Pulau Sipadan is an oceanic island that lies just off the southeast coast of Sabah. It is Malaysia’s most famous dive site and is probably one of the top ten diving spots in the world. The reason Sipadan is so great is its unspoiled coral reefs that are home to more fish species than anywhere else in the world. It also has spectacular 600m (2000 feet) vertical drop-offs and numerous turtles frequenting its clear waters. I also heard it was a great place to see sharks and it was the main reason we got certified so we were determined to try to reach it. The only way to get to Sipadan is to book a package with a dive operator. The packages are not cheap and before we plunked down $500 for a 3 day/2 night trip, we wanted to make sure we were ready for it since we had heard it could be challenging due to the excessive depths and the currents. In preparation, we booked a fun dive off Kota Kinabalu (“KK”).

In KK, we talked to Borneo Action Divers and got a good vibe from Jeffrey so we booked a day of diving from him in the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. TAR park consists of 5 islands about 15 minutes off the coast of KK which supposedly had nice beaches and a few nice dive spots. We had a divemaster all to ourselves as the other people on our boat were doing their advanced open water course. We were a little nervous but we should not have worried as we had no problems and were able to relax in the water. The only issue was that we were using our air a little fast. We were not very impressed with the diving around the park and the beaches were very dirty so we felt a little jipped that the government charges 50 ringgit ($13) each for an entry fee. The main thing was that we still liked diving and with our confidence boosted, we booked a tour to Sipadan with Borneo Divers (we booked through them instead of Jeffrey because they took credit cards).

Unfortunately, BD’s 3 day/2 night package began with a 6 am flight to Tawau where we were then bussed to Semporna and then we went by boat to Mabul island. Since January 1 of this year, the Malaysian government no longer allows people to stay on Sipadan in hopes of preserving the island and its reefs. Our resort on Mabul consisted of 20 double bungalows, the main lodge and the beach bar. Our room was comfortable but we hardly spent any time there as we had a very busy schedule. There were 8 other new arrivals that day, with whom we spent our time: a family from Seattle traveling with their 10 and 13 year old sons, a couple from England, and a couple from Singapore on their honeymoon.

The sun was shining when we got to Mabul but an hour later it started to rain hard and the wind picked up so our first dive was delayed by 2 hours. Our first dive, at Ray Point off Mabul was just an orientation dive to give our divemaster Sandrix an idea of our skill level. We were the least experienced with even 10 year old Nicholas having done more dives than us, but we were all put on the same boat. Our second dive was on the reef right off the pier in front of Borneo Divers in Mabul. We got into the boat at the end of the pier and did a backward roll off the boat without it moving an inch. We saw a large amount of fish and also some turtles as we drifted along with the current 20 meters below the surface.

The next day there were only 8 of us on the boat as the English couple joined another boat and we all headed for Sipadan. During the dive briefing, we were surprised to hear that we would max out at 28m since as beginners, we thought we were only certified to 18m but we felt no difference. We were barely in the water one minute when I saw my first shark, a small white tipped reef shark less than 1m long. The whole reef was teeming with fish and we had a few close encounters with some turtles. We also saw some more sharks and at one point, I saw a shark hide under a large piece of coral and I swam upside down and poked my head under the coral to get a better look. But once the shark opened its mouth I felt a little vulnerable so I decided to move on. As soon as we got back to the boat, I talked Amie into extending another day to allow us an extra 2 dives in Sipadan [Ed. Note: Right, like I needed to be talked into it!]. After an hour’s surface interval we were back in the water off Sipadan, this time at Turtle Cavern. This was a large cave about 20m below the surface but we were not allowed to enter it so we just hung around the mouth of the cave. Once again, the reef was amazing and we saw more turtles and sharks. At one point we looked up and saw a shark, looked down and saw a shark and then saw a third one that swam within a few feet of us. This time, during our safety stop, we were entertained by a turtle swimming around us.

Our third dive that day was under an old oil rig off Mabul that is now used as a dive resort that they light up at night. The visibility was not great and there was a lot of debris on the bottom including an old cage 10m long that I swam through. There were some cool fish down there though, including a lot of crocodile fish, a deadly lion fish and even a frog fish that changes color to suit its environment. The safety stop was a little tricky as the current was strong close to the surface but luckily there was a rope to hold on to even if it meant we were horizontal most of the time. We opted to do a fourth dive that evening but that was just a buddy dive with no divemaster. It was a chance to play around and rely on each other if there were any problems. Amie and I seem to be good dive buddies and are able to communicate well underwater. We have developed a number of hand signals and can describe sharks, turtles, rays, snakes and a number of different fish with just a hand movement. She did confuse me once when she was being sweet and signed “I love you.” I was completely at a loss as to what kind of fish she was talking about and shrugged her off until I realized what she was saying. We both had a good laugh about that underwater.

It was raining on the third day as we headed for Sipadan, but we did not mind as we were told it was the best weather to see the schools of hammerhead sharks that frequent the colder waters around the island. We dove down to 38m and headed out into the 600m deep ocean but, alas, there was no sign of them. Once again on our second dive we were at depths in excess of 30m looking for the elusive hammerheads with the same result. It was amazing to be diving so deep and away from the reef but it meant we were using our air faster and by the time we got back to the wall we had limited time before making our way to the 5m mark for our mandatory safety stop. In the afternoon, we dived off Kapalai but the viz was not great and the current was strong so we did not see much.

On our last day, the sun was shining and it killed us that we were not going back to Sipadan but at $250 a day and our budget already torpedoed, we couldn’t justify extending another day. Besides, we’d never want to leave and we could have extended “just one more day” indefinitely. Instead we had one last dive just off the reef on Mabul which is a good spot, but it’s not Sipadan. After our final dive we said goodbye to our new friends and headed for the mainland, knowing there would be a lot more diving in our future.

Dad, Send Money!

There is another world class dive spot in Malaysia called Layang-Layang about 300 km north of Kota Kinabalu. But unfortunately it is $1500 each for a 6 day/5 night package. We thought about it but needless to say, it’s not in our budget. We decided that if there is anyone reading this who has $3000 to spare, we are willing to go next season (May-October) and give a full report. We will even bring an underwater camera and take a lot of photos, which unfortunately we didn’t have with us in Sipadan.