Sipadan Island is a tiny piece of land and a paradise for divers. Malaysia. Around Borneo. sipadan island sipadan how to get there
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Island Sipadan is one of the most exotic and romantic places on the planet. It belongs to the state Malaysia and is a fragment extinct volcano, formed by the formation of corals in its upper part, over many hundreds of years. The distance from the ocean floor to the surface of the island is about 700 meters, while the piece of land itself can be walked up and down in just half an hour. Its central part is saturated with rain forest and tourists are strictly prohibited from entering there, due to the fact that the country's authorities are concerned about maintaining the high ecology on Sipadan, minimizing to the limit the possibility of its violation.
For divers from all over the world, this unique island is the embodiment of their underwater dreams. Great amount Species of marine life, including two-meter sharks and giant turtles, move daily along the shores of the exotic resort, being a constant target for cameras of hunters for the beauty of the underwater world. The legendary Jacques Cousteau, having visited these places, paid tribute to Sipadan, calling it one of best places for diving on the planet. At one time, several world powers waged a real political struggle for the possession of this tiny piece of land. of this region, including the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, which eventually got it.
The path to Sipadan is quite long and difficult. The first destination for any traveler heading to the island is the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. There, from the local airport you should go towards the main city of Sabah - Tawau. The flight takes about three hours. Further, from Tawau, the route goes to the port of Semporna, located about 35 kilometers from the fabulously wondrous island. In the harbor, tourists are always waiting for a speedboat, which can take you to the island in just an hour Mabul, where there are numerous comfortable bungalows with all amenities. From there, in 15-20 minutes, the same boat takes those interested to Sipadan. The fact is that this unique diving paradise is considered national reserve and does not involve placement on an island territory. Therefore, all vacation spots, including bungalows and campsites, are located on nearby islands, Mabule And Kapalae. In addition, due to the already mentioned environmental concerns on the part of the authorities, access to Sipadan is limited to the number of tourist applications to 120 people per day. At the same time, per visit paradise There is a charge per person. As for food and drink, you should take all the relevant paraphernalia with you, since there are no restaurants, cafes, or shops on Sipadan, only the sea, fish and corals.
Despite the fact that tourists are strictly prohibited from moving deeper into the island, they can see many land representatives of flora and fauna right on the sandy beaches of the resort. Local monitor lizards especially often pay attention to guests; they are striking in their size, boldly crawling out onto the sandy coast, even if there is a boat or boat near the shore. Apparently, the feeling of one’s own diplomatic immunity is taking its toll. In addition, thousands of exotic birds nest on Sipadan, a considerable proportion of which are listed in the Red Book. Also, sometimes they crawl ashore sea turtles, like monitor lizards, which are distinguished by their impressive dimensions.
The coral reef surrounding the island has high walls against which many divers compete to reach the depth of their dive. Today, the record is considered to be 113 meters, under diving conditions with ordinary compressed air. In the same place there is a multi-level underwater cave with mysterious passages. It is recommended to visit it only for experienced divers and only accompanied by a guide, since it has not yet been fully studied and can pose a danger to people who have never dived here.
Most tourists coming to Sipadan prefer to stay on Mabul Island, which is part of the Malay Archipelago and part of the Ligitan Islands. Its maximum length is 750 meters with a width of 430 m. Locals, the total number of which does not exceed 2000 people, have chosen sites on the northern and southern parts of the island. More than 70% of them are employed in the tourism sector, the rest are engaged in fishing and growing coconuts. People regularly enter the local port from the mainland sea vessels with tourists on board. Throughout coastline equipped bungalows that blend perfectly with the turquoise waves of the Sulawesi sea. For vacationers, there are several restaurants and souvenir shops for every taste.
Five kilometers southeast of Mabul there is another tourist island this region, Kapalay, also part of the Ligitan Islands group. It is even smaller than its neighbor and very similar to it in structure. The main attraction for tourists here is hotel Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort, all of whose buildings are installed on special piles, which are supported directly by the coral reef itself. There are practically no normal sandy beaches here, but it is perfectly organized transport connection with Mabul and Sipadan, where all the attributes Kapalay lacks are available sea holiday. The coastal waters of the Sulawesi Sea are traditionally rich in fish and invariably attract fishing enthusiasts.
