Labuan Marine Park

Labuan Island is located 115km south of Kota Kinabalu and 8km off the mainland of Sabah at the northern mouth of Brunei. Its deep harbor and duty-free port attract shipping from all over the world and in 1990, Labuan was declared the International Offshore Financial Centre of Malaysia. Its history, which has always been intimately entwined with maritime traffic, began over three centuries ago with the first commercial transactions between Chinese junk owners and the Sultan of Brunei. Since then, Britain and other countries have used Labuan as a trading and fuel station and then during World War II. Labuan was the scene of bitter conflicts between the Japanese and Allied Air and Naval forces. Although three islands, Pulau Kumaran, Pulau Rusukan Kecil and Pulau Rusukan Besar are designated as Marine Parks, the special underwater attractions of Labuan are its shipwrecks. Four well researched and regularly dived wrecks to the southwest make this area 'the wreck diving centre' of Malaysia. Two of the wrecks are from World War II. the US Navy mine-hunter, USS Salute known as the "American Wreck" and the Dutch vessel SS De Klerk known as the "Australian Wreck", which was thought to have been sunk by the Royal Australian Air Force.

The other two wrecks were sunk in the 1980's, the Philippine stern trawler MV Mabini Padre, locally called the "Blue Water Wreck" and the Tung Hwang, a Japanese freighter locally known as the "Cement Wreck". All four ships lie in 30m-35m of water, with the top portions between 8m-12m. The water visibility varies greatly season to season from 6m-20m.

The type of diving on these wrecks ranges from novice to experienced wreck diving with penetrations possible into the hulls. Diving the wrecks can be arranged through Borneo Divers who have a PADI 5 star Dive centre located at Labuan. Here they run PADI courses from Discover Scuba to Dive master, also catering for TDI Nitrox and Advanced Wreck Diving courses.

Labuan Marine Park包含 Pulau Kumaran, Pulau Rusukan Kecil 和 Pulau Rusukan Besaar 三個島嶼. 於二次大戰時, 這裡因地位重要, 曾經發生激烈空海戰事. 這裡的主要潛水點是已沉沒的戰艦和遠洋船隻. 計有二次大戰的美國掃雷艦 USS Salute ( 被稱為 American Wreck ) 和被澳洲皇家空軍擊沉的荷蘭船 SS De Klerk ( 被稱為 Australian Wreck ). 另外兩艘分別是於 1980 沉沒的菲律賓拖撈船 MV Mabini Padre ( 被稱為 Blue Water Wreck ),和 Tung Hwang 貨輪 ( 被稱為 Cement Wreck ). 四艘都沉於 30- 35 米深的海底, 船面於 8-12 米水深. 海底能見度按季節不同而變, 約 6- 20 米

Further information can be obtained from the following offices:

Department of Fisheries Malaysia,

Ministry of Agriculture,

8th & 9th Floor, Wisma Tani

Jalan Sultan Salahuddin

50628 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2982011

Fax: 03-2910305

Department of Fisheries, Labuan; Km 4 of Jalan Patau-Patau; P.O. Box 395; 87003 Labuan; Tel No.: 087-415881; Fax No.: 087-412885

Labuan Marine Park is located 2 kilometers off the southern part of Labuan main island. Beautiful and wild, the park encompasses 10 square kilometers of pristine water and three secluded islets, namely Pulau Kuraman, Pulau Rusukan kecil and Pulau Rusukan Besar. It features long stretches of sandy beaches, reef atoll, jungle tracks and quiet tidal pools. Sea snakes, rare butterflies and a prolific bird life add to its enchantment.

Snorkeling and scuba trails introduce you to an underwater world of fascinating marine life. The many secluded beach spots offer unusual privacy and natural ambience.

These 3 islands have been declared as Marine Park since 1994. The park has been earmarked for upgrades under the 8th Malaysia Plan (2001-2005). Facilities to be built in the park include jetties, chalets, camping sites and barbecue pits. Other public amenities such as water and electricity will also be installed.

Banned - Fishing and anchoring
Local authority bans all form of fishing in waters around the Park. It also bans anchoring. Visiting yachts will either have to rent a mooring or tie to a dock in one of the marinas in the main island of Labuan. The only exceptions are boats under three meters in length using a stone anchor, and larger vessels having special advance authorization in writing from the authority. But you may photograph, swim, observe and study all form of marine fauna and flora. You are also allowed to scuba dive, sail, kayak and snorkel freely.

Pulau Kuraman
Pulau Kuraman is by far the most developed islet in the Marine Park. It has a jetty and a few units of chalets. Plans are underway to upgrade the facilities on this island. Pulau Kuraman is situated about 14 km from Victoria Harbor, Labuan and is about 5.2 sq. kilometer in size. It has two beautiful white beaches, perfect for picnicking and sun-bathing.
The island is surrounded by hard corals, the most conspicuous species of the coral reef is the Acropora tubinaria. The corals are found in water 8 - 13 meters deep. The water surrounding this island is very suitable for snorkeling and swimming. There are places for camping and picnicking as well.

Pulau Rusukan Besar
This island is still densely forested and is perfect for picnic, swimming and snorkeling.

Pulau Rusukan Besar is about 14 ha. in size and is situated just next to Pulau Kuraman, and about 15km from Victoria Harbor. There are coral reefs in the waters to the west, east and south of the island. The waters east and south of the island is very good for snorkeling and viewing from glass-bottom boats, as well as scuba diving.

Pulau Rusukan Kecil
This is a beautiful, quiet and unspoilt island. It has no development on it and is perfect for camping. Pulau Rusukan Kecil is situated near Pulau Kuraman and it has a land area of only 8 ha. The coral reefs nearby consist of mostly Acropora and Platygyra species

Ship Wreck

Besides these 3 islands, visitors to Labuan can also make trips to some "wreck" for diving where corals, especially soft corals and marine lives are found in abundance. These wrecks are known as "Cement Wreck", "American Wreck", "Australian Wreck" and "Blue Water Wreck". The types of diving at these wrecks ranges from "novice" to "serious" dives with penetrations into the hulls. There are 3 "Dive-tour" operators in Labuan bringing visitors to these 3 islands and wrecks for snorkeling and diving.

Getting There

Best Time To Visit The best time to visit the Labuan Marine Park is between February and October.

By Air: Labuan is assessable by air from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu.
The time taken is about 2½ hours and 20 minutes respectively.

By Vessel: The journey by vessel from Victoria Harbor to the 3 islands takes about 30 minutes.
The rides from the Harbor to the wrecks ranges from 30 minutes to 1½ hours.

INDEX - Islands of Sabah 1 Dec 2008 July 26, 2013 09:54:34 AM