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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Mabul location page.
Overview
Shallow muck and reef site off Mabul that is one of the most reliable critter dives in Southeast Asia. Sandy bottom with scattered coral patches hosts flamboyant cuttlefish, mimic octopus, and a parade of rare nudibranchs. Easy, no-current macro paradise.
What you'll see
4 species curated- year-roundFlamboyant cuttlefish
- year-roundMimic octopus
- seasonalHairy frogfish
- year-roundMandarinfish
Sightings evidence
1 record on file- high confidenceFlamboyant cuttlefish
- Last confirmed
- May 2026
- Recent records
- 130 within 10 km
Sources & methodology
How we summarise this
We aggregate confirmed occurrence records from GBIF and OBIS within a fixed radius of each dive site. Occurrence records confirm presence and reveal seasonality clustering, but they DO NOT measure per-dive probability — there is no eligible-effort denominator. We deliberately do not publish a numeric '% chance of sighting' from this data.
Sources
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility — GBIF Secretariat
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System — IOC-UNESCO
- OBIS-SEAMAP — Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab / OBIS
- iNaturalist — California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic Society
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- WoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
- FishBase — FishBase Consortium
- Atlas of Living Australia — CSIRO / GBIF Australia
- REEF Volunteer Fish Survey — Reef Environmental Education Foundation
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28–30 °C | 10–20 m | none |
| Feb | 28–30 °C | 10–20 m | none |
| Mar | 28–30 °C | 10–20 m | none |
| Apr | 29–30 °C | 10–20 m | none |
| May | 29–30 °C | 10–20 m | none |
| Jun | 29–30 °C | 10–20 m | none |
| Jul | 29–30 °C | 10–20 m | none |
| Aug | 29–30 °C | 10–20 m | none |
| Sep | 28–30 °C | 10–20 m | none |
| Oct | 28–30 °C | 10–20 m | none |
| Nov | 28–30 °C | 10–20 m | none |
| Dec | 28–30 °C | 10–20 m | none |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Gear for this site
Beyond the basic kit- Macro light — Cryptic critters need a focused beam to spot.
Next step
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Hotels, liveaboards, dive operators, gear recommendations, and travel logistics for the whole region.
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