All the islands in this region have a humid equatorial climate. average temperature The air here throughout the year exceeds +30 degrees, often reaching +40. Precipitation occurs in moderate amounts throughout all twelve months. Summer is characterized by monsoons with Indian Ocean. Tourists visit Sipadan all year round, and in terms of the number of repeat visits, the island ranks one of the leading places in South-East Asia.
The tiny island of Sipadan, off the coast of East Borneo, has firmly taken its place in most rankings of the world's best diving spots. People from all over the world come to this island to see hammerhead sharks and dive among green turtles and schools of barracudas. While planning my trip, I followed one of the dive centers on Facebook that organizes diving on Sipadan Island, and they often posted about their clients seeing hammerhead sharks. I was so excited about the idea of seeing her that I was completely absorbed in this idea, but in real life the chances of doing this turned out to be slim, even on Sipadan, but first things first.
Sipadan Island
Sipadan (Malay: Sipadan) is a tiny island (400 meters in diameter) in Malaysia, East End Sabah, Borneo. It represents the tip of an extinct volcano. The sheer walls of the coral reef located around the island go to a depth of 600 meters.
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Sipadan Island is like tropical paradise, there was once a resort on it, but then it was removed and residence on the island was prohibited. Only a few border guards and employees of the turtle hatchery station remained. You can walk around the island in 20-30 minutes, but this cannot be done, since turtles lay eggs on the beach and tourists are not allowed there.
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It’s useless to talk about the beach on Sipadan in words, it’s easier to see it once...
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The island is surrounded by a coral reef that is filled with life. Even while snorkeling, you will see many green turtles, whitetip sharks and schools of barracudas dancing in a huge round dance. The water is so clear that the bottom is visible at a depth of more than 10 meters. Where the coral reef ends, the bottom goes to a depth of up to 500 meters.
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Diving in Sipadan
As I mentioned earlier, Sipadan consistently ranks in the top 5 in all possible dive site rankings. Apparently for this reason, I had very high expectations from diving in Sipadan, which were not met. No, I'm not saying the diving is bad, but it didn't live up to expectations. Of course, I haven’t dived that much around the world to make an objective comparison, but Sipadan didn’t give me the WOW effect I was hoping for. But these are my personal impressions, I can't deny that Sipadan is in the league of top-notch dive sites.
On Sipadan, a limit of no more than 120 divers per day has been introduced; permits are personal and issued in advance. The island entrance fee is $40. If you want to get to Sipadan for sure, then the permit must be booked in advance, preferably at least a month in advance, and during the season (summer) it is best to book 2-3 months in advance. There is a small chance that someone will refuse and then you can go instead under their name, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Prices for diving in Sipadan vary depending on the level of the dive center with which you are going to dive. I was looking for cheaper options and ended up chatting and choosing between two dive centers: Billabong Scuba and Scuba Junkie. The latter seemed to me more reliable and experienced, while the former had mixed reviews on the Internet. In the end, despite the negative reviews, I settled on Billabong, since for my 4 days they were the only ones able to offer 2 days of diving in Sipadan and 2 days in Mabul (Scuba Junkie only offered 1 day in Sipadan and 3 days in Mabul). The final price was 1,790 ringit (about 18,000 rubles), including 11 dives (6 on Sipadan and 5 on Mabul), equipment rental, accommodation with meals, a permit to Sipadan and a transfer from Semporna to Mabul and back.
Only 12 dive centers have the right to issue permits to visit Sipadan, the rest buy them from these 12. Billabing Scuba with whom I dived (in 10th place in the table) have the right to issue 6 permits per day. Here is a complete table of dive centers who can issue permits and the number of permits per day. Personalized permits are issued using passport details, but, fortunately, you do not need to take your passport with you to Sipadan.
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There are 13 dive sites on Sipadan: Turtle Cavern, Barracuda Point, Coral Gardens, Whitetip Avenue, Mid Reef, Turtle Patch ), South Point, Staghorn Crest, Lobster Lair, Hanging Gardens(Hanging Gardens) Western Ridge(West Ridge) Northern Cape(North Point), Drop off. I only dived 5 of them. The most notable are obviously Barracuda Point and Turtle Cave. Unfortunately, I didn’t get into the turtle cave, since they dive there only in small groups, since it’s very easy to get lost in it and never return (there are a lot of skeletons of turtles in the cave that couldn’t find a way out of the cave), but on I dived Cape Barracuda twice. Barracuda Point is the most popular dive site on the island, as schools of barracudas are almost guaranteed to be seen there. Most of the other dive sites are sheer wall dives.
