A very small and inconspicuous, but incredibly beautiful island of Sipadan is located 30 km from the famous borneo islands on its eastern side and is part of the state of Sabah. A long time ago it was a volcano, but now all that remains is its peak, covered with dense tropical forests. It’s not easy to find a piece of land only 500 by 200 meters on a map.
Sipadan Island on the map
- Geographic coordinates 4.114713, 118.628595
- Distance from the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, 1900 km
- Distance to the nearest airport Tawau is about 60 km
- Juwata International Airport Tarakan is 150 km away
More recently, almost until the end of the last century, about this tiny island few people knew. But in 1989, one of the most famous Frenchmen of all time, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, visited here. And he didn’t just visit, but filmed the scientific film “Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle.” After the release of the film, the island gained worldwide popularity. Divers have flocked here from all over our beautiful (still) planet.
The main attraction of Sipadan Island is its rich and incredibly diverse underwater world, which is what divers of all stripes come here for. The climate here is also in perfect order.
Sipadan is also called Turtle Island, because it became famous thanks to the turtles, about which Cousteau shot one of his masterpieces. When shooting underwater, two, three, or even more turtles get into the frame. These ancient creatures live here in countless numbers, of any age and several species. Not far from the island there is a “turtle cave”, where there are a huge number of turtles and their skeletons. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that turtles swim into the cave to take a break from the rays of the sun. Alas, poor creatures get lost in the night and, having lost their way, cannot find a way out. Soon they run out of air, and the bottom of the cave is replenished with one more future turtle skeleton. The cave is also unique in that it has many passages, but only one exit.
Not all turtles manage to escape from the trap For a long time the island was considered abandoned, and it is still deserted (with the exception of a small handful of people living here on the border between past and present). They obtain food by fishing. It is truly a fascinating sight when very tiny boats, in comparison with the huge ocean, go towards the sun at sunset, in search of the best place for fishing. Hotels had to be located on nearby islands, because almost all the divers in the world come here. Besides Sipadan Island, there are also Mabul and Kapalai. The island of Sipadan itself is not developed. Tourist facilities are located on other islands. Despite the houses being built on stilts over the water, a hotel had to be built on an abandoned oil platform. Night diving takes place near this platform.
This is exactly the same platform A wide variety of fish can be found in the surrounding area. The surrounding corals are home to pygmy skates, shrimp, crabs, and moray eels.
The island also has its disadvantages. One of them is strong currents. Some are so strong that divers have to hold on to the bottom topography so as not to be carried away by the current. Many inexperienced divers, carried away by the same current, were picked up far in the ocean. But it's worth it!
In the morning, after sunrise, you can watch schooling parrot fish swim along the coast, with growths on their foreheads in the form of a bump and simply enormous sizes, and beautiful platax gracefully maneuver between the currents. These waters, full of living creatures, were not spared by sharks. Small reef sharks have chosen the underwater beach, and now this is their favorite place. Thanks to the constant current, they do not need to swim all the time, which gives the sharks some rest. However, the number of cases of attacks on humans is scanty, and even then only due to the carelessness of divers. Every diver going underwater must remember the rules of behavior and relationships with sharks. Like any other predator, a shark does not like sudden movements, so you should not swim in a panic and wave your arms and legs. All movements must be smooth. You shouldn't be afraid either. After all, sharks will sense this well and attack. Solo diving is also not recommended.
One cannot ignore the huge school of barracudas that appears here. It is impossible to forget how a huge number of different species of fish take off and spin into a real tornado.
fish whirlwind of Sipadan island The island of Sipadan rightfully occupies a place in the top ten best for diving.
- For a long time, three nearby states (Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines) disputed its ownership. The Philippines almost immediately found itself out of luck. But the dispute between the remaining two countries continued until 2002, when the International Court of Justice recognized the island as part of Malaysia
- Since 1964, Sipadan has been part of Nature reserve Sabah turtles
- Not only are there no hotels or hotel complexes on the island, but there isn’t even a single cafe or shop. So tourists are forced to bring all their provisions and water with them.
- then, back in 1989, Jacques-Yves Cousteau said the following words about Sipadan: “We have discovered an untouched work of art.” With this he characterized the natural and pristine state of the island. But now, when crowds of tourists plunge into its coastal waters, the environmental situation has deteriorated significantly. Since 1997, the government has been trying to limit the number of tourists visiting the area around the island. For example, on January 1, 2005, a system of restrictions was introduced. Now, to visit Sipadan Island you need a permit, which is issued by the Sabah Park Authority. The total number of visitors should not exceed 120 people. Staying on the island is allowed from 6-00 to 15-00, so all diving centers try to meet the allotted time
The map shows the main dive sites - Until 2004, the island had some tourist infrastructure, but the government decided to completely clear Sipadan of traces of human presence. Now there is only a small pier on the island
- on the island you can find huge monitor lizards, more than a meter long
Sipadan Island photo
When you first meet the small island of Sipadan, which is located in Pacific Ocean, near the port of Semporna in the East Malaysian state of Sabah, comes to mind desert island Robinson Cruz. Sipadan rose from the depths of the ocean during the eruption of an underwater volcano. It grew thanks to the corals that, over hundreds of years, formed a delightful island on its crater. Nearby is the large Malaysian island of Borneo.
