Sipadan · Malaysia · Wall · Drift
Barracuda Point
Thousands of barracuda wheeling into a tornado that darkens the sun
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0
Barracuda Point is the corner that made Sipadan's name. The reef top sits at around 10 m and breaks into a steep wall running down to 22 m and on into open water, with currents often strong enough that the dive is run as a drift. The draw is the shoal of thousands of barracuda that hangs off the corner, with reef sharks patrolling the drop below and dozens of turtles along the face.
Where it is and how deep
4.1209° N, 118.6293° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
You start on the reef top at around 10 m and move straight to the edge, where the coral stops and the wall falls away to 22 m and past that into open water. Currents here are often strong, so the dive is normally run as a drift: the boat drops you up-current, you settle in against the wall and let the water carry you along the corner instead of finning across it. Sort buoyancy and depth in the first minute, because on this edge there is no slope to ease down.
The barracuda are the reason for the name. A shoal of thousands hangs off the corner, and when it tightens it becomes a slow spinning column dense enough to darken the sun above you. Hold position against the wall and it will often wrap around the group rather than break away. Below it, reef sharks patrol the drop, and large grey sharks are seen here too.
Turtles are constant along the face — dozens on a good dive — and bumphead parrotfish work the coral in loose groups. Visibility on the island is regularly 30 m and more, so the corner shows itself from a long way off. The dive finishes shallow: the current eases past the corner and you come up into the coral garden on the reef top to run out the safety stop there.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Sipadan: Diving runs all year; March to May brings the calmest seas and clearest water, while wind and rain can cloud it from December to February and in August.
Know before you go
- Current on the corner is often strong and can push divers off the wall into open water; stay in contact with the reef, drift with it, and signal the boat rather than swimming back against it.
- The wall drops past 22 m with no bottom in sight, so depth creeps easily when sharks pass below — set a hard limit before you drop and watch the computer, not the blue.
Photos from Barracuda Point
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
Diving Barracuda Point off Sipadan Island · keentobeen on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Barracuda Point?+
The reef top sits at around 10 m and the wall drops to 22 m before continuing into open water. Most of the dive runs along the wall between those depths, with the shallow coral garden used for the end of the dive.
Do you need to be an advanced diver?+
Yes. The site is rated for advanced divers: currents are often strong and the dive is normally run as a drift along an exposed corner, so comfort in moving water matters more here than the depth does.
Sources
- Barracuda Point Dive Site – Map & Review — Divezone
- Diving Sites Malaysia - Sipadan Island — Dive The World
- Sipadan — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- A whitetip reef shark rests on the reef bottom at Barracuda Point. by Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Orange sea goldies swarm over hard coral on the reef top at Barracuda Point. by Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A cluster of vivid red soft tree coral on the reef wall at Barracuda Point. by Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- An emperor angelfish with bold blue and yellow stripes swims past the reef wall. by Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Where to dive in every month of the yearTrip planning · 14 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
More dive sites in Sipadan
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
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Lobsters, frogfish and pipefish on a deep macro wall
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Packs of bumphead parrotfish, sometimes 40 strong, grazing the table corals
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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
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A cracked deep wall under a shallow coral garden
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Barracuda massing on a wall with no bottom in sight
Similar dives elsewhere
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Mobula rays pass in formations up to 25 strong.