Sipadan Island

Sipadan Island

Sipadan Island

Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising 2,000 feet or 600m from the seabed. It is located east of Tawau (Borneo), in the Celebes Sea. It was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop. Sipadan is located at the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, the centre of one of the richest marine habitats in the world. More than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified in this ecosystem.

Rare diving scenes such as schools of greenback turtles and hawksbill turtles nesting and mating, schools of barracuda & big-eye trevally in tornado-like formations, pelagic species such as manta rays, eagle rays, scalloped hammerhead sharks and whale sharks can be seen here.

A mysterious turtle tomb lies underneath the column of the island, formed by an underwater limestone cave with a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers that contain many skeletal remains of turtles.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Hotels In Sipadan

Resorts in Sipdan Island:

  • Sipadan Water Village Resort
  • Seaventures Dive Resort

Sipadan Water Village Resort

P.O. Box No. 62156, 91031 Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia.


Sipadan Water Village offers you the excitement of superb diving along with comfort and relaxation. The village, fringed by beautiful corals, pearl white sands and amazing marine beauty, is the epitome of class and luxury. Sipadan Water Village is located on the island of Mabul.


This small island surrounded by sandy beaches and perched on the northwest corner of a larger 200-hecter reef is notably known as one of the worlds best "muck-diving" sites. The reef is on the edge of a continental shelf and the seabed surrounding the reef slopes out to 75 to 100 feet deep.


Seaventures Dive Resort


Tawau, Sabah



Seaventures Dive Resort beckons divers for a taste of the ultimate in dive holidays. Located just 1km off the white-sand fringes of the tropical island paradise of Mabul, off the eastern coast of northern Borneo Seaventures Dive Resort is also only 20 minutes’ boat-ride from world-renowned Sipadan Island.

Seaventures Dive Resort offers an unparalleled dive experience. Set in idyllic seclusion amidst spectacular tropical blue waters that teem with an amazing array of marine flora and fauna, the floating resort is a welcomed retreat for diving and marine enthusiasts. A customized 4-tier accommodation platform anchored in an elevated position, the platform is supported on 6 tubular legs over 60 feet water. This allows for unlimited diving, even night diving, in waters directly under the platform, which can be accessed via a lift from above. Its central location within a short boat-ride from such world-class dive spots as Sipadan, Mabul and Langkayan makes the resort a perfect spring board for divers to explore these three marine paradises.

Expect excellent service by friendly, well-trained staffs and enjoy hearty, well-cooked meals during your stay. Further enhancements to a holiday at the resort include a fully equipped Conference room, Karaoke Lounge, Movie Room, Games Room, Children’s Playroom, snooker tables, souvenir shop and PADI diving courses up to assistant instructor level. Guests can also enjoy Borneo’s magnificent sunsets from the resort’s 360° deck.

Scuba Diving In Sipadan

The geographic position of Sipadan puts it in the centre of the richest marine habitat in the world, the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin. More than 3000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified. Sipadan is well known for its unusually large numbers of green and hawksbill turtles which gather there to mate and nest and it is not unusual for a diver to see more than 20 turtles on each dive. Another unique feature is the "Turtle Tomb", an underwater limestone cave with a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers that contain many skeletal remains of turtles that became disoriented and then drowned.


Barracuda Point is where a diver may experience the thrill of swimming amidst schools of barracuda and big-eye trevally, which gather in thousands forming spectacular whirlwind-like formations. With the possibility of seeing pelagic such as mantas, eagle rays and hammerhead sharks, each dive at Sipadan is a highly anticipated event.The macro life is equally mesmerizing. Garden eels, leaf scorpion fish, mantis shrimps, fire gobies and various pipefish are guaranteed at various dive sites. Sipadan also boasts a rich variety of soft and hard corals, among these Dendronephyta in delicate pastel colours and feather stars of all shades and hues.


The most popular dive spot to view these is the Coral Gardens.The diversity of the abundance of marine life found at Sipadan gives it the reputation of being one of the best dive locations in the world.. No surprise that Sipadan is praised by all diving magazines and has won several awards:


"World's Top Dive Destination"
"Repeat Performance - Places you'd return to"
"Best Overall Destination"
"Best Advanced Diving"


Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine Feb 2001 Top 100 Survey