This small island (12 hectares), with white sandy beaches, with emerald green rain forest. With rich forest flora and fauna. It is rich not only in a large number of different species of birds, but along its shores in the clear greenish water there are approximately 100 species of corals, 3000 species of fish, many Hawksbill turtles, as well as green turtles.
The famous traveler Jacques Cousteau visited the island in 1989 and was fascinated by its beauty and rich underwater world. He noted that Sipadan is the best place in the world for diving.
There was a time when this unique island almost destroyed: hotels were built for tourists, barbaric fishing was carried out with the help of dynamite, during which not only fish, but also unique corals were destroyed. However, in 1992, the authorities closed it to tourists and demolished the hotels. Only divers were allowed to visit the place and then no more than 120 dives per day. Sipadan Announcement national reserve, slept him unique nature from extinction.
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Accommodation here is prohibited; arriving tourists are accommodated on the nearby islands: Kapalae and Mabule. Excellent hotels have been built for them, there are souvenir shops and cafes where the food is very good.
Accommodation and meals can be selected to suit different budgets. The islands have good sandy beaches and many planted coconut trees. The closest to Sipadan is Mabul.
Favorite place for divers
Divers from many parts of the world dream of getting to Sipadan for scuba diving. The place here is truly unique. Its equatorial climate: during the day up to +34 degrees and high humidity up to 95%, is easily tolerated due to the constant ocean breeze.
Diving is carried out from high-speed boats or boats that have canopies installed to protect them from the scorching rays of the sun. They reach the dive site from Mabul in about 20 minutes. It all depends on the weather.
During diving, the underwater world, stunning in its abundance, opens up. There is so much to see here: damselfish fish, lobsters, mullet, sweetlips, crabs, whale sharks, thousands of colorful coral fish, fantastic-sized barracudas and many others. There are more than 70 species of coral polyps alone. But the most important thing here are the turtles. They are everywhere here, both in water and on land. There are a huge number of them here. These include green soup turtles and hawksbill turtles. They breed on this island.
Due to the limit of dives - no more than 120 per day, getting to the island is not easy. Permits are sorted out by large dive centers and are ordered several months in advance. You can’t just buy a dive on Sipadan, it’s included in tourist tours with accommodation in a specific hotel and visits to additional places. You should pay attention to smaller dive centers, they offer packages for Spidan at a lower price.
Attention! On Sipadan, diving occurs to considerable depths, and there are strong underwater currents. So, for divers of a class below AOWD, it is better to dive with an instructor.
Keep in mind that now tourists going on holiday to Malaysia will pay a tourist tax at the hotel per night in the amount of 10 ringtones - about 140 rubles (2 dollars).
How to get there
There are many flights from Moscow to Kuala Lumpur (the capital of Malaysia) from Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports. Travel time on average with one transfer is 18 hours, with two – 1 day 10 hours.
Then take a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu (the capital of Sabah, travel time 2.5 hours). Then to Tawau (1 hour). From Tawau ( international Airport Malaysia) half an hour by car to the Semporna port pier, and by ferry to Sipadan 40 minutes, to Mabul Island (30 minutes).
There is no infrastructure on Sipadan, as was written above, living on it is prohibited. You need to stop on the island of Mabul or Kapalai.
Getting here is very difficult, but once you get there, you will never regret the time spent. Diving on the islands will give you vivid impressions.
Island Sipadan According to the ratings of numerous publications, it is one of the five best dive sites in the world. Takes a leading position in the categories “Dive Site You Would Return to Again”, “Best Spot for Advanced Divers”, “Best Shore Diving”, “Best Sheer Wall Diving”. In 1989, legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau described the site as “an untouched work of art.”
The island is the tip of a huge underwater mountain formed from a volcanic cone and living corals. The sheer cliffs that support Sipadan, like columns, plunge sharply into the depths of 600 meters. Rarely can a place on earth offer such biodiversity: more than 200 species of fish and over 70 species of coral polyps are found here. The diversity of marine flora and fauna off Pulau Sipadan is comparable to Australia's Great Great Sea. barrier reef. Some divers sometimes jokingly call Sipadan the “Fish Capital of the World.”
