|  Tunku
Abdul Rahman
The marine park is a cluster of islands comprising Pulau Gaya, Pulau
Sapi, Pulau Manukan, Pulau Mamutik and Pulau Sulug, all only 10
– 20 minute speedboat ride from the city of Kota Kinabalu. The five
islands of the Marine Park are characterized by shallow waters,
sumptuous coral gardens and all boast splendid white sandy beaches.
The reefs lie in shallow waters with little current making it an
ideal location for novice divers, however, the diverse and sometimes
rare marine creatures also make it an interesting dive location
for experienced divers and underwater photographers. To dive on
the marine park you must contact one of the local dive centers based
in Kota Kinabalu who also offer a full variety of PADI courses ranging
from Discover Scuba to Instructor.
Amongst the sandy seabed a good variety of marine life can be found
such as scorpionfish, blue-spotted rays, cuttlefish, mantis shrimps
and the occasional green or hawksbill turtle. At some locations,
rare creatures such as harlequin ghost pipefish and mandarinfish
can be found especially with the help from local dive guides.
During the cooler months from November to February, plankton blooms
attract krill which in turn attract whale sharks, the worlds largest
fish. At times the density of the krill can be so thick, in these
murky conditions underwater encounters with these colossal animals
can be exciting as they suddenly appear
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