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"Three wrecks have been
discovered which still hold plenty of secrets and are now home
to a menagerie of marine creatures." |
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Mantanani Island is a
group of three isolated islands northwest of Kota Belud, a one-hour
drive from Kota Kinabalu. Until recently, the islands were only
known to a few locals. The largest island houses the only dive
resort, Mantanani Resort which is situated at the western end on the
edge of a white sandy bay.
Nestled amongst the
tall coconut palms are beach cabins scattered around the main
plantation styled house. Three wrecks have been discovered which
still hold plenty of secrets and are now home to a menagerie of
marine creatures such as Lionfish, Scorpionfish, octopus, glassfish
and the coral reefs surrounding the islands have plenty to offer,
for both novice and experienced diver.
Many species of rays
can be found, Marbled stingray, Blue spotted ray and large schools
of eagle rays. For macro photographers the “muck diving” is amazing,
seahorses, imperial shrimps, pink-eye gobies, jawfish, blue-ringed
octopus, ribbon eels and many nudibranch you want to be able to find
in books! There are now 16 dive sites identified byMantanani Resort
with many more still to be explored.
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Until recently, the
islands were only known to a few locals. The surrounding waters
offer splendid fishing and scuba diving adventures. Sailfish and
marlin are the main quarry of sport fishermen in these waters. Scuba
divers come here for the underwater wrecks, which still hold plenty
of the secrets from the day they first settled on the sea floor.
These wrecks are now home to a menagerie of marine creatures and an
unrivaled marine photo studio. For the novice scuba diver, the coral
reefs of these islands offer some of the best scuba diving this side
of Sabah.
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Mantanani Resort lies
at the edge of a white sandy bay at the western end of the largest
island. Nestled amidst the tall coconut palms, are scattered beach
cabins surrounding the main plantation styled house. These large and
comfortable cabins come with attached bathrooms and air
conditioning. The relaxing atmosphere makes this resort one of the
best places to come to relax and get away (even for a little while)
from the drumbeat of urban life. After all, there's only one resort
here in these 3 islands, not the other way around. |