Briefly about Sipadan:
What's good: one of best places in the world for observing big fish and large schools, drift diving, wall diving, excellent conditions for experienced divers.
Species found: the number of species is huge, it is not possible to list everything, but mainly, Sipadan is famous for the fact that here you can see huge schools of thousands of barracudas and many sea turtles.
Depths: 5 - 40 m; Visibility: 10 - 30 m; Currents: can be quite strong. Water temperature: 26 - 30°C; Class diver: Intermediate – advanced. Number of dive sites: 12 ;
Best time to visit: from April to December, especially July and August. From January to March, there may be some deterioration in weather and visibility, however, a visit to Sipadan may be recommended all year round, since conditions here are acceptable almost all the time.
How to get there: Since 2004, residence on Sipadan has been prohibited. Divers are accommodated on the neighboring islands of Mabul and Kapalai (about 30 minutes by boat). You can get to the islands of Mabul and Kapalai as follows: fly to the airport of Tawau (Borneo, Sabah) with a direct flight Kuala Lumpur - Tawau, or with a transfer through the capital of the state, Kota Kinabalu. Next, a 1.5 hour transfer to the city of Semporna, and then a boat transfer from Semporna to the island of Mabul or Kapalai for about 40 minutes.
IMPORTANT!!!
Dives on Sipadan are limited to 120 people per day. Permission is issued the day before the intended dive.
Several films about Sipadan:
Map of main dive sites
Barracuda Point - Cape Barracuda
Coral Garden - Coral Garden
Whitetip Avenue
Mid Rif
Turtle Patch
South Point - Southern Cape
Staghorn Crest
Lobster Lair – Lobster Lair
Hanging Gardens – Hanging Gardens
West Ridge - Western mountain range
North Point - Northern Cape
The Drop Off - break
Turtle Cavern - Turtle Cave
Cape Barracuda
Depth: 10-50 m
Visibility: 20-30 m
Currents: can be strong
Level: Intermediate - advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 15-20 minutes from nearby islands
There can be quite strong currents here, so it is better not to dive too deep, otherwise you may find yourself far from the island. But thanks to these currents, there are so many fish here. Gray reef sharks patrol the perimeter in search of food. Walk down the wall and you'll see huge numbers of parrotfish and turtles peeking out from hidden cracks in the reef. At some point, you may be caught by a real tornado of barracudas. It's pretty impressive sight. Many divers, when coming to Sipadan, do the most a large number of dives on this site. Among other things, you can see eels, triggerfish, blennies, mantissa shrimp and even leaf fish.
Coral Garden
Depth: 14-22 m
Visibility: 20-30 m
Currents: calm
Level: for all levels
Season: all year round
Distance:
Even though this site is very small, it is real paradise for underwater photographers. There is a huge variety of corals here and you can find almost any living creature that is found on other sites. Turtles are everywhere here, they swim and feed on corals, rest or even pose for photographs. There are dogfish, wrasses and even barracudas.
Avenue of the White Fins
Depth: 16-40 m
Visibility: 20-30 m
Currents: can be strong
Level: Beginner - advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 13 km (27 minutes) south of the island. Mabul and 11 km (20 minutes) southwest of the island. Kapalay
It’s not hard to guess from the title what awaits you on this site and who these mysterious owners of white fins are. At this site you can find whole schools of white-tailed reef sharks, which you will immediately recognize by the white triangle on the tail and fin. But this is not the most amazing thing that awaits you. The reef begins at shallow depths and descends 600 m down. Diving here inevitably leads to unexpected encounters. You may find yourself surrounded by a whole school of big-eyed travelly fish or giant bumpy-faced parrotfish. On the wall there are a huge number of terraces, crevices, ledges, on which you will find sponges of all shapes and colors, colonies of black corals and gorgonians. Among these rich coral thickets there are a huge number of reef fish. Don't miss angelfish, parrotfish, groupers, scorpion fish and butterfly fish.
Middle Reef
Depth: 5-40 m
Visibility: 10-25 m
Currents: calm
Level: Beginner - advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 25 minutes south of the island. Mabul and 17 southwest of the island. Kapalay
At this site there is a descent along the wall. There are real thickets of soft corals on the ledges where gobies can be found. Whole schools of redtooth dogfish and unicornfish race along the wall. Like some of Sipadan's dive sites, there are strong currents that can push you upward. This occurs when cold water rises from the depths. Small schools of emperor wrasses may swim past you. The six-meter thick coral thickets at the very top of the reef are an ideal stop for the big-headed parrotfish. Eating their way through dense underwater bushes, these amazing fish swim somewhere about their business, and all you can do is admire them.
