Will we still go snorkeling if it is raining?

The quick answer is “yes”. Sabah has a tropical climate and as part of this, we will typically have some tropical rain later in the day on most days. This rain is warm, often a welcome relief and for most activities does not stop play. Specifically for our snorkeling activities from Kota Kinabalu:- It is still safe to snorkel when it’s raining.You won’t get cold if it rains as the sea temperature, for most of the year, is a toasty 28C - 30C. We also provide all our snorkeling customers with 3mm tropical wet suits for thermal protection.The tropical marine life will still be there to see as you enjoy your snorkeling activity. Whilst Sabah's tropical climate means there's a good chance it will rain at some point during your holiday, it's this climate that also supports the rainforest, and it's inhabitants, found here. Most days in Sabah, especially during the Dry Season, start off with blue sky, sunshine and a calm breeze with a chance of rain typically later in the day, evening or night time. As long as you come on holiday prepared for a hot, humid and sometimes wet tropical climate you will have a great time!

Unguided Snorkeling Tour, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Rated 4.75 out of 5 based on 4 customer ratings

(4 customer reviews)

From: RM185

The Unguided Snorkeling Trip in Kota Kinabalu with Borneo Dream offers an affordable way to visit and go snorkeling from an island in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. It is a good choice for members of a group who want the flexibility to sunbathe on the beach whilst going for a short snorkeling session from the beach when you fancy. All snorkeling gear is provided along with lunch on a tropical island. Daily tours departing from Jesselton Point Jetty. To Book – Simply select the number of persons in your group and your activity start date. Unless you are joining an existing booking, the minimum booking is 2 persons.

U/Water Digiatal Camera Rental

Why not capture a few underwater memories with an underwater camera rental? We offer a Nikon W300 rated to 30m or GoPro Hero 11 with an underwater housing and float handle rated to 40m. Your images will be uploaded to a Google Drive, and a link will be shared with you. Photos will be available for download for approximately ten days. Please be aware that there will be a charge for loss or damage to the camera and housing RM 2500.00

Unguided Snorkeling Tour, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

A good choice for those wanting an unguided snorkeling tour in Kota Kinabalu and visiting the local protected marine park, Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. The Unguided Snorkeling Tour tour is for those who are happy to look after themselves whilst snorkeling in the water or just want the flexibility to go snorkeling and sunbathing during your day out in the Marine Park. This trip involves two unguided snorkel sessions from the beach along house reefs, one in the morning and one after lunch afternoon.

For your Unguided Snorkeling Tour, you will snorkel independently (not with one of our PADI Instructors) from a beach on one of the islands in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. Our crew will brief you on the snorkel route to follow to see the nicest part of the ‘house coral reef’ and see as much tropical marine life as possible.

Book your Snorkeling Day Tour in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah with Borneo Dream!

Please note Sabah Parks will require you to snorkel inside the marked buoy line when snorkeling from one of the beaches on the public islands in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. This is for your own safety.

For snorkelers wanting more from their snorkeling day tour in Kota Kinabalu, we recommend you book our Guided Snorkeling Tour, which offers guided snorkeling sessions from our boat along reefs fringing the islands.

Trip Itinerary – Unguided Snorkeling Tour, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

08:50hrs: Meet our crew at the Red Telephone Booths/Boxes. These are just inside the archway entrance on the left-hand side.

09:00hrs: Board our boat, and a boat safety briefing will be provided. One of our crew will explain the outline itinerary for the day. You will then be transferred by boat to an island in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park – your morning snorkel site.

09:30hrs – 9:45hrs: From Jesselton Point Jetty, it takes about 30 minutes to arrive in the marine park. One of our crew will escort you onto the island (with your snorkel gear) and provide an overview of the island facilities, as well as suggest the snorkel route you should follow. You then have the morning to go snorkelling from the beach (unguided) or chill out on the beach.

11:30hrs – 12:00hrs: You will meet our boat at the end of the Resort Jetty (our crew will confirm the meeting time on the day) and be taken for lunch on one of the islands in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.

~13:30hrs: After your lunch break, you will have the opportunity to go unguided snorkeling from the beach (at a different site to the morning session) or alternatively relax on a beach.

15:00 – 16:00hrs: At the end of the day, you will be returned to Jesselton Point jetty.

Trip Pre-requisites – Unguided Snorkeling Tour, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

The Unguided Snorkeling Tour in Kota Kinabalu is available to anyone. There are no age restrictions but we ask that anyone under 18 yrs old be accompanied by a Parent or Guardian. It is recommended for joining the snorkelling activity that you should be able to swim and be in good health.

Trip Inclusions

Return boat transfers on one of our Borneo Dream boats from Jesselton Point Jetty.
Jesselton Point jetty fee and Sabah Parks island conservation fee.
Free use of our rental snorkel gear (mask, snorkel, full foot fins, shorty tropical 3mm wetsuit).
2 x unguided snorkeling sessions (from the beach) in Kota Kinabalu.
Lunch at a cafe on an island in the Marine Park (choose from a range of meal options).
Drink water. Please bring your own container to refill.

