Sipadan is known for its outstanding diving, as many claim it to be the best in Borneo. The amazing diving conditions here are known for their massive schools of fish, huge green turtles, and spiraling barracudas. This area is a magical place. I had the opportunity to spend three months there and do hundreds of dives. This guide is meant to inspire you or help you explore the wonders of Sipadan. Cousteau was enchanted by it 45 years ago and has never seen another place like it.
The Perhentian Islands in Malaysia are a great choice for a relaxing island vacation with lovely beaches, good snorkeling, and decent diving.
Why is Sipadan so extraordinary?
This island is a volcanic pinnacle that’s covered in coral and drops 600m straight to the ocean floor. It is hard to express the abundance of marine life in this area without making it seem exaggerated. There are many hawksbill and green turtles that swim around the area, starting in the shallows. The pinnacle herds consist of hundreds of large bumphead parrot fish, which can be seen swimming in line. You can also see the sharks passing by, as well as resident schools of jackfish. Sipadan is known for its huge resident schools, which form a vortex or barracuda tornado surrounding you if you’re lucky. This is just one day. You could run into nearly anything on this seamount.
Sipadan island, Komodo Island and Sipadan are two of my favorite spots to dive in South East Asia. I have been fortunate enough to dive at both of these amazing locations many times.
Pulau Sipadan, on the north east coast Malaysia Borneo’s Malaysia Borneo, was famousized by Jacques Cousteau, a diving legend and ocean explorer. He called it one of the most beautiful dive spots in the entire world. This is a must-see on any Sabah itinerary.
Sipadan Island is no longer a resort. Most of the resorts can be found on Mabul or Kapalai islands, which are about an hour away by boat. To dive around the island, you will need a permit. This is closely monitored by armed guards. You have two options: Stay in Semporna, which offers cheap accommodation, or go to Kapalai or Mabul for more expensive accommodations. From there you can dive.
You can dive around Mabul and Kapalai every day if you’re lucky, and diving Sipadan for one or two full days if you’re staying on the islands nearby. You will find world-class diving on the Kapalai and Mabul islands.
Sipadan diving was a unique experience twelve years ago. It is just 20m from the main beach to top of the reef wall. Until 2004, most of the resorts were on Sipadan Island. You could simply walk out of your hotel room and get into the Drop Off.
It was unbelievable for diving, but studies revealed that the stress of too many divers was causing damage to the marine life and reefs. In 2004, the Malaysian government decided to protect the coral reefs and ordered all resorts to move away from Sipadan Island. All divers who wish to dive on the island must have a permit.
How to get to Sipadan
First, you will need to reach the town of Semporna, on Borneo Island. There isn’t much here and it is mostly known as the gateway for the surrounding islands. Fly from Kuala Lumpur (IATA :KUL) or Kota Kinabalu, IATA :BKI) to Tawau ( TWU, WBKW). Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia offer daily flights. There are many options for getting from Tawau to Semporna. You can either take a taxi (about $40) or take a minibus (about $25). Transport from Tawau to Semporna is also available. Public buses can also be used to get you from Kota Kinabalu into Semporna.
Transfer from Tawau to Semporna is 90 minutes. From Semporna to Mabul Island, by resort speedboat takes approximately 45 minutes.
How to obtain a Sipadan diving license
Each day, around 120 permits are issued to 12 resorts. Larger resorts receive more permits. A permit allows a diver the opportunity to dive on Sipadan Island for one day.
Peak season, when resorts are full, can see more than 500 people in the resorts. 120 permits is not sufficient on most days. Permits are not issued in a first-come, first served basis. They are issued according to a rotation system.
These are the most popular tips for getting a permit:
Stay longer at the resort (over 3 days)
Book early.
Avoid peak seasons
My top tip: If you don’t have a permit, ask at all resorts. Don’t listen to anyone telling you you won’t find one in such a short time. My first resort that I dived with did not have permits. They told me it would take at least two weeks to get one. After a day of diving around Mabul, they took me back to Semporna where I walked to each dive center. I was able to choose from 3 dive centers and received a job offer from one. This was my first 3 month stint as a diving instructor from Mabul.
Sipadan permits are available at resorts and dive schools.