Turtle Piglet
Depth: 10-40 m
Visibility: 15-35 m
Currents: can be strong
Level: Beginner - advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 15 minutes from Mabul Island
This is a typical Sipadan dive site, primarily known for its huge number of turtles. Here you can see 20 turtles at a time. There are some fish here, which, however, can be found almost anywhere in Sipadan, but the owners here, of course, are turtles.
Southern Cape
Depth: 20-40 m
Visibility: 20-30 m
Currents: can be strong
Level: Beginner - advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 30-35 minutes from Mabul Island
This is the site farthest from the island. There is a plateau of 3-5 meters, and then there is a gentle descent. As divers note, this site, unfortunately, has a lot of dead coral, but it is a favorite place for hammerhead sharks, leopard sharks, which like to stop here at a depth of about 40 meters. You can often find a large school of barracuda moving against the current, and if you manage to get close to them, they will allow you to swim next to them. If you often dive at this site, you can see the mating ritual of sharks.
Antler
Depth: 20-40 m
Visibility: 20-30 m
Currents: can be strong
Level: Intermediate - advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: approximately 20 minutes from nearby islands
At this site, diving begins with a gradual descent, during which you will see thickets of Staghorn coral. Fans of underwater photography note that there is very good lighting here for photography. There are a huge number of ledges and crevices on the wall, which sea inhabitants have turned into their home. Red and black corals grow along the slope, where reef fish, angelfish, shrimp, and dogfish are found. Due to the strong currents that can be experienced at this site, it is best for beginners to stay close to the dive masters. However, those who are confident can swim 30 meters from the wall and, if they are lucky, see a stingray, hammerhead shark, fox shark and leopard shark.
Lobster's Den
Depth: 10-25 m
Visibility: 10-15 m
Currents: can be strong
Level: Beginner - advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: approximately 15 minutes from nearby islands
Despite the name of the site, there is very little lobster here. It's shallow water here. You can explore cracks in the wall where living creatures may be hiding. You can also find parrot fish, lion fish, and scorpion fish.
Hanging Gardens
Depth: 5-40 m
Visibility: 20-30 m
Currents: quite calm
Level: Beginner - advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: about 25 minutes from nearby islands
Divers love this site for the beauty of the corals that grow along the slopes or hang from the walls like grapes. The reef begins at a depth of about 6 meters and then drops steeply. Naturally, there are a huge number of reef fish here: angelfish, butterfly fish and many others. Shrimp hide on the ledges, and sometimes lobsters peek out. Rare fox sharks are found here, which are distinguished by an unusually long upper lobe of the caudal fin. If you are lucky, you will be able to see how it stuns its prey with a blow of its tail.
Western mountain range
Depth: 10-40 m
Visibility: 05-25 m
Currents: quite calm
Level: Beginner - advanced
Season: all year round
Distance:
This is another shallow area. It is better to dive here during the day, when the light, penetrating through the waves, illuminates the rich thickets of corals. Turtles, anemones, wrasses and other small animals live here.
Northern Cape
Depth: 10-40 m
Visibility: 05-25 m
Currents: quite calm
Level: Beginner - advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 10 minutes from nearby islands
The wall here has several ledges where fish can hide. Diving during the day is especially interesting here, when the sunlight illuminates the pink, red and yellow soft corals. You can see sponges, anemones and, of course, turtles.
Break
Depth: 0-600 m
Visibility: 15-35 m
Currents: quite calm
Level: Intermediate - advanced
Season: all year round
Distance: 20 minutes from nearby islands
This site is considered one of the best shore diving sites in the world. Just 10 meters from the shore and right in front of you is a cliff 600 m deep. During the dive you can meet green turtles and reef sharks. A huge number of corals and sponges grow on the wall itself, and shrimp hide in numerous cracks. The location is very good for night diving.
Unfortunately, as divers who dived at this site in December 2006 say, a significant part of the coral reef was demolished by a barge with building materials for the divers' living arrangements. It is very difficult not to notice these destructions, although the “Cliff” site is quite large, and you can still see a lot of interesting things here.
Turtle Cave
Depth: 14-22 m
Visibility: 0-15 m
Currents: quite calm
Level: Advanced Borneo divers only
Season: all year round
Distance: 25 minutes south of the island. Mabul
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Island Sipadan is one of the most exotic and romantic places on the planet. It belongs to the state Malaysia and is a fragment extinct volcano, formed by the formation of corals in its upper part, over many hundreds of years. The distance from the ocean floor to the surface of the island is about 700 meters, while the piece of land itself can be walked up and down in just half an hour. Its central part is saturated with rain forest and tourists are strictly prohibited from entering there, due to the fact that the country's authorities are concerned about maintaining the high ecology on Sipadan, minimizing to the limit the possibility of its violation.