On the very first day of diving, I began to pester the divemasters about when we would see a hammerhead shark, but the reality turned out to be far from expectations, although the hammerhead shark is a frequent visitor to these places, the probability of seeing it is quite low. I asked my divemaster Abu how many times he dived and how many times he saw a hammerhead shark, he said that out of 70 trips (3 dives each trip) he saw a hammerhead shark 3 times, which gives the odds about 1 in 70, it's about time upset, but there were still chances. As we approached our third dive site of the day, West Ridge, I asked Abu where he had last seen a shark, to which he replied that he had seen one at this very spot, a ray of hope illuminated me. I told him that we definitely have to see her - that’s my goal.
The West Ridge dive site is a dive along a sheer reef wall, but the "big things" rarely swim close to the wall, so you have to make the difficult choice of swimming along the wall and looking at the underwater life or swimming in the blue darkness away from the wall, seeing nothing and only hope to meet something big. For Abu there was no such choice, he swam about 30 meters from the wall and looked for..., and I tried to sit on two chairs at the same time: I swam along the wall and looked at Abu with hope. We dived to 20 meters, after half an hour I had already lost all hope, stopped looking at Abu and looked at the wall, trying to see at least something during this dive. The dive computer began counting down the last 2 minutes of no-decompression time at this depth and it was time to start slowly ascending, at this moment I looked at Abu and noticed his hand movement, similar to the shark sign. I began to swim towards it, pushing off with my fins as hard as I could, the depth was 30 meters, the computer began to squeak, warning that the no-decompression time had expired, but this no longer bothered me, my breathing became faster, consuming more oxygen. Abu showed by signs that he had seen a hammerhead shark, but when I swam up, it was no longer there. We began to peer into the depths of the water with hope, but there was nothing there. When all possible time limits had already been reached and it was necessary to emerge, SHE appeared from the blue abyss... a little angry that she was disturbed, she swam straight towards us... huge, about 2 meters long... with eyes, looking in different directions.... A giant hammerhead shark. She swam very close, but suddenly turned 90 degrees and disappeared into the depths. These days, no one else except Abu and I saw the hammerhead shark.
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We spent the whole evening discussing this unexpected meeting, Abu said: “Alex, you just asked me to show you the hammerhead shark - I did it.” Other divemasters told a story about a German woman who regularly flies to Sipadan, dives alone to 65 meters and says that she encounters sharks almost every time.
On the second day of diving on Sipadan, I no longer thought to look at something near the wall, but swam 30 meters from it, peering deeper, but to no avail. The shark never appeared again. Despite this, diving on Sipadan ended quite successfully for me.
Diving on the islands of Mabul and Kapalai
When you come to dive on Sipadan, you must book diving on the islands of Mabul and Kapalai, usually dive centers agree to give permission for 1 day of diving on Sipadan if you book 2 days of diving on Mabul/Kapalay.
Diving on the islands of Mabul and Kapalai is not as impressive as on Sipadan, but it will be very enjoyable for those who love macro. Mabul and Kapalai are ideal places for "muck diving". A couple of photographers lived with us, who, it seems to me, did not even go to Sipadan, but dived every day on Mabul and Kapalai, they found things that are very difficult to see with ordinary eyes.
It’s difficult to call Kapalai an island at all. Once 200 years ago it was a full-fledged island, but erosion has taken its toll and now the island is a thin ribbon of sand. There is only one resort on the island, Kapalai Resort, all of whose houses and buildings are on stilts on the water.
Since I don’t have a camera for underwater photography, all the photos were taken by other divers, I’ll post a couple here with their permission.
15) Seahorse and me 
16) There are a lot of turtles there; there are specimens with a shell width of more than a meter. I love turtles, but I think I've seen enough of them for a year. 
Diving on Mabul is almost twice as cheap as on Sipadan. There are more than 10 dive sites in the Mabula and Kapalaya area. I liked Paradise 1 Mabul the most. Frog fish live there, there are many different nudibranch,
crocodile fish, large turtles, and the most interesting thing that I saw for the first time was how my favorite anemone fish defend their plantation with caviar. It was one of the best dives ever.
I would like to mention divemasters separately. I dived with a Malaysian and, to put it mildly, he didn’t care about clients underwater. Almost every dive ended with clients swimming on their own out of sight of the divemaster; I have rarely encountered such indifference. It was especially noticeable how this made beginners nervous underwater. Therefore, if you have little experience, I would recommend discussing this point with your divemaster and trying to stay on top of it.
