A very small and inconspicuous, but incredibly beautiful island of Sipadan is located 30 km from the famous island of Borneo on its eastern side and is part of the state of Sabah. Once upon a time it was a volcano, but now only the top is left of it, overgrown with dense tropical forests. A piece of land only 500 by 200 meters is not immediately found on the map.
Sipadan Island on the map
- Geographic coordinates 4.114713, 118.628595
- Distance from the capital of Malaysia, the city of Kuala Lumpur 1900 km
- The distance to the nearest airport Tawau is about 60 km.
- Juwata International Airport Tarakan is 150 km away
More recently, almost until the end of the last century, few people knew about this tiny island. But in 1989, one of the most famous Frenchmen of all time, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, visited here. And not just visited, but made a scientific film "Borneo: the ghost of a sea turtle." After the release of the film, the island gained worldwide popularity. Divers have come here from all over our beautiful (so far) planet.
The main attraction of the island of Sipadan is its rich and insanely diverse underwater world, in fact, for which divers of all stripes come here. The climate here is also in full order.
Sipadan is also called Turtle Island, because it became famous precisely because of the turtles, about which Cousteau shot one of his masterpieces. When shooting underwater, two, three, or even more turtles get into the frame. These ancient creatures live here in countless numbers, of every age and of several species. Not far from the island is the “turtle cave”, where there is a huge number of turtles and their skeletons. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that turtles swim into the cave to rest from the rays of the sun. Alas, in the night, poor creatures get lost and, getting lost, cannot find a way out. Soon they run out of air, and the bottom of the cave is replenished with one more future turtle skeleton. The cave is also unique in that there are many passages in it, but there is only one way out.
Not all turtles manage to get out of the trap. For a long time, the island was considered abandoned, it is still deserted (with the exception of a small handful of people living here on the verge of past and present). They get their food by fishing. It is a truly mesmerizing sight when, in comparison with the vast ocean, very tiny boats go to the sun at sunset, in search of the best place to fish. Hotels had to be located on nearby islands, because almost all divers in the world come here. In addition to the island of Sipadan, there are also Mabul and Kapalai. The island of Sipadan itself is not built up. Tourist facilities are located on other islands. Despite the houses being built on stilts above the water, a hotel had to be built on an abandoned oil platform. There are night dives near this platform.
It's the same platform. In the vicinity you can find a wide variety of fish. Pygmy skates, shrimps, crabs, moray eels are found on the surrounding corals.
The island also has disadvantages. One of them is strong currents. Some are so strong that divers have to keep the bottom topography strong enough not to be swept away by the current. Many inexperienced divers carried away by the same current were picked up far out in the ocean. But it's worth it!
In the morning, after sunrise, you can watch how schooling parrot fish swim along the coast, having growths on their foreheads in the form of bumps and simply huge sizes, and beautiful plataxes gracefully maneuver between the currents. These waters full of living creatures and sharks did not bypass. Small reef sharks have chosen an underwater beach, and now this is their favorite place. Thanks to the constant current, they do not have to swim all the time, which gives the sharks some rest. However, there are very few cases of attacks on humans, and even then only because of the carelessness of divers. Every diving diver must remember the rules of behavior and relationships with sharks. Like any other predator, the shark does not like sudden movements, so you should not swim in a panic and wave your arms and legs. All movement must be smooth. You shouldn't be afraid either. After all, sharks will feel it well and attack. Solo diving is also not recommended.
You can not ignore the huge flock of barracudas that appear here. It is impossible to forget how a huge number of different types of fish take off and spin into a real tornado.
fish swirl of sipadan island Sipadan Island rightfully occupies a place in the top ten of the best for diving.
- for a long time, three nearby states (Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines) disputed its ownership. The Philippines almost immediately turned out to be out of the question. But the dispute between the remaining two countries continued until 2002, when the International Court of Justice recognized the island as part of Malaysia.
- Since 1964, Sipadan has been part of the Sabah Turtle Nature Reserve.
- on the island there are not only hotels and hotel complexes, but there is not even a single cafe and shop. So tourists are forced to bring all provisions and water with them.