For divers from all over the world, this unique island is the embodiment of their underwater dreams. A huge number of species of marine life, including two-meter sharks and giant turtles, move daily along the shores of the exotic resort, being a constant target for cameras of hunters for the beauty of the underwater world. The legendary Jacques Cousteau, having visited these places, paid tribute to Sipadan, calling it one of the best diving places on the planet. At one time, several world powers waged a real political struggle for the possession of this tiny piece of land. of this region, including the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, which eventually got it.
The path to Sipadan is quite long and difficult. The first destination for any traveler heading to the island is the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. There, from the local airport you should go towards the main city of Sabah - Tawau. The flight takes about three hours. Further, from Tawau, the route goes to the port of Semporna, located about 35 kilometers from the fabulously wondrous island. In the harbor, tourists are always waiting for a speedboat, which can take you to the island in just an hour Mabul, where there are numerous comfortable bungalows with all amenities. From there, in 15-20 minutes, the same boat takes those interested to Sipadan. The fact is that this unique diving paradise is considered a national reserve and does not involve accommodation on an island territory. Therefore, all vacation spots, including bungalows and campsites, are located on nearby islands, Mabule And Kapalae. In addition, due to the already mentioned environmental concerns on the part of the authorities, access to Sipadan is limited to the number of tourist applications to 120 people per day. At the same time, per visit paradise There is a charge per person. As for food and drink, you should take all the relevant paraphernalia with you, since there are no restaurants, cafes, or shops on Sipadan, only the sea, fish and corals.
Despite the fact that tourists are strictly prohibited from moving deeper into the island, they can see many land representatives of flora and fauna right on the sandy beaches of the resort. Local monitor lizards especially often pay attention to guests; they are striking in their size, boldly crawling out onto the sandy coast, even if there is a boat or boat near the shore. Apparently, the feeling of one’s own diplomatic immunity is taking its toll. In addition, thousands of exotic birds nest on Sipadan, a considerable proportion of which are listed in the Red Book. Also, sometimes they crawl ashore sea turtles, like monitor lizards, which are distinguished by their impressive dimensions.
The coral reef surrounding the island has high walls against which many divers compete to reach the depth of their dive. Today, the record is considered to be 113 meters, under diving conditions with ordinary compressed air. In the same place there is a multi-level underwater cave with mysterious passages. It is recommended to visit it only for experienced divers and only accompanied by a guide, since it has not yet been fully studied and can pose a danger to people who have never dived here.
Most tourists coming to Sipadan prefer to stay on Mabul Island, which is part of the Malay Archipelago and part of the Ligitan Islands. Its maximum length is 750 meters with a width of 430 m. Locals, the total number of which does not exceed 2000 people, have chosen sites on the northern and southern parts of the island. More than 70% of them are employed in the tourism sector, the rest are engaged in fishing and growing coconuts. People regularly enter the local port from the mainland sea vessels with tourists on board. Throughout coastline equipped bungalows that blend perfectly with the turquoise waves of the Sulawesi sea. For vacationers, there are several restaurants and souvenir shops for every taste.
Five kilometers southeast of Mabul there is another tourist island this region, Kapalay, also part of the Ligitan Islands group. It is even smaller than its neighbor and very similar to it in structure. The main attraction for tourists here is hotel Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort, all of whose buildings are installed on special piles, which are supported directly by the coral reef itself. There are practically no normal ones here sandy beaches, but perfectly organized transport connection with Mabul and Sipadan, where all the attributes Kapalay lacks are available sea holiday. The coastal waters of the Sulawesi Sea are traditionally rich in fish and invariably attract fishing enthusiasts.
All the islands in this region have a humid equatorial climate. average temperature The air here throughout the year exceeds +30 degrees, often reaching +40. Precipitation occurs in moderate amounts throughout all twelve months. Summer is characterized by monsoons with Indian Ocean. Tourists visit Sipadan all year round, and in terms of the number of repeat visits, the island ranks one of the leading places in Southeast Asia.
The tiny island of Sipadan, off the coast of East Borneo, has firmly taken its place in most rankings of the world's best diving spots. People from all over the world come to this island to see hammerhead sharks and dive among green turtles and schools of barracudas. While planning my trip, I followed one of the dive centers on Facebook that organizes diving on Sipadan Island, and they often posted about their clients seeing hammerhead sharks. I was so fired up by the idea of seeing her that I was completely absorbed in this idea, but in real life the chances of doing this turned out to be slim, even on Sipadan, but first things first.