Seaventures Tours and Travel
Sipadan Mabul Resort
Sipadan Water Village Resort
Borneo Divers & Seasport
Borneo Jungle River Island Tours
Dive Semporna
Bharman Sipadan Diving Safari & Seasport
Celebes Explorer Liveaboard
North Borneo Dive & Seasports
Pulau Sipadan Resort
The Reef Dive Resort and Tours
Roach Reefs Resort
Can beginners dive Sipadan?
There are many myths about the qualifications needed to dive Sipadan. Technically, you don’t need any advanced qualification or more than a few dives. You can dive Sipadan after completing the openwater course. Barracuda Point is one of the most dangerous sights. The water near the reef can be very deep, making it unsafe for beginners. You could endanger the reef’s precious coral if you don’t have good buoyancy skills. Openwater certification allows you to dive deep enough (18m), to view the most popular attractions in Sipadan: the barracudas and bumpheads, reef sharks, and the big eye trevally.
Open water certification is required to dive in this area. If you feel you can dive more challenging spots, you should consult your instructor. It is safer to dive in smaller groups with experienced leaders. Some schools may require advanced certification or proof that you have logged at least 20 dives. Before signing up, make sure to check with the school. An advanced course should be completed after your open water. This will give you more experience, and it will help you to master specialty dives.
Sipadan Diving Package
Most dive centers will require that you stay for at least two days with them and then dive on your own to obtain one of their Sipadan permits. Sipadan Diving Packages are offered by all resorts. These packages include accommodation, Sipadan and non-Sipadan diving. You will usually do Sipadan dives in Mabul and Kapalai during these days, and Sipadan on the next day depending on your availability and length of stay.
For most resorts, we will mention the minimum stay required to obtain a Sipadan permit. These reefs offer some of the most unique and amazing diving in the world. These renowned muck diving spots are home to many frog fish, ghost pipefish and flamboyant cuttlefish.
Sipadan Snorkeling
Sipadan is an excellent spot for snorkeling/freediving. Sipadan was a popular spot for snorkeling and freediving 15 years ago, before permits were available. This shallow area of the reef is less than 5m in depth. Here you can see large green turtles swimming close to the surface. Giant clams, coral and huge bumphead parrot fish all swim in the shallow water. You can see reef sharks, big eye jacks, and thousands of barracudas swimming close to the reef’s edge. They are often found at the bottom of the reef, so snorkeling is a great way to spot them.
You can see enormous jacks, sharks, and other game fish if you are able to freedive and go deeper down the wall.
Finding a snorkeling spot is difficult because there are so few permits. Snorkelers and divers use the same permit. Since diving is more costly, most operators won’t take snorkelers as it isn’t profitable enough. Uncle Chang used to take snorkelers with him.
Marine Life Around Sipadan
Sipadan is a top choice for experienced divers. Sipadan is one of the most protected and diverse dive sites in the world, with over 3,000 species of fish and many coral species. You will see numerous hawksbill and green turtles on a normal day. More than 20 are common during a good dive.
You will find it strange that there are not many sharks here. Grey reef sharks and white tip reef sharks are the most common. However, with a little luck, many divers can see scalloped Hammer heads while doing wall dives. Although devil rays and eagle rays may not be seen all the time, they are very common. Mantas occasionally appear as well. Sipadan’s most popular dive spot is Sipadan’s huge residential schools. These schools are home to thousands of barracudas and jackfish, as well as massive Barracuda schools all around the area.
Barracudas can sometimes form the classic vortex. This is when the barracudas surround you in a barracuda tornado. A reef hook is a large hook with a piece rope attached. When you fly in the current and barracudas pass by, attach the hook to a rock (not coral!) You can hang in the current and watch thousands of barracudas swimming by. I love watching the huge bumphead parrot fish swim by the reef. These massive fish are large and can eat corals at one end. They also poo non-stop, making nice white sand. My Mabul divemasters have seen a whale-shark here. It is one of those rare places where anything could happen.
The pumping currents, big animal action, and large pelagic fish are so intense that many people don’t even notice the reef around Sipadan. However, the coral, variety and size of nudibrances as well as the sea stars, giant cucumbers, sea stars, morays eels, lionfish and other marine life is truly amazing.
Whale Sharks: Many divers dream of swimming with these magnificent creatures. Although they are rarely seen in Sipadan, some of my friends were able to swim with one at Sipadan. For more information about whale sharks, the Philippines is the best place to visit. See our Whale Sharks in Philippines comparison and our Whale Sharks of Oslob article for more details.
