The 15 Best Diving & Snorkeling Trips in Kota Kinabalu

1.Guided Snorkeling Day Trip, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 282 reviews · from $65Our pick

Explore three snorkel sites in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park with a PADI guide, island lunch, gear, water, and a small group.

“Didi was welcoming and attentive. We went to two spots before lunch and saw a black-tipped shark and so many kinds of fish, and we swam with a beautiful sea turtle. After a nice lunch, we went to one more spot and felt like we were members of a school of damsel fish. A great day. Recommend this trip.”

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2.Full-Day Guided Snorkeling Tour from Kota Kinabalu

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 101 reviews · 7 hours · from $66

Review of Kota Kinabalu’s full-day snorkeling tour, with coral reefs, turtles, guided swims, island lunch, costs, tips, and drawbacks.

“I had a great time snorkeling! Everything was well organized and the instructors Asri and Didi were very professional, friendly, and made the experience both safe and fun. The spots we visited were beautiful, full of marine life, and the time passed so quickly because I enjoyed it so much. Lunch was also very tasty. On the island, I even got to see monkeys and a Komodo lizard, which made the day even more special. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and I would recommend it to anyone visiting!”

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3.Snorkeling & Island Hopping Sapi & Manukan

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 97 reviews · 1 day · from $67

Review of Kota Kinabalu’s Sapi and Manukan island tour, with snorkeling, lunch, boat transfers, costs, crowds, and practical tips.

“Tour guide was friendly and positive, spent over three hours on the first island (sapi) and an hour on the second (Manukan) which was nicer of the two. Felt like the long stay on sapi was mainly to pressure you into paying for the additional activities. Lunch wasn’t bad but quite greasy and not worth the price”

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4.Leisure Diving | Fun Dives | 3 Dives in TARP, Kota Kinabalu

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 94 reviews · from $105

Review of Kota Kinabalu’s three-dive Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park trip, with small groups, gear, lunch, boat transfers, and practical tips.

“Alex and Jack were excellent guides! The water was warm, the weather was good, and we saw so many fish and corals!”

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5.Learn to Dive | RAID Open Water 20 Diver Course | Kota Kinabalu

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 79 reviews · from $375

Learn scuba skills in Kota Kinabalu with a three-day RAID Open Water 20 course, marine park boat trips, equipment, meals, and expert instructors.

“Recently completed my RAID Open Water 20 certification with Borneo Dream Travel, and I honestly couldn’t have asked for better instructors than Alex and Didi. Both were incredibly professional, patient, and made every dive feel safe, fun, anRead more”

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6.Manukan & Sapi Islands Snorkeling with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 61 reviews · 7 hours · from $74

Review of Kota Kinabalu’s Manukan and Sapi snorkeling trip, with lunch, boat transfers, costs, timing, watersports, and practical advice.

“Bardzo profesjonalna obsługa. Przewodnik był cały czas z nami i troszczył się abyśmy byli zadowoleni. Polecam tego organizatora.”

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7.RAID Try-Dive Experience in Kota Kinabalu

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 43 reviews · from $110

Review of Kota Kinabalu’s RAID try-dive, with reef time, lunch, instruction, pricing, meeting tips, and advice for first-time scuba guests.

“This was an amazing tour. Our group had 7 tourists on the boat. Five went on a snorkel tour. I and my companion went on the "beginner's scuba adventure." Our guide, Aamir (I probably have the spelling wrong), was fantastic. He was easy to unRead more”

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8.Kota Kinabalu Leisure Scuba Diving Trip (3 Dives)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 41 reviews · from $130

Review of Kota Kinabalu’s three-dive scuba trip, with boat logistics, reef stops, lunch, equipment, price, and practical booking advice.

“A great day of diving! Our guide was great and gave us a lot of help. She pointed out a lot of different things in the water, turtles, squid, etc. Is a must do for divers who want to go off a boat on a tour. The diving is better off the boat than off the beach, you can get deeper into the reefs.”

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9.Fun Boat Snorkeling and Island Visit from Kota Kinabalu

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 35 reviews · from $130

Review of Kota Kinabalu’s 8-hour snorkeling tour to Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, with two reef stops, island lunch, transfers, and park fees.

“Recomendado. Muy bonita experiencia de snorkeling, muy atentos y amables. Lo más bonito de Kk fue hacer este tour.”

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10.Join us for a RAID Try Dive in Kota Kinabalu

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 27 reviews · from $110

Try scuba in Kota Kinabalu with a small group, patient instructors, reef time, lunch, and boat access to Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.

“It is a nice experience with Alex. My first time try diving and I feel safe under water with his help:)”

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11.(3 Days) PADI Open Water Diver Course Kota Kinabalu

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 23 reviews · from $438

Earn a PADI Open Water Diver certification in three days with guided training, island sessions, equipment, lunch, and clear Kota Kinabalu logistics.

“Booked with my younger brother who unfortunately got sick and couldn’t join. I was able to obtain the official OWD PADI license in 3 days diving in two reefs around Gaya Island in Kota Kinabalu. English Guide was super helpful and patient in making sure I learned all of the diving skills but also that I practiced all of the book concepts safely.”

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12.Island Hopping with Snorkeling & Meal

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 9 reviews · 1 day · from $63Best value

See if Kota Kinabalu’s Manukan and Sapi island trip is worth $63, with snorkeling, lunch, boat times, crowds, and practical tips.

“Geen goede ervaring, super massaal, op de eilanden gedropt met een snorkel, tegelijk met honderden toeristen van andere organisaties. Prima lunch maar bovenal niet je geld waard.”

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13.(2 Dives) Discover Scuba Diving Kota Kinabalu

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · from $130

Review of Kota Kinabalu’s beginner scuba trip, with two guided sessions at Sapi Island, equipment, lunch, permits, and practical booking advice.

“Wonderful day, great professional team, a lot of fun and beautiful see to discover. Many thanks for this memorable moment.”

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14.RAID Try-Dive in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · 7 hours · from $112

Explore Kota Kinabalu’s coral reefs on two guided scuba sessions, with boat transfers, island lunch, small groups, and beginner-friendly instruction.

“We took our first scuba experience as family of 4 aged 52, 50, 18 and 16. We learnt a lot, had a great experience including the boat trip, our guide Amil, the scuba, lunch, time to relax. We would all recommend and will all be doing again soon!!”

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15.Enjoy 3 Fun Dives in Kota Kinabalu | Certified Divers

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 7 reviews · 7 hours · from $112

Explore three tropical scuba descents near Kota Kinabalu, with boat transfers, island lunch, coral reefs, and certified PADI guides.

“It was a perfect day thanks to an excellent team ,well maintained equipment and especially Alex’s gentle and clear guidance as our Divemaster - exceeded every expectation, even the lunch stop!”

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