team Building and Corporate Exercises such as this with year round diving in tropical coral reef waters just minutes from the city and overlooked by Mt Kinabalu.

It was our pleasure to organize and conduct the trip for the group and look forward to the next time !

Please visit our Dive Trip Photo Album to see a selection of images from the event.

For more information on tailored group and corporate events please contact us directly.


Dive Trip To Lankayan Island - Sabah Borneo. 8th - 14th December 07

We're pleased to announce a trip to Lankayan Island Resort from 8th - 13th December 2007 (6 nights). Having never previously visited the resort we're looking forward to exploring above and below the island.

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Reputed for its natural beauty and tranquility the resort is located in the Sulu Sea and accessed via speedboat from Sandakan in Sabah, Borneo.

The surrounding waters are Marine Protected Areas and offer the diver Macro and Wreck dive opportunities as well as passing seasonal Whalesharks.

The resort has adopted an eco tourism concept and has the same owner/ managers as Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort in the Celebes Sea, Borneo.

Should anyone wish to join the trip please drop us a line and we'll put you in touch with the resort to book your reservation.

Please visit our Dive Trip Photo Album to see a selection of images from previous trips to other locations.

Should you wish to visit Lankayan Island Resort independently please contact us and we'll provide you with a direct contact at the resort.




Dive Trip to Sipadan - Kapalai Dive Resort Oct 07

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Everyone had such a great trip at Kapalai last August we've decided a return trip is in order.

We'll be there 23rd to 31st October, should anyone wish to join us please drop us a line and we'll put you in touch with the resort to book your reservation.

Please visit our Dive Trip Photo Album to see a selection of images from our last trip, all images were taken during the 5 night stay.



Should you wish to visit Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort independently please contact us and we'll provide you with a direct contact at the resort.

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Kapalai Dive Resort Surpasses Expectations

A recent trip to Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort surpassed all expectations for divers and non divers alike.

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Reminiscent of the Maldives but without the crowds the resort comprises of 40 luxury wooden stilt chalets built over a once vegetated island. There are no sand-flies or mosquitoes, no need for air conditioning, bathing water is shipped from the mainland and rubbish is disposed of correctly.

Service and luxury are words that come to mind when describing the resort, the dive team are super efficient i don't think i lifted a tank in the 5 days of being there.

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Richard Photographs a Blue Ring Octopus
on our last day ! !
Camera washing and storing facilities are excellent, dive guides and boatmen know their creatures and where to find them. The food is very good with ample variety.

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The surrounding dive sites, some of which are a simple giant stride away from the dive station support a wealth of marine life - a macro divers paradise, with world famous Sipadan Island a 20 min speadboat ride away. For information on the dive sites surrounding the area please visit our Scuba Diving Kapalai, Sipadan and Mabul pages.

We are still buzzing from our trip, to the point that a return visit in October is currently being planned, if you'd like to be informed of dates with a view to joining us please contact us or re-visit this news page soon.

Please visit our Dive Trip Photo Album to see a selection of images from this trip, all images were taken during the 5 night stay.

Should you wish to visit Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort independently please contact us and we'll provide you with a direct contact at the resort.

For a stunning photograph of the Blue Ring Octopus swimming see next months Image Of The Month.

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Army Air Corp Teambuilding Event

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June saw Mamutik Island in Sabah Borneo playing host to 7 Flight, a component of the British Army Based in Brunei. PADI Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Rescue and Speciality Courses were conducted over two 4 day programs with an additional day White Water Rafting on the Padas River.

Parts of the programs were completed in Brunei leaving ample time for the groups to enjoy some of the wonderful diving that Kota Kinabalu has to offer, whilst at the same time perfect their in-water skills.

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The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park provides an ideal location for Teambuilding and Corporate Exercises such as this with year round diving in tropical coral reef waters just minutes from the city and overlooked by Mt Kinabalu. It was our pleasure to organize and conduct the trip for the group and look forward to the next time !

Please visit our Dive Trip Photo Album to see a selection of images from the event.

For more information on tailored group and corporate events please contact us directly.

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The Gurkhas Downbelow !

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Taking time out from their busy schedule, a group of UK Military personnel came to Mamutik Island for a few days of recreational diving with Downbelow.

It was our pleasure to introduce them to some of the marine life this region has to offer and a good time was had by all.

Many had never dived before and they were fortunate to meet the friendly Green Turtle, mentioned in a previous post.
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Upon surfacing one of the guys proclaimed "thats my first underwater turtle" we returned "you're our first underwater Gurkha !"

The group have now returned to their posts in various corners of the world. We wish them all the best and hope they return to KK one day in the future.

For more information on diving in Kota Kinabalu please see Scuba Diving - Tunku Abdul Rahman Park or drop us an email.



Dive Trip To Sipadan - Kapalai Dive Resort 6th to 11th August 2007

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We will be at Sipadan - Kapalai Dive Resort in Sabah, Borneo from 6th - 11th August 2007.

Please visit our Dive Trips link for more information.

As always we're sure to have a fantastic time and welcome additional souls, so if you wish to join us please email us for more details.








Dive Trip to Layang Layang in March 2007

We're off to Layang Layang at the end of March. Economies of scale should result in an attractive cost for the trip, so if you're interested in coming along please contact us for more information. Those that are considering flying here from outside of Malaysia should check out Malaysia Airlines as they have some pretty good deals on flights this year due to the "Visit Malaysia 2007" promotion. You need to meet us here in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah then together we'll take a small plane over to the island which takes an hour.
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The Island of Layang Layang is part of the Spratly Island and lies in the middle of the South China Sea, 300KM North West of Sabah in Borneo. Its just 50 acre's in size and the surrounding reefs plunge to 2,000m. Renowned for stunning wall dives, beautiful coral reef and an array of Pelagic Marine life including a resident school of Hammerhead Sharks. We're extremely excited about this trip and welcome our dive community friends to join us. As usual we'll be happy to conduct Photo Clinics for those interested in Underwater Photography.

For more information, please contact us.