Coral Triangle · Malaysia
Sipadan
Tornado-like schools of barracuda and big-eye trevally beside sheer walls.
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0
Sipadan, an island in the Celebes Sea off the east coast of Sabah, has been Malaysia's most famous scuba destination since Jacques Cousteau praised the diversity of its marine life. Nearly every dive is a wall dive. Resident barracuda and big-eye trevally gather in the thousands in tornado-like schools, green and hawksbill turtles come to mate, and sharks patrol the walls. Its named sites include Barracuda Point, South Point, Hanging Gardens and the cave at Turtle Tomb.
About diving in Sipadan
Every dive at Sipadan starts from a boat, since the island is reached only by sea, and divers come out to it from accommodation on Mabul or Kapalai. A typical diving week on those islands includes no more than four dives at Sipadan, with the rest on other sites. The island lies inside Sipadan Island Park, a marine park of 16,860 hectares managed by Sabah Parks. A dive here usually follows a wall, and at Barracuda Point the water sometimes carries the group along it as a drift.
Underwater the island is almost all wall, with the cave at Turtle Tomb the exception. Below Hanging Gardens the reef descends to terraces of alcyonarian and gorgonian fan corals at about 70 m (230 ft). The wall at Staghorn Crest holds groupers, nudibranchs, angelfish, gobies, grunts, shrimps and triggerfish. White-tip reef sharks cruise the walls alone, grey reef sharks school over the deeper plateaus, and Napoleon wrasse and yellow-margin triggerfish turn up where the wall at Barracuda Point levels out.
Sipadan suits divers who hold at least an Advanced Open Water card or its equivalent, the minimum Sabah Parks sets for diving within the island's waters. Currents differ from site to site. Coral Gardens has gentle currents and calm surface conditions that suit long dives, while the stronger currents at South Point suit advanced divers, and beginners there stay under the supervision of their guides. Turtle Tomb is reserved for divemasters.
Best time to dive Sipadan
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
| Sea surface | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Daytime high | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | 220 mm8.7 in | 156 mm6.1 in | 198 mm7.8 in | 183 mm7.2 in | 211 mm8.3 in | 176 mm6.9 in | 180 mm7.1 in | 188 mm7.4 in | 158 mm6.2 in | 184 mm7.2 in | 197 mm7.8 in | 226 mm8.9 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 220 mm8.7 in | 156 mm6.1 in | 198 mm7.8 in | 183 mm7.2 in | 211 mm8.3 in | 176 mm6.9 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 180 mm7.1 in | 188 mm7.4 in | 158 mm6.2 in | 184 mm7.2 in | 197 mm7.8 in | 226 mm8.9 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
Diving at Sipadan runs all year, though conditions shift with the wind. The rainy season usually runs from December to late February, when unsettled weather can lower visibility, although its timing has grown less certain in recent years. Northerly winds in January and February can also make the boat rides choppier. March to May are the best months, with calm seas, sunshine and the year's peak visibility. Southerly winds in August and early September can bring choppy surface conditions and murkier water again, and outside these windows the boats keep running.
Best months: March, April, May
Sipadan water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface stays between 29 and 30 °C (84–86 °F) all year. Rain falls through the year, about 190 mm (7.5 in) a month on average, with December the wettest. Daytime highs sit around 29 °C (84 °F) all year. The coldest water here is about 27 °C (81 °F), so pack a 3 mm, or even a 2 mm, suit.
Dive types & marine life
Green and hawksbill turtles gather to mate and are everywhere from the first descent. The barracuda and big-eye trevally are resident and often school in the thousands. Sharks are a virtual guarantee, from lone white-tip reef sharks on the walls to schooling grey reef sharks deeper down. Scalloped hammerheads rise from the deep for the lucky, and manta rays follow plankton in from the blue.
- Wall
- Reef
- Drift
- Cave & cavern
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Sea turtles
- Reef sharks
- Hammerheads
- Manta rays
- Napoleon wrasse
- Groupers
Best dive sites in Sipadan
- 1
Barracuda Point
Wall where spirals of blacktail and chevron barracuda come to feed, with turtles and parrotfish on the face.
- 2
South Point
Site on the far side of the island from Barracuda Point, known for manta rays, grey reef and hammerhead sharks.
- 3
Hanging Gardens
Wall where soft coral hangs in profusion from the underside of the reef ledge.
