Mandarin Valley
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Mandarin Valley is a shallow sloping reef with a sandy floor at Kapalai, in Malaysian Borneo. The reef runs from 8 to 20 metres, and it suits beginners who want to look at small marine life.
Currents are gentle and surface conditions are generally calm, though the surface can get choppy. Visibility is often 20 to 35 metres, and water reaches up to 30°C at times. The nearby reef of Ligitan acts as a nursery for juvenile animals.
On the coral slope, go down slowly to spot well-camouflaged frogfish and stonefish. Cuttlefish are common on the sand and put on colourful camouflage displays. A small fishing boat wreck lies nearby at 18 metres, sheltering crocodilefish, nudibranchs, longnose hawkfish and ghost pipefish, including a bright orange-red type.
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Squid swim by in squadrons. Mandarin fish dance over the channel against the black sea urchins, near corals, sponges and many small critters. Crayfish and sharks come out after sunset.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Willan's ChromodorisChromodoris willaniReported here · unconfirmed
Anna's ChromodorisChromodoris annaeReported here · unconfirmed
Crocodile FlatheadCymbacephalus beaufortiReported here · unconfirmed
Dusky NembrothaNembrotha kubaryanaReported here · unconfirmed
Blue DragonPteraeolidia semperiReported here · unconfirmed
Alcala's ChromodorisChromodoris alcalaiReported here · unconfirmed
Coi's GoniobranchusGoniobranchus coiReported here · unconfirmed
Pacific TrumpetfishAulostomus chinensisReported here · unconfirmed
Bluespotted Fantail RayTaeniura lymmaReported here · unconfirmed
NudibranchNudibranchConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Ghost pipefishGhost pipefishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
FrogfishFrogfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
SquidSquidReported here · unconfirmed
MandarinfishMandarinfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
StonefishStonefishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Leaf scorpionfishLeaf scorpionfishReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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