Sipadan Island, Mabul Island and Kapalai Island are very near each other. These 3 islands are off Semporna town, East Coast of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
From your location, fly to Kota Kinabalu, then fly for 40 minutes to Tawau. From Tawau, go to Semporna by bus or taxi which will take about 1 hour. From Semporna, you will take the resort speed boat to Mabul Island where your resort is located. The boat ride will take another 45 minutes. Mabul Island will be your gateway to diving around the 3 islands.
If you prefer a leisurely pace, you can spend a night either in Tawau or Semporna. Tawau is the bigger town compared to Semporna. But both offer unique experiences and excellent fresh seafood.
Sipadan attracts divers from all over the world simply because it is the best diving spot in Malaysia and among the best in the world. The island is situated about 35 km off the East Coast of Borneo and is near the Indonesian border. The tiny 12 ha jungle-covered island is bordered by snow white sandy beaches that rises up out of the turquoise-blue sea. Sipadan was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct undersea volcano. With its surrounding coral reef the island rises in form of a slim rocky needle 600m from the seabed.
A legend in diving circles, the name Sipadan conjures up images of Barracudas and Jacks moving about, Hammerhead sharks patrolling the waters, colourful fishes darting around the reefs and sea-turtles gently swimming with the currents.
A popular feature of this island is the precipitous reef wall just a mere 8 metres in front of Borneo Divers' and Pulau Sipadan's resorts. Many divers have remarked that staying and diving on the island is similar to doing so from a live-aboard ship, coz all dive sites can be reached in a few minutes.
To protect the reef and marine life the number of divers staying at Sipadan has been restricted to 80 per night. The consequence is, that the island is fully booked most of the time. Therefore it is absolute necessary to book several weeks or better months in advance.
Formerly declared as a bird sanctuary Sipadan provides another attraction for the visitor with its 47 known species of birds. The island is also home to monitor lizards, fruit bats and the unique coconut crabs. Although famed for its diving spots, visitors should not miss out on the island's amazing beaches.
During low tide you can easily walk around the island in half an hour. Further up from the resort there is a stretch of lonely white beach. As the jungle ends directly at the beach, overhanging trees provide enough shade. You should only watch out for the coral pieces and the shells that are washed ashore and pervaded the beach. It is advisable to bring a pair of sandals along as pieces of corals and seashells are known to have been washed ashore.
Some of the popular dive spots around the island include:
- Barracuda Point
- Coral Gardens
- Drop Off
- Hanging Garden
- Lobster Lair
- Midreef
- South Point
- Staghorn Crest
- Turtle Patch
- Turtle Tomb
- West Ridge
- White-tip Avenue
There’s a reason why the place is called the Drop Off. Imagine just kneeling down in shallow water and looking straight down into the abyss 600 meters away at the edge. Really scary and exciting at the same time! During your dives at the Drop Off, you might see (or maybe bump into, if you don’t see where you are going) a couple of Manta Rays playing nearby.
Chances are very good that you will encounter a big swirling school of thousands of chevron barracudas and also see packs of patrolling grey reef sharks at Barracuda Point.
If you are lucky, you can spot the largest shark species, the Whale Shark gliding by in the current off South Point during it’s migration.
Encounter a living wall of hundreds of Hammerhead Sharks rising like ghosts from the deep, glowing in the open blue water at the Hanging Gardens.
In the course of your dive vacation, you will also likely come across a glinting and shimmering rolling ball of hundreds of jacks, a herd of very large giant bumphead parrotfish grazing on the reef top, scores of white tip reef sharks, and at least a dozen or so turtles of two different species: the Hawksbill Turtle and the Green Turtle.