Sipadan Island
Sipadan (Malay: Sipadan) is a tiny island (400 meters in diameter) in Malaysia, eastern Sabah, Borneo. It represents the tip of an extinct volcano. The sheer walls of the coral reef located around the island go to a depth of 600 meters.
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The island of Sipadan looks like a tropical paradise, there was once a resort on it, but then it was removed and living on the island was prohibited. Only a few border guards and employees of the turtle hatchery station remained. You can walk around the island in 20-30 minutes, but this cannot be done, since turtles lay eggs on the beach and tourists are not allowed there.
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It’s useless to talk about the beach on Sipadan in words, it’s easier to see it once...
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The island is surrounded by a coral reef that is filled with life. Even while snorkeling, you will see many green turtles, whitetip sharks and schools of barracudas dancing in a huge round dance. The water is so clear that the bottom is visible at a depth of more than 10 meters. Where the coral reef ends, the bottom goes to a depth of up to 500 meters.
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Diving in Sipadan
As I mentioned earlier, Sipadan consistently ranks in the top 5 in all possible dive site rankings. Apparently for this reason, I had very high expectations from diving in Sipadan, which were not met. No, I'm not saying the diving is bad, but it didn't live up to expectations. Of course, I haven’t dived that much around the world to make an objective comparison, but Sipadan didn’t give me the WOW effect I was hoping for. But these are my personal impressions, I can't deny that Sipadan is in the league of top-notch dive sites.
On Sipadan, a limit of no more than 120 divers per day has been introduced; permits are personal and issued in advance. The island entrance fee is $40. If you want to get to Sipadan for sure, then the permit must be booked in advance, preferably at least a month in advance, and during the season (summer) it is best to book 2-3 months in advance. There is a small chance that someone will refuse and then you can go instead under their name, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Prices for diving in Sipadan vary depending on the level of the dive center with which you are going to dive. I was looking for cheaper options and ended up chatting and choosing between two dive centers: Billabong Scuba and Scuba Junkie. The latter seemed to me more reliable and experienced, while the former had mixed reviews on the Internet. In the end, despite negative reviews, I settled on Billabong because for my 4 days they were the only ones who could offer 2 days of diving in Sipadan and 2 days in Mabul (Scuba Junkie only offered 1 day in Sipadan and 3 days in Mabul). The final price was 1,790 ringit (about 18,000 rubles), including 11 dives (6 on Sipadan and 5 on Mabul), equipment rental, accommodation with meals, a permit to Sipadan and a transfer from Semporna to Mabul and back.
Only 12 dive centers have the right to issue permits to visit Sipadan, the rest buy them from these 12. Billabing Scuba with whom I dived (in 10th place in the table) have the right to issue 6 permits per day. Here is a complete table of dive centers who can issue permits and the number of permits per day. Personalized permits are issued using passport details, but, fortunately, you do not need to take your passport with you to Sipadan.
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There are 13 dive sites on Sipadan: Turtle Cavern, Barracuda Point, Coral Gardens, Whitetip Avenue, Mid Reef, Turtle Patch ), South Point, Staghorn Crest, Lobster Lair, Hanging Gardens(Hanging Gardens), West Ridge, North Point, Drop off. I only dived 5 of them. The most notable are obviously Barracuda Point and Turtle Cave. Unfortunately, I didn’t get into the turtle cave, since they dive there only in small groups, since it’s very easy to get lost in it and never return (there are a lot of skeletons of turtles in the cave that couldn’t find a way out of the cave), but on I dived Cape Barracuda twice. Barracuda Point is the most popular dive site on the island, as schools of barracudas are almost guaranteed to be seen there. Most of the other dive sites are sheer wall dives.
On the very first day of diving, I began to pester the divemasters about when we would see a hammerhead shark, but the reality turned out to be far from expectations, although the hammerhead shark is a frequent visitor to these places, the probability of seeing it is quite low. I asked my divemaster Abu how many times he dived and how many times he saw a hammerhead shark, he said that out of 70 trips (3 dives each trip) he saw a hammerhead shark 3 times, which gives the odds about 1 in 70, it's about time upset, but there were still chances. As we approached our third dive site of the day, West Ridge, I asked Abu where he had last seen a shark, to which he replied that he had seen one at this very spot, a ray of hope illuminated me. I told him that we definitely have to see her - that’s my goal.
