Sipadan
Sipadan has been a world class performer for decades and offers the best chance of red-hot blue water action without the need to spend a small fortune or trek for days out to the likes of Layang Layang, Tubbataha in the Philippines or Rangiroa out in Pacific. Results do vary but even in the off-season we experienced large numbers of White-Tip & Grey Reef Sharks, schools of Chevron & the odd small group Giant Barracuda, large Napoleon Wrasse and schools of thousands of Oceanic Triggerfish & Bannerfish all set against breath taking drop-offs. We even heard reports of everything from reasonably regular groups of Hammerheads deep on the South side to Sailfish, Tiger Sharks & even Killer Whales. Always worth keeping an eye out to the Blue.
The remains of an ancient Volcano situated far off the continental shelf of Borneo, Sipadan sits in around 600m of clear Oceanic water with a sloping wall of hard corals on the North of the reef & sheer, soft coral draped drops on the south. Dives always start sedately on the reef flat amongst the stunning hard table corals before plunging off down the drop-offs to the pre-determined depths. Currents range from non-existent to raging with tricky down-currents reported off the back of the reef though I did not encounter any problems while diving on the North & South walls. Intervals between dives are spent on the island proper with tables & toilet facilities provided.
I was last there in May 2013 shortly after incursions from Filipino ‘bandits’ on the mainland though we always felt safe both in town and out at the islands. A force of Malaysian Navy is stationed at Sipadan and regular patrols are carried out throughout the area.
I first encountered Mabul during a 10 week dive trip through SE Asia. The availability of Sipadan passes was so good that we didn’t have a spare day to dive Mabul, though one check out dive there at ‘Paradise 2’ on the first day was enough to entice us back the following year. Most divers come here for the stunning drop-offs and big-fish action of Sipadan and talk down Mabul as a poor substitute when you lose in the ‘Sipadan pass lottery’, however macro fans will love it and new converts to diving couldn’t find a better practice area before tackling the currents & excitement of the glittering island off-shore.
Although known for its sedate sand dives populated with all the classic weird and wonderful critters found in SE Asia - We found Pygmy Seahorses, Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Nudibranchs aplenty, various different shrimp species and a multitude of lionfish big & small being just a start – Mabul is in possession of some wonderful shallow coral and features fantastic drop offs of its own right on the edge of the continental shelf.
As a final thought, the transit town of Semporna on the mainland is certainly an experience and I enjoyed my stay there for a day & night once on my way back , though you would do well to avoid it if you have not spent much time in Asian towns. It is also a much cheaper alternative to staying on Mabul, Kapalai or the Seaventures Rig though most will find the 1 hour + boat journey out to Sipadan to be prohibitive.
Flights: Prior to the advent of Air Asia most divers flew to Kota Kinabalu on the North coast of Sabah and then took an onward flight though with the arrival of Air Asia it is possible to take a direct 3 hour flight to Tawau from Kuala Lumpur – a 1 hour bus transfer from Semporna. This is a simple journey from KL though the ‘Cattle shed’ KL LCCT is certainly not an A+ International Airport. As always, it’s part of the experience and will soon be replaced by a custom made terminal that is current in construction elsewhere in the airport.
WARNING: Of countless Air Asia flights I have taken, the return journey from Tawau to KL is the only one for which I have had my carry on weighed. Twice. If like me you are carting a large amount of gear in your carry-on be prepared to be forced to check a lot of it. Extra baggage is affordable on Air Asia but the decision of which of your delicate gear goes into the hold is a difficult one.
