Consistently ranked among the world’s best dive sites by leading scuba publications, Sipadan Island boasts a truly magical underwater experience.
| Quick Facts | |
| What: | Tiny, uninhabited island in the Celebes Sea |
| Why: | World-class dive destination |
| Where: | ~12km south of Mabul and Kapalai |
| When: | Best time for visibility – April to August |
| How: | By speedboat from Semporna or outlying islands |
Check rates for Sipadan packages:
Background
Sipadan Island was ‘discovered’ by explorer Ron Holland, a founder of Borneo Divers Mabul Resort, during a 1983 work trip. The island gained international fame in 1989 after the venerable marine biologist Jacques Yves Cousteau released his Ghost of the Sea Turtles documentary, saying “I have seen other places like Sipadan, 45 years ago, but now no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art”.
Sipadan Island has since emerged from a virtually unknown turtle nest to an underwater shangri-la for serious divers.
>> More on Sipadan’s history
About Sipadan Island
Sipadan Island is Malaysia’s only oceanic island; it is detached from the continental shelf, dramatically rising 600m from the seabed. A 25-minute walk is all that is needed to circle this 13.5-hectare isle on foot.
There are no hotels or restaurants here; Sipadan Island is an undeveloped island with no permanent human habitation. Visitors consume packed food and drinks and use the shower facilities at the common area near the jetty.
Above sea
A lush rainforest carpets the entirety of this tiny island. The dense vegetation here supports large flights of migratory birds, who often crowd the sky in spectacular swirls. Species spotted here include kingfishers, sea eagles, imperial and wood pigeons, and swallows.
Sipadan is also an important waypoint for large populations of endangered green and hawksbill turtles, who gather en masse to mate and nest around the island. Beaches around the island, with the exception of the beach near the jetty, occasionally have restricted access to protect turtle nesting sites.
Below sea
Twenty meters from the shore, the bottom plunges to over 600m, forming a sheer underwater cliff reaching the floor of the Celebes Sea. The underwater overhangs and caverns, funnels and ledges of Sipadan Island are all covered with coral.
A dozen or so dive spots dot the edge of the reef, all above vertical walls. Owing to its location in the Coral Triangle, Sipadan Island’s waters contain more than 3000 fish species, a diversity similar to Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef.
Sipadan Island Park
This ravishing island is protected by regulations imposed on all visitors. Sipadan Island Park was gazetted as a fully protected conservation zone on 1 October 2009. Permits are required for snorkelling or diving around Sipadan and so booking in advance is essential.
Snorkellers and divers are limited to 120 per day, and dive operators are responsible for sorting out who gets to go and when according to their allocation of daily Sipadan permits. For a list of dive operators officially allocated Sipadan permits by the government, see here: Hotels with Sipadan permits.
Diving in Sipadan
The very best, the crème de la crème, of Malaysian diving and among the best in the world, the diving in Sipadan is always good and can occasionally be magnificent. Blue waters and great visibility should not be expected on each and every dive, though when the waters are not filled with plankton, the visibility can be excellent.
Nothing is guaranteed, but it is not uncommon to encounter in a single dive whitetip reef sharks, batfish, parrotfish, scores of giant hawksbill turtles and large schools of barracuda and bigeye trevally invading the water, appearing in tornado-like formations. Manta and eagle rays as well as leopard sharks are also common.
>> General tips on diving in Sipadan.
Snorkelling in Sipadan
Sipadan Island is not just for scuba divers. The pristine beaches, crystal-clear water and coral of this tropical island can be enjoyed by even the most amateur of snorkellers.
As the reef in Sipadan Island goes all the way up to the jetty, snorkellers accompanying divers here can expect to see humphead wrasse, turtles, whitetip reef sharks, barracuda, vast schools of tropical fish and a huge diversity of coral, all visible from just the waters’ surface.
>> More on snorkelling in Sipadan
Sipadan dive sites
Sipadan is surrounded by exciting dive sites including Hanging Gardens and the popular Barracuda Point, where large pelagic (open sea) species such as hammerhead and grey reef sharks are spotted.
One of the island’s most thrilling features (and certainly not for the faint-hearted) is the Drop-off, where knee-high water suddenly gives way to an abyss more than 0.5km deep. There is also the unique Turtle Tomb, where those with cave diving certification can explore.
>> More on Sipadan dive sites
Accommodation
Since 2005 it has not been possible to stay overnight on Sipadan Island. Damage caused by tourists and blast fishing placed the fragile environment under strain, and all hotels and resorts in Sipadan Island were ordered to relocate as a preliminary to the establishment of Sipadan Island Park.
For easy access to Sipadan Island, visitors normally stay on nearby Mabul or Kapalai Island, where most of the dive operators and resorts are based, and are brought in by speedboat between 06:00 – 16:00 daily. There are some cheaper alternatives in Semporna town for those travelling on a budget.
► All Sipadan snorkeling/diving packages – [/go/sipadan-adventoro]
Location & getting here
Sipadan Island belongs to Sabah, a Malaysian state in Borneo’s north. It is only some 12km from Mabul and Kapalai and around 36km south of the coastal town of Semporna.
Situated at the heart of the Indo-Pacific Basin, the centre of the world’s richest marine habitat, Sipadan Island provides spectacular wall dives and features countless underwater gardens.
| Destination (by speedboat from Sipadan) | |
|---|---|
| Nearest town | Semporna (±40 minutes) |
| Nearest airport | Tawau (±1.5 hours) |
| Nearby islands | Mabul, Kapalai (15-20 minutes) Bum Bum (±60 minutes) Mataking, Pom Pom (±100 minutes) Tun Sakaran Marine Park (±2 hours) |
>> More on how to get to Sipadan
See on map
Sharks are common as are large schools of fish.
Location of Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai in Malaysian Borneo, Southeast Asia.
A few metres offshore the atoll drops away, revealing a vast coral wall.
The island is also a breeding ground for turtles; August and September are the main egg laying months.
Still today you will find turtles nesting on the beach, giant coconut crabs climbing the branches of a coconut palm and enormous monitor lizards roaming freely.
It is believed that the number of creatures residing in these reefs surpass that of the tropical rainforest.
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 may be able to free up a pass for you but it could take longer. In peak season, it may not be possible at all.
A permit system is currently in place to restrict the number of daily snorkellers and divers to Sipadan Island.
The best diving season is from mid-February to mid-December when visibility is greater (20m – 60m); most of the dives involve drift diving.
If you’d like to visit the island for a picnic, or are planning to go snorkeling or diving in Sipadan, you need a permit issued in advance by the Sabah Parks authority.
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.