- then, far back in 1989, Jacques-Yves Cousteau said these words about Sipadan: “We discovered an untouched work of art.” By this he characterized the natural and primordial state of the island. But now, when crowds of tourists plunge into its coastal waters, the ecological situation has deteriorated significantly. Since 1997, the government has been trying to limit the number of tourists visiting the area around the island. So, for example, from January 1, 2005, a system of restrictions was introduced. Now, to visit the island of Sipadan, you need a permit issued by the Sabah Park Authority. The total number of visitors should not exceed 120 people. Staying on the island is allowed from 6-00 to 15-00, so all diving centers try to keep within the allotted time
The map shows the main dive sites - until 2004, there was some tourism infrastructure on the island, but the government decided to completely clear Sipadan of traces of human presence. Now there is only a small pier on the islet
- on the island you can meet huge, more than a meter long, monitor lizards
Sipadan Island photo
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 top of an underwater volcano, which has been covered with corals for thousands of years. Sipadan covered with tropical jungle and fringed by sandy beaches.
Geographic location of Sipadan
Island Sipadan located in Sulawesi sea off the coast Borneo in the east of the state of Sabah. 
Sipadan was the subject of a territorial dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia, which included the Philippines, claiming the entire North Borneo.
Diving
With nearby islands such as Mabul and Kapalai, Sipadan is one of the most popular dive regions in Southeast Asia. Sipadan part of the Tunku Abdul Roman National Marine Park ( Tunku Abdul Roman Marine Park), the number of divers on the island at the same time is limited for environmental reasons.
Area Sipadana in terms of biological diversity, it is one of the most saturated regions in the world; more than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of species of corals are distinguished in the ecosystem.
Divers can see green turtles and hawksbill, barracudas, manta rays, eagle rays, hammerhead fish, whale sharks, etc. 
Attraction Sipadana is the Turtle Cemetery - an underwater karst cave with a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers filled with the skeletons of turtles that were lost and drowned here.
The most amazing place on the island is Barracuda Point - a body of water where giant flocks of barracudas, gathering in flocks of thousands of pieces, twist in spirals, creating fantastic patterns. At the other end of the island, the same flocks of jacks gather. Swimming inside the flock, you can watch this endless bizarre round dance, radiating 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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The tiny island of Sipadan, off the coast of East Borneo, has firmly established itself in most rankings of the world's best dive sites. People from all over the world come to this island to see the hammerhead shark and dive surrounded by green turtles and schools of barracuda. When planning my trip, I followed one of the dive centers that organize diving in Sipadan on Facebook, and they often posted reports that their customers had seen a hammerhead shark. I was so fired up with 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 small, even on Sipadan, but first things first.
Sipadan Island
Sipadan (Malay. Sipadan) is a tiny island (400 meters in diameter) in Malaysia, the eastern part of the state of Sabah, Borneo. Represents the top 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 looks like a tropical paradise, once there was a resort on it, but then it was removed and people were banned from living on the island. Only a few border guards and employees of the turtle hatchery remained. You can walk around the island in 20-30 minutes, but you can’t do it, because turtles lay their eggs on the beach and tourists are not allowed there.
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It's useless to talk about the beach on Sipadan, it's easier to see it once...
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Around the island is surrounded by a coral reef that is filled with life. Even snorkeling, you will see many green turtles, whitetip sharks and flocks of barracudas dancing in a huge round dance. The water is so clear that the bottom can be seen at a depth of more than 10 meters. Where the coral reef ends, the bottom goes to a depth of 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 did not materialize. No, I'm not saying the diving is bad, but it didn't live up to expectations. Of course, I haven't dived so much around the world to be able to objectively compare, but Sipadan didn't have the WOW effect on me that I was hoping for. But these are my personal impressions, I can't deny that Sipadan is in the league of first class dive sites.