How to get to Sipadan Island?
Sipadan Island is located in the eastern part of the Malaysian island of Borneo, the easiest way to get there is through Kuala Lumpur. (). From Kuala Lumpur you can fly to the airport in Tawau; the cheapest option will most likely be AirAsia.com, which I flew with (the ticket cost about 1,500 rubles). From Tawau airport you can pre-order a transfer from your dive center, it usually costs 90-100 ringit (900-1000 rubles). I wanted to take a bus to the city of Tawau, and from there by bus to the city of Semporna, in total it would have been less than 20 ringit, but when I left the airport, I was immediately offered to take a minibus to Semporna for 30 ringit. If you did not order a transfer in advance, then I think that it is quite possible to negotiate with the drivers who came to meet divers from some dive center in order to leave with them, it should not cost more than 30 ringit. But I recommend arriving no later than 3-4 pm, after this time getting to Semporna on the same day will be problematic, the journey takes about 1.5-2 hours. Another option to get to Semporna is to fly to Kota Kinabalu ( main city Malaysian Borneo) and from there take a bus (about 10 hours) to Semporna.
You can go diving to Sipadan directly from Semporna, but I would recommend basing yourself on Mabul Island. Still, living on the island is much more interesting and sailing closer, especially if you plan to dive in the area of the Mabul/Kapalai islands. Since the boats leave for Mabul in the morning, you will still have to spend one night in Semporna, there are not many hotels in the immediate vicinity of the pier, but one of the best in terms of price/quality ratio is definitely http://www.hotelscombined .ru/Hotel/Sipadan_Inn.htm?a_aid=43568&label=report_sipadan]Sipadan Inn. The price of accommodation is approximately 90-100 ringit, you can find cheaper ones, but not with such comfort. From Semporna to Mabul it takes about 30-40 minutes.
Sipadan Island is also 30-40 minutes by boat from Mabul Island. During diving, the boat leaves for Sipadan in the morning and returns after 4 pm. Rest between dives and lunch take place right on the beach in Sipadan.
Mabul Island
Mabul Island is the main base for those who come to dive Sipadan. When you type the name Mabul into Google and look at photographs showing houses standing on stilts over crystal clear water, you get the impression paradise island. Reality, as often happens, is very far from imagination. Half of the island is occupied by a poor village, and there is no normal beach on Mabul at all. Therefore, be careful when choosing if your goal is not diving.
Most of the hotels in Mabul are located on stilts over the water, but don’t rush to imagine a picture of tropical islands and expensive hotels in the Maldives, in fact, everything is not so fabulous.
I stayed in a hotel from Billabong Scuba, it was very simple and inexpensive, accommodation cost 90 ringit per night, including three meals a day. Room without air conditioning. It was possible to take the last house with air conditioning and a more comfortable one, but for 150 ringit per day. The food is very simple, the same almost every day, but quite edible, you won’t die in the city. If you ask nicely, you can even find smuggled Filipino Tanduay rum; on the last day on the island, we in an international company (Russian - me, Irish, Italian, German, Filipino and Australian) drank several bottles of this rum.
17) Our little hotel 
Every day children swim up to the hotel and ask for a dollar, or their parents offer to buy lobsters and other sea food.
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By the way, if you come up with the idea of swimming right next to the hotel (there are very convenient descent into the water), then I recommend that you first think about where everything that you flush in the toilet goes to. I was looking at Chinese tourists who happily splashed around these houses and this gave me mixed feelings :) The transparency and purity of the water can be deceptive.
Not far from our resort there is a school, and behind it there is a local cemetery, interesting tombstones, I have never seen anything like them.
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One of largest hotels on the island of Sipadan Mabul Resort.
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An unexpected meeting took place at the pool at this hotel
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Another large resort on the island is Mabul Water Bungalows, all bungalows stand above the water on stilts.
