With so much coastline and so many seas, it is no wonder that South-east Asia has some of the best wreck diving in the world.
Many of the region's wrecks are not only great for their level of preservation & fascinating history, but also for the amount of marine life that now calls them home.
So if you want to experience some world-class wreck diving, click on a hotspot below...
Love marine life?
Coron Bay
During September 1944, an American reconnaissance mission discovered a camouflaged fleet of Japanese warships. They duly attacked, destroying 24 ships. 12 of these wrecks can be dived, making Coron Bay one, if not the top wreck diving destination in the world.
John Hernandez
Madang
Also in PNG, Madang has some great wreck diving. The Mitchell Bomber is an excellent example of a WWII plane wreck, while nearby, the USS Boston and Coral Queen are also fantastic wreck dives. A night dive on the Coral Queen is a dive with a difference, with millions of Flashlight Fish lighting up the water with their impressive show of bio-luminescence.
Tara North
Pattaya
Pattaya, in the north of the Gulf of Thailand, is the country's top spot for wreck diving. A number of wrecks are found in the area, the largest of which are a the Hardeep, an Indonesian Freighter that found a watery grave in 1942; and the Bremen, a 300ft wreck that provides a refuge for plenty of marine life.
Pacific Klaus
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Coron Bay & El Nido
Coron Bay's diving is all about shipwrecks. Here, a fleet of Japanese warships were sunk in WWII, creating one of the Philippine's most popular and unique diving destinations.
There is more good diving around El Nido, which has great beaches and lovely coral reefs.
Perhentian Islands
Off the north-eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, not too far south of the Thai border, the beautiful Perhentian Islands rise vertically out of the sparkling blue sea, creating one of Malaysia's most iconic diving destinations & one of the most popular spots in Malaysia to learn to dive.
Pulau Weh
Sumatra is not as famous for diving as some of the more easterly Indonesian Islands, but little Pulau Weh offers much for the more adventurous diver.
Perched off the northern tip of Sumatra, it's position means that it is not affected by run-off from rivers and so has great visibility. It also receives a lot of nutrient rich currents, which bring with it a kaleidoscope of life.
Muck diving meccas
If you are an avid underwater photographer or a lover of the weird and wonderful, then the seas of Asia hold a treasure trove of delights.
Originally pioneered in Papua New Guinea, muck-diving is now all the rage, and incredibly addictive. As the epicentre of the world's marine biodiversity, there are exceptional opportunities throughout South-east Asia.
Tunku Abdul Rahman
Just off the coast from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah's regional capital - the five islands that make up Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park are often overlooked by divers heading straight to Sipadan in the south.
The national park, which is named after a former Malaysian president, has some very good diving though, with pretty fringing reefs sloping gently down from white-sand beaches, plus some rare & unusual species.
Southeast Asia liveaboard diving
Surita Budiman