Sipadan is understandably famous for its wall diving. ... Just 20 feet from the shore, the wall plunges a staggering 2,000 feet down, encrusted with a multitude of living corals. An incredible diversity of marine life from pelagics to reef dwellers and turtles abound, even the occasional dolphin!
Sipadan Intro
The island of Sipadan lies off the southeast coast of Sabah, a province of Malaysia on the exotic island of Borneo. Long heralded a ‘mecca’ for dive travel, the island has been rated as a world-class dive destination since Jacques Cousteau visited in the early 80s.
Sipadan boasts one of the richest marine habitats in the world, with over 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species making up an incredibly rich and vibrant ecosystem. As Malaysia’s only oceanic island, the nutrient-rich waters of the Celebes Sea attract an abundance of marine life, including all sizes of reef and pelagic fish, sharks, turtles, and some fascinating critters.
Diving is only possible at Sipadan with a permit, so make sure you let your resort know that you plan to dive there so that they can arrange access.
Sipadan's nearest neighbors, Mabul and Kapalai, are archetypal paradise dive islands, both boasting phenomenal muck diving. Mabul is 45-minutes by boat from Sipadan, with a range of accommodation from budget lodges through to luxuxry resorts. And just 10-minutes away, the sandbar of Kapalai boasts a single exclusive resort built out across the shallow lagoon.
Sipadan, Mabul, and Kapalai Diving Season
April to October
Waters are normally calm and glassy, comfortably warm, and with visibility up to 100ft.
Suitable to dive
November to March
Rainy season
January, February, and August can increase surface chop and reduce visibility
Cooler water and air temperatures, amazing marine encounters and great diving are still the norm.
Sipadan, Mabul, and Kapalai Dive Sites Map
Sipadan Best Dive Sites
Barracuda point, Sipadan
The, drop-off , Sipadan
Hanging gardens , Sipadan
South point , Sipadan
Turtle cavern, Sipadan
Whitetip avenue , Sipadan
Mabul Best Dive Sites
Paradise 1 , Mabul
Froggy Lair Dive Site
Crocodile Avenue Dive Site
Ray Point Dive Site
Eel Garden Dive Site
Kapalai Best Dive Sites
Mandarin Valley Dive Site
The Jetty Dive Site
Spotted Ray Channel Dive Site
Mid Reef Dive Site
Turtle cavern, Sipadan
Whitetip avenue , Sipadan
Seaventures Dive Rig Resort
Seaventures Dive Rig is a scuba diving platform and resort near Sipadan, Borneo, Malaysia. It still maintains the allure and spirit of a working rig yet the rooms are more comfortable, the food highly acclaimed, service exemplary and diving world class. Address
Wisma Sabah, Suite 305, 3rd Floor, Jalan Tun Fuad Stephen, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Contact
Phone: +6088 251 669 +6088 261 669 Email: info@seaventuresdive.com
PADI Recreational Dive Courses:
Open Water Diver What better way to start diving – than learning to dive and then taking your first steps in the world class dive site of Sipadan with a 5-star PADI Dive Resort
Advanced Diver The PADI Adventure Diver course introduces you to diving skills and specialties that you possibly didn’t even know existed. Learn how to take photographs underwater, film underwater or even learn how to dive a wreck.
Advanced Open Water Diver By completing five PADI Adventure Dives – of the specialty of your choice (except the compulsory Navigation Dive and Deep Dive) and the theory, and you will become a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver.
Rescue Diver & First Aid Learn to look after yourself and others and become a valuable part of the team by becoming a PADI Rescue Diver.
Other
PADI Specialty Diver Couserses
PADI Cavern Diver Course
Sidemount Diver Course
TEC Courses
TEC 40
TEC 45
TEC 50
TEC Deep
To reach Seaventures Dive Rig, you will need to take a flight from Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu to Tawau. From Tawau Airport it is a 90 minute road transfer to Semporna Jetty. From Semporna, it takes up to 1 hour by boat transfer to reach Seaventures. The resort boats operate on a set transfer schedule.
Getting To Tioman Sipadan
Getting to Sipadan’s neighboring islands of Mabul and Kapalai can be quite a task, however, the journey is more than worth it. Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI) is the main gateway, and flights are available from many of the major Asian hubs. Once at Kota Kinabalu, a domestic flight takes you to Tawau Airport (TWU) on the southern tip of Malaysian Borneo. From Tawau, resort transport will transfer you the 90-minute journey to the port town of Semporna where you’ll board a boat out to your resort.
How Dive Sipadan
Access to Sipadan Island is heavily restricted through a permit system, with only 120 diving permits issued each day. Resorts are not able to guarantee Sipadan dives before guest arrival as permits are not allocated in advance, therefore the longer you stay the more chance you have of achieving multiple days diving at Sipadan.
There are numerous dive operators and resorts in the Sipadan area, many offering all-inclusive packages. The boat journey to Sipadan normally takes 20 to 30 minutes from the neighboring islands, and operators generally offer up to four dives in a day. When diving at Sipadan is not possible, the house reefs and sandbanks of Mabul and Kapalai offer some fantastic muck diving.
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