Published on November 29, 2017
School of fish swarms a wreck off Brunei. Image courtesy of Brunei Tourism.
Brunei has more than 30 dive sites and 4,500 hectares of coral reefs to explore. Oft overlooked for the sprawling atolls in the Philippines and Indonesia, Brunei’s vast reefscapes remain, to this date, largely unspoiled and pristine, a treasure trove of rare corals and marine life.
There’s much to delight even the most experienced diver. Brunei Patches, Ampa Patches, and the Iron Duke Shoals offer plenty of opportunities to spot and dive with sharks during the peak season from March to November. Hammerhead sharks, greytips, and whitetips are common, as are groupers, barracuda, jacks, and the rare whale shark for the diver in luck.
Adventure comes in the form of overrun shipwrecks and disused oil rigs that add character to the underwater landscape. Divers can try The American Wreck, a WWII ship that sank in 1945; The Australian Wreck, a Royal Dutch Navy ship 34 miles from the coast; or The Cement Wreck, a freight ship only nine meters below the surface.
Travellers raring to see Brunei’s underwater offerings can look to Discover Brunei: Diving, a mobile app developed by Brunei Tourism to promote and provide information on the country’s many dive sites. The app comes with locations, maps, GPS, photos, depth and visibility levels, travel information and safety tips.
Corals and fish off Brunei. Image courtesy of Brunei Tourism.
School of fish swarms a wreck off Brunei. Image courtesy of Brunei Tourism.
Similar Southeast Asia Experiences
Divers in Southeast Asia won’t know where to start, with the overflow of diving spots they’ll find across the region. Other key diving destinations include Indonesia’s part of the Coral Triangle; Koh Rong in Cambodia; Apo Reef and Tubbataha in the Philippines; Sipadan in Malaysia; and Phuket in Thailand.