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30) Apparently the resort is popular among Russian divers 
One of the original ways to live in Mabul is to stay on the Seaventures drilling platform
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And this is how the locals live, this is not the worst option
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Political situation in Sabah
I decided to highlight this topic as a separate paragraph, since I myself came across this quite closely. The fact is that rebels from the Sulu Sultanate, subordinate to the Philippine Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, consider the territory of the Malaysian state of Sabah to be theirs and periodically try to seize it. In 2000, a couple of dozen people were kidnapped and taken hostage directly from the island of Sipadan. foreign tourists and local workers, then this situation was resolved, but this greatly affected the attractiveness of the island for tourists. Shortly before I arrived in Borneo, about 200 soldiers from the Sultanate of Sulu invaded Sabah and announced that they would not leave and were ready to sacrifice their lives. And just during my dives on Sipadan, the conflict entered a tough phase. About 60 people on both sides became victims of the confrontation. On the day of my departure, Sipadan Island was closed to the public and it was unclear when it might be opened again. On the same day, I returned to the city of Semporna, where in the evening, a few kilometers from my hotel, a shootout took place in which one policeman was killed and several were wounded. Half an hour later, as soon as this news began to spread throughout the city, it was empty. The doors of my hotel were closed with metal bars; it was impossible to go out or in. It was a tense night. The next day, when I took off from Tawau airport, I met a lot of military equipment, planes, helicopters and many soldiers. Most likely, you will not encounter this, but when going to Sipadan, keep this in mind and read the news from Malaysia just in case.
I admit, I expected much more impressions from Sipadan, but the hammerhead shark saved the whole situation, if not for it, I would have left unsatisfied. But despite this, Sipadan is a place that is worth visiting for any diver, it is worth it. Well, I will consider other options, among the immediate ones - a month of diving in Bali, where I have already been promised that I will see the Giant Manta Ray, and in the distant plans - diving in the Galapagos, where you can not only see a hammerhead shark within 2 seconds, and swim freely among them.
If you have any questions, welcome to the comments.
Sipadan(Malay. Sipadan) is a small island (only half a kilometer in diameter, with an area of 12 hectares), a mecca for divers from all over the world.
The island is the tip of an underwater volcano, covered in coral over thousands of years. Sipadan covered with tropical jungle and fringed by sandy beaches.
Geographical location of Sipadan
Island Sipadan is located in sea of Sulawesi off the coast Borneo in the east of Sabah. 
Sipadan was the subject of a territorial dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia, which also included the Philippines, which claims all of North Borneo.
Diving
With nearby islands such as Mabul And Kapalay, Sipadan makes up one of the most popular diving regions in Southeast Asia. Sipadan is part of the national marine park Tunku-Abdul-Roman ( Tunku Abdul Roman Marine Park), the number of divers on the island at one time is limited for environmental reasons.
Area Sipadana In terms of biological diversity, it is one of the most rich regions in the world; the ecosystem contains more than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of species of corals.
Divers can see green and hawksbill turtles, barracudas, manta rays, eagle rays, hammerheads, whale sharks, etc. 
Landmark Sipadana is Turtle Graveyard - underwater karst cave with a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers filled with the skeletons of turtles that got lost and drowned here.
The most amazing place on the island - Barracuda Point - a body of water where giant schools of barracudas, gathering in schools of thousands, twist in spirals, creating fantastic patterns. At the other end of the island, similar flocks of trevally trevally gather. Swimming inside the flock, you can observe this endless whimsical round dance, emitting a silvery glow.
Sipadan Hotels
Actually on Sipadan overnight stays are prohibited, so tourists are accommodated on neighboring islands Mabule And Kapalai.
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Sipadan is a small island of oceanic origin, measuring no more than 12 hectares. You can get around this Malay tropical paradise in just 25 minutes, seeing beautiful sandy beaches, framing the rain forest located in the depths. You won’t be able to get acquainted with representatives of the forest flora and fauna up close: local authorities prohibit tourists from moving deeper into the island. However, as eyewitnesses testify, monitor lizards and other living creatures sometimes roam along the shore. In addition, Sipadan is a nature reserve - home to many birds, more than three thousand species of fish, hundreds of species of corals, green turtles and Hawksbill turtles.
The marine splendor of Malaysia's only oceanic island is created by numerous corals that grew on the top of an extinct volcano. This process took hundreds of years. Sipadan is located at a distance of about 700 meters from the bottom.
Divers all over the world talk about Sipadan with aspiration. In the late 80s, the legendary Jacques Cousteau visited the island, authoritatively recognizing it as one of the best diving places on earth (read more about dive sites in the article “Diving on Sipadan”). There are schools of barracudas and tunas, patrols of hammerheads, millions of coral fish and dozens of sea turtles “soaring” above all this abundance.