The West Ridge dive site is a dive along a sheer reef wall, but the "big things" rarely swim close to the wall, so you have to make the difficult choice of swimming along the wall and looking at the underwater life or swimming in the blue darkness away from the wall, seeing nothing and only hope to meet something big. For Abu there was no such choice, he swam about 30 meters from the wall and looked for..., and I tried to sit on two chairs at the same time: I swam along the wall and looked at Abu with hope. We dived to 20 meters, after half an hour I had already lost all hope, stopped looking at Abu and looked at the wall, trying to see at least something during this dive. The dive computer began counting down the last 2 minutes of no-decompression time at this depth and it was time to start slowly ascending, at this moment I looked at Abu and noticed his hand movement, similar to the shark sign. I began to swim towards it, pushing off with my fins as hard as I could, the depth was 30 meters, the computer began to squeak, warning that the no-decompression time had expired, but this no longer bothered me, my breathing became faster, consuming more oxygen. Abu showed by signs that he had seen a hammerhead shark, but when I swam up, it was no longer there. We began to peer into the depths of the water with hope, but there was nothing there. When all possible time limits had already been reached and it was necessary to emerge, SHE appeared from the blue abyss... a little angry that she was disturbed, she swam straight towards us... huge, about 2 meters long... with eyes, looking in different directions.... A giant hammerhead shark. She swam very close, but suddenly turned 90 degrees and disappeared into the depths. These days, no one else except Abu and I saw the hammerhead shark.
14) (photo not mine) 
We spent the whole evening discussing this unexpected meeting, Abu said: “Alex, you just asked me to show you the hammerhead shark - I did it.” Other divemasters told a story about a German woman who regularly flies to Sipadan, dives alone to 65 meters and says that she encounters sharks almost every time.
On the second day of diving on Sipadan, I no longer thought to look at something near the wall, but swam 30 meters from it, peering deeper, but to no avail. The shark never appeared again. Despite this, diving on Sipadan ended quite successfully for me.
Diving on the islands of Mabul and Kapalai
When you come to dive on Sipadan, you must book diving on the islands of Mabul and Kapalai, usually dive centers agree to give permission for 1 day of diving on Sipadan if you book 2 days of diving on Mabul/Kapalay.
Diving on the islands of Mabul and Kapalai is not as impressive as on Sipadan, but it will be very enjoyable for those who love macro. Mabul and Kapalai are ideal places for "muck diving". A couple of photographers lived with us, who, it seems to me, did not even go to Sipadan, but dived every day on Mabul and Kapalai, they found things that are very difficult to see with ordinary eyes.
It’s difficult to call Kapalai an island at all. Once 200 years ago it was a full-fledged island, but erosion has taken its toll and now the island is a thin ribbon of sand. There is only one resort on the island, Kapalai Resort, all of whose houses and buildings are on stilts on the water.
Since I don’t have a camera for underwater photography, all the photos were taken by other divers, I’ll post a couple here with their permission.
15) Seahorse and me 
16) There are a lot of turtles there; there are specimens with a shell width of more than a meter. I love turtles, but I think I've seen enough of them for a year. 
Diving on Mabul is almost twice as cheap as on Sipadan. There are more than 10 dive sites in the Mabula and Kapalaya area. I liked Paradise 1 Mabul the most. Frog fish live there, there are many different nudibranch,
crocodile fish, large turtles, and the most interesting thing that I saw for the first time was how my favorite anemone fish defend their plantation with caviar. It was one of the best dives ever.
I would like to mention divemasters separately. I dived with a Malaysian and, to put it mildly, he didn’t care about clients underwater. Almost every dive ended with clients swimming on their own out of sight of the divemaster; I have rarely encountered such indifference. It was especially noticeable how this made beginners nervous underwater. Therefore, if you have little experience, I would recommend discussing this point with your divemaster and trying to stay on top of it.
How to get to Sipadan Island?
Sipadan Island is located in the eastern part of the Malaysian island of Borneo, the easiest way to get there is through Kuala Lumpur. (). From Kuala Lumpur you can fly to the airport in Tawau; the cheapest option will most likely be AirAsia.com, which I flew with (the ticket cost about 1,500 rubles). From Tawau airport you can pre-order a transfer from your dive center, it usually costs 90-100 ringit (900-1000 rubles). I wanted to take a bus to the city of Tawau, and from there by bus to the city of Semporna, in total it would have been less than 20 ringit, but when I left the airport, I was immediately offered to take a minibus to Semporna for 30 ringit. If you did not order a transfer in advance, then I think that it is quite possible to negotiate with the drivers who came to meet divers from some dive center in order to leave with them, it should not cost more than 30 ringit. But I recommend arriving no later than 3-4 pm, after this time getting to Semporna on the same day will be problematic, the journey takes about 1.5-2 hours. Another option to get to Semporna is to fly to Kota Kinabalu ( main city Malaysian Borneo) and from there take a bus (about 10 hours) to Semporna.