On Sipadan, a limit of no more than 120 divers per day has been introduced, permits are registered and issued in advance. The fee to visit the island 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 in the season (summer) it is best 2-3 months in advance. There is a small chance that someone will refuse and then you can go instead of him under his name, but I would not 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, and the first had mixed reviews on the Internet. In the end, despite the negative reviews, I settled on Billabong, as for my 4 days only they could 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. The Billabing Scuba I dived with (ranked 10th on the chart) are allowed 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. Personal permits are issued for passport data, but, fortunately, you don’t 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, West Ridge, North Point, Drop off. I have only dived 5 of them. The most notable are obviously Cape Barracuda and Turtle Cave. Unfortunately, I didn’t get into the turtle cave, since only small groups dive there, since it’s very easy to get lost in it and never return again (there are a lot of turtle skeletons in the cave that could not find a way out of the cave), but on Cape Barracuda I dived twice. Cape Barracuda is the island's most popular dive site, as flocks of barracuda are almost certain to be seen there. Most of the other dive sites are wall dives.
On the first day of diving, I started pestering divemasters when we see a hammerhead shark, but the reality turned out to be far from expectations, although a 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 a chance of about 1 in 70, it's about time upset, but the chances still remained. As we approached our third West Ridge dive site of the day, I asked Abu where he last saw a shark, to which he replied that he saw it at that very spot, a ray of hope shone on me. I told him that we must definitely see her - this is 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 hard choice to swim along the wall and view the underwater life or swim in the blue darkness away from the wall, see nothing and only hope to meet something big. For Abu, there was no such choice, he swam about 30 meters from the wall and searched ...., and I tried to sit on two chairs at the same time: I swam along the wall and looked hopefully at Abu. We dived to 20 meters, after half an hour I 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 started counting the last 2 minutes of no decompression time at this depth and it was time to start ascending slowly, at that moment I looked at Abu and noticed his hand movement, similar to the "shark" sign. I began to swim towards it, pushing with all my might with my fins, the depth was 30 meters, the computer began to squeak, warning that the no-decompression time was up, but this didn’t bother me anymore, my breathing quickened, spending more oxygen. Abu showed signs that he saw a hammerhead shark, but when I swam up, it was gone. We looked hopefully into the depths of the water, but there was nothing there. When all possible time limits had already passed and it was necessary to surface, SHE appeared from the blue abyss .... a little angry that she was disturbed, she swam right at us ... huge about 2 meters in length ... with eyes, looking in different directions .... A giant hammerhead shark. She swam very close, but abruptly turned 90 degrees and disappeared into the depths. These days, no one else but me and Abu saw a hammerhead shark.
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All evening we discussed this unexpected meeting, Abu said: "Alex, you just asked me to show you a 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 in Sipadan, I no longer thought to look at something near the wall, but swam 30 meters from it, peering into the depths, but to no avail. The shark didn't reappear. Despite this, diving in Sipadan ended quite successfully for me.
Diving in Mabul and Kapalai Islands
When you come to dive in Sipadan, you must order diving on the islands of Mabul and Kapalai, usually dive centers agree to give permission for 1 day of diving on Sipadan if you order 2 days of diving on Mabul / Kapalai.
Diving in the islands of Mabul and Kapalai is not as impressive as in Sipadan, but it will be very popular for those who love macro. Mabool 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 on Mabul and Kapalai every day, they found things that are very difficult to see with an ordinary eye.
Kapalai is generally difficult to call an island. Once 200 years ago it was a full-fledged island, but erosion has done its job and now the island is a thin strip of sand. There is only one Kapalai Resort on the island, all the houses and buildings of which stand on stilts on the water.
Since I don't have a camera for underwater shooting, all the photos were taken by other divers, I'll post a couple here with their permission.
15) Sea horse 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 ahead. 
Diving in Mabul is almost two times cheaper than in Sipadan. There are more than 10 dive sites in the area of Mabula and Kapalaya. I liked Paradise 1 Mabul the most. Frog fish live there, many different nudibranch,
crocodile fish, big turtles, and the most interesting thing I saw for the first time was how my favorite anemone fish protect their caviar plantation. It was one of the best dives.
I would like to mention divemasters separately. I dived with a Malaysian and he, to put it mildly, did not care about clients underwater. Almost every dive ended up with clients swimming on their own out of the divemaster's field of vision, I rarely encountered such indifference. It was especially noticeable how, because of this, beginners are worried underwater. Therefore, if you have little experience, I would recommend discussing this point with your divemaster and try not to break away from him.
