Scuba diving in Sipadan was a dive bucket list item and with good reason. The waters are overflowing with marine life, from the smallest fishies to the largest, like hammerheads. While it took us almost 24 hours to get there, the journey and the destination were incredible.
Where is Sipadan?
Sipadan is a little island which belongs to Malaysia, despite being geographically closer to Indonesia. After landing in KL, followed by a long transit, we hopped on our next flight to Sabah. A 1-hour car ride to Semporna and finally, a ferry to Mabul – to reach Scuba Junkies; our dive centre and resort. Sipadan is a 30-45 minute speedboat ride away from Mabul, a secluded MPA located smack bang in the middle of the ocean. You can only use a quarter of the island. The rest of the island is off-limits to people because turtle nests are scattered all over during nesting season.
4 nights, 3 days in Sipadan & Mabul
Our 4 nights, 3 days in Sipadan & Mabul package included 3 dives a day, all diving equipment, accommodation and meals. On day 1, your dives are closer to home, near Mabul Island. These are generally test dives to acclimatise. The next 2 days, we were off to Sipadan by 6 am. We do the first two dives around Sipadan and the final dive closer to Mabul Island.
What does a Sipadan day look like?
Breakfast is served from 5 am, so early birds can eat and get prepped before heading to the jetty for a 6 am departure. Depending on the sea conditions, you’ll reach Sipadan well before 7. It took us about 45 minutes with rough seas and less than 30 minutes when the sea was calmer. After signing in with the authorities and getting your dive brief, you’re off to the first dive site, somewhere around the island. We spent a good 60 minutes underwater on most of our dives. The surface interval is back on Sipadan with snacks and coffee. An hour later, you are off to the second dive site! Another 60 minutes underwater and you’re back on Sipadan for lunch. About an hour and a half later, you’re jet-setting back to Mabul for the third dive. You get back to the Scuba Junkies jetty around 3 PM, where you spend the next hour washing and drying your gear.
The barracuda storm
People visit Sipadan for many reasons, but the big three are: the bumphead parrotfish, the barracuda storm, and the hammerhead sharks. We were lucky enough to spot two! The bumphead parrotfish are roughly the size of a Volkswagen car. They get the big bump by butting heads with each other. As we descended to about 10metres on our first dive, the entire school of parrotfish were right below us! The barracuda storm, though, was the icing on the cake! While observing them at a considerably safe distance, we found ourselves surrounded by schools of them! We were smack bang in the middle of the barracudas as they created a tornado around us – SPECTACULAR. They came close enough so I could see their gnarly pearly whites and their silvery stripes on their elongated bodies! We were in the middle of them until our air started running out, and we had to surface. But it was the coolest experience of the trip.
Rules for diving in Sipadan
Sipadan had some pretty strict rules – and it’s no wonder their corals were so pristine!
1- Your buoyancy has to be absolutely perfect. There are dive marshals who conduct dives to make sure no one is kicking coral or harassing wildlife. If you get caught doing either of those things, even accidentally, you will receive an immediate lifetime ban from Sipadan, and both you and the dive centre will be fined. Yikes!
2-You must present a copy of your passport to the authorities in Sipadan before each day of diving on the island. You don’t get to dive if you can’t present your copy – even if you’ve already paid for the permit.
3- You’re allowed a maximum of 2 permits for the duration of your trip.
4-Walking around the island is prohibited, except for the area directly in front of the boats and the lunch areas.
Staying at Scuba Junkies Dive Centre and Resort
A triple room for the girls’ trip was spacious enough for 3 large suitcases and 3 hand luggages. The bathroom was big enough, with shampoo and/or shower gel as part of the amenities. Our room had a cute patio with a hammock and chairs for us to sit and relax in post dives – and we were right in front of the restaurant!
All 3 meals were delicious! Due to unsustainable fishing practices, the resort does not serve seafood, which is pretty great. The weird bit was seeing locals casting nets and selling various seafood on boats, and people snorkelling just a few meters away.
TIP: At sunset, head to the jetty with a cold bevvy for incredible views! But be prepared to deal with some persistent locals selling everything from sea urchins to coconuts.
Sipadan and Malaysia overall were a trip to remember, especially with another item crossed off the bucket list! Where to next, is the question.
Yours truly,
Imperfect Traveller