Trip Exclusions

We suggest you bring a small change for drinks and ice cream on the islands.

Recommended Packing List For The Trip

Swimwear, towel, dry clothes, suntan lotion, sun hat, a bottle of water for whilst you are on the islands for your snorkeling sessions, sunglasses.

Notes – Unguided Snorkeling Tour, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

We recommend you do not take valuables onto the island during your snorkeling sessions (there are no secure storage facilities on the islands).

A PADI Liability Release Form must be signed and understood by the participant before the tour commences.

4 reviews for Unguided Snorkeling Tour, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Rated 5 out of 5

Sarah01101965 Twickenham, United Kingdom (TripAdvisor) – 11/06/2018

Excellent customer service and adventure – Borneo Dream organised our stay including snorkelling, diving and jungle trips. All the way through the visit they went above and beyond to make sure our holiday was brilliant. I highly recommend them. Sarah Harraghy
Rated 5 out of 5

John Philips, UK – 06/11/2015

Thanks to Borneo Dream, we fully enjoyed our family snorkelling session in Kota Kinabalu. Thank Dreams you are the Best!
Rated 4 out of 5

Lew Yin Leow, CN – 28/10/2015

Many thanks great day, we wish we had gone on guided trip rather than free style. Still had great time and will see you again soon. Thanks Team
Rated 5 out of 5

Alvin Koh, HK – 02/12/2014

Myself and my family of 5 all joined an unguided snorkelling tour in Kota Kinabalu with Borneo Dream and it was fantastic. We saw loads of cool things and had a chance to also relax on an island. Thanks A

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Best Snorkeling in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Most watersports trips depart from Jesselton Point Jetty (https://g.page/JesseltonPoint) in central Kota Kinabalu. If you are staying at a city centre hotel or guest house you will often find it far quicker to walk to Jesselton Point. If you are staying at hotels or resorts such as Shangri-La Rasa Ria or Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa then I would certainly grab a taxi.

The quick answer is “yes”. Sabah has a tropical climate and as part of this, we will typically have some tropical rain later in the day on most days. This rain is warm, often a welcome relief and for most activities does not stop play. Specifically for our snorkeling activities from Kota Kinabalu:-

It is still safe to snorkel when it’s raining.
You won’t get cold if it rains as the sea temperature, for most of the year, is a toasty 28C – 30C. We also provide all our snorkeling customers with 3mm tropical wet suits for thermal protection.
The tropical marine life will still be there to see as you enjoy your snorkeling activity.

Whilst Sabah’s tropical climate means there’s a good chance it will rain at some point during your holiday, it’s this climate that also supports the rainforest, and it’s inhabitants, found here. Most days in Sabah, especially during the Dry Season, start off with blue sky, sunshine and a calm breeze with a chance of rain typically later in the day, evening or night time. As long as you come on holiday prepared for a hot, humid and sometimes wet tropical climate you will have a great time!

Malaysia is split across two landmasses, Penisular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak), and the best season for snorkeling differs across these locations.

Peninsular Malaysia has an annual monsoon season (from April to October in the southwest, and October to February in the northeast) so you’d avoid these times if snorkeling is on your ‘to-do list’ for your holiday.

Sabah, Northern Borneo is known as the ‘Land Below the Wind’ a phrase used by seafarers in the past to describe all the lands located below the typhoon belt, so free from climatic disturbances and typhoons. This makes Sabah a 365 days a year location for holidays with snorkeling offered all year round, albeit the months at the start of the Dry Season (April – June) usually offer the calmest, driest weather perfect for snorkeling.

In terms of ease of access and affordability, the best islands for snorkelling at in Sabah are located within Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. The Marine Park which is located in front of Kota Kinabalu is home to five islands – Sapi, Gaya, Mamutik, Manukan and Sulug – and each of them is fringed by coral reefs. The three islands with beaches open to the public offer snorkeling from the beach in a cordoned-off area, although the best snorkeling in the Marine Park is to be had from a boat along with coral reef sites away from the busy beaches.

For that perfect island getaway experience, you should check out Lankayan Island located in the Sulu Sea accessible via Sandakan on the east coast of Sabah. Lankayan offers world-class snorkeling right from the shore and with just one Resort located on the island, you will feel like you have the white sandy beach and fringing coral reefs almost to yourself. The shallow waters are typically beautifully clear offering easy sightings of turtles, rays, and a range of tropical fish life from the beach.

The dream for non-divers visiting Sabah is to go snorkeling at world-famous Sipadan. However this it not that easy to do as only a selection of Resorts / Operators will allocate Sipadan permits to snorkelers (most allocate them to diving guests only). One Resort who takes snorkelers to Sipadan is Mataking Reef Island Resort (subject to permit allocation).