In his film Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle (1989), renowned underwater explorer and film maker Jacques Yves Cousteau said, “I have seen other places like Sipadan, 45 years ago, but now no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art.
It has been almost 40 years since Jacques Cousteau discovered the joys of Sipadan’s underwater paradise. Even till today, Sipadan remains rated by many dive journals as one of the best dive destinations in the world. Formed by living corals growning on top of an extinct volcanic core 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.
Often seen in the waters around Sipadan are green and hawksbill turtles (which mate and nest there), spectacular tornado-like formations of schools of barracuda, big-eye trevally, bumphead parrotfish, and the possibility of spotting manta rays, eagle rays, scalloped hammerhead sharks and even whale sharks. Although the big fishes tend to steal the show, take the time to look closely at the reef walls and you will discover a wealth of mesmerizing macro life and fish species. Garden eels, leaf scorpionfish, mantis shrimps, fire gobies, and various pipefish are guaranteed to be seen at various dive sites. The diversity and abundance of marine life found at Sipadan is what gives it its reputation of being one of the ten best dive locations in the world.
In order to better conserve both the unique wildlife and marine life of Sipadan, the Wildlife Department has closed overnight facilities on the island itself. In addition, Sabah Parks, which looks after the designated marine parks in Sabah, now issues a daily limit of only 120 diving permits to Sipadan. Divers who intend to visit Sipadan will now have to spend the nights at nearby Mabul Island (Borneo Divers Mabul Resort* or Sipadan Water Village Resort), Seaventures Dive Resort (the only converted dive platform in the world) or Kapalai Island (Kapalai Resort) and make day trips to Sipadan. Although this causes a slight inconvenience for divers, it only means that Sipadan will be preserved for generations to come.
(*Diving with Eko Divers’ Sipadan Borneo Divers Mabul Resort dive package guarantees 1 day of diving at Sipadan, if your stay at the resort is at least 5D4N.)
