Sipadan Island

Sipadan Island (Pulau Sipadan in Malay) lies off the east coast of Malaysian Borneo. The island is known above all for some of the best scuba diving anywhere in the world.

Getting in requires some effort. Most visitors fly to Tawau from either Kuala Lumpur (3 hours) or Kota Kinabalu (50 minutes), continue by minivan or taxi to the port town of Semporna (1-2 hours) and from there to Sipadan itself (1 hour by fast boat).The beautiful sandy beaches and the coral reef with its rich marine life. On the island there are large monitor lizards (more than 1m in length) which sometimes come out onto the beach or even into the water.


Diving

Sipadan claims to be the world's best dive site. While this is a big claim, the diving here is certainly world class. Sipadan used to have resorts but to protect the environment these were closed around the year 2002. To dive on Sipadan you have to stay somewhere nearby, such as on Mabul or in Semporna, and take a boat onto the island.

Because Sipadan is now a protected site, only 120 dives are allowed daily (as of 8/26/08). It's best to try to dive as early as possible to beat the crowds and increase your chances of getting on the roster to dive.

From the main beach of the original resort it is a mere 20m wade over the reef to reach the top of the reef wall dropping 1000-2000m. Sipadan is surrounded by very rich reef life consisting of both hard and soft coral as well as all manner of reef fish. Sea turtles and white tip reef sharks can be seen on almost every dive and hammerhead and leopard sharks can also be seen at times. Visibility ranges from 10m to 30m and above.

Snorkeling

For non-divers snorkeling is an option on Sipadan. From the beach the reef is easily accessible, and parts of the reef further out can be reached by boat. A wide variety and number of reef fishes, corals, and with a bit of luck, the sharks, barracuda and turtles can be seen without leaving the surface. Note that currents and boat traffic (especially if duck diving) are the major hazards in the offshore areas, and cryptically coloured stone fish may be a hazard in the shallows.

A bouyed-off area from the 'safe' side of the jetty gives snorkellers the safest and potentially most productive snorkeling area. Note that the phenomonal drop-off that makes this island so special, starts where the jetty ends.

Several dive tour operators bring snorkelers to the island at an all-inclusive rate of around RM490.