Mataking Island Scuba Diving Travel Blog (Malaysia)

Located on the northern tip of Borneo, the Malaysian state of Sabah is home to the best scuba diving sites in the country. And its undisputed crown jewel is Sipadan Island, which consistently ranks as one of the best dive sites in the world. As visitors are not permitted to stay on Sipadan, most will base their trip from nearby islands (e.g. Mabul, Kapalai, Mataking Island) or the mainland port of Semporna. In this travel blog, we details our 5D4N Jan-2019 scuba diving trip to Mataking Island (and Sipadan). So, go ahead and share this Mataking Island Scuba Diving Travel Blog with your dive buddies!

See also: Sipadan Scuba Diving Travel Blog

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Eastern shoreline beach at The Reef Resort (Mataking Island Scuba Diving Travel Blog)

Mataking Island (Sabah, Malaysia)

Mataking is a tiny privately-owned resort island (The Reef Resort) in the Celebes Sea. It is a 40-minutes boat ride east from the mainland coastal town of Semporna.

The island is elongated in the north-south axis. And only measures 1.4km tip to tip. With a maximum width of 250m. The main island of Mataking is connected to its smaller uninhabited sister island (Pulau Mataking Kecil, a.k.a. Small Mataking Island) via a 650m narrow sand bar. Which is accessible only during low tide.

Main jetty at The Reef Resort, Mataking Island

Sandbar to Pulau Mataking Kecil (The Reef Resort)(360 photo)

There is a small military presence on the island. Presumably to monitor the area and provide security given the island’s proximity to the Philippines. Which can be seen on the horizon (from the island’s watch tower) on clear days.

Military Jetty, Rear Jetty (The Reef Resort)(360 photo)

Watchtower (The Reef Resort)(360 photo)

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Getting to Mataking Island and Sipadan Island

Semporna (coastal town) has the main jetty serving Mataking, Sipadan and the rest of the islands in the area (e.g. Mabul, Kapalai). The nearest major airport to Semporna is Tawau Airport, which is about an hour drive away.

Getting to Tawau Airport from Singapore

Tawau Airport (TWU) is a 30-minutes’ drive from Tawau town.

If flying from Singapore, both Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia offer flights to Tawau (correct as of Jan-2019). With both airlines requiring transit at Kuala Lumpur (or Kota Kinabalu).

For our trip, we managed to snag a deal from Malaysia Airlines and got our return ticket at a cool SGD$230/pax.

Tawau Airport (Sabah, Malaysia)(360 photo)

Overnight in Tawau

Depending on the arrival time at Tawau Airport, some visitors might be required to spend a night in Tawau. Before taking the resort’s scheduled ferry service (from Semporna) the next morning.

This was the case for us. Our incoming flight was expected to land late afternoon, which was past the resort’s last scheduled ferry service. Therefore, prior to the trip, the resort advised us to make reservation for a night at their affiliate hotel (Heritage Hotel*) in downtown Tawau.

Fortunately, the resort will usually take care of all transport once their guest arrives in Tawau Airport. Making it easy for guests to transfer between the airport, Tawau and Semporna.

Heritage Hotel, Tawau

Our short stay at Heritage Hotel* was a pleasant one. The location was convenient at the heart of Tawau. And the room was simple and clean. It helps too that the rate was very reasonable.

*Disclosure: This is an affiliate link. It will cost nothing to you, but we do receive a small fee if you book through this link. This small fee will go a long way to help us maintain this blog.

Heritage Hotel (Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia)(360 photo)

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Kam Ling Seafood Restaurant, Tawau — Kam Ling Seafood Restaurant is the most popular seafood restaurant in Tawau (Mataking Island Scuba Diving Travel Blog)

Famous Seafood at Tawau

Tawau isn’t a large town and there nothing much to do here; except for the seafood. Tawau is home to Kam Ling Seafood Restaurant, which is famed for serving cheap, fresh and tasty seafood. Such is its reputation, it’s even mentioned on Lonely Planet.

Needless to say, after checking into Heritage Hotel, we didn’t lose any time in marching our way to this gastronomic paradise. Which is just a leisurely 10-minutes’ walk (map) away and just in time for dinner.

Kam Ling Seafood Restaurant

At Kam Ling Seafood Restaurant, diners get to make their choice from the huge varieties of live seafood displayed in the tanks. After much deliberation, our small entourage decided on prawns, crabs, cockles and some other non-seafood dishes. Ending the night with bloated tummies and battle damages to the tune of RM195 for 3pax. Good deal!

Kam Ling Seafood Restaurant (360 photo)

Transfer to Semporna Jetty

The following morning, we had an early breakfast. Which comes included with our stay at Heritage Hotel. Breakfast was served at a small restaurant across the street from Heritage Hotel. The spread was very basic, but enough to get us started on the day’s journey.

After breakfast, the resort’s driver picked us up from the hotel at 7.30am and we began the 1.5 hours’ journey to Semporna jetty. Where we transfer to the resort’s boat for the 40 minutes’ ride to Mataking Island.

Jetty at Semporna (Sabah, Malaysia)(360 photo)

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The Reef Resort, Mataking Island

Though small, Mataking is a laid-back and particularly scenic island. The management and staffs of The Reef Resort had done an exceptional job in making the island into a truly world-class exclusive island resort.

An all-inclusive resort, all meals are included with the stay. Though guest will have to pay for most other activities. Which includes scuba diving, fishing trips, island hopping tours, snorkelling tours, kayaking, karaoke and a spa.