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 Tawau Airport, the cheapest option is likely to be AirAsia.com, which I also flew (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 Tawau, and from there by bus to 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 didn’t book a transfer in advance, then I think it’s quite realistic to negotiate with the drivers who came to meet divers from some dive center 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 it will be problematic to get to Semporna on the same day, the journey takes about 1.5-2 hours. Another option to get to Semporna is to fly to Kota Kinabalu (the main city of 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 to be based on the island of Mabul. 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 boats leave for Mabul in the morning, you still have to spend one night in Semporna, there are not very 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 about 90-100 ringit, you can find cheaper, but not with such comfort. It takes about 30-40 minutes to sail from Semporna to Maboula.
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 are held right on the beach in Sipadan.
Mabul Island
Mabul Island is the main base for those who come to dive to Sipadan. When you Google the name Mabul and look at the photos showing houses on stilts above crystal clear water, you get the impression of an island paradise. Reality, as is often the case, is very far from imagination. Half of the island is occupied by a poor village, and there is no normal beach on Maboula at all. Therefore, be careful when choosing if your goal is not diving.
Most of the hotels in Mabul are located on stilts above the water, but do not rush to present a picture of tropical islands and expensive hotels in the Maldives, in fact, everything is not so fabulous.
I stayed at a Billabong Scuba hotel, it is very basic and inexpensive, the accommodation cost 90 ringit per night, including three meals a day. Room without air conditioning. It was possible to take an extreme house with air conditioning and more comfortable, but for 150 ringit per day. The food is very simple, almost every day the same thing, but quite edible, you won’t die from the city. If you ask well, you can even find Tanduay contraband Filipino rum, on the last day on the island we in an international company (Russian - I, Irish, Italian, German, Filipino and Australian) drank several bottles of this rum.
17) Our hotel 
Every day, children swim up to the hotel and ask for a dollar, or their parents, who offer to buy lobsters and other sea food.
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By the way, if you come up with the idea to swim right next to the hotel (there is a very convenient descent into the water), then I recommend that you first think about where everything that you flush in the toilet goes. I looked at the Chinese tourists who were splashing around these houses and it gave me mixed feelings :) The transparency and purity of the water can be deceiving.
Not far from our resort there is a school, and behind it is a local cemetery, interesting tombstones, I have never seen such.
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One of the largest hotels on the island of Sipadan Mabul Resort.
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There was an unexpected meeting by the pool in this hotel
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26) Is the water warm? 
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Another major 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 on Maboula is to stay at the Seaventures drilling rig
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And this is how the locals live, this is not the worst option
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Political situation in the state of Sabah
I decided to highlight this topic in a separate paragraph, since I myself came across this quite closely. The fact is that the rebels from the Sultanate of Sulu, subordinate to the Philippine Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, consider the territory of the Malaysian state of Sabah theirs and periodically try to capture it. In 2000, a couple of dozen foreign tourists and local workers were kidnapped and taken hostage right from the island of Sipadan, then this situation was resolved, but this hit the island's attractiveness for tourists. Shortly before I arrived in Borneo, about 200 soldiers of the Sultanate of Sulu invaded the territory of the state of Sabah and announced that they would not leave and were ready to sacrifice their lives. And just during my dives on Sipadan, the conflict turned into a tough phase. About 60 people from both sides became victims of the confrontation. On the day of my departure, the island of Sipadan was closed to the public and it was not clear when it could be opened again. On the same day, I returned to the city of Semporna, where in the evening a shootout took place a few kilometers from my hotel, 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 go in. The night was tense. The next day, when I took off from Tawau airport, I met a lot of military equipment, planes, helicopters and a lot of soldiers. It is most likely that you will not encounter this, but when going to Sipadan, keep this in mind and read the news from Malaysia just in case.
I confess that I expected much more impressions from Sipadan, but the hammerhead shark saved the whole situation, if not for her, I would have left unsatisfied. But despite this, Sipadan is a place worth visiting for any diver, it's worth it. Well, I will consider other options, among the nearest ones - a month of diving in Bali, where they already promised me that I would see Giant Manta Ray, and in the long term - diving in the Galapagos, where you can not only see a hammerhead shark for 2 seconds, and swim freely among them.
If you have any questions, welcome to the comments.
