Sipadan Island is renowned as one of the world’s top diving destinations, offering an unparalleled underwater experience. Here’s everything you need to know about diving in Sipadan, including tips and tricks for making the most of your visit.
Sipadan diving requirements
To dive in Sipadan, a minimum of an Advanced Open Water Diver certification is required. This ensures that divers have the necessary skills and experience to handle the island’s more challenging and deeper dive sites. After all, you don’t want to travel all the way to this diving paradise only to realize you don’t have the skills to explore its best sites.
>> Book your Advance Open Water Diver course in Mabul today
Sipadan permits
A permit system by Sabah Parks authority is currently in place to restrict the number of daily snorkellers and divers to Sipadan Island. These measures were taken by the Malaysian government in order to preserve the area’s exceptional marine and terrestrial ecosystems, which had been showing gradual signs of decline.
Additionally, all dives must be conducted between 6am and 4pm – no night diving is allowed.
It is not recommended to arrive in the area without a prior booking. It may be that if you can wait around for a few days, an operator might be able to free up a pass for you, but this could take longer. In peak season, it may not be possible at all.
Therefore, if you’re planning to go diving or snorkelling in Sipadan, or would just like to visit the island for a picnic,you should secure your permit in advance.
>> Learn how to guarantee your Sipadan Permit
Sipadan accommodation
Since overnight stays on Sipadan Island are no longer permitted, divers seeking accommodation must look to the nearby islands of Mabul or Kapalai. These islands host the majority of dive shops that organize trips to Sipadan. For budget-conscious travelers, there are affordable lodging options in Semporna on the mainland, with day boats departing from there for diving excursions to Sipadan.
>> See all Sipadan packages
Sipadan dive sites
On the northeast coast, where the reef top extends less than 10 meters (30 feet) from the shore, the turquoise waters abruptly turn dark blue at the edge of a vertical wall. Several dive spots dot the edge of the reef, all above vertical walls.
Sipadan boasts several world-class dive sites:
- Barracuda Point: Famous for its large schools of barracuda and other pelagic species.
- Hanging Gardens: Known for its beautiful coral formations.
- The Drop-Off: A dramatic wall dive that plunges over 600 meters.
- Turtle Tomb: A cave system filled with turtle skeletons, accessible only to experienced cave divers.
>> See the full list of Sipadan dive sites
Best time to visit Sipadan
It’s possible to dive Sipadan all year round, but for optimum conditions, the best diving season is from mid-February to mid-December when visibility is greater (20m – 60m).
The island is also a breeding ground for turtles; August and September are the main egg laying months.
Sipadan diving conditions
Most of the dives in Sipadan involve drift diving. Currents are often present and shift during the course of a dive. Although a Drift Diver certification is NOT required, you should have some prior experience with drift diving and feel comfortable in currents.
If you have not yet tried drift diving, it is a great idea to take either a Drift Adventure Dive or the full PADI Drift Diver Specialty course with accredited PADI dive centers in Mabul.
Sipadan marine life
It is believed that the number of creatures residing in these reefs surpass that of the tropical rainforest. Sipadan is renowned for its rich marine life, including numerous sea turtles, white tip sharks, bumphead parrotfish, and large schools of barracuda. Divers can also encounter medium-sized fish like harlequin sweetlips, snappers, emperors, triggerfishes, longfin batfish, and unicorn fish in shallow waters.
For a different diving experience, check out muck diving in Mabul, where you can find an array of smaller, unique creatures.