Sipadan Diving Sites – the Perfect Way to Discover Paradise

Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced diver, Sipadan is the place for you. Here you can explore 5 Sipadan diving sites that you wouldn’t want to miss on your trip.

1. Coral Gardens. This site is a photographer’s paradise for both close-up and panoramic shooting. You’re likely to encounter green turtles feeding, humphead wrasse as well as various types of triggerfish. Of course, as the name of this Sipadan diving site suggests, you will be surrounded by fantastic, healthy, lively, colorful corals. The ever-present fish are butterfly black spot and teardrop fish, masked and regal angelfish. You’re also likely to see humpback unicorn fish coupling.


2. Hanging Gardens. This site gets its name from the terraces bursting with an explosion of tropical corals in various soft colors, at 70 meters depth, dangling over the abyss. Along the multitude of fish you see on all Sipadan Island diving sites, you will also run into schools of hammerhead sharks, grey reef sharks, and sometimes, if you're lucky, the extremely rare long-tailed thresher shark.


3. South Point. This site is for advanced divers only. It’s best known for spotting the rare hammerhead and thresher sharks that only stay at 40 meters or more depth. You will also run into schools of parrotfish feeding on the coral. This activity is important for the fabrication and dissemination of coral sands in the reef, and can prevent algae from choking the coral. Of course, like on all diving sites, you can’t miss the turtles and the schools of tropical fish.


4. Turtle Cavern. This Sipadan diving site is for advanced divers only as well, with a complicated labyrinth entry to the cavern at 18 meters depth. The name comes from the belief that the turtles used this site as a tomb. All operators on the Sipadan Island insist that divers are escorted by a local dive master through the elaborate caverns. Inside, you will bump into skeletons of previous entrants who were unsuccessful in finding the exit.


5. Whitetip Avenue. The name of this outstanding Sipadan diving site comes from the frequent encounters with whitetip reef sharks, near the bottom in clear water at a depth of 8-40 meters. There is also a rich coral reef in shallow water, before dropping 600 meters into the abyss. Before you know it, you’ll be surrounded by a huge silver school of bigeye trevallies or vibrantly colored gigantic bumphead parrotfish. There are also terraces, crevices, ledges and vertical chimneys not to be left unexplored, full of coral life.

The Sipadan Island is called the crown jewel of diving in Malaysia. All the dive sites are a short boat drive away, and even though they are all different, they’ve got lots in common: an abundance of things to see and tons of reasons not to be missed. So no matter your skill, the Sipadan diving sites have it all, from amazing corals, to beautifully colored tropical fish of all sizes, turtles feeding and even rare sharks.