Island Sipadan According to the ratings of numerous publications, it is one of the five best dive sites in the world. It occupies a leading position in the categories "Dive site where you would return again", "Best place for advanced divers", "Best coastal diving", "Best diving along sheer walls". In 1989, legendary explorer Jacques Yves Cousteau described the site as "an untouched work of art."
The island is the top of a huge seamount formed from a volcanic cone and living corals. Sheer cliffs that support Sipadan, like columns, abruptly go into the depth of 600 meters. A rare place on earth can offer such biodiversity, with over 200 species of fish and over 70 species of coral polyps. In terms of species diversity, marine life at Pulau Sipadan is comparable to the Australian Great Barrier Reef. Some divers sometimes jokingly refer to Sipadan as the "Fish Capital of the World".
Briefly about Sipadan:
What is good: one of the best places in the world for watching big fish and big schools, drift diving, wall diving, excellent conditions for experienced divers.
Occurring species: the number of species is huge, it is not possible to list everything, but mainly, Sipadan is famous for the fact that here you can see huge flocks of thousands of barracudas and many sea turtles.
Depths: 5 - 40 m; Visibility: 10 - 30 m; Currents: can be quite strong. Water temperature: 26 - 30°C; Class diver: Intermediate-advanced. Number of dive sites: 12 ;
Best time to visit: April to December, especially July and August. From January to March, there may be some deterioration in weather and visibility, however, a visit to Sipadan can be recommended all year round, since conditions are acceptable almost all the time.
How to get there: since 2004, residence in Sipadan is prohibited. Divers are accommodated on neighboring islands - Mabul and Kapalai (about 30 minutes by boat). The islands of Mabul and Kapalai are reached as follows: a flight to the airport of Tawau (Borneo, Sabah) by a direct flight Kuala Lumpur - Tawau, or with a transfer through the capital of the state of Kota Kinabalu. Then a transfer of 1.5 hours to the city of Semporna, and then a transfer by boat from Semporna to the island of Mabul or Kapalai for about 40 minutes.
IMPORTANT!!!
Diving in Sipadan is limited to 120 people per day. Permission is issued the day before the proposed dive.
Several films about Sipadan:
Map of the main dive sites
Barracuda Point - Cape Barracuda
Coral Garden - Coral Garden
Whitetip Avenue - Avenue of the White Fins
Mid Rif - Middle Reef
Turtle Patch
South Point - South Cape
Staghorn Crest - Antler
Lobster Lair - Lobster Lair
Hanging Gardens - Hanging Gardens
West Ridge - West Ridge
North Point - Northern Cape
The Drop Off
Turtle Cavern - Turtle Cavern
Cape Barracuda
Depth: 10-50 m
Visibility: 20-30 m
Currents: can be strong
Level: Intermediate-advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 15-20 minutes from nearby islands
There can be quite strong currents here, so it's best not to dive too deep, otherwise you may find yourself far from the island. But thanks to these currents, so many fish are found here. Gray reef sharks patrol the perimeter in search of food. Climb down along the wall and you will see a huge number of parrot fish and turtles that peek out from secluded cracks in the reef. At some point, you may be picked up by a real tornado of barracudas. It's quite an impressive sight. Many divers, coming to Sipadan, make the largest number of dives on this site. Among other things, here you can see eels, triggerfish, blennies, mantis shrimp and even leaf fish.
coral garden
Depth: 14-22 m
Visibility: 20-30 m
Currents: calm
Level: for all levels
Season: all year round
Distance:
Despite the fact that this site is very shallow, it is a true paradise for underwater photographers. There is a huge variety of corals and you can find almost any living creature that is found on other sites. Turtles are everywhere here, they swim and feed on corals, relax or even pose for photographs. There are dogfish, wrasses and even barracudas.
Avenue of the White Fins
Depth: 16-40 m
Visibility: 20-30 m
Currents: can be strong
Level: Beginner-advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 13 km (27 minutes) south of about. Mabul and 11 km (20 minutes) southwest of about. Kapalai
It is not difficult to guess from the name what awaits you on this site and who these mysterious owners of white fins are. On this site, you can find whole schools of white-tailed reef sharks, which you will immediately recognize by the white triangle on the tail and fin. But this is not the most amazing thing that awaits you. The reef starts at a shallow depth and descends 600 m down. Diving here inevitably leads to unexpected encounters. You may find yourself surrounded by a whole shoal of big-eyed travelly or giant cone-fronted parrotfish. On the wall there are a huge number of terraces, crevices, ledges, on which you will find sponges of all shapes and colors, colonies of black corals and gorgonians. Among these rich coral thickets there is a huge number of reef fish. Don't miss the angelfish, parrot fish, sea bass, scorpion fish and butterfly fish.
