Weekend Guide to Sipadan
An untouched piece of art – that’s how the great (and unfortunately, late) oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau, described Pulau Sipadan. Consistently voted as one of the top diving sites in the world, Sipadan is a tranquil coral atoll beckoning the scuba cognoscenti.
Get There
It takes a bit of work to reach Sipadan, but trust us, it’s totally worth it. Start your weekend by hopping on an Air Asia flight out of Singapore to KL, and jet to Tawau with a connecting flight. Jump in a cab towards the sleepy, coastal town of Semporna, which takes about an hour and a half. There, you’ll find many fast boat operators at the jetty to Sipadan, just an hour’s ride away (finally!).
Do
Sipadan is one sun-soaked holiday destination where you won’t see many people on the beach, because the diversity and abundance underwater is simply more stunning and mesmerizing. Expect hard and soft corals in vivid hues, shoals of barracuda, manta and eagle rays and endangered hawksbill turtles. If you venture deeper, sightings of hammerhead sharks are up for grabs too! The underwater turtle tomb is eerily beautiful.
Diving enthusiasts will find many dive shops around Sipadan catering to their every need. We like Scuba Junkie and Big John Scuba best. Non-divers can also learn to scuba dive as most of them offer PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) courses. If you don’t have the time, you still get to see some of that a-may-zing marine life while snorkeling too.
Eat
Chances are that all meals are included in your room rate if you’re booked at a resort at one of the island paradiso. But if you’re staying in Semporna, the one thing you will definitely get? Cheap seafood – very rare in Singapore. We like dining al fresco at Ocean Treasure Live Seafood Restaurant and out at sea with Pearl City Restaurant (inside Dragon Inn Floating Resort).
Craving Indian food? Restoran Bisillah (located right next to Giant Supermarket) is one of the best (and cheapest) restaurants in Semporna, famed for its Indian roti (flatbread) and mee goreng (fried noodles). You’ll probably be in Semporna during the weekend, so check out the open-air market in the town centre for some local snacks! The banana fritters with cheese are extremely sinful.
Stay
Since 2005, the resorts on Sipadan have packed up and moved to the nearby isles of Mabul (15 minutes away) and Kapalai (25 minutes away) to protect the environment.
With gorgeous, clear waters, it’s really easy to pretend we’re somewhere we would love to afford, like the Maldives – especially if you’re booked at Mabul Water Bungalows, a luxe floating dive-resort decked out with rustic, but oh-so-exquisite, chalet bungalows. For something similar, stay at Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort. We heard that this luxurious water village (built on stilts) is very popular with the honeymooners.
A popular mid-range option is the Scuba Junkie Dive Resort on Mabul, or you could try Seaventures Dive Resort, which is actually a converted oilrig – how cool is that? For those who’d rather spend more money on diving, there are plenty of budget housing options on offer on the mainland at Semporna, like Sipadan Inn and Seahorse Sipadan Scuba Lodge.
Hardcore divers, the MV Celebes Explorer is for nobody, nobody, but you. For the rate, you get full room and board, plus 4 to 5 daily dives (subject to sea and weather conditions of course). This is probably the best option if you want to dive as much as possible during your stay.
Tips
Do take note that Sipadan is open to divers and visitors only from 6am to 4pm. This means it will be difficult to squeeze in any diving time the day you arrive.
Pre-book lodging and diving trips as early as humanly possible (6 months in advance is best), because the authorities only hand out a very limited 120 diving permits in Sipadan daily.
Thanks to our friends at AirAsia, we took the 0735am flight to KL and the 1040am connecting flight to Tawau. Why limit yourself to just Sipadan? Explore more destinations with AirAsia’s handy downloadable guide to Malaysia. It’s free!
This travel guide was brought to you by AirAsia.