Diving Sipadan in Sabah, Malaysia is lamong the best dive spots in south east Asia. For many years, many of the most renowned underwater photographers and underwater cinematographers have chosen Sipandan as the best scenic scuba dive location in the world. Sipadan is considered the Mekka for any scuba dive enthusiast.
With its shallow reefs surrounding the total island, and the edge of the reefs dropping to incredible and undiveable depths, Sipadan offers a humongous amount of small and large sea life, critters, and corals. From microscopic organisms to trailing whale sharks. Sipadan and its surrounding islands offer it all. Diving Sipadan offers the beginning en more experienced divers an incredible abundance.
Sipadan in The Sulu Sea
Just of the coast of Borneo sits the island at the top of a narrow long spire of a sea pinnacle. Rising like a needle from the ocean floor, surrounded by washing waves lays Pulau Sipidan, as the locals know it. The tiny island is covered in lush rainforest and surrounded by beaches and coral reefs teeming with all the sea can offer. Diving Sipadan is a out-of-this world experience.
Close up of a fish hiding in its anemone.
Fish and Marine Life in Sipadan
The fish life is so abundant that there is in certain areas no need to swim without seeing fish. If scuba divers stay stationary, the fish life comes to the divers, and it will twirl and twist around, leaving divers in jaw-dropping motion, and the best part is that it does not stop until the underwater junkie has had enough and moves aside.
Barracuda Point offers when visited at the right time, schools of barracudas, that will circle the divers in a vortex of one-meter long silver sea spears. This experience can be quiet intimidating and is not for the faint-hearted, but an experience not easily forgotten.
Diving Sipadan Dive Sites
Pulau Sipadan, located off the coast of Sabah, Malaysia, is renowned as one of the world’s top diving destinations. Diving at Sipadan is plentiful, abundant, and above all exciting as the underwater scenery keeps changing dive after dive.
Here are a few of the most popular dive sites around the island:
- Barracuda Point – This site is famous for its large schools of barracudas, often seen in a mesmerizing vortex. Divers can also encounter sharks, turtles, and a variety of other marine life.
- Drop Off – Just a few meters from the beach, the sea bed drops sharply to depths of over 600 meters. This wall diving spot is adorned with colorful corals and is frequented by turtles, reef sharks, and myriad tropical fish.
- Turtle Cavern – Known for its underwater caves, this site offers a unique diving experience. The caverns are somewhat eerie as they contain the skeletal remains of turtles which didn’t find their way out.
- South Point – This site is a hotspot for spotting larger pelagic fish, including sharks. The strong currents here make it more suitable for experienced divers.
- Sipadan Jetty – Often used as a night dive site, this area under the jetty is bustling with marine life, from mandarin fish to ghost pipefish and even octopuses.
- Whitetip Avenue – As the name suggests, this site is great for seeing whitetip reef sharks, along with other pelagic species, cruising along the reef wall.
Other dive sites on this relatively small island have straight forward names like Lobster Lair, Hanging Garden, West Ridge, Turtle Tomb, and Stayhorn Crest. Each of these dive sites offers a unique underwater experience, contributing to Sipadan’s reputation as a premier diving location.
Turtles At Pulau Sipadan
Turtles’ sightings during dives at Sipadan are almost guaranteed. These wonderful creatures will escort divers during their long dives.
Sharks At Pulau Sipadan
Sharks come in from the deep waters and can be found around the island in large schools, hunting for prey. Most new divers to Sipadan are so overwhelmed by the colors of the coral reefs that they forget to look into the deep. Every 3-5 minutes of your dive, take a slow turn towards the deep and be amazed what swim in the crystal-clear waters around the island. This is where the schools of sharks can be spotted.
school of Jackfish at Sipadan Island,Borneo,Malaysia
Coconut crab however not easy to be found can be found in Sipadan too.
Unfortunately, travelers can no longer stay or even visit the island of Sipadan, so there is always a boat transfer from one of the surrounding islands, Pulau Mabul, or Pulau Kapalai. A one-day dive permit must be obtained while arriving on the island. Normally this is arranged by the diver operator days ahead.
Our dive tip is to stay shallow as every minute is an experience that will last a lifetime. Plus staying in safe diving depth makes sense because divers are many nautical miles away from any recompression or hospital facility.
Go Diving Sipadan
Diving Sipadan is an adventure from start to finish. Enjoy the underwater world of Pulau Sipadan created by Neptune himself. Be a guest not a visitor in this spectacle of abundance in Malaysia.
