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.
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.
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.
Red lionfish at Sipadan, Pterois volitans, Wild life animal.
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.
Dive Sites in Sipadan
Other dive sites have straight forward names like Lobster Lair, Hanging Garden, West Ridge, Turtle Tomb, White Tip Avenue, and Stayhorn Crest. Diving at Sipadan is plentiful, abundant, and above all exciting as the underwater scenery keeps changing dive after dive.
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.
Enjoy the underwater world of Pulau Sipadan created by Neptune himself. Be a guest not a visitor in this spectacle of abundance in Malaysia.
