Sipadan Island

Sipadan
Island in Sabah is one of the top ten diving spots in the
world, and is located in the Celebes Sea off the east coast of Sabah (which is on the island of Borneo).

As I have been fortunate enough to visit this spectacular diving
site  numerous times, I will vouch for this
place as a must-dive for any scuba diver.

My first trip to Sipadan Island was at the end of October 2011, and it was a surreal experience. Ever since then, I have come back multiple times to dive here.

I cannot stress how beautiful the island and waters are, as to fully experience this, you have
to visit or dive here yourself.

If you have been planning to
visit Sipadan Island to dive; I hope that the information provide here will help strengthen your desires.

First, you need to get into the town of Tawau in east Sabah. You can fly into Tawau from Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu, but that is as far as you can fly.

If you are in Kota Kinabalu or Sandakan, you can also take a bus to Tawau or Semporna. But you must know the journey there is purely for the adventurer and can take over 6-10 hours.

From the Tawau Airport, you will need to take a van taxi towards the coastal town of Semporna, which takes about 90 minutes to drive one way.

Semporna is a tiny coastal town and is the main gateway to Mabul, Mataking, Kapalai, Pom Pom, Bohey Dulang and Sipadan Islands.

At Semporna, there are many budget hotels and dive centres located here. If you have made arrangements with a local dive operator, they will bring you to the respective dive office here.

Next is your journey to the islands. There are no airports or roads on Mabul Island; therefore, a 30-40 minute boat ride is the only way to get there, depending on the tide.

If you are just planning to dive Sipadan only, you will most likely stay in Semporna town at one of the hotels or guest houses.

Most divers will choose to stay at Mabul Island, Mataking Island, Kapalai Island or Seaventures Dive Rig to maximize their scuba diving here.

A notice declaring Sipadan as a Protected Island Park

Sipadan Island Dive Permits

Since 2005, the island has been protected by Sabah Parks and a year before that, no lodging or businesses were allowed.

This means that a scuba diving permit is required to dive at Sipadan Island, and there is a daily allocation of 120
permits were issued to visit the island. (Since 2018 or 2019, the number was increased to 170)

These permits can only be
obtained by several hotels and resorts on Mabul Island or some of
the Dive Shops in Semporna.

Usually, when you book a Sipadan dive trip, the special permit is included in your package, hence diving at Sipadan does not come cheap. But it is a once in a lifetime experience.

Personally, I think this is the best move
done by Sabah Parks as this way, it controls the overall ecological system of
the island, thus making this place non-commercialized like other islands.

For those who stay at Mabul Island and suddenly want to dive at Sipadan, you need to speak to your lodge operator, and they may be able to get a permit, but it will cost you anywhere from RM700 to RM1000 for three dives. 

When
you get into the island, which is usually in the mornings, about 7.00 to 8.00 AM,
the first place you will visit is the main Sipadan jetty.

At the jetty, every guest,
divemaster or guide must register at the park office here. Your name and basic details are noted down in a logbook before you head out back to the boat to do your diving or snorkelling.

This is mandatory as Sabah Parks controls who comes into the island. If you see military personal there, fear not, as there is a small military camp on the island. 

On the island, there are basic facilities for you to use
which include a simple wooden building structure for you to have your meals and rest.

A toilet is available here, which is about 10 meters away. The normal time
spent here is about one hour before heading back on your dive boat.

One of them is the history of Sipadan Island while
others are about park rules, geological structure, dive sites and a map
of the island and reef.

You can also walk to the main beach area but note that you cannot go into the military camp area.

The waters are crystal clear and in many shades of blue to turquoise. You can consider this as one of the most beautiful islands in Malaysia.

Sipadan island is actually volcanic; therefore, the drop is about 600 meters (2000 feet) from the reef.

The island was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop.

More than 3,000 species of fish are recorded, and hundreds of coral species have been classified in this ecosystem.

It is not advisable for beginners or children to snorkel or swim around here. However, the coral life seen
is simply amazing and unlike any other I have seen in my life.

The pure
density of marine life just puts me in awe when I get into the waters
here, and this island never ceases to impress me every time I visit. 

You can get here by staying at Semporna, Mabul Island, Seaventures Dive Rig Resort, Pom Pom Island, or Mataking Island.

In Kota Kinabalu, multiple travel companies provide travel packages to Sipadan Island and many other islands around Sabah. 

I have
been here a few times now and always plan to go back again and again. Well, there are
many other well-known dive sites around the world, but as Jacques Cousteau once famously said;

“I have seen other places like Sipadan, 45 years ago, but
now no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art“.

Finally, I
can tell you after diving the many islands around Malaysia, there
is something so extraordinary and attractive about Sipadan Island.

This is truly one of the most beautiful scuba diving experiences I have ever had, and I hope that you will one day experience this too.