When you tell people you're diver, people will eventually ask you the same question: Have you dive in Sipadan before? Yes, Sipadan, one of the most famous dive site in the world. For me, it's just a waste if I'm not going to pay a visit there.
Together with the gang (RF, Hiu and Bill), we decided to head to Sipadan on August 2008. Also, I met another 2 new divers in this trip, Yew and Tong, both of them are divers from northern region and they got to know RF and Bill through diving.
So how did we get
there? First, flight to Tawau, then land transfer to Semporna. We had chosen Scuba Junkie as our dive shop after researching through internet. They have some rooms for backpackers and rate is cheap, around RM40 per room. And they can also arrange some longhouse stay in Mabul Island if you do not want to travel from Semporna to the dive site. We did not do any diving on the first day, just took some good rest and walked around in the town. Oh, it was the night where the Olympic open ceremony happening in Beijing. We sat at the coffee shop and watched it through a very small TV.
On the 2nd day, we departed from Semporna and headed to Sipadan to commenc
e our dive. But before we could start, we will need to register at the Sipadan military base for some safely purpose I believe. The funniest thing is that we were asked to use a foreigner's name regardless of gender! Ok, done with the paperwork, and off we were into the water. It was somehow a bit scary to dive in Sipadan, 200m depth to the bottom, is definitely not easy for a beginner like me. However, it did turn up to be a very good experience for me. A lots of turtles, sharks, barracudas, were spotted during our dives there, a good place for you if you like macro; especially when you dive in Barracuda Point, you'll be surrounded by a big school of barracudas.
After the di
ves, we were sent to the 
Arung Hayat Longhouse located on Mabul. Took a walk during evening, it was a small island, you can round the island in about an hour time. Along the way, you'll find some passionate natives running around and asking you to take their photo if you're holding camera. They are real nice people and they like visitors.
3rd day dive was on the dive sites nearby Mabul, this time, we spotted something much smaller than what we saw in Sipadan. Lots of lionfish, nudis, croc fish, also some rays, squids and octopus. 4th day we did our dive on a nearby island named Kapalai, not much different from what we had in Mabul, but the memorable one was during our safety stop on 2nd dive. Hiu spotted a 1.5m long barracuda resting beside the rock alone. As we are struggling to swim towards it and try to have a clear sight on it; it slowly moving away. However, I still managed to catch a glimpse on it. It was believed the strong current had brought it to that depth level.
On the last day, we spent sometime for photo shooting and souvenir shopping on Mabul and headed back to KL through the same route where we began. It was a totally different experience when diving in Sipadan, I would not mind to dive at the same spots again and again in the future.
Together with the gang (RF, Hiu and Bill), we decided to head to Sipadan on August 2008. Also, I met another 2 new divers in this trip, Yew and Tong, both of them are divers from northern region and they got to know RF and Bill through diving.
So how did we get
there? First, flight to Tawau, then land transfer to Semporna. We had chosen Scuba Junkie as our dive shop after researching through internet. They have some rooms for backpackers and rate is cheap, around RM40 per room. And they can also arrange some longhouse stay in Mabul Island if you do not want to travel from Semporna to the dive site. We did not do any diving on the first day, just took some good rest and walked around in the town. Oh, it was the night where the Olympic open ceremony happening in Beijing. We sat at the coffee shop and watched it through a very small TV.On the 2nd day, we departed from Semporna and headed to Sipadan to commenc
e our dive. But before we could start, we will need to register at the Sipadan military base for some safely purpose I believe. The funniest thing is that we were asked to use a foreigner's name regardless of gender! Ok, done with the paperwork, and off we were into the water. It was somehow a bit scary to dive in Sipadan, 200m depth to the bottom, is definitely not easy for a beginner like me. However, it did turn up to be a very good experience for me. A lots of turtles, sharks, barracudas, were spotted during our dives there, a good place for you if you like macro; especially when you dive in Barracuda Point, you'll be surrounded by a big school of barracudas.After the di
ves, we were sent to the 
Arung Hayat Longhouse located on Mabul. Took a walk during evening, it was a small island, you can round the island in about an hour time. Along the way, you'll find some passionate natives running around and asking you to take their photo if you're holding camera. They are real nice people and they like visitors.3rd day dive was on the dive sites nearby Mabul, this time, we spotted something much smaller than what we saw in Sipadan. Lots of lionfish, nudis, croc fish, also some rays, squids and octopus. 4th day we did our dive on a nearby island named Kapalai, not much different from what we had in Mabul, but the memorable one was during our safety stop on 2nd dive. Hiu spotted a 1.5m long barracuda resting beside the rock alone. As we are struggling to swim towards it and try to have a clear sight on it; it slowly moving away. However, I still managed to catch a glimpse on it. It was believed the strong current had brought it to that depth level.
On the last day, we spent sometime for photo shooting and souvenir shopping on Mabul and headed back to KL through the same route where we began. It was a totally different experience when diving in Sipadan, I would not mind to dive at the same spots again and again in the future.
Some side notes:
1. Do sign up earlier for diving in Sipadan, they somehow have limited divers allowed each day.
2. Sipadan is no longer available for stay, it's a military base now. However, you're allow to rest on the beach during lunch time.
3. Diving in Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai is all year long. No monsoon season.
4. More info about Sipadan, checkout: http://www.sipadan.com
1. Do sign up earlier for diving in Sipadan, they somehow have limited divers allowed each day.
2. Sipadan is no longer available for stay, it's a military base now. However, you're allow to rest on the beach during lunch time.
3. Diving in Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai is all year long. No monsoon season.
4. More info about Sipadan, checkout: http://www.sipadan.com
2 comments:
yo im the first to comment in ur blog. congrats on the blog opening. wow u went to sipadan...great. if dunno swim also can do diving ah?
yes. swimming is not a requirement to get a diving certification.
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