Meringgis Bay, Gaya Island (★4.3)
A beautiful and magnificent thriving dive site located at the back of Gaya Island sitting in between Bunga Raya Resort and YTL Resort. Great for beginners and training.
Explore Gaya Island
Gaya Island is a large island, which lies off the west coast Sabah State, on the island of Borneo in Malaysia. This island makes up part of Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. There are multiple dive centres and dive resorts on the island which can take divers to the impressive underwater world here. It is also an ideal location to do dive courses due to calm conditions. The fact that it is located in a protected national park means that the marine life is in pristine condition, ready to be admired.
Dive Activity
Diving in Gaya Island
One of the main diving activities which happen here at Gaya Island are the dive courses. Due to the easy and relaxing conditions, this is an ideal place for novice divers to begin their diving journey. The dive centres and dive resorts offer a multitude of courses here. Underwater, there is a lot of chance for the macro lovers and macro photographers to admire the many species here. There are also multiple coral gardens and coral walls and slopes.
Dive Sites
The best Months to Dive in Gaya Island
The weather is warm throughout the year with temperatures between 29°C and 31°C. There is a dry and wet season, with the most rain falling between January to March but the rain is minimal. The best months to dive here are between March and October. Water temperatures are pleasant and warm ranging between 25°C and 30°C and the visibility averages around 15 metres and can reach up to 30 metres on the best days.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Gaya Island
With over 600 species of corals and 3000 species of marine fauna, every dive is guaranteed to have multiple stars of the show. Some of the species which divers could spot include Black Tip Reef Sharks, Nudibranchs, Barracuda, Tuna, Sea Stars, Crocodile Fish and Hawksbill Turtle and Green Sea Turtle. Something which divers will definitely notice here are the many schools of fish which fill the waters with colour here. The flourishing reefs here are made up of a collection of corals of all shapes and sizes, including Hard and Soft Coral, Barrel Sponges, Table Corals and Anemones and their defenders the Anemone Fish.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
242 Sightings
J
4
F
28
M
1
A
0
M
5
J
1
J
2
A
46
S
106
O
43
N
3
D
3
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 27
iStock-Global_Pics
Barracuda
84 Sightings
J
2
F
24
M
1
A
7
M
4
J
4
J
0
A
13
S
19
O
6
N
3
D
1
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
32 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
1
A
0
M
1
J
0
J
2
A
11
S
15
O
0
N
2
D
0
Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
Green Turtle
22 Sightings
J
1
F
5
M
1
A
5
M
2
J
0
J
0
A
4
S
0
O
1
N
1
D
2
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 28
Udo Kefrig
Clownfish
564 Sightings
J
11
F
44
M
9
A
14
M
14
J
21
J
24
A
125
S
220
O
65
N
8
D
9
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 150
Shutterstock-aquapix
Sweetlips and Grunts
496 Sightings
J
0
F
47
M
61
A
56
M
62
J
49
J
2
A
52
S
150
O
15
N
2
D
0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 100
iStock-burnsboxco
Parrotfish
478 Sightings
J
2
F
64
M
59
A
48
M
32
J
36
J
4
A
57
S
155
O
18
N
2
D
1
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 85
iStock-mirecca
Surgeonfish
429 Sightings
J
0
F
51
M
65
A
63
M
63
J
55
J
3
A
37
S
83
O
9
N
0
D
0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 110
iStock-Rainer von Brandis
Snapper
409 Sightings
J
1
F
48
M
62
A
63
M
62
J
51
J
3
A
30
S
78
O
8
N
2
D
1
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 12
iStock/cinoby
Lionfish
371 Sightings
J
4
F
77
M
62
A
65
M
66
J
47
J
0
A
27
S
15
O
0
N
4
D
4
