Updates as of 2024—Sabah Parks updated its regulations at Sipadan Island in 2022. You are required to have a minimum Advanced Open Water certification, and one permit allows ONLY two dives per day instead of three.
I can tell you that once you’ve dived into Sipadan, you’ll forever remember how mesmerizing and unique the underwater world is. Who in the world doesn’t want to be back again and dive into this beautiful, renowned world-diving spot?
I clearly remember it very well when we descended to all three dive sites, from South Point and Barracuda Point, to our final stop at Coral Garden.
The beauty of Sipadan Island is not just in its landscapes but also in its diverse marine life. From the majestic sea turtles to the vibrant coral reefs, Sipadan has a charm that will forever stay in your heart.
Just like how the island charmed Jacques Cousteau when he and his team came by for turtle exploration and discovered an underwater ‘turtle tomb’ – a cavern full of the remains of drowned turtles who lost their way in the dark cave O.O
No, don’t run away now. I can assure you that this article is not about diving in an underwater cave!
Whether you are looking for the right place to stay, how to get a diving permit, or simply more information, this diving guide in Sipadan will give you a clearer idea and shave off all your worries.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my links. I hope you find the information here useful! Merci beaucoup 😀
What Makes Sipadan Special?
The people that I went diving with, and of course the sea creatures! 😉
Well, the legendary marine explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau played a significant role in bringing international attention to this remarkable underwater beauty through his documentary “Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle,” which featured Sipadan.
This exposure helped establish Sipadan as one of the premier diving destinations in the world.
While that helped in placing Sipadan on the world map, the island is independently renowned for its exceptional marine biodiversity, with over 600 different coral species and nearly 3,000 fish species 😲
The island was formed over thousands of years as coral reefs grew on top of an extinct volcano cone. Isn’t this cool?!
Sipadan boasts a variety of marine species, including turtles, barracudas, manta rays, white-tip sharks, bumphead parrot fish, reef fish, needlefish, and many more!
It’s also one of the places where you will encounter a vast population of green and hawksbill turtles.
The island is a national park protected by Sabah Parks, which helps preserve its pristine environment by limiting the number of daily visitors and dives.
That also makes it a no-fishing zone. So, don’t bring your fishing gear 😅
This restriction has led to a successful conservation effort that helps protect the island’s natural beauty and biodiversity.
Sipadan Island Diving: What You Need To Know
Before planning your trip to Sipadan, let’s review the diving rules and regulations enforced by Sabah Parks.
- Only 250 permits are issued per day, and it is based on a rotation system.
- Under this system, each licensed dive operator is allocated a certain number of permits per day. Once a dive operator exhausts its permit for the day, it must wait for its turn in the rotation before it can obtain permits again.
- Each permit allows you to visit the island for only one day and a maximum of 2 dives per day. This means you’ll need a permit for each day you plan to dive at Sipadan.
- You can only dive at Sipadan with a minimum certification of Advanced Open Water.
- You cannot dive for more than one hour, and the maximum depth limit is 40 meters (130 feet)
- Diving at the Barracuda Point is limited to one diver and one dive per day.
- You have to pay RM 10 (USD) tourism tax for your room per night, which is typically not included in your package and is charged separately.
- If you’re a solo traveler, please check with the resort/dive operator for the prices, as you will have to pay additional charges (up to 50%) for accommodation, diving services, or both.
- Check for low and peak seasons when you’re traveling.
- Low season typically means periods when not many people travel to Sipadan.
- Peak season is when many people travel for a vacation, such as Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year, and so on.
- The water gets cold, so it’s advisable to wear a full wet suit with a 2 mm—3 mm thickness.
- A dive computer is compulsory for Sipadan, so bring your own or check with your dive centers if they’d provide one.
- Bring a dive torch, as it comes in handy.
Getting To Sipadan
Now, let’s talk about how to get to Sipadan. I did mention boat transfer, airport pick-up, and so on. But how does it work?
The nearest airport to Sipadan is Tawau Airport. Direct flights are available from Kota Kinabalu (KK) or Kuala Lumpur (KL).
Usually, travelers fly from KK, but you can check this with your airlines, as options may vary.
From Tawau Airport, travelers can take a taxi or pre-arranged airport transfer service by their respective resorts/dive operators to Semporna, which is approximately an hour’s ride.
Upon reaching Semporna, dive operators/resorts typically provide boat transfers to Sipadan. All the dive operators in our article here offer this service.
The transfer can take around 30-45 minutes, depending on the weather and the speed of the boat.
READ: Countless Corpse in Mystery Cave of Turtle Tomb
Getting A Sipadan Diving Permit
While it’s clear that it’s not easy to get a permit, I can share with you some tips that you could keep in mind:
- Stay for a minimum of 3 nights or even longer: The longer you stay with a dive center, the higher the chance of getting the permit.
- Book as early as possible: If you’re planning to go during the peak season, book earlier. Check with the dive centers to get this information.
- Avoid peak seasons: During peak seasons , Sipadan will host a lot of travelers from all around the world. Best visibility conditions are between March and July.
- Consider going during the low season: If you can only afford 3 days, your chances of getting a permit are high during this season.
Resorts And Dive Schools With Sipadan Permits
Here’s the list of accommodations that have been allocated diving permits, along with the number of permits granted per day:
- Borneo Divers Mabul Resort: 12 permits
- Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort: 12 permits
- Sipadan Water Village Resort: 12 permits
- Sipadan-Mabul Resort and Mabul Water Bungalows: 12 permits
- Seaventures Dive Resort: 10 permits
- Celebes Explorer: 10 permits
- Mataking (The Reef Dive Resort): 6 permits
- Roach Reefs Resort: 6 permits
If it helps, Sabah Parks also has a list of tour operators at Sipadan Island on their website.
This is the latest list reflected on Sabah Park’s website. I’m not sure if it’s the most recent list but I believe it can still be a helpful reference point.
If you have doubts, you can always call the office for confirmation!
Is Sipadan Suitable For Beginners?
I was lucky enough to dive under the Open Water license in 2021. Unfortunately, they changed the rules in 2022, and now you will need a minimum Advanced Open Water Diver Certification to dive in Sipadan.
However, if you’re planning to learn to dive, you can do so at Mabul or Kapalai. There are dive schools/centers that provide Sipadan diving courses that you can take to learn diving.
What Else Is There Besides Diving?
If you’re not a diver or not into it, you can get a non-diver package that almost all the tour agents/dive centers provide on our list.
You can consider activities such as snorkeling, island hopping, birdwatching, and photography.
I went mainly for diving and snorkeling. But, if you would like to see some greenery nature, I’d highly recommend you to go for hiking at Bohey Dulang.
A lovely mountain that requires you to sweat a little bit, but the view is worth it. Just look at the view from the top! Hehe.
If you can get a package that includes Tun Sakaran Marine Park in its itinerary, you can request hiking, which may come with an additional charge.
You can check and confirm the activities for non-divers with the resort/agency before your travel.
Here is the video from our Sipadan trip, created and edited our favorite travel photographer in the group 🙂
Happy travels!
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