Dive SipadanSipadan inhabitats over 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species and has constantly been rated by many dive journals as one of the top dive destination in the world. Sipadan's most treasured dive sites includes the Barracuda Point where schools of barracudas and jacks swirl around as the strong currents brings food to their midst, Coral Garden for the perfect underwater photography with its abundance of colourful marine life, and the South Point and Whitetip Avenue dive sites which Whitetip Reef Sharks and the Hammerheads are frequently observed.
Best Time to Dive Sipadan
You can dive in Sipadan all year round. Generally, diving at Sipadan is best from April to December, especially July and August. January to March may have some unsettled weather and a decrease in visibility however plenty of guests are still diving around this time.
- Your Country
- Kuala Lumpur / Kota Kinabalu Airport (Malaysia)
- Tawau Airport (Malaysia)
- Semporna Jetty
- Sipadan Dive Resort
Sipadan is located along the northern beachfront of Mabul Island. It is a 40-minute speedboat ride from the port of Semporna. Return transfers from Tawau Airport to Semporna and Mabul are usually included in the dive packages provided by dive resorts.
The following table lists down the flights arrival at Tawau. For the air transfer rates between Tawau and the country of origin, you may visit http://www.wego.com/ and check out the list of flights available and their respective rates.
Tawau arrival flights Malaysia Airlines, MH2121, 0700 - 0745 from Kota Kinabalu Air Asia, AK5152, 0720 - 1005 from Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Airlines, MH 3093, 1015 - 1055 from Sandakan Malaysia Airlines, MH 2660, 0820 - 1110 from Kuala Lumpur Air Asia, AK 6122, 1220 - 1310 from Kota Kinabalu Malaysia Airlines, MH2137, 1315 - 1400 from Kota Kinabalu Air Asia, AK 6153, 1200 - 1430 from Singapore *NOTE: You will have to wait at Tawau Airport for the transfer if your flight arrives to Tawau less than 1 hour before the next flight. Boat departures from Semporna to Resort are at 0930 and 1400. Diving on arrival day is only possible if you arrive to the resort on 0930 boat schedule. Please be ready at Seafest hotel’s lobby at least 30 minutes before the scheduled boat departure if you transfer to Semporna overland from Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan or Lahad Datu. Tawau departure flights Air Asia, AK5153, 1030 - 1315 to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Airlines, MH3092, 1115 - 1155 to Sandakan Malaysia Airlines, MH2661, 1150 - 1430 to Kuala Lumpur Air Asia, AK 6123, 1335 - 1425 to Kota Kinabalu Malaysia Airlines, MH2134, 1440 - 1525 to Kota Kinabalu Air Asia, AK6127, 1640 - 1730 to Kota Kinabalu Air Asia, AK2665, 1750 - 2030 to Kuala Lumpur Air Asia, AK5155, 1800 - 2100 to Kuala Lumpur Air Asia, AK5157, 2110 - 2355 to Kuala Lumpur Air Asia, AK6116, 2135 - 2225 to Kota Kinabalu Malaysia Airlines, MH2148, 2140 - 2225 to Kota Kinabalu
Dive Site Family Diving Liveaboard Diving Wreck Diving Technical Diving Shore Diving 1. The Jetty, Jetty Beach & Drop-off Below 2. Turtle Cavern 3. Barracuda Point
Single Twin Triple Borneo Divers Mabul Resort fr S$440 fr S$300 fr S$270 Sipadan Kapalai Resort fr S$570 fr S$380 fr S$360 Sipadan Water Village fr S$410 fr S$300 fr S$300
For more details, refer to the Dive Resorts page.
Land and sea transfers are inclusive in all diver and non-diver package with any of the Sipadan Resorts.
For guests arriving at Tawau after 1400, they will have to stay for one night at Tawau or Semporna before transferring into Mabul Island early next morning. There are several accommodations to choose from in Tawau and Semporna. The most commonly used accommodations are Heritage Hotel, Promenade Hotel and Marco Polo Hotel at Tawau and Seafest Hotel at Semporna.
For divers departing from Sipadan, 24 hours surface interval is strongly recommended. The surface interval period can be spend either in Tawau or Semporna to keep the accommodation cost low and reduce the traveling time to the airport during the departure day.
Voted the world's best beach dive site and one of the world’s top night dive site award in 1993 by the influential consumer based In-depth Dive Magazine, an incredible number of divers have continuously been drawn to scuba diving holidays in Sipadan. This list of hand-picked dive packages offers the best of scuba diving in Sipadan.
Check before you go
- Passport expiry date (most countries require at least six months prior to the expiry date)
- Visa requirements
- Travel Insurance (make sure coverage for Scuba Diving is included)
- Medical status (Visit your doctor if you are unsure)