Middle Reef
Depth: 5-40 m
Visibility: 10-25 m
Currents: calm
Level: Beginner-advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 25 minutes south of about. Mabul and 17 southwest of about. Kapalai
On this site there is a descent along the wall. There are real thickets of soft corals on ledges where you can meet gobies. Entire schools of red-toothed blenny and unicornfish race along the wall. Like some other Sipadan dive sites, there are strong currents that can push you up. This happens when cold water rises from the depths. Small schools of imperial wrasses may swim past you. Six meters of coral at the very top of the reef is the perfect stop for the cone-fronted parrotfish. Eating their way through dense underwater bushes, these amazing fish swim somewhere about their business, and you just have to admire them.
Turtle Piglet
Depth: 10-40 m
Visibility: 15-35 m
Currents: can be strong
Level: Beginner-advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 15 minutes from Mabul Island
This is a typical dive site for Sipadan, primarily known for its huge number of turtles. Here you can see 20 turtles at the same time. Some fish are found here, which, however, can be found almost anywhere in Sipadan, but the owners here, of course, are turtles.
southern cape
Depth: 20-40 m
Visibility: 20-30 m
Currents: can be strong
Level: Beginner-advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 30-35 minutes from Mabul Island
This is the site furthest from the island. There is a plateau of 3-5 meters, and then there is a soft descent. As divers note, this site unfortunately has a lot of dead corals, but it is a favorite haunt of hammerhead sharks, leopard sharks, who like to stop here at a depth of about 40 meters. Often you will find a large school of barracudas that move against the current, and if you manage to get close to them, they will allow you to swim next to them. If you often dive on this site, you can see the mating ritual of sharks.
Antler
Depth: 20-40 m
Visibility: 20-30 m
Currents: can be strong
Level: Intermediate-advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: approximately 20 minutes from nearby islands
On this site, diving begins with a gradual descent, during which you will see the staghorn corals. Fans of underwater photography note that there is very good lighting for photographing. There are a huge number of ledges and cracks on the wall, which the marine inhabitants have turned into their home. Red and black corals grow along the slope, where reef fish, angelfish, shrimps, dogfish are found. Due to the strong currents that can be found on this site, it is best for beginners to stay close to the divemasters. However, those who are confident can sail 30 meters from the wall and see, if they are lucky, a stingray, a hammerhead shark, a fox shark and a leopard shark.
Lobster Lair
Depth: 10-25 m
Visibility: 10-15 m
Currents: can be strong
Level: Beginner-advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: approximately 15 minutes from nearby islands
Despite the name of the site, there are very few lobsters here. There is shallow water here. You can explore the cracks in the wall, where living creatures can hide. You can also meet parrot fish, lion fish, scorpion fish.
hanging gardens
Depth: 5-40 m
Visibility: 20-30 m
Currents: quite calm
Level: Beginner-advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: about 25 minutes from nearby islands
Divers love this site for the beauty of the corals that grow up the slopes or hang from the walls like bunches of grapes. The reef starts at a depth of about 6 meters, and then goes down steeply. Naturally, there are a huge number of reef fish here: angelfish, butterfly fish and many others. Shrimps hide on the ledges, and sometimes lobsters peep out. Rare fox sharks are found here, which are distinguished by an unusually long upper lobe of the caudal fin. If you are lucky, you can see how she stuns her prey with a blow of her tail.