Story
Sipadan is located near the port city of Semporna, part of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. However, in this case, proximity to civilization in the form huge island Borneo has rather played a bad role in history. The fact is that Sipadan has been disputed territory, which Indonesia, which owns more than 70% of Borneo, and Malaysia tried to appropriate. At the end of 2002, by decision of the International Court of Justice, Sipadan was transferred to the Malay side along with Ligitan. Previously, the Philippines claimed the island, but their claim was not satisfied.
One of the most tragic pages in the history of Sipadan is associated with Filipino terrorists who took 21 victims hostage on the island, 11 of whom were ordinary tourists.
Underwater world of Sipadan
How to get to Sipadan
Getting to Sipadan is not that easy.
By plane
There are several options. The first step is to get to the city of Tawau, the third largest settlement State of Sabah. For this you need or domestic flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu (two and a half hours), and then a flight from the state capital to the city of Tawau (about 50 minutes), or a direct flight from Kuala Lumpur, which is much more convenient and faster. Another option with transfers is a flight from the main Malay city to Sandakan, and then from the latter to Tawau (about 40 minutes).
Tawau International Airport is the second largest in Malaysia and mainly serves Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia.
By taxi
The second stage of the journey is a trip from Tawau to the port of Semporna, located 35 km from the island of Sipadan. Most convenient way, but not cheap, - taxi from the airport. Travel time varies from one to two hours.
On the boat
After arriving in Semporna, depending on your accommodation, you either go directly to Sipadan by speedboat, or travel by water to Mabul Island, which will serve as the starting point for future trips to the diving paradise. Travel time from Semporna to Sipadan is about an hour, from Semporna to Mabul Island - about 30 minutes.
Mabul Island is one of the closest “points” to Sipadan. Divers from all over the world also come here, and unlike Sipadan, there is a developed tourism infrastructure. Mabul itself is extremely small. The entire territory consists of sandy beaches, artificially expanded; numerous coconut trees, planted on the site of destroyed jungle, and hotels designed for different budgets.
Search for flights to Tawau (the nearest airport to Sipadan)
,Sipadan Hotels
Since Sipadan is a nature reserve, the number of divers simultaneously on the island is limited (this is how the authorities are trying to protect the unique local reefs). No more than 120 dives can be carried out during the day. Accordingly, it will not be possible to live on the island either: tourists are usually accommodated on two nearby islands - Mabula and Kapalaya, where comfortable chalets are built.
Cuisine and restaurants
You won't find cafes in Sipadan. You must take food and water with you.
Shopping and shops
Sipadan Island is not a place for trade, but a nature reserve. This is its beauty. Souvenirs can be purchased in Semporna or on other islands such as Mabula or Kapalai.
Scuba diving on Sipadan Island (Malaysia) is simply amazing. Fish life is in full swing here, and you have the opportunity to encounter underwater world with all the sea creatures you ever dreamed of meeting. Turtles and reef sharks are very common in the island's coastal waters. In addition, if you are lucky, you can see leopard sharks, gray sharks and even hammerhead sharks. Manta rays (the largest rays in the world) may also fly around you, but they are not as common. The waters around Sipadan go as deep as 600 meters and attract all pelagic species of marine animals and plants. Watch this video to see what it looks like underwater!
For macro lovers, there are many varieties of nudibranchs, frogfish, leaffish, pygmy seahorses, etc., just call them! The corals here are ancient and untouched. The coral gardens are small and very colorful, and will turn your stop into a wonderful moment of enjoyment. Deeper down you will find a whole sea of gorgonians and barrel sponges along the steep walls. Sipadan is also the world's premier underwater photography destination. great opportunities at each of the dive sites.
The island was first explored by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who described it: “I saw other places like Sipadan... 45 years ago. Now we have found an untouched work of art again." You can watch his film! Crazy!