- 4
Turtle Tomb
Underwater cave holding the skeletons of hawksbill and green turtles that drifted in and never found the way out.
Site guides
Thousands of barracuda wheeling into a tornado that darkens the sun
Coral garden
Dozens of green turtles feeding along the edge of the wall
Soft coral in pastel lemon and antique rose, and turtles by the dozen
Wall
Lobsters, frogfish and pipefish on a deep macro wall
Wall
Packs of bumphead parrotfish, sometimes 40 strong, grazing the table corals
Wall
Twenty or more grey reef sharks off the ridge on a single dive
The deep corner, where rare hammerheads pass at 40 m and beyond
Wall
A cracked deep wall under a shallow coral garden
Wall
Barracuda massing on a wall with no bottom in sight
Reef
Large table corals with turtles and whitetips over them
A limestone labyrinth holding the bones of turtles that never found the exit
Wall
Black coral on the wall, resident groupers and turtles
Wall
Sharks working a wall of black coral and sea fans
How to get to Sipadan
The nearest airport is Tawau (TWU) in Sabah. A road transfer of about 1.5 hours reaches the port town of Semporna, and a boat ride of 45 to 60 minutes on the same day crosses to accommodation on Mabul.
Photos from Sipadan
Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0
Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0
Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0
Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dive videos
Sipadan: The Best Day's Diving on Earth | Borneo from Below (S01E03) · SZtv on YouTube
Diving in Sipadan, Malaysia in 4K. A true diver's paradise in Borneo, with Scuba Junkie · Tim Wouters on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is a permit needed to dive Sipadan?+
Yes. Visiting the island requires a permit issued by Sabah Parks, and since 2019 there have been 176 permits a day, divided between the dive resorts and the dive centres.
Can divers stay on Sipadan island?+
No. When the island was declared a marine park in 2004, the authorities closed its six hotel and resort facilities, so divers stay on Mabul or Kapalai and travel out by boat for the dives.
Is there a depth limit at Sipadan?+
Yes. Diving below 40 m is not allowed, although the walls continue far deeper, with the terraces of Hanging Gardens at about 70 m (230 ft).
Sources
- Diving Sites Malaysia - Sipadan Island — Dive The World
- Sipadan Dive Sites — Scuba Junkie
- Sipadan Dive Sites — PulauMabul.com
- Sipadan Diving — Divezone
- Barracuda Point Dive Site - Map & Review — Divezone
- Sipadan — Wikipedia
- How to Get to Sipadan & Mabul | Land & Boat Transfers Guide — Sipadan.com
Photo credits
- A giant manta ray glides through open blue water at South Point off Sipadan island. by Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A sabre squirrelfish shelters in a coral crevice at Hanging Gardens, Sipadan. by Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A harlequin sweetlips rests among sponges and coral at South Point, Sipadan. by Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A yellow-face angelfish swims over the coral reef at South Point, Sipadan. by Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A titan triggerfish patrols the reef edge at South Point on Sipadan island. by Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Embed
Run a dive centre, club or blog? Embed this map of 12 dive sites near Sipadan on your own page.
In The Logbook
- Where to see reef sharks on your first divesBig animals · 14 min read
- Where to dive with sea turtlesBig animals · 15 min read
- The best wall dives in the worldWalls & drop-offs · 11 min read
- Cave diving: what it takes and where to goCaves & caverns · 12 min read
- Where to dive in every month of the yearTrip planning · 14 min read
- Malapascua thresher sharks: Monad or Kimud?Big animals · 11 min read
- How much weight do you need to dive?Gear & kit · 8 min read
- Why your ears hurt diving, and how to stop itBody & health · 8 min read
- Drift diving: how to read and ride a currentDrift & current · 8 min read
- Cavern and cenote diving without cave trainingCaves & caverns · 8 min read
- When and where to dive with hammerheadsBig animals · 16 min read
Similar destinations
Jetty pilings and sand slopes turn up ghost pipefish and mandarinfish at dusk.
The world's second-largest contiguous coral reef, closed to fishing
Reef and oceanic mantas share a cleaning station inside a patrolled no-take reserve
_(8503849820).jpg){kind=link}
_(8506996397).jpg){kind=link}
_(8499764567).jpg){kind=link}
_(8502718643).jpg){kind=link}
_(6129782959).jpg){kind=link}
Step off a jetty into the world's largest lagoon, or cross to open ocean