Map of Mataking Island (click for higher resolution)

Gym at The Reef Resort, Mataking Island — Gym at The Reef Resort, Sabah, Malaysia (Mataking Island Scuba Diving Travel Blog)

Massage Price List at The Reef Resort (Mataking Island Scuba Diving Travel Blog)

Main jetty and karaoke lounge at The Reef Resort, Mataking Island

Snorkelling and Swimming on Mataking Island

Mataking and its neighbouring islands are home to some fantastic coral reefs in crystal clear waters. Making scuba diving and snorkelling the top activities here. (See next section for details on scuba diving)

Swimming (and snorkelling) on Mataking Island is limited to its western shoreline. With the main beach here adjacent to the resort’s jetty, restaurant and dive centre. In fact, the house reef, which is just a few metres off the main beach, is home to some of the best coral reefs and marine life in the area.

There is a beach on the eastern edge of Mataking. However, the presence of rocks and the shallow water (that stretches out for a few hundred metres) meant that no meaningful water activities could be done here.

The Reef Resort, Mataking Island: Restaurant

The resort’s sole restaurant serves a wide spread of delicious local/international cuisines in buffet style. With the ever-changing theme of the buffet spread ensuring that guest will get to experience different fares throughout their entire stay. There is even a live cooking station at every meal session to add variety.

With the sumptuous spread, meal-times are consistently one of the things we most look forward to throughout our stay.

The Reef Resort's Restaurant, Mataking Island — The Reef Resort’s Restaurant, Sabah, Malaysia (Mataking Island Scuba Diving Travel Blog)

Restaurant (The Reef Resort, Sabah, Malaysia)

View from Restaurant (The Reef Resort)(360 photo)

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The Reef Resort: Accommodation options

There are a variety of accommodation options on the island. From budget-friendly garden-view rooms, to luxurious sea facing chalets and villas.

During our trip, we stayed in the row of garden-view rooms directly behind the dive centre. Making sure that we have quick access to our dive equipment and the restaurant. The garden-view rooms are extremely spacious and well-appointed. Much exceeding our expectations.

Garden View Deluxe Room (interior; 360 photo). The Reef Resort

Exterior of Garden View Deluxe Rooms (360 photo). The Reef Resort

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Ocean swing in front of The Reef Resort's gym — Ocean swing in front of The Reef Resort’s gym

The Reef Resort, Mataking Island: Other scenic spots

Other than the beaches, there are number of scenic spots on Mataking Island.

Sandbar to Pulau Mataking Kecil

Accessible only during low tides, the short walk on the sandbar to Pulau Mataking Kecil provides a picturesque backdrop for that cracking Instagram shot. However, do be cautious about making the crossing during inclement weather or rising tide. It’s a bad idea to be stuck on the islet.

On the Sandbar with Pulau Mataking Kecil in background

On the Sandbar with Mataking Island (main island) in background

Love Tree

With its beautiful island setting, Mataking has also made its name as a perfect spot for wedding ceremonies and photography. As a testament to this, we’ve witnessed a few young couples having their pre-nuptial photo shoots over the course of our stay. There is even a “Love Tree” in the middle of the island (next to the watchtower) that serves as an excellent stage for solemnisation ceremonies.

The Reef Resort's Love Tree — The Reef Resort’s Love Tree

”Love Tree” and watchtower (360 photo)

Watchtower

For those who aren’t afraid of heights, the 20m watchtower offers panoramic view of the surrounding. And on days with clear weather, one could even spot the western fringes of some islands from the Philippines on the horizon.

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Scuba Diving at Mataking Island

Scuba diving is one of the top activities on Mataking Island. With the diving utopia of Sipadan just 1.5 hours’ boat ride away, Mataking serves as a good alternative to divers looking for a luxurious resort in relative proximity to some of the best dive sites in the region.

Dive centre on Mataking Island

The Reef Resort has a well-equipped dive centre. Complete with experienced and helpful dive guides. Crucially, the resort has a permanent daily allocation of 7 dive permits for Sipadan (only a maximum 120 permits are issued per day by the authorities). Ensuring that the resort’s guests have a good chance of visiting the diving paradise. [Refer to our other blog about diving at Sipadan Island]

The resort’s dive centre has a daily schedule of 5 dive slots: 3 daytime boat dives (8.30am, 11am, 3pm), a sunset dive (5.30pm, house reef) and a night dive (6.30pm, house reef). Depending on the dive package purchased, divers will liaise with the dive centre on their number of dives per day.

For our trip, we had snagged an unbeatable dive package with the resort during the 2018 Malaysia Dive Expo. Our 5D4N package comes with 3 daily guided boat dives and unlimited house reef buddy dives (day/night; without guide).

As for gear rental, the dive centre has good condition rental gears at extremely reasonable rates. A full set of dive gear (BCD, regulator, wet suit, snorkel, mask, booties, fins) is only RM85 for a day’s rental.

Price list of The Reef Resort's dive centre — Price list of The Reef Resort’s dive centre (click for higher resolution)

Dive Centre Jetty (The Reef Resort)(360 photo)

Scuba diving sites

As mentioned earlier, the coral reefs on Mataking Island is concentrated on the western edge. While there are also a few islands nearby that have great dive sites.

Mataking’s house reef is itself an excellent spot. It is not only interesting in the day, but also offers plenty of interesting finds during the night. Surely one of the better night dives sites we’ve been to.

On our dives here, the more notable finds include bump-head parrotfish, black batfish, mantis shrimp, juvenile sweetlips, frogfish and a couple of marine life that we don’t have the name to.

There is even a shipwreck at the northern tip of the house reef, though its depth (~23-26m) meant that snorkelers would probably not be able to view it from the surface.