Sipadan Island

Sipadan is one of the most beautiful scuba diving spots in the world. Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, the huge pillar that forms the atoll functions as a shelter for many sea animals and fish. Furthermore there are only a few places in the world that have such a concentration of sea turtles. Sipadan is not easy to visit; you can only stay at the surrounding islands Mabul and Kapalai. The permits these days make it even harder to dive at Sipadan; because only a handful of people per day may dive at the small island (regulations permit 120 dives per day). Accommodation at Mabul or Kapalai is not that cheap. Budget travelers that find Mabul or Kapalai too expensive (or when the facilities are fully booked) could opt to stay at the village of Semporna. This fishing village mainly serves as a gateway to Sipadan and other great scuba diving spots as Mabul, Kapalai and Mataking. The several fish restaurants in Semporna offer great food, though the village itself is often described as a bit dull.

"I have seen other places like Sipadan 45 years ago. Now we have found again an untouched piece of art". Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle (1989).

 Scuba diving at Sipadan

It is almost impossible to list all the fish and other sea creatures that you might encounter under water when diving at Sipadan. Among the species are schools of big-eye trevallies, many turtles, tornado-like formations of barracudas, schools of humphead parrotfishes, giant mantas, eagle rays, schools of tunas, many species of sharks including schools hammerhead sharks, (sometimes even) whale sharks and thousands of other species of fish (mostly big pelagic fish as Sipadan is known for this). Diving rates are pretty high compared to other dive destinations within Malaysia (usually over RM120 per dive). Do not dive with diving schools that operate without proper permits. Diving at Sipadan Island is possible daily from 6am to 4pm. No night dives are allowed.

International disputes and other dark pages in history

Sipadan once was center of a territorial dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia. In 2002 the International Court of Justice declared the island to be part of Malaysia.

In 2000 members of the Filipino Islamist terrorist group Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 21 tourists at gun point. Armed terrorists arrived by boat and brought the victims to the nearby island of Jolo. All victims were eventually released after payment of a ransom. Some countries still mark the area around Sipadan as rather unsafe, though tourists have come here for years without any problems.