Photos from Sipadan Island
Best diving spots in Sipadan
All the dive sites are great, so it's hard to choose. Let's say the best places are:
Barracuda Point
Coral Garden
Hanging Gardens
Sipidan Midreef
South Point
Staghorn Crest
Turtle Cavern
Turtle Patch
Turtle Tomb
Whitetip Avenue
Dive site |
Min depth | Max depth | Level | Dive type | |
| 1 | Barracuda Point | 5m 16ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef |
| 2 | Coral gardens | 10m 33ft | 23m 75ft | OW | Wall, Reef |
| 3 | Hanging Gardens | 5m 16ft | 40m 131ft | OW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| 4 | Lobster lairs | 25m 82ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef, Big Fish |
| 5 | North Point | 25m 82ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Drift, Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| 6 | South Point | 20m 65ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef |
| 7 | Staghorn Crest | 20m 65ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| 8 | The Jetty | 3m 10ft | 40m 131ft | OW | Wall, Reef |
| 9 | Turtle Cavern | 14m 46ft | 23m 75ft | AOW | Cave, Reef |
| 10 | Turtle Patch | 5m 16ft | 12m 39ft | OW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| 11 | Turtle Tomb | 17m 56ft | 23m 75ft | Divemaster | Cave |
| 12 | West Ridge | 18m 59ft | 40m 131ft | OW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| 13 | Whitetip Avenue | 17m 56ft | 40m 131ft | OW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| 14 | MidReef | 5m 16ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef |
| 15 | The Drop Off | 5m 16ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef |
In a typical week on Mabul or Sipadan you will dive no more than 4 times, the rest of the dives will be at other dive sites. There is very high competition among dive operators here. Many dive resorts offer all-inclusive packages, which can be very interesting. When there are no dives around Sipadan, you will still find interesting places for diving, such as around the islands of Kapalai or Mabul, especiallyBut dives to sunken ships will be interesting. Therefore, it’s worth going for at least 4 days and 3 nights.
How to dive in Sipadan? Diving rules
- Only 120 divers per day
- Swimming permit required
- No glove policy
- Diving deeper than 40 meters is not permitted
Best time to dive in Sipadan
Diving is great here all year round!
But anyway best time for diving there will be a period from April to December from good conditions in the sea. From April to early June - high season, so book your diving permit and resort well in advance! From January to March there may be heavy rainfall and visibility may be reduced.
However, recently the weather has been changing from year to year, making it difficult to predict seasonality.
Conditions for scuba diving
Water visibility here ranges from 15 to 40 meters depending on the season and the depth to which you dive. Diving around Sipadan is easy and currents will not be a problem. However, at some dive sites, such as popular ones like Barracuda Point, the currents can be quite strong. But it is in this place that you can find the famous huge tornado of thousands of barracudas!
Scuba diving here is suitable for almost all divers, but many places are used only by professionals. There are also special places protected especially for diving instructors, such as the Turtle Cave or the Turtle Tomb, where you can see the skeletons of turtles that did not find their way and landed here. Cave diving should only be done with very experienced divers using special equipment.
Snorkeling in Sipadan
There is excellent snorkeling around the island. There are magnificent and colorful coral gardens here. You can take a dive boat that will take you to the island so you can swim there. However, since the number of seats is limited, it is better to make arrangements in advance.
Dive Safety
If you're planning a diving trip or trip to Sipadan, a really good investment is insurance because you never know what might happen or when you might need it (and accidents do happen!). I recommend , which can be purchased below in the form, as they offer global coverage and diving up to 50 meters deep, as well as snorkeling and many other water activities.
Where is the best place to stay?
Sipadan Island is a closed area, all resorts are located on the neighboring islands of Mabul and Kapalay.
Resorts (hotels) on Mabul Island
- Mabul Water Bungalows
- Sipadan Water Village
- Sipadan-Mabul Resort
- Borneo Divers Mabul Resort
- Seaventures Dive Platform
Kapalai Island
- Kapalai Resort
Mataking Island
- Mataking- The Reef Dive Resort
How to get to Sipadan Island and what you should know?
The nearest airport to the islands of Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai is Tawau Airport. Many guests fly into Tawau Airport, arrive by bus, minibus or taxi from Sabah's northern cities of Kota Kinabalu, Sandaktan, Sukau and Lahad Datu.
Private flights (relatively inexpensive) are also available from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau (2 hours 45 minutes) and from Kota Kinabalu (50 minutes).
If you would like to be transported to the island on the same day, please ensure that your flight lands no later than 14.00. Once you arrive in Tawau you will be transferred by land transport V seaport Semporna (1.5 hours). From Semporna you will be transferred to your accommodation on Mabul Island (45-60 minutes) by boat (check departure times).
Passes to Sipadan
In order to protect the nature of the island, since January 2005, there is no longer a single resort on the island of Sipadan (all resorts are located on the islands of Mabul and Kapalai).
Sipadan Island is open to divers and guests from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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