Another popular island near Semporna is Pulau Mantabuan with turtles, eagle rays and coral in all shades and colors.

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Mantabuan is a volcanically formed and mostly submerged island that is paradise for divers who want to see magnificent coral and with unsurpassed visibility. Located northeast from the ancient volcano of Bohedulang, Mantabuan is one of the best islands in the area for manta rays, especially when the currents pick up. Eagle rays and devil rays can often be found in the blue as well.

The real star of Mantabuan though is the black coral. Usually found at much greater depths, this rare and precious coral can be found in just 22 meters of water. Black coral has long been valued by humans for purposes ranging from protection against curses to decoration in jewelry. Black coral is Hawaii's official state gem, but divers must go well past 40 meters in order to see it. It's a surreal feeling swimming through the huge bushes, ranging in color from white to green to purple (the term black comes from the color of its skeleton). We hesitate to give the exact location of the bushes as black coral is frequently harvested for use in jewelry, and it's market value approaches that of gold.

In addition to the black coral, pristine soft coral and large table coral can be found throughout the entirety of the island. Huge coral boulders in the shallows provide shelter to a large number of marine life, including myriad nudibranches, painted lobsters, blue-spotted ribbon rays, and thousands upon thousands of reef fish. When the tides permit we usually have lunch along the palm tree lined white sand beaches where the local Malaysian military, who have a base on the island, will offer you extremely strong rice wine.

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