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Diving Conditions and Weather
The diving off Miri is predominantly on coral reefs. There are reefs as shallow as 3m and as deep as 50m, and all are within a 30 to 60 minute boat ride from the jetty. Additionally there are a few wrecks, including the Japanese WWII wreck of the Atago Maru and the Kenyalang artificial reef which have very good fish life. The reefs are grouped in a couple of clusters as follows:
- Inshore area (Eve’s Garden, Atago Maru) - 3 to 12 m deep
- Siwa area (Anenome Garden, Sunday Reef, Siwa 4, Belais) -10 to 20 m
- Tukau area (Tukau drop off, Santak) 20 to 40m deep
- Suleiman & Sulit area 30 to 50m deep
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The diving season normally kicks off once the North East monsoon (and the rough seas) calms down in February or March and then carries on until November.
Visibility and currents are variable and unpredictable. Visibility can range from crystal clear 30m+ down to a very murky 2 or 3m, however we have yet to come up with a reliable way of predicting if the visibility will be good or bad until we jump into the water. Visibility tends to be better at the deeper sites as they are slightly further away from the shore, however this is not always the case. Currents on the bottom are generally mild, the main thing to watch out for are strong surface currents (which occasionally flows in the opposite direction to the bottom current).
Water temperature at the start of the season is normally 26 to 27ºC but can be as low as 23ºC at depth, as the NE monsoon still brings in cold water from the northern Pacific. By May the water temperature reaches the more normal 29 to 30ºC.
The weather can be unpredictable and can change very quickly under the influence of the monsoon’s, squalls, thunderstorms and from June to September, the influence of typhoons in the Pacific. Normally we make a call on conditions on the morning of the dive.
Some good websites for weather & tides can be found at the following links: |
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- Choose "Reef South" under Sea Conditions
- Choose "Miri" under Tidal Forecast for tides
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