An oceanic paradise

Famous for their beauty and rich in exotic marine life, the Sipadan diving sites can be found near the small, beautiful island with the same name, located close to Borneo, in Malaysia. It is an oceanic island, the only one in the entire country.

Tourists and experienced divers from all over the world are drawn to this magical place every year. Whether interested in exploring the incredibly diverse types of marine wildlife or just looking for a calming place to visit on vacation, everyone can gain some truly memorable experiences by visiting the Sipadan resorts.

How to get there

Most of the people who are attracted to the island are those who are drawn to the Sipadan diving experience. Available all year round, the sites are visited by more and more people every year. This is one of the main reasons why the resorts on the island itself had to be closed around the year 2002 in order to protect the ecosystem.

The tourists and divers who want to visit the Sipadan Islands, usually have to fly to the city of Tawau. From there, they can easily take the bus to a port town named Semporna from where they can go by boat to the islands of Kalapai or Mabul. Once they are there, people can find a room at one of their top class resorts. These are the closest resorts to the destination and it is fairly easy to travel between the islands by boat.

Sipadan diving permits

Another measure that has been taken in the interest of preserving and protecting the ecosystem of the island was to reduce the number of dives to only 120 per day. This lead to the result that many do not receive a permit even though they have paid for dive packages in advance; however, the preservation of the natural beauty of the island is much more important. Therefore it is a good idea to look up all the information and details about the permits before travelling there.

The Sipadan diving sites

There are many beautiful and interesting attractions around the island, including the West Ridge, the Southern Point or the Lobster Lair, but the main sites are the Barracuda Point and the Turtle Cavern. These are considered as two of the most unique and interesting underwater sites in the world.

The Barracuda Point

This is one of the most beautiful and famous sites. Here, divers can get close to various species of turtles, batfish, sharks, and of course, barracudas. It is called "Barracuda Point" because, usually, thousands of barracudas can be seen in whirlpool-like formations; they are found in less than 20 meters beneath the water, in a beautiful natural display that can rarely be seen in other places around the world.

The Turtle Cavern

The Turtle Cavern is a small cave about 18 meters deep. It received this name because of the great number of turtle skeletons found inside it, especially in the lower chamber. The cave is also very intriguing because of its unique geologic structure.

The Sipadan diving spots are some of the last remaining places in the entire world that can boast such a diverse variety of underwater species; they are truly worth being protected because of their rare and natural beauty.