Scuba Diving in Miri-Sibuti National Park

Checking out the underwater world of Miri ranks highly on my to-do list in this part of Borneo.

Miri is often branded as a resort city in Sarawak and what most associate as the perfect base to explore other natural wonders such as the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mulu National Park or UNESCO-nominated Gua Niah. The first petroleum well in Malaysia was drilled in Miri back in 1910, and this city remains an important spot for oil-related business.

Not many would have related Miri as a plausible place to dive. But diving in Miri is thought to be among the “healthiest and most beautiful places in the world to dive”.

We had planned to spend as much time as we could diving in Miri, but bad weather foiled our attempts. If not for the quick and flexible arrangement of one particular dive school, this article would not have materialised – at least for the near future – and we would not have the pleasure of checking out the underwater world of Miri.

I did this trip in Jul 2022. Post may be updated periodically. Images taken with GoPro8 and edited using Dive+

Reservations

Our Miri trip was planned at short notice, leaving us about two weeks to book our dives. Imagine our surprise – or not, but experience with other Malaysian operators was okay – when we realised most operators were fully booked despite us being at the beginning of the post-pandemic travel stage! Moral of the story: Do not assume.

We managed to put in a day before our Mulu expedition, but a series of sudden freak weather thwarted our desperate attempt.

It would be natural to think that diving might not be in the cards for now, yet a small hope or sheer stubbornness as I am known for – we still have an operable dive day after Mulu! – drove me to try again. And that was how we secured a last-minute dive the next day in the evening after coming back from Mulu.

Dive Operators

I have extensively trawled the internet to locate four working dive operators in Miri so you do not have to (found a fifth one but they have stopped operation since a while back).

The Dive Squad

The Dive Squad was the dive school we went with that was flexible enough to swap us with two others who would be diving the following day instead.

The school, with its cute mask-wearing seahorse logo, is at Piasau Boat Club, some 15 minutes away from Miri Old Town.

You could connect with them through their Facebook Page.

Borneo Dive Network

We initially went with the team at Borneo Dive Network, but you know the rest. Despite the sudden unfavourable weather conditions, they were pleasant and fast at keeping us updated with the latest weather report.

This dive operator works with or is part of a travel agency. You could find more information about their dive packages here.

As with the above, I reached them through their Facebook Page.

Coco Dive

Coco Dive might have been the oldest dive operator in Miri. The dive school owns the Miri Diving Community group on Facebook.

Miri Divers

Miri Divers is probably another dive shop from Coco Dive as both dive operators share the same contact details.

Best Time to Dive

Several websites point to the dry months of March to September as the best time to dive in Miri. During this period, water visibility is at its best.

As Borneo is in the tropical region, the waters are perpetually warm – a 3 mm wetsuit would have sufficed.

The Northeast Monsoon occurs from November to February and brings lots of rain and wind.

I wonder about the freakish bouts of bad weather while we were there in July.

Dive Sites

All dive sites in Miri are at the protected Miri-Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park. As with all the national parks in Sarawak, the ticket costs RM 10 if you are a Malaysian and double if you are not.

There are over 40 dive spots ranging from a shallow 7 m to a maximum depth of 30 m. Colourful corals thrive in this part of the sea, and you could spot a variety of tropical life – from the tiny nudibranchs and common clownfish to the majestic whale sharks.

My Dive Trip

We dived on a Friday that happened to coincide with Sarawak Independence Day. 

Along our trip were a student clocking in more dives for his Advanced Open Waters and a group of four friends who frequently dive in Miri. Supporting the seven of us were the primary divemaster – a petite lady – and her assistant – a tall-built man.

After the usual administrative work – documents, payment, gear sizing – our guides led us to a van that took us to a hidden pier while a tractor behind us towed our medium-sized dive boat.

It took us quite a while – 30 minutes maybe? – to travel out of the speed-restricted Sungei Baong and into the open sea and our first dive site.

First Stop: Nemo City

Nemo City teems with giant anemones of clownfish.

Visibility was good at 15 – 20 m, and we spotted a couple of common blue nudibranchs, shrimps, blue starfish and schools of fish I am too ignorant to identify yet.

We stayed underwater for almost an hour and dived to a maximum depth of 10 m.

Second Stop: VHK Reef

We had lunch and rested almost an hour before the next dive.

The second dive for the day was less than pleasant. We had poor visibility of 3 m and currents against us.

I spied nothing particularly captivating for this dive and practised on my buoyancy instead. The sudden appearance of huge coral fans from the poor visibility often surprised me in this dive.

We stayed underwater for about 40 minutes and dived to a maximum depth of 18 m.

Out and Back

Two dives were truly not enough to fully sample the national park!

We reentered Miri just as a downpour was brewing – the flying raindrops combined with our speeding boat hit our skin like icy darts.

After a quick shower at Piasau Boat Club, we thanked our guides, logged our dives and made our way back to Marina Bay.

I shall be back to dive the Borneon sea again, someday.