You can go diving to Sipadan directly from Semporna, but I would recommend basing yourself on Mabul Island. Still, living on the island is much more interesting and sailing closer, especially if you plan to dive in the area of the Mabul/Kapalai islands. Since the boats leave for Mabul in the morning, you will still have to spend one night in Semporna, there are not many hotels in the immediate vicinity of the pier, but one of the best in terms of price/quality ratio is definitely http://www.hotelscombined .ru/Hotel/Sipadan_Inn.htm?a_aid=43568&label=report_sipadan]Sipadan Inn. The price of accommodation is approximately 90-100 ringit, you can find cheaper ones, but not with such comfort. From Semporna to Mabul it takes about 30-40 minutes.
Sipadan Island is also 30-40 minutes by boat from Mabul Island. During diving, the boat leaves for Sipadan in the morning and returns after 4 pm. Rest between dives and lunch take place right on the beach in Sipadan.
Mabul Island
Mabul Island is the main base for those who come to dive Sipadan. When you type the name Mabul into Google and look at photographs showing houses standing on stilts over crystal clear water, you get the impression paradise island. Reality, as often happens, is very far from imagination. Half of the island is occupied by a poor village, and there is no normal beach on Mabul at all. Therefore, be careful when choosing if your goal is not diving.
Most of the hotels in Mabul are located on stilts over the water, but don’t rush to imagine the picture tropical islands and expensive hotels in the Maldives, in reality everything is not so fabulous.
I stayed in a hotel from Billabong Scuba, it was very simple and inexpensive, accommodation cost 90 ringit per night, including three meals a day. Room without air conditioning. It was possible to take the last house with air conditioning and a more comfortable one, but for 150 ringit per day. The food is very simple, the same almost every day, but quite edible, you won’t die in the city. If you ask nicely, you can even find smuggled Filipino Tanduay rum; on the last day on the island, we in an international company (Russian - me, Irish, Italian, German, Filipino and Australian) drank several bottles of this rum.
17) Our little hotel 
Every day children swim up to the hotel and ask for a dollar, or their parents offer to buy lobsters and other sea food.
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By the way, if you come up with the idea of swimming right next to the hotel (there is a very convenient descent into the water), then I recommend that you first think about where everything that you flush in the toilet goes to. I was looking at Chinese tourists who happily splashed around these houses and this gave me mixed feelings :) The transparency and purity of the water can be deceptive.
Not far from our resort there is a school, and behind it there is a local cemetery, interesting tombstones, I have never seen anything like them.
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One of the largest hotels on the island is Sipadan Mabul Resort.
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An unexpected meeting took place at the pool at this hotel
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26) Is the water warm? 
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Another large resort on the island is Mabul Water Bungalows, all bungalows stand above the water on stilts.
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30) Apparently the resort is popular among Russian divers 
One of the original ways to live in Mabul is to stay on the Seaventures drilling platform
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And this is how the locals live, this is not the worst option
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Political situation in Sabah
I decided to highlight this topic as a separate paragraph, since I myself came across this quite closely. The fact is that rebels from the Sulu Sultanate, subordinate to the Philippine Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, consider the territory of the Malaysian state of Sabah to be theirs and periodically try to seize it. In 2000, a couple of dozen foreign tourists and local workers were kidnapped and taken hostage directly from the island of Sipadan. Then this situation was resolved, but this greatly affected the attractiveness of the island for tourists. Shortly before I arrived in Borneo, about 200 soldiers from the Sultanate of Sulu invaded Sabah and announced that they would not leave and were ready to sacrifice their lives. And just during my dives on Sipadan, the conflict entered a tough phase. About 60 people on both sides became victims of the confrontation. On the day of my departure, Sipadan Island was closed to the public and it was unclear when it might be opened again. On the same day, I returned to the city of Semporna, where in the evening, a few kilometers from my hotel, a shootout took place in which one policeman was killed and several were wounded. Half an hour later, as soon as this news began to spread throughout the city, it was empty. The doors of my hotel were closed with metal bars; it was impossible to go out or in. It was a tense night. The next day, when I was flying out of Tawau airport, I met many military equipment, planes, helicopters and many soldiers. Most likely, you will not encounter this, but when going to Sipadan, keep this in mind and read the news from Malaysia just in case.
I admit, I expected much more impressions from Sipadan, but the hammerhead shark saved the whole situation, if not for it, I would have left unsatisfied. But despite this, Sipadan is a place that is worth visiting for any diver, it is worth it. Well, I will consider other options, among the immediate ones - a month of diving in Bali, where I have already been promised that I will see the Giant Manta Ray, and in the distant plans - diving in the Galapagos, where you can not only see a hammerhead shark within 2 seconds, and swim freely among them.
If you have any questions, welcome to the comments.
