Green Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles nest on Pulau Sipadan - so when diving at Sipadan you will see Turtles literally everywhere. Go for a dive at some of the ten dive sites at Pulau Sipadan you will also get the chance to see large schools of barracuda & big-eye Trevally, pelagic species such as manta rays, White Tip and Black Tip sharks. If you're lucky you may even see Hammerheads and other shark species. This makes Sipadan a big fish capital of the world!
Take the time to look closely at the reef walls and you'll see a wealth of macro life and fish species. This is often overlooked during dives due to the other 'larger attractions', such as turtles and sharks, vying for your attention.
Next door to Sipadan is Pulau Mabul and Kapalai. Both are home to some of the best muck diving in the world. You'll be able to see virtually any tropical critter you might want to see. You'll see giant and dwarf frogfish, every species of pipefish known, Fire gobies, Mandarin fish, ghost pipefish, many species of shrimp, crabs and lobsters by the dozens. Mabul is also nudibranch heaven. Perfect for divers who love underwater photography....
Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising 2,000 feet from the seabed. Sipadan is located in the Celebes Sea, off the East coast of Sabah, Malaysia. It is at the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, the centre of one of the richest marine habitats in the world. Greater than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species are found here.
You can dive at Sipadan all year round. Overall, the best conditions exist from April to December, especially July and August. January to March can see some unsettled weather and a decrease in visibility but the diving can still be fine.
The number of Divers at Sipadan is limited per day. Sabah Parks, who look after designated Marine Parks in Sabah, issue 120 diving permits to go to Sipadan per day. This may be getting increased to 300 permits per day. This measure is meant to help with marine conservation efforts at Sipadan. It does, however, mean that if you go and stay at a Resort near Sipadan that you will get to dive it every day.
You are not allowed to stay overnight on Sipadan. The best way to visit Sipadan is to stay at Resorts on / near Mabul or Kapalai. This includes Mabul Water Village, Kapalai Resort, Sipadan Mabul Resort and Mabul Seaventures. There are more basic accommodation options in Semporna, however Semporna is not the most prettiest of locations and there is not much else to do at Semporna besides go out on diving day trips. There are lots of Dive Operators emerging all the time in Semporna - if you want to go diving from Semporna just ensure you choose an authorised Dive Operator (e.g. with PADI, SSI, SDI etc.) and generally you get what you pay for. So don't always be tempted by the cheapest diving trip prices.
If you are coming all the way to Sabah for a diving holiday then you should consider complementing diving at Pulau Sipadan with diving along the West coast of Sabah. The west coast has a range of dive sites including wreck diving, coral reefs and muck diving. The best conditions for diving the west coast are between mid March - end June. However, you can dive in the Tunku Abdul Marine Park all year round as Sabah is not impacted by the North East monsoons which impact other parts of South East Asia from November - February each year.
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