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A giant manta ray glides through open blue water at South Point off Sipadan island.

Sipadan · Malaysia · Wall · Drift

Mid Reef

Packs of bumphead parrotfish, sometimes 40 strong, grazing the table corals

Area photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0

Mid Reef is a vertical wall on Sipadan dived as a drift, with the current deciding whether the group runs north or south. Large green turtles used to divers and packs of bumphead parrotfish feeding on the hard corals are the reasons to go.

Also known as Midreef.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Mid Reef: typical dive 5–40 m (15–130 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit5 m40 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 50 m (164 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

No published position for this site — the map shows Sipadan and its other sites; operators know the mooring.

The dive

Divers descend slowly down the vertical wall to their planned depth, anywhere down to 40 m, then drift with the current in whichever direction it runs. Dozens of large green turtles, long habituated to divers, appear early in the dive.

Short, hardy table corals and porites dominate the reef, and packs of bumphead parrotfish, sometimes 40 or so strong, feed on them. The dive ends on the hard coral flats at 6 m that top the reef, where divers make their safety stop.

Marine life and season

  • Sea turtles
Month-by-month season rating for Mid Reef
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairPrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodFairGoodGoodGoodFair

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

  • Currents can be quite strong and tend to push divers upwards along the wall.

Dive videos

Sipadan Midreef · willgriv on YouTube

Questions divers ask

Which way does the drift run at Mid Reef?+

Either way. Divers go north or south with whatever the current is doing and finish on the coral flats at 6 m for the safety stop.

Sources

  1. Sipadan dive sites — PulauMabul.com
  2. Sipadan Island diving sites — Dive The World
  3. Dive sites — Seaventures

More dive sites in Sipadan

Wall

Barracuda Point

Thousands of barracuda wheeling into a tornado that darkens the sun

10–22 madvanced

Coral garden

Coral Garden

Dozens of green turtles feeding along the edge of the wall

14–22 mintermediate

Wall

Hanging Gardens

Soft coral in pastel lemon and antique rose, and turtles by the dozen

10–25 madvanced

Wall

Lobster Lair

Lobsters, frogfish and pipefish on a deep macro wall

25–40 madvanced

Wall

North Point

Twenty or more grey reef sharks off the ridge on a single dive

12–25 m · max 40 madvanced

Wall

South Point

The deep corner, where rare hammerheads pass at 40 m and beyond

25–40 madvanced

Wall

Staghorn Crest

A cracked deep wall under a shallow coral garden

25–40 madvanced

Wall

The Drop Off

Barracuda massing on a wall with no bottom in sight

25–40 madvanced

Similar dives elsewhere

Wall

Cape Mansuar

Raja Ampat · Indonesia

A drift from schooling fish on the point to macro on the slope

to 40 madvanced

Wall

Paliton Wall

Siquijor · Philippines

Sea fans on a vertical face, dived as a guided drift

to 40 mintermediate

Wall

Pantai Pinang

Takabonerate & Selayar · Indonesia

Gorgonians and soft coral on a limestone wall, averaging 20 m

to 40 mintermediate

Wall

Pescador Island

Moalboal · Philippines

An open-top cave in the northwest wall of a limestone island

5–40 m · max 65 mintermediate