The whale shark is considered the largest fish in the world and is often on the bucket list of divers for their dream sightings on a dive. The whale shark inhabits tropical and warm-temperate seas and we are lucky to have a Whale Shark migration season on the west and east coast of Sabah, Borneo although possible sightings are quite small in number. If you don’t get to see a Whale Shark during your holiday to Borneo, don’t worry. The tropical waters off Sabah are located in the Coral Triangle making them home to an amazing variety of marine life waiting to be seen. The following are locations in Sabah offer the chance to see Whale Sharks during the Whale Shark migration season (if luck is on your side):-
Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, Kota Kinabalu
Whale sharks come to feed on the plankton during the cooler months typically between November and February. Most years we have had a handful of Whale Shark sightings during a Borneo Dream snorkeling and scuba diving trip within the Marine Park.
Lankayan Island, accessible by boat via Sandakan
Whale shark sightings on Lankayan Island off the east coast of Sabah, Borneo are far from guaranteed. The whale shark season runs from March-May, when the sharks are migrating through the Sulu Sea, often passing close to the island to feed near the drop-offs.
Layang Layang, accessible by flight via Kota Kinabalu
Layang Layang is an atoll located 300 kilometres north-west of Kota Kinabalu. The island offers world-class diving along its drop-offs with regular sightings of pelagics in its waters. The diving season at Layang Layan is from
March to August and divers, of they are lucky, may also encounter whale sharks during their migration season.
For guaranteed sightings of Whale Sharks, we recommend you visit more famous locations in the world-renowned for Whale Shark sightings such as Ningaloo Reef in Australia. Find out more about the distribution of Whale Sharks.
A TripAdvisor Me (TripAdvisor) –
Scuba with Borneo Dream – This was our 2nd event with Borneo Dreams, and once again they amazed us with their good and friendly service. This time around we did our 1st post qualification scuba dives with Borneo Dreams, and their advice and patience was very valuable to a newbie like me. I
They know the dive sites around KK very well. Their equipment is well maintained, and not once did I feel uneasy. Thanks, Borneo Dream….it was an amazing 4 days and 12 dives.
Cas v (TripAdvisor) –
Great place to do fun dives! – Did 3 fun dives at the marine park with Borneo Dreams. The crew was full of energy but really professional – great vibe on board! Kit was in great order and everything was well arranged for us. Dive sites were really nice and we got lucky with some great marine life! Pics attached.
Would definitely recommend fun diving or getting certified here! Thanks Dave & crew!!
Anna H (TripAdvisor) –
Amazing diving experience
Having last dived 3 years ago when doing our OW PADI we were looking for a company who would provide a refresher day of diving in KK. Borneo dreams team were an excellent choice for us.
The booking staff and managerial team were informative and accommodating, but our particular thanks goes to Jason, our diving instructor. He went through the short skills session clearly and for us, the basics came back fairly quickly. A girl in our group was less confident and he was very patient with her; he worked things out with another fun-diving group so that we could stay down while he took her up to reassure her. We then managed to do two more fun dives that afternoon and enjoyed it so much that we did a second day of diving.
Though for us the visibility was mixed in Tunku Abdel Raman, we were really impressed with the soft corals, lots of reef fish including lion and scorpion fish and we had a couple of sightings of black tip reef sharks! Overall great diving experience with this company and would highly recommend them.
Roger Pines, UK –
Great way to see the underwater world, myself and my two sons had a smashing time and can’t wait to come back and be look after by the best dive company in Kota Kinabalu. Many thanks Roger
KL Dive Man –
We have just got back from KK after using this package and I must say what excellent value and plus the dive were stunning. Keep up the good work and more Tiger Biscuits next time 🙂