When you visit Sipadan, an island situated just off the coast of Sabah in East Malaysia, one of the activities you really should try is the scuba diving. The crystal clear water makes scuba diving around Sipadan Island an outstanding experience.
Here you will see the beauty of the fish life swimming around the natural coral reef, which is also home to reef sharks and turtles, both of which are very common around the island.
Take your time to spot many other different sea creatures, such as grey sharks, hammerhead sharks, and leopard sharks. And if you are lucky enough, you may also get to see manta rays swimming around. There are many pelagic species living in this area and scuba diving around Sipadan gives you a real opportunity to explore the beauty of the underwater world.
Beauty of coral gardens
For those of you who want to experience the beauty of the coral gardens be sure to take in the scuba diving program. The coral gardens here are both very colorful and attractive making them a must to see, and Sipadan island offers you the best opportunities for underwater photography. You will be delighted with the great shots that the coral gardens offer.
Best time for scuba diving in Sipadan
If you like scuba diving then you can visit Sipadan wherever you want. The Sipadan scuba diving site is perfect for all seasons. and is open for the public all year round.
And although there is no real time when you can’t experience all that Sipadan has to offer, the best time to visit this is from April to December because of the perfect sea conditions. During these months, you will need to book in advance to get your scuba diving permit and to ensure your accommodation is available. Permits can can be arranged by your resort when you arrive, but booking in advance will ensure you do not miss out as there are limited permits issued each day. Sipadan Island is so popular that it is recommended that you plan your visit well ahead of time.
One piece of advice that I can offer is to try and not plan your visit from January to March. During this time, there will be heavy rainfall which can happen every day. Heavy rainfall results in reduced visibility when you’re diving. It is also not considered wise to dive during the rainy season because it can be dangerous.
Scuba Diving conditions
Sipadan Island has a number of things to do but of coursebthe best activity that you can do here is scuba diving. The visibility range is around 15 to 40 meters depending on the season and the place where you dive. Many people feel that diving around Sipadan is relatively easy. There are some certain dive spots, for example Barracuda Point (see video below) which have strong currents and huge water. In this diving spot, you will see a huge amount of barracudas and it will be an unforgettable diving experience for you.
Scuba diving is suitable for all divers, but there are some diving spots which are reserved only for the advanced divers. Those diving spots are called as the turtle tomb and turtle cavern. Both of them are located below Sipadan Island. You can see lots of antique turtle skeletons which can’t be seen on the other diving spots.
Diving Sipadan
In order to be able to dive in Sipadan, you need to follow the diving regulations that are in force.
- There are only 140 divers allowed every day.
- Divers should not dive below 40 meters. It is important for the safety of the divers.
- You should not use gloves when you are scuba diving here. This regulation is made to protect the sea animals from toxins in the gloves. You may not be aware but, the gloves are made from a chemical material which can be fatal for the sea animals.
There are a lot of diving operators on Sipadan which offer you many great diving packages. However, they sometimes offer expensive packages for foreign tourists. So make sure that you do some research before going in order to compare one diving operator from the other ones.
Another thing that you should organise before visiting Sipadan is the resort. You need to book your resort for in advance. There are many great resorts on the island and most offer all inclusive packages that you can use during your holiday here. Compare their prices in order to get the best deal and this way you will ensure that you have an amazing diving holiday on Sipadan island.
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