Labuan wrecks – Malaysia

Labuan, a Malaysian Federal Territory island off the coast of Borneo, is known as Malaysia's wreck-diving centre. Four wrecks lie southwest of the island at roughly 20-35 m: the Cement Wreck (1980 freighter), the Australian Wreck (SS De Klerk, mined 1944), the American Wreck (USS Salute, mined 1945) and the Blue Water Wreck (Mabini Padre trawler, 1981). The zones are reported to have been gazetted as heritage protection areas since 2011 and visibility is usually 5-20 m. Dives run from Labuan by boat in 15-90 minutes; the Labuan Marine Park around Kuraman and the two Rusukan islands offers reef snorkelling, but we found no verified reef dive-site positions, so only the wrecks are listed.

Facts

• Best season: March-May: calmest sea and clearest water; June-September good; Oct-Feb wetter with choppier seas (NE monsoon Nov-Feb). Diving is possible year-round
• Water temperature: About 27-30 °C year-round
• Visibility: Typically 5-20 m; Blue Water Wreck is clearest (10-35 m)
• Getting there: Labuan airport (LBU): KL, Kota Kinabalu, Miri. Ferries: Menumbok (about 30 min), Kota Kinabalu (about 3 h) and Serasa/Muara in Brunei (about 1 h) to the Labuan International Ferry Terminal in Victoria; check current timetables and passports/visa rules for the Brunei ferry
• Boat rides: Roughly 15-30 min to the nearer sites; the wrecks are 21-34 km from Labuan according to site guides
• Permit & protection: Wrecks in heritage protection zones (since 2011); dive with a licensed operator. Marine Park fee reportedly RM 30 for non-Malaysians. No spearfishing, no shell or coral collecting, no anchoring in the park
• Training level: Cement Wreck suits Open Water-plus divers; the others are Advanced/deep dives (30-35 m). Packages quote 50+ logged dives. Penetration needs wreck training
• Emergency: A tourism guide reports a recompression chamber at the Sea Sports Complex: verify before relying on it. Carry DAN or equivalent insurance

Season

• Best months: Mar, Apr, May
• Acceptable: Feb, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
• Poor: Nov, Dec, Jan
• Water temperature: 27–30 °C

March-May has the best visibility and calmest seas; Nov-Feb brings the NE monsoon with more rain, choppier seas and 5-12 m visibility. Diving continues year-round. The monthly split is an estimate from tourism pages.

Dive sites (4)

Labuan wrecks (southwest of Labuan)

• American Wreck (USS Salute) – 18–33 m, advanced
• Australian Wreck (SS De Klerk) – 24–35 m, advanced
• Blue Water Wreck (Mabini Padre) – 24–35 m, advanced
• Cement Wreck – 19–35 m, intermediate

Operators (3)

• Borneo Star Dive Sdn Bhd – dive centre, Labuan International Sea Sports Complex (units S06 & SS07), Labuan
• Dive Rusukan Labuan – resort, Labuan Rusukan Besar Resort, Pulau Rusukan Besar
• N5° Diving Center – dive centre, Palm Beach Resort, Jalan Batu Manikar, Labuan

Wreck positions for Cement, Australian and Blue Water wrecks come from the Asia Dive Site list; the American Wreck is an approximate historical sinking position. Sources disagree on directions and ship names (e.g. which wreck is Tung Hwang), so use positions for orientation only. USS Salute and SS De Klerk are war graves; some sources are tourism promotion. Dive with a licensed operator.