Photo: NEOM / Unsplash
Sipadan
Sipadan is Malaysia's only oceanic island, rising about 600m from the seabed of the Celebes Sea roughly 35km south of Semporna, off south-east Sabah in Borneo. Coral grew atop an extinct volcanic cone, producing a wall that drops from the shallows straight into the blue. It is best known for a resident tornado of chevron barracuda and bigeye trevally at Barracuda Point, green and hawksbill turtles in high numbers, and whitetip, grey reef and occasional hammerhead sharks. Nobody stays on Sipadan itself; divers are based on the stilt-village island of Mabul or the sandbank resort of Kapalai (both strong macro sites) or in Semporna, and day-trip in by boat. Access is permit-capped and allocated through licensed resorts, so Sipadan days must be booked well ahead, and the island closes for the whole of November each year for reef recovery.
What makes it special
- Barracuda Point: a resident chevron-barracuda tornado and a bigeye-trevally school
- Green and hawksbill turtles in high numbers
- Turtle Tomb, an underwater cave with skeletal turtle remains (cave-certified divers only)
- The wall dropping ~600m, and the Mabul and Kapalai muck sites nearby
Price range
$–$$
Trip length
3–6 days
Diver level
Advanced open water
Trip type
Land based, Day trip
Price is per person for a typical trip, excluding international flights ($ under $2,000 to $$ $2,000–4,000).
A budget Semporna/Mabul trip (about 3 days, 2 nights including one Sipadan day) starts around $465; mid and upper resorts on Mabul or Kapalai run roughly $725 for 3 days/2 nights up to ~$2,175 for 8 days/7 nights. On top of the package, non-Malaysians pay a Sipadan diving permit (~RM 350) plus a conservation fee (~RM 100) per person for each Sipadan day, and resorts require a minimum stay (usually 3 nights) to qualify for a permit.
Best time to dive
- Current
- Moderate
- Water temp
- 27–31°C (coldest Jan, warmest Apr)
- Visibility
- 15–40m — ~15–40m, best (often over 40m) in the calm spells of March–July.
- Getting there
- Moderate — Reachable but with some friction: 1 domestic flight.
- Experience
- Advanced Open Water is required for Sipadan (a Sabah Parks rule since 2022), with a maximum of four divers per guide; current and the deep wall at Barracuda Point and South Point suit confident divers. The Mabul and Kapalai house reefs suit Open Water.
Nearest airports
- TWU — Tawau Airport (Then a ~1.5 hour road transfer to Semporna and a ~60 minute boat to Sipadan/Mabul)
Permit required
A daily permit cap is allocated to licensed resorts (roughly six permits per resort per day, distributed to guests on rotation). The exact daily total has changed and sources disagree — historically about 120–180 divers, reportedly expanded to around 250 total permits (divers plus snorkellers) in 2025. Confirm with your resort. Two dives per day per diver at Sipadan is the current norm. The island is closed the whole of November.
Non-Malaysians: diving permit ~RM 350/day plus a conservation fee ~RM 100/day (Malaysians ~RM 250 + RM 50); resorts also levy a per-person Sipadan-day charge. Fees are rising — confirm at booking.
Marine life
Sightings are never guaranteed — the bars show typical likelihood by month.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | not seen |
| December | occasional |
On the reef (Sipadan closed in November).
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | rare |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | not seen |
| December | rare |
A rare, plankton-driven visitor; not a Sipadan draw (island closed in November).
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | not seen |
| December | commonly seen |
The jack tornado at Barracuda Point, present year-round (Sipadan closed in November).
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | not seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Big schools cruise the reef top at dawn (Sipadan closed in November).
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | not seen |
| December | occasional |
More common at South Point and the deeper wall (Sipadan closed in November).
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | not seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Common on the reef and wall year-round (Sipadan closed in November).
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | rare |
| November | not seen |
| December | rare |
Occasional at South Point, more likely with cooler mid-year upwelling; never reliable (Sipadan closed in November).
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | not seen |
| December | commonly seen |
The chevron-barracuda tornado at Barracuda Point schools year-round (Sipadan closed in November).
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident at Mabul with dusk courtship; Mabul is not subject to the November Sipadan closure.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | not seen |
| December | occasional |
More likely at South Point on plankton-rich currents (Sipadan closed in November).
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | not seen |
| December | occasional |
Hunts the reef edge (Sipadan closed in November).
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | not seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Seen on every Sipadan dive in high numbers; mate and nest around the island. Sipadan is closed each November.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Diverse nudibranchs year-round on the Mabul and Kapalai muck sites (not subject to the November closure).
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | not seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident on the reef and wall (Sipadan closed in November).
Dive sites
Worth knowing before you book
- The permit cap means you can't dive Sipadan every day; permits are limited and allocated through resorts, so book well ahead and expect only some days on the island.
- Nobody stays on Sipadan — you are based on Mabul, Kapalai or in Semporna and day-trip by boat.
- Advanced Open Water is required for Sipadan, and strong current and the deep wall at Barracuda Point and South Point suit confident divers.
- Eastern Sabah's offshore islands carry standing government travel advisories; licensed operators run under security arrangements with a dusk-to-dawn sea curfew — check current advice.
- The island closes every November, and turtle-heavy sites can feel busy in peak weeks.
Sources & last checked
Checked July 2026
This is a researched draft, not yet human-verified. The seasonality and logistics are drawn from the sources below — confirm specifics (permits, fees, closures) with an operator before you book.
- Sipadan Permits — Sipadan-Mabul Resort
- Sipadan 2025 Permit Rules — The Scuba News
- Complete Guide to Diving Sipadan — Scuba Junkie
- Sea water temperature Sipadan — seatemperature.info
- How to Get to Sipadan & Mabul | Land & Boat Transfers Guide — Sipadan.com
- How To Get To Mabul Island From Tawau Airport (TWU) — Sipadan-Mabul Resort
Note on the data: The exact daily permit number is unresolved across sources (176 / 178 / ~252) — recorded as a range with a "confirm with resort" note. The November closure applies to Sipadan itself, not the Mabul/Kapalai house reefs. Site coordinates other than the island are approximate. Water temperature (~26–30°C) not published per-month. Water temperature: Warm and stable Celebes Sea water, ~27-31C year-round with a shallow peak in Apr-Jun and the coolest surface in Jan-Feb; bands are the published monthly min/max rounded to the nearest half-degree. Access: International arrival is via Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu, then one domestic flight to Tawau (TWU, mostly domestic), a ~1h20 road transfer to Semporna, and a ~45-60 min boat to Mabul/Kapalai or Sipadan; nobody stays on Sipadan, so diving is land-based day trips, not liveaboard-only. Independently verified 2026-07-20 (confidence high).