Discover the diving at Sipadan and Mabul with our comprehensive dive guide
Tara North
Sipadan is Malaysia’s most famous diving spot. Nearby, Mabul Island offers more excellent diving for smaller marine life, and a good choice of dive resorts.
These nutrient-rich waters attract huge numbers of Turtles, while the area is also home to large number of White-tip Reef Sharks, Bumphead Parrotfish, Trevally and Barracuda.
Larger visitors such as Hammerhead Sharks & Manta Rays can also be seen, while Sipadan also sits within the coral triangle, ensuring a huge diversity of marine life to add to the area's attractions.
Highlights
Best diving spots
One of Sipadan’s most popular diving sites is Barracuda Point, which, as the name suggests, is a great place to see huge, swirling schools of Chevron Barracuda. Whitetip Sharks can be seen on the reef here, while occasionally Grey Reef Sharks & Eagle Rays cruise in the blue. As with all Sipadan’s diving sites Green Turtles are a very common sight.
South Point is another great spot for larger marine life and is famous for it's Hammerhead sightings, while the Drop-Off - a sheer wall plunging to great depths straight from the beach, is another fantastic spot. Currents can sometimes be strong at these sites though, so a little care is needed.
Large schools of Trevally can be seen on any site here and Bumphead Parrotfish are often heard crunching through the reef before they are seen. The Bumpheads can also be seen in procession on their way to 'work' for those that are prepared to wake up early.
West Ridge & Mid Reef, among others, have a profusion of corals and colourful reef-life. If you fancy something a little different, Turtle Cavern is a cave where many Turtles and other marine life have met their maker, leaving an eerie display of skeletal remains. If a turtle can get lost in here though, so can a diver - so do not enter without the proper safety precautions and take extreme care. Larger visitors such as Hammerhead Sharks & Manta Rays can also be seen, while the area also sits within the coral triangle, ensuring a huge diversity of life to add to the area's attractions.
Just a short distance away, Mabul & Kapali have reefs of a very different nature. Shallow fringing reefs are home to all manner of unusual critters, with Mandarinfish, Frogfish, Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Seahorses, Ribbon Eels and more, making these small islands one of Asia's current hotspots for macro lovers.
The combination of Sipadan's dramatic walls & big marine life, plus the unusual delights of Mabul & Kapalai are a tribute to this areas diversity & give the area a unique appeal for divers, making it one of Asia's top spots for diving.
When to dive
Sipadan's diving is excellent all year round. April through to December is the best time to dive, with July & August normally bringing the very best conditions.
Getting there
The gateway to Sipadan is;Tawau in Sabah, which has an airport. From there, many choose to Mabul Island or Kapalai, via the town of Semporna, but it is also possible to stay at Semporna.
There are flights to Tawau from Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and Kuala Lumpur on the mainland. Trips here should be arranged in advance with the resort. It is also possible to get to Semporna by bus from Kota Kinabalu in the north of Sabah.
Activities
On Mabul Island or Kapalai, the most popular activities aside from diving or snorkelling are simply relaxing, enjoying a cocktail and admiring the view.
In Semporna, it is interesting to take a walk along the seafront and admire the local's beautiful 'Lepa' boats. Every year in April, they hold an impressive regatta, involving hundreds of these boats. There is fairly lively nightlife in the town and it is possible to arrange trips to Sabah's popular Orangutan rehabilitation centres from here.
Resort and liveaboard options
The majority of guests diving Sipadan make their base on the nearby islands of Mabul or Kapalai. Mabul has a range of accommodation options, all offering similar packages that include accommodation, diving and meals. Kapalai has just one resort, Kapalai Island Dive Resort, built on stilts over the sandbank, the resort is a really incredible location for a special trip.
More budget accommodations options are available in Semporna on the Sabah coast, albeit with longer boat journey's out to Sipadan and Mabul Island.
You might also enjoy...
Burma Banks
The Burma Banks in the Andaman Sea are around 200km off the coast of Burma (Myanmar), north-west from the Similan Islands. There are six ‘banks’ - actually the tops of large submerged mountains - Heckford, Coral, Big, Silvertip, Rainbow & Roe.
These underwater mountains were rediscovered in the 1980’s. Before this, their existence was known but their exact location was not.
Dummie's guide to camera kit
Jakob Owens
Do you struggle to know your arm from your socket, your port from your bracket, your flash from your fisheye and your light from your lens?
Well, you're not alone. Underwater photography has it's own dictionary of parts, accessories & technical terms and it's tough to sound like an expert.
Perhentian Islands
Off the north-eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, not too far south of the Thai border, the beautiful Perhentian Islands rise vertically out of the sparkling blue sea, creating one of Malaysia's most iconic diving destinations & one of the most popular spots in Malaysia to learn to dive.
Setting up your underwater housing
Have you recently purchased an underwater housing for your camera? Maybe you feeling a little unsure how to set-up your new system correctly and are feeling in need of some tips and advice.
Don't despair. No matter what brand your housing, whether it is a simple own-brand housing or a state-of-the-art set-up, there are steps you can take every time you take your camera into the water to ensure that it is set-up correctly.
Puerto Galera
Originally a safe harbour during typhoons, Puerto Galera has become one of the Philippines' most popular tourist & diving destinations.
Situated only 150km south of the capital Manila, the curious geography of the area has created not only a perfect natural harbour, but also many picturesque beaches and coves to enjoy.
Madang
