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About Diving
in Labuan This tropical duty-free island with an
area of 92sq. kilometres has beautiful sandy beaches with
international class hotels and a golf course. The numerous
activities available on the island will keep the divers
occupied after their dives.
During the early years, Labuan
experienced battles between the Allied and the Japanese’s
force, resulting in several war wrecks. Two of the World War
II wrecks here are the American Wreck. Other wrecks include
Cement Wreck and Blue Water Wreck, both from the 1980s. Diving
The types of diving skill required on these wrecks rated from
novice to experience wreck diving, penetration into hulls.
Professional dive operators cater for daily trips, as well as
from Open water to Wreck Diving Specialty courses.
Visitors May
also take advantage of duty-free purchases for dive equipment
from the dive in Labuan. The Cement Wreck can be dived by
novices but the Blue Water Wreck requires Advanced Divers or
with logged experience. To penetrate into the two mentioned
wrecks or to dive the American or Australian Wreck, you must
be certified in wreck diving or have previously logged
experience in wreck diving.
Cement
Wreck
Situated about 21 kilornetres from
Labuan, east of Kuraman Island, is a 105 metres modern style
freighter. It is said that the freighter MV lung HWJ was
ferrying a load of cement for the Brunei Sultanate but
enrooted, she struck Samarany Bank and sank behind Kuraman
Island. The ship sits perfectly upright on the bottom at about
30 metres. Her masts stand at 8 metres, the roof of the
wheelhouse at 14 metres and the main deck at 19 metres. The
position of the wreck makes it ideal for novice divers and
wreck diving training. Experienced dive masters would either
descend to tie a line or would drop a rope weighted with
molded lead as opposed to an anchor to prevent damage to
corals and the wreck. Schools of baitfish congregating in huge
groups greet divers as they descend the masts of the ship. As
your eyes adjust to the low light, the wreck reveals a
profusion of coral and marine life. A soft coral in all shapes
and colors lance with the currents. Small marine animals
observed, around the wreck include hawkfish, pipefish,
damselfish, gobies, cardinal fish; the list is endless. The
rich diversity of coral life also attracts bigger animals
either to feed or to look for a cleaning.
World War I
Located about 1.5 kilometres from the
American Wreck, this ship is actually a Dutch merchant ship
captured by the Japanese then fitted with weapons and utilized
as a cargo vessel, but spotted and sank by Australian aircraft
in 1945. A maker's plate identified the freighter as built in
Rotterdam in 1900. station. The outer parameter of the wreck
is patrolled by schools of fusiliers, batfish, barracudas and
rainbow runners. This wreck offers the avid diver the most
photogenic opportunity of all the wrecks.
Australian Wreck
This is not an Australian
ship, but was nicknamed so by the locals from the fact that
was sunk by Australian aircraft during lying on her portside
the wreck is about 23 kilometres from Labuan, southeast of the
small islands of Rusukan Besar on the Barat Banks. This vessel
is a riveted hull freighter with a wooden deck that has
already deteriorated. She is approximately 100 metres long and
lies at 33 metres on the sandy bottom, with the shallowest
depth at 21 metres. Nature has transformed what was once a
lifeless wreck to rich coral growth with an abundance of
marine life. The superstructure is covered with black coral
tress, sea whips and stinging hydroids. A particular feature
of the wreck is the presence of resident palm-sized frogfish
or anglerfish. Large groupers can be seen swimming about
looking for an easy feed among the profusion of marine life.
Divers are forewarned where to place their hands as many
stonefish and lionfish lie camouflaged around the wreck.
American Wreck
The American Wreck,
identified as the USS Solute (a minesweeper), lies some 24
kilometres from southwest of the small island of Rusukan Besar
on the Barat Banks. During the Allied pre invasion of the
Brunei Bay, while carrying out a routine mine sweep, the
minesweeper struck a mine midship. She buckled when she sank,
with the bow portion folding back over on top of the stern
section. The wreck lies at 33 metres on the sandy bottom with
tangled masses of metal and cable. Diving this wreck requires
an experienced diver or a wreck diver to carefully explore the
tangled mass. A feature of the wreck is the many fish-cleaning
stations, crustaceans and echinoderms. The presence of spiny
black urchins requires caution on the buoyancy of the diver
when venturing was once a lifeless wreck to rich coral growth
with an abundance of marine life.The presence of spiny black
urchins requires caution on the buoyancy of the diver when
venturing close to the wreck. Depth chargers, ammunition
shells, shoes culinary and wire bottles can be still found
scattered around the wreckage, amidst mangled metal and
cables. A resident school of spotted sweetlips lie as silent
sentinels of the wreck. The superstructure is covered with
black coral tress, sea whips and stinging hydroids. A
particular feature of the wreck is the presence of resident
palm-sized frogfish or anglerfish. Large groupers can be seen
swimming about looking for an easy feed among the profusion of
marine life. Divers are forewarned where to place their hands
as many stonefish and lionfish lie camouflaged around the
wreck.
Getting There
Labuan Island is serviced by
domestic air flights from Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu. There
are numerous international flight connections from either
Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu.
Best Time to Dive Best months for diving
are between March to October. Visibility fluctuates with tidal
changes but adds to the drama of wreck diving. Little or no
current are experienced at the wreck proper but could be
stronger outside the parameter of the wreck. All dives are via
anchor line with spare tanks provided at decompression stops.
As wreck
diving can be dangerous, always enquire about safety equipment
provided by the operators, especially for decompression
stops.
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About Diving in Mataking Island of Sabah Borneo
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