Western mountain range
Depth: 10-40 m
Visibility: 05-25 m
Currents: quite calm
Level: Beginner-advanced
Season: all year round
Distance:
This is another small area. It is better to dive here during the day, when the light, penetrating through the waves, illuminates the rich thickets of corals. Turtles, anemones, wrasses and other small animals are found here.
northern cape
Depth: 10-40 m
Visibility: 05-25 m
Currents: quite calm
Level: Beginner-advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 10 minutes from nearby islands
The wall here has several ledges where fish can hide. Diving during the day is especially interesting here, when the sunlight illuminates the pink, red and yellow soft corals. You can see sponges, anemones and, of course, turtles.
cliff
Depth: 0-600 m
Visibility: 15-35 m
Currents: quite calm
Level: Intermediate-advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 20 minutes from nearby islands
This site is considered one of the best shore diving sites in the world. Just 10 meters from the shore and right in front of you is a cliff with a depth of 600 m. During the dive, you can meet green turtles, reef sharks. A huge number of corals and sponges grow on the wall itself, and shrimps hide in numerous cracks. The place is very good for night diving.
Unfortunately, according to divers who dived on this site in December 2006, a significant part of the coral reef was demolished by a barge with building materials to equip diving life. It is very difficult not to notice these destructions, although the "Cliff" site is quite large, and you can still see a lot of interesting things here.
turtle cave
Depth: 14-22 m
Visibility: 0-15 m
Currents: quite calm
Level: Advanced Borneo divers only
Season: all year round
Distance: 25 minutes south of about. Mabul
Scuba diving on the island of Sipadan (Malaysia) is just wonderful. Fish life is in full swing here, and you have the opportunity to encounter in the underwater world with all the sea creatures that you ever dreamed of meeting. Turtles and reef sharks are very common in the coastal waters of the island. In addition, if you are lucky, you can see leopard, gray sharks and even hammerhead sharks here. Manta rays (the largest rays in the world) can also fly around you, however they are not as common. The waters around Sipadan go as deep as 600 meters and attract all kinds of pelagic 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 and more, just call them! The corals here are ancient and untouched. The coral gardens are small and very colorful and will turn your stopover into a wonderful moment of enjoyment. Deeper 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 with 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've found a pristine piece of art again." You can watch his movie! Crazy!
Photo from Sipadan island
The best diving spots in Sipadan
All 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
Place to dive |
min depth | Max depth | Level | Type of dive | |
| 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 in other places for diving. There is a very high competition among dive operators. Many diving resorts offer All Inclusive packages which can be very interesting. When there are no dives near Sipadan, you will still find interesting dive sites, such as around Kapalai island or Mabul, especiallyBut diving to sunken ships will be interesting. Therefore, it is 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 allowed
The best time for diving in Sipadan
Diving is great here all year round!
But still the best time for diving will be the period from April to December with good conditions at sea. April to early June is high season so book your diving permit and resort well in advance! Heavy rains can occur from January to March, so visibility may be reduced.
However, recently the weather has been changing from year to year, so it is difficult to predict seasonality.
Conditions for scuba diving
The visibility of the water here is from 15 to 40 meters depending on the season and the depth to which you dive. Diving around Sipadan is easy and the currents will not be a problem here. However, at some dive sites, such as the popular 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 for professionals. There are also special places reserved specifically for diving instructors, such as Turtle Cave or Turtle Tomb, where you can see the skeletons of turtles that did not find their way and landed here. Diving into the cave should be done only with very experienced divers using special equipment.
Snorkeling in Sipadan
There are excellent snorkeling opportunities around the island. There are magnificent and colorful coral gardens. You can take a dive boat which will take you to the island so you can swim there. However, since the number of seats is limited, it is better to arrange in advance.
Diving Safety
If you are planning a diving trip or a trip to Sipadan, insurance is a really good investment because you never know what might happen or when you might need it (and accidents do happen!). I recommend the one you can buy below in the form as they offer global coverage and diving up to 50 meters deep, as well as snorkeling and many other types of 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 Kapalai.
Resorts (hotels) in Mabul Island
- Mabul Water Bungalows
- Sipadan Water Village
- Sipadan-Mabul Resort
- Borneo Divers Mabul Resort
- Seaventures Dive Platform Dive Resort
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 arrive at Tawau Airport, come by bus, minibus or taxi from the northern cities of Sabah: 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 make sure that your plane lands no later than 14.00. As soon as you arrive in Tawau, you will be taken by land transport to the port city of 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 for divers and guests from 6 